Two weeks ago, the Sailing Alpha playtest went live – it's the largest public playtest we’ve ever run! We were thrilled to see so many of you taking to the seas for the first time, learning the ropes, and getting hands-on experience with Old School RuneScape’s first new skill.
In this blog, we’ll dive into some key insights from our in-game survey, highlight some of the early feedback we've seen, and share what’s next for Sailing.
A massive thank you to everyone who took part in the playtest — playing content in its Alpha stage isn’t for everyone, but an incredible 65,918 of you set sail last week.
We’re especially grateful to those who took the time to share their thoughts via our survey. Surveys are an invaluable tool, helping us understand the perspectives of the entire community — not just those on social media platforms. They give us a broader, more representative picture of how players feel about Sailing, ensuring our decisions reflect the needs of the whole community.
We recognize that there are concerns amongst some players about Sailing and opinions are divided. We look at player feedback across many different sources, including platforms where we can see higher levels of negativity. These are players who care deeply about the future of our game and want the best for it.
Back in 2023, we offered to locking in Sailing as a new skill — provided we ran public playtests and continued consulting players on its design. As a colossal majority, 71.9% of the community, voted ‘Yes’ to accept it, with an incredible 161,381 turn-out, we would be doing a disservice to our players if we did not continue development on Sailing. Since that vote, we’ve worked in good faith to develop Sailing in line with our agreement. The Sailing Alpha is a testament to our commitment to the playerbase, demonstrating that we are actively engaging players in shaping the skill. Moving forward, we are collaborating with the community on the design of Sailing — but this does not include revisiting the "lock-in" poll.
Now is the time to help us shape Sailing. Your feedback remains crucial in helping us refine and improve Sailing to be the best skill it can be. Upcoming features like ship combat and crew-mates are yet to be fully implemented and we’re still exploring many features like hybrid training methods, new resources, and exciting rewards. If you want to influence these aspects of development, get involved and work together with us. The best way to ensure Sailing is the best it can be at launch is by focusing on what we can do to improve. If we don’t hear from you, we won’t know what changes need to be made — so keep sharing your thoughts, and let’s make Sailing a fantastic new skill together!
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Around 4,284 players responded to our survey (with 3,380 completions). We asked players how they voted in the Sailing lock-in poll to understand more about where these insights are coming from.
- 57.21% of respondents reported that they voted 'Yes' to Sailing.
- 13.96% of respondents reported that they voted 'No' to Sailing.
- 18.72% of respondents reported that they did not vote on Sailing.
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Our Sailing poll results blog highlighted that the largest cohort of players who voted on Sailing were between 1801-2100 skill total. In the survey, however, nearly half of respondents were from players above 2100 skill total.
When we looked at the data of accounts participating in the Sailing Alpha, we noticed that most of the playtesters actually fell into the 'did not vote' category, followed by 'Yes' voters and then 'No' voters. Unfortunately, participation from 'No' voters was low, as they only made up 5.8% of people engaging with the playtest overall. We also looked into the account activity from 'Yes' and 'No' voters in the last year, and there is no evidence to suggest that 'Yes' voters are no longer playing the game. If we look at activity levels in the last year, there is only about a 3% variation in recent gameplay activity between players who voted 'Yes' to Sailing compared to those who voted 'No'.
Onto the results of the survey: they're looking really positive!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
- 77.69% of survey participants said they feel more positive about Sailing after playing the Alpha.
- 73.29% of players reported that they are happy or very happy about Sailing being added to the game.
We’re also very pleased to see that 82.87% of respondents found at least one training method that matches their playstyle. Old School RuneScape is home to a diverse community of players and ensuring that Sailing offers a variety of engaging training methods means that everyone can find an approach that suits them.
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If you can’t see the image above, click here!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
We’re thrilled to see that fundamental aspects of Sailing, such as boat movement, customization, and navigation, felt intuitive for most players:
- 79.46% of playtesters found ship upgrade options ‘easy’ or ‘very easy’ to understand.
- 82.92% said controlling their boat was ‘easy’ or ‘very easy.’
- 67.51% found the side panel ‘simple’ or ‘very simple’ to use.
These results give us confidence that Sailing’s core systems are on the right track, and we’ll continue refining them based on your feedback. Originally, we had planned to have a ‘Tech Alpha’ before the full Sailing Alpha to test the new technical foundations of the skill. However, we felt that a test focused solely on boat navigation and backend systems — without meaningful content — wouldn’t be an enjoyable experience for players. We're very pleased to see how many of you enjoyed boat movement as this was the very first time players got to try it out at scale.
