After more than twelve years of waiting, Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is finally receiving its first-ever new skill: Sailing. Launching on November 19, this monumental update is poised to be the biggest expansion in the game’s history, introducing an entire ocean of new content—from shipbuilding and exploration to sea combat and dozens of brand-new islands.

The development of Sailing began nearly two years ago. Now, with release right around the corner, let’s dive into everything we know about the Sailing skill—what to expect at launch, what’s planned for the future, and how this sea-faring adventure will reshape Gielinor forever.

What Is Sailing?

At its core, Sailing is a gathering and exploration skill that allows players to venture across the vast oceans of Gielinor. By captaining their own ships, players will discover over 30 new islands, engage in naval skilling and combat activities, and unlock an entirely new ecosystem of resources, creatures, and quests.

Each island offers its own unique content—ranging from skilling areas and dungeons to bosses and new training methods. Accessing these islands requires a specific Sailing level, encouraging exploration as players progress.

Core Training Methods

At launch, there will be four primary training methods for Sailing, along with several hybrid options that integrate with other skills:

1. Sail Trimming

The most basic form of Sailing training involves trimming your sail every 30 seconds while at sea. When your sail begins to luff, left-clicking it grants both Sailing experience and a temporary speed boost.

2. Port Tasks

Various iconic characters around Gielinor will hire players for Port Tasks, divided into two main types:

  · Courier Tasks: Transport cargo between ports for rewards and XP.

  · Bounty Tasks: Hunt sea creatures or collect rare items, similar to Slayer or Hunter tasks.

3. Shipwreck Salvaging

For those who prefer AFK training, salvaging shipwrecks is the perfect option. With a salvaging hook installed on your vessel, you can retrieve materials from wrecks and exchange them at ports for experience and useful resources.

4. The Barracuda Trials

A high-intensity, precision-based minigame resembling a race or time trial, where players must navigate their ships through checkpoints as quickly as possible.

Beyond these, Sea Charting will provide one-time XP rewards for discovering new regions—similar to a Sailing collection log—with bonus rewards for completing entire map sections.

Expected Experience Rates

While Jagex hasn’t confirmed exact XP rates, developer comments suggest Sailing will sit between Runecrafting and Fletching in terms of speed—neither the slowest nor the fastest skill. Based on context, early projections place efficient training at 75,000–150,000 XP per hour at the high end.

Exploring Gielinor’s New Islands

Upon release, players can set sail to more than 30 new islands, each filled with distinct challenges and activities. Highlights include:

  · Pandemonium: The hub of Sailing, featuring the introductory quest.

  · The Great Kunch: The largest island, home to the Shellbane Griffin, a new Slayer boss, and a major questline.

  · Chard Island: Hosts a new dungeon featuring Lava Strikeworms, a new Slayer creature.

  · Grimstone: A mysterious island in the far north with undisclosed content.

These islands will also host new training areas, Slayer zones, and resource nodes—further integrating Sailing into the broader OSRS world.

Shipbuilding and Upgrades

Your ship is your lifeline. As you level up Sailing, you’ll unlock and upgrade multiple vessel types:

  · Raft → Small Boat → Large Boat

  · Each can be customized with facilities and upgrades, such as:

  · Cargo Hold: Store salvaged materials and supplies.

  · Cannon: For ship combat and defense.

  · Salvaging Hook: For wreck recovery.

  · Wind Catcher & Anchor: Utility upgrades to enhance performance.

These upgrades require new materials, encouraging interaction with other skilling systems.

Integration with Other Skills

One of Sailing’s biggest strengths is how it connects with nearly every major skill in OSRS. Activities on the seas will involve:

Fishing, Cooking, Firemaking, Woodcutting, Farming, Hunter, Slayer, Fletching, Crafting, Thieving, Herblore, Construction, and Combat.

Some examples include:

  · Lantern Fishing: Catching new squid species using light-based bait.

  · Deep Sea Trawling: A Sailing/Fishing hybrid activity for rare, high-healing fish.

