Old School RuneScape's Hardcore Worlds opened on November 4. They are permanent worlds where almost every death sends a character back to Death's Office, played at the same pace as the main game with no XP multipliers, drop rate changes or boosts.
Getting Started
Every Hardcore character starts fresh on Tutorial Island. Death's Delegate, a mini reaper near the Magic Instructor's house, takes players to Death's Office to accept Death's challenge. For the first time the office is shared on all worlds rather than instanced, so it works as a hub, and every player starts with an Escape Crystal.
Death Rules
Hardcore Worlds use the Hardcore Group Ironman death rules, so activities that are normally safe become deadly, including Pest Control, Barbarian Assault, the Nightmare Zone and the TzHaar Fight Cave. Castle Wars, Clan Wars and Soul Wars stay safe. Bounty Hunter and Last Man Standing are switched off at launch.
A death plays out in two steps. Players keep 3 items, or 4 with Protect Item, and then choose:
- Reset: the character starts over from Tutorial Island, losing its items, stats and quests. Resets are unlimited.
- Transfer: the character moves to the main game for good, keeping its protected items and everything in the bank.
Anything that would go to a gravestone is lost either way.
Their Own Economy
Trading and the Grand Exchange are not restricted. Because these worlds are permanent and deaths remove items and gold from them, Jagex expects big shifts in prices and says 1,000,000 GP could feel more like it did in 2007.
Escape Crystals and Broadcasts
Jagex also plans Escape Crystal changes for both the main game and Hardcore Worlds: a price cut from 75,000 to 10,000 coins, sales from Death's own office, and clearing poison, burn and other effects when a crystal activates. World firsts and major deaths are broadcast across Hardcore Worlds, and a new World Switcher with a Hardcore Worlds filter follows in an engine update toward the end of November.