Sailing offers a range of training methods, from low to high intensity, designed to cater to different playstyles. We wanted to showcase a variety of activities in this Alpha, ensuring that players could experience the breadth of what the skill has to offer. Most existing skills have had the benefit of 20+ years of updates to keep them engaging, so we knew we had a high bar to meet right from the start! We're pleased that, overall, these activities were well received.
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If you can’t see the image above, click here!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
Some survey questions first asked whether players had tried an activity, while others did not — so some results appear lower as they also factor in skipped responses. Here’s how playtesters felt about some of the activities they experienced:
- 77.53% found Barracuda Trials ‘fun’ or ‘extremely fun’. (12.43% were neutral.)
- 63.17% of playtesters either ‘like’ or ‘strongly like’ Shipwreck Salvaging. (16.60% didn’t try it, and 14.06% were neutral.)
- 59.04% either ‘like’ or ‘strongly like’ Port Tasks. (24.46% were neutral.)
- 53.23% either ‘like’ or ‘strongly like’ Sea Charting. (20.62% were neutral, and 10.93% didn’t try it.)
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It’s encouraging to see that none of the training methods stood out as overwhelmingly negative — something that can’t always be said for existing skills in the game. Many skills have training methods that players either tolerate for efficiency or outright avoid, so it's reassuring to see such a positive response to Sailing's early gameplay. Of course, preferences will vary, and that’s expected! These methods were designed to cater to different playstyles, ensuring that there’s something enjoyable for everyone.
One key takeaway is that players who filled out the survey during the Alpha had a largely positive experience, suggesting that giving players hands-on experience with Sailing is much more impactful than showing updates only in blogs or videos. However, that doesn't mean our work is done — far from it. There's plenty of feedback, and plenty of room for improvement as we develop the skill even further.
Another interesting data point from the survey is that the majority of Sailing Alpha participants said they do not actively engage with social media for discussions about OSRS. This is an important consideration, as it highlights that feedback seen on some platforms does not fully represent the overall community’s experience with Sailing.
We’ve been reviewing feedback from a variety of sources, and we want to highlight some key points that stood out. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but we hope it reassures you that your concerns and suggestions are firmly on our radar!
Longer-form reviews — whether in video or written format — have been particularly helpful, so please keep them coming. We love seeing your insights and deep dives into Sailing!
Boats getting stuck
This was a common frustration during the Sailing Alpha — though we’ll admit, the parking memes were top-tier.
It appears that there are specific locations where boats can just get stuck. We implemented 'Escape' options on boats, but it's not a permanent fix for the underlying problem. This issue appears to be related to mapping rather than navigational mechanics. In the short term, we’re compiling a list of problematic locations flagged during the playtest so we can resolve them. However, a long-term solution is needed to prevent the issue entirely. We’re exploring an engine-side fix, possibly a tool that detects and corrects these spots automatically.
XP Rates
We acknowledge the confusion around XP rates, as different speculative figures have been mentioned by various team members. To clarify: XP rates are not finalized, and balancing is always one of the last steps in development. Right now, our priority is making sure each training method feels distinct and enjoyable. We're more concerned about how each training method balances in relation to one another.
We started with conservative XP rates, and player feedback suggests they should be higher. Some skills in Old School RuneScape are known for being slow to train, while others are fast — but with Sailing, early progression may have felt slower simply because it’s a brand-new skill and the Alpha was limited to starter zones. Sailing will have meaningful progression throughout levels 1-99, ensuring higher levels feel engaging rather than a grind.
Port Task Quality of Life
We saw several requests for improvements to Port Tasks, the most notable being the ability to carry more Cargo per trip. Having to make multiple runs — especially if you forget an item — can feel tedious.
We plan to address this by allowing crewmates to assist with loading and unloading Cargo. As you progress in Sailing, you’ll gain access to more convenient upgrades that reduce back-and-fourth trips.
Some of you even suggested that Strength level could influence how much Cargo you can carry. While that’s not something we've got firm plans for right now, you've definitely sparked our interest. Our Art team had a great time experimenting with just how much Cargo a player could theoretically hold...
If you can’t see the image above, click here!
Another common frustration was the loading screens when interacting with your boat. We’re exploring a solution that would allow boats to persist in the game world even when you’re not actively sailing. This means your boat would remain docked and visible, removing the need for some loading screens.
There were a lot of smaller quality of life suggestions (particularly on the Port Task Board) which the team are considering too.
Sailing Water Visuals
Compared to land, where there are landmarks and scenery, the open sea can feel a bit empty. Many of you suggested waves, currents, or other visual elements to make the ocean feel more alive.