  · Crab Hunting Expeditions: A new Hunter method involving baited traps.

  · Cannonball Smithing: The new Brittle Island allows for double-speed cannonball production (4-tick smithing).

  · Pirate Plundering: A Thieving activity with non-depleting merchant stalls and pirate chests.

New Resources and Materials

Sailing introduces a massive array of new resources for shipbuilding, crafting, and combat. These include:

  · Hardwoods: Joba, Campor, Ironwood, and Rosewood—used for planks and new blowpipes.

  · Ores: Lead, Rubium, and Nickel—used for ship upgrades and specialized cannonballs.

  · Fish:

    · Halibut: Combo food healing 20 HP.

    · Bluefin Tuna: Heals 22 HP and restores 5 Prayer points.

    · Marlin: Heals 24 HP—the highest single-eat food in OSRS.

New Potions:

  · Super Fishing & Super Hunter Potions: +6 boosts to their respective skills.

  · Extended Stamina Potions: 70% run energy reduction for 4 minutes.

  · Armadyle Brew: Heals and boosts Ranged, but reduces Defense—ideal for high-level PvM content.

Farming will also expand with Coral Nurseries, hardwood tree patches, and new herb sources, tying into the Sailing ecosystem.

New Unique Items and Slayer Creatures

Several new monsters will inhabit the seas and islands:

  · Shellbane Griffin (Slayer Boss): Drops Bell’s Folly, a stab weapon similar to the Zamorakian Hasta, and the Horn of Plenty, an off-hand item granting a +4 invisible Hunter boost and a 1/10 double catch chance.

  · Aquinite: Requires 78 Slayer and 73 Sailing; drops the Aquinite Hopper, a ranged off-hand offering a 10% double bolt proc chance.

  · Lava Strikeworms and Frost Dragons: Drop Dragon Sheets, a new high-tier ship upgrade material.

Quests and Storylines

At launch, several new quests will accompany the Sailing release:

  · Pandemonium (Introductory Quest): Introduces players to the fundamentals of shipbuilding and exploration.

  · Troubled Tortugans: Involves the Tortugan race and the Shellbane Griffin boss.

More quests are planned throughout 2026, expanding the storylines and introducing new port activities and bosses at sea.

Miscellaneous Features

  · Ship Combat: Involves cannons granting both Ranged and Sailing XP. Players can hire up to five crewmates, either NPCs or friends, to assist with ship functions.

  · Bank Space Increase: +100 default spaces and +10 per bank unlock (nearly +200 total).

  · Sailing Pet: Players will vote between several designs, including a crab with a ship-in-a-bottle shell and a tiny turtle.

  · Teleport to Boat Spell: Simplifies navigation between docks and ships.

  · Max Cape Changes: Max capes will unequip upon Sailing’s release until re-maxed. Cosmetic variants like the Infernal Max Cape remain usable.

Post-Launch Plans and Future Content

Jagex has already confirmed Sailing will evolve well into 2026 and beyond, with future updates including:

  · Early 2026: A second Tortugan quest and new Port Task types.

  · Summer 2026: A small-scale Sea Boss encounter.

  · Future Concepts:

    · Ship PvP Battles

    · Colossal Party Ships

    · Hybrid Training Methods (e.g., Sea Monster Hunting, Mineral Dredging)

    · Sailing Guild / Barracuda Headquarters

    · Interactive NPC Ships to populate the oceans post-launch.

Final Thoughts

With Sailing’s release on November 19, OSRS is entering a new era. The scale of this update—introducing dozens of islands, new resources, hybrid skilling methods, and naval combat—makes it arguably the most ambitious expansion in the game’s history.

While no skill launches perfectly, the level of integration, creativity, and polish shown so far suggests Sailing could become one of the most beloved skills in Old School RuneScape. Whether you’re an explorer, skiller, or PvMer, the seas of Gielinor are about to open wide—and there’s never been a better time to set sail.

RSorder Team