RuneScape Classic

(also known as RS1, RS Classic, or ) is the forerunner to, which was the previous form of the game, being succeeded by. It was originally created by Andrew and Paul Gower.

could be found on the official homepage when searching for "Classic" in the game guide. It was during the Classic period when the game began to develop its cult status, allowing for the demand which created.

The closing of RuneScape Classic
servers were shut down indefinitely on 6 August 2018, at approximately 5:06 AM (US Eastern time zone). It is not known if the game studio who curated the game, Jagex, intends to ever open up the servers again. The game is now inaccessible in it's official and authentic form through Jagex.

The section of Jagex's website where players could find access to Classic displayed only the veteran server (world 1) after the removal, however it was inaccessible even by veteran accounts, leading to speculation as to whether or not this was a visual glitch. servers was removed hours after the closure of the game, and official forums found on the  website were removed just days later.

Beginnings
When the idea of first came into programming, it was developed under the name of Devious MUD. Although never released, Andrew rewrote it, set it out as a beta for about one week, and then withdrew it. It was reworked, and released under the name of as a beta on 4 January 2001. Later on in that year, the Gower brothers and Constant Tedder formed the company Jagex.

Accounts
closed indefinitely on 6 August 2018. Prior to this, there were several closing and opening period where the game became accessible to new players provided that they hold active pay-to-play membership. Previously, to access Classic, an account had to be Classic-enabled - having played once within the dates of 3 August 2005 to 3 February 2006, or logged in during at least one of the two-week temporary open periods.

Gameplay
In, players control a 2-D online avatar. These avatars can be customized by the player by various clothing, weapons, armour, and hair style. Many of the items needed to customize are sold by other players or in-game shops. The users can interact with each other by talking, trading, dueling, and participating in many other activities. Almost all onscreen actions are performed by pointing and clicking with the mouse.

Worlds
Each player is connected to a "world", where all players in that world can interact with each other. Players on different worlds may private message each other. There has also been a patch to allow Classic players to message friends playing and  There are currently 5 servers, sometimes referred to as "worlds" for. World 1 is for veteran players only, a distinction given to those who logged into between August 2005 and January 2006. Worlds 2-5 are the only worlds available to all players.

Skills
There are 18 different skills in, from combat to gathering skills. Training skills is one of the things many people choose to do, as it can unlock many advantages over others in the game. Some of the advantages is able to produce your own armours, or fight a mighty foes. An example of a skill can be woodcutting, where a player chops trees to collect logs. Several advanced quests have high skill level requirements, particularly in combat.

Quests
Quests are an important part of the game play and progression in Classic. Some quests are standalone adventures, while others have multiple quests in a series, tell a longer story/adventure, and affect the world of the player more distinctly. There are quests which even allow the player to make their own choices, choose sides, and other variations which allow more freedom to the player. Quests can take a variety of skills to complete, with some having fairly high requirements for the players stats in order to complete or even start the quest. Once a quest has been completed, the player is rewarded with quest points, and often items, experience, new areas to explore, items to collect, NPC's to talk to, monsters to fight, and more.

The final quest to be developed and released for Classic was Legends' Quest.

Classes
Early July 2002, players used to choose a class when creating an account. Depending on the class chosen, new players would start with a higher level in the appropriate skill at a compensation of lower skill levels in other areas. Tutorial Island in 24 September 2002 followed the removal.


 * Necromancer (7 EvilMagic, later removed after a major update to the magic skill) - Started out with a black wizard hat and a regular staff.


 * Wizard (7 GoodMagic or Magic after a major update to the magic skill) - Started out with a blue (later black) wizard hat and a regular staff.


 * Warrior (3 Attack, 3 Strength, 3 Defense, 12 Hits) - Started out with a bronze short sword and wooden shield.


 * Miner (7 Mining) - Started out with a pick-axe, which at that time was the only type available. These were later turned into bronze pickaxes.


 * Ranger (12 Hits)- Started out with a shortbow and 10 arrows. These later became bronze arrows after the release of the Fletching skill and multiple arrow types.


 * Adventurer (2 Attack, 2 Strength, 2 Defense) - Started out with a tinderbox, a bronze hatchet and one piece of cooked meat.

When the class system was removed and prior to tutorial island, all new players would start with a bronze hatchet, one piece of cooked meat, and tinderbox, like adventurers.

Forums
The Official RuneScape Forums has a section for RuneScape Classic users. To gain access to these forums, you need to have a members account. These forums are hidden to those that are not logged in.

Before January 2009, anyone could have viewed the Classic forums, and many non-RuneScape Classic players were spamming and creating threads requesting RuneScape Classic to be reopened. Jagex closed access to the Classic section of the forums, and only users who had an active Classic account logged into the forums would be able access this board, by submitting an application in a dedicated thread.

After the temporary re-opening of RuneScape Classic in November 2009, Jagex re-opened the Classic section of the forums to all users, and it is now available without the need to submit an application.

Re-openings
On 11 November 2009, Classic was reopened to RuneScape Members. This was done to raise awareness of the game and to allow curious players to experience it. Any members account that signed up in the two week period after the reopening will continue to have access to RuneScape Classic after the deadline. Further re-openings happened on 1 June 2010 and on 14 September 2011. Furthermore, it was re-opened in celebration of RuneScape's 15th anniversary between 11 January and 11 March 2016, after being announced at RuneFest 2015. The reopening was then indefinitely extended.

Playing RuneScape Classic
With the games servers having gone offline indefinitely on 6 August 2018, it is now impossible to play the official version of via Jagex.

There is currently no permanent direct link to from the  website. During the two-week open period, the link was the third button down on the right sidebar.

Before it was closed, players could search for "Classic" in the search bar and find the page. Click here to go to RuneScape Classic world select page.

With the added support of on the official downloadable client, players may create a desktop shortcut and play there directly. Alternatively, you can save and visit the links on the world select page, which will attempt to open your Client.