We experimented with currents during early Barracuda Trials testing, but they didn’t quite feel or look right. However, we’re exploring adding Barracuda Trial mechanics like Rapids, which could provide a speed boost — and potentially be tied to Sea Charting. Imagine fully charting an area and unlocking a permanent Rapid path as a reward! It could make your Port Tasks so much more convenient!
We’re also investigating how we can implement smaller visual effects on water, similar to how grass moves on land. However, a lot of this work is exploratory at present, and we need to be mindful about what kind of 'ground noise' works on water. For example, bubbles might look too similar to fishing spots. There are also technical considerations, such as how your boat might interact with these animations. Any water animations with height variation would require engine changes, as the current system is limited to the flat ocean surface. We've got lots to think about and consider!
Beyond visuals, adding more content to the ocean — such as sea monsters, NPC ships, and dynamic events — will naturally make the world feel richer. We don’t have firm plans yet, but we’ll share more as development progresses.
And finally, as showcased at the RuneFest Summit, we'll also be releasing HD graphics within our client later this year. Our HD mode will include updated HD water visuals which will provide additional graphical fidelity for those of you on Mobile, Steam or using our Official Client via the Jagex Launcher. If all goes well, our aim is to release Official HD this Summer, but this is a complex technical project so we'll be rolling it out cautiously to ensure everything goes smoothly. We know that many players will want to continue using RuneLite, and we'll aim to use the improvements described earlier to make the water feel alive for players on other platforms.
Mobile
We understand that many of you were eager to try the Sailing Alpha on mobile, and we appreciate your patience. While Sailing is technically functional on mobile, we wanted to ensure a smoother experience before making it available for testing. The good news is that we plan to include mobile support in a future Sailing Beta — provided it's in a state where we’re confident players won’t encounter significant issues.
Sea Charting
We’ve heard your feedback that Sea Charting could feel more rewarding. Many completionist-style activities grant permanent rewards, and players expected something similar here.
To address this, we’d like to tutorialize Sea Charting through miniquests and streamline the tools required for it. For example, the Anti-Rust Tonic may not be necessary, as the gameplay loop remains the same without it.
Additionally, we’re exploring ways to reward players for fully charting areas — potentially with permanent unlocks like the Rapids system mentioned earlier. While we can’t guarantee this for launch, it’s a strong priority, and we’ll do our best to make it happen within scope.
In a similar way to Port Tasks, the team received many useful quality of life suggestions, which are currently under consideration.
Map Labels
Some players pointed out inaccuracies in the terminology used for ocean map labels. Thanks for catching that! We’ll be making adjustments based on your feedback.
Boat Speed
A few players felt that boats were too slow. This is partly due to the Alpha being limited to Level 30 and starter areas. Boat speed will increase as you upgrade your ship—better hulls, for example, will improve movement speed. Potentially unlockable mechanics like Rapids will also help make sailing feel faster over time.
On a related note, some players commented that the Current Duck felt slow in comparison to boat speeds. We'll bear this in mind as faster vessels are developed, though we do expect that an experienced sailor in a quality boat should be able to outperform a duck.
So, what's next?
If you took part in the Alpha, you may have noticed lots of new and exciting islands and points of interest out at Sea. There is a sense of excitement from the discovery and exploration with Sailing. Our focus is now shifting towards nailing the content that comes alongside it to ensure that players feel like there are real reasons to train the skill. You have lots of influence over that process, and it will start very soon: over the next few months you can look forward to multiple design blogs and polls, all of which covers the content found in Sailing. These include polls for new quests, a hybrid training method, rewards, resources, bosses, etc. All of these tie into existing skills and have affects on the main game – the extent of which is decided by you. We appreciate that some players will want to keep the content a complete surprise, and we'll be mindful about the level of information we share.
Alongside that, all of your feedback will be taken into account as we prepare for a future Sailing Beta. We're still working out exactly what features are going to be included, but you should get to try more Sailing activities, like ship combat & crew management!
We also haven't forgotten about things like the player-designed icon and skill-cape, and of course, the Sailing pet! More information will be shared on these in the future, once we're a bit further into polling. Early on, we mentioned having a player designed island competition. We're planning for that to be a post-launch update, rather than something included when Sailing first launches. Other skills in Old School RuneScape have had years - even decades - of expansion, while Sailing is starting from nothing, and the core of boat movement has been a massive undertaking in itself. So it's inevitable that Sailing will go on a similar journey, with more features and expansions to be expected after its initial launch. In particular, we'll be adding the promised player-designed island project as a post-release expansion for Sailing, once the core of the skill has had a chance to settle.
Thanks for reading this and let us know your thoughts!
You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the Sailing Discord in the #blog-feedback channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.
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