PvP duels in Old School RuneScape will soon be a thing of the past – at least if they use certain “rules”.
Although Old School RuneScape is certainly anything but a visual delight, the MMORPG enjoys great popularity. However, success always comes with various dubious dealings, as seen in many different games. Particularly, participation in “RMT”, or “real money trading”, is forbidden in almost all games – including RuneScape.
Yet, in dubious “PvP duels”, many believed they could evade this rule. But now Deathmatching is being put to a stop.
What is “Deathmatching”? In Deathmatching, as the name suggests, two characters meet for a PvP duel. In advance, they agree on what the “stake” will be. Usually, it involves a large amount of in-game currency that both characters are carrying. In a duel for life and death, they then fight over that exact stake. The loser drops their stake on the ground, and the winner collects it.
What is the problem with Deathmatching? What initially appears to be a completely normal duel usually has a component of real money trading according to Jagex. The duel is merely used as a smokescreen so that afterwards it can be claimed: Yes, everything was clean, I won the money fairly in a duel. The developer Jagex states:
Deathmatching devalues honest PvP and has become an increasingly popular way to participate in real money trading. These activities also encourage the buying of accounts that were created with the intention of participating in Deathmatching.
Jagex on runescape.com
Moreover, Deathmatching is often used as a form of gambling. Participants use special equipment and rules that make their characters virtually equally strong – and then luck is the only factor that decides the winner. For some, it’s a casino substitute, which Jagex had banned years ago.
Jagex also seems to be aware that people will resort to other methods. However, they are confident that they will be able to track them down even then. After all, they have been working on a solution for Deathmatching for nearly two years and are now enforcing this rule because the developers “worked hard to ensure that [they] have a robust system to detect and punish such activities.”
Does this also affect normal PvP? Normal PvP is not affected by this change. Anyone participating in ordinary PvP fights does not have to worry about their account. However, those who have devoted themselves to the dark dealings of “Deathmatching” should quickly reconsider their actions. Because starting August 15, 2024, this could lead to a permanent account closure.
Although Old School RuneScape has been around for several years, there are always exciting stories of people breaking special records. Just recently, a “hero” delved deep into the game’s arrows and confused the community with the death of 16,000 chickens.
