Old School RuneScape enters 2026 with one of the most ambitious content roadmaps the game has ever seen. Sailing, OSRS’s first new skill in over two decades, has now been live long enough for players to explore the high seas, master their sloops, and discover a radically different way to experience Gielinor. Yet for all the progress since its 2022 reveal at the Winter Summit, Jagex makes one thing clear: this journey is just beginning.

The community’s involvement has been central to Sailing’s development from day one. Thousands voted to greenlight the skill, and the passion reflected in feedback, suggestions, and criticism has shaped nearly every part of its evolution. As Jagex reflects on that collaboration, the studio now unveils the full 2026 Sailing Roadmap—a comprehensive plan that revisits foundational systems, introduces new quests and areas, and prepares the oceans for their biggest expansion yet.

Jagex stresses that the roadmap is subject to change based on development progress and, more importantly, community feedback. But for now, players finally have a clear view of the future. From combat reworks to player-designed islands, here is everything coming to Sailing in 2026.

Spring 2026: Overhauling Boat Combat

One message from the Sailing Opinion Poll was unmistakable: Boat Combat needs work. Players expressed that cannons feel expensive, slow, and underwhelming, while traditional combat suffers from sluggish limitations that leave it feeling disconnected from the rest of OSRS.

Fixing Cannonballs and the Cannon Economy

To address one of the largest early frustrations, Jagex proposes separating cannonballs used for the Dwarven Multicannon from Sailing cannonballs entirely. Steel and granite cannonballs would become Dwarven cannonballs and Dwarven granite cannonballs, while Sailing cannonballs would use a new mould producing eight cannonballs per bar, with no Dwarf Cannon quest requirement.

Additional improvements include:

• Increased cannonball drops from Sailing content

• Faster restocking at cannonball shops

• Higher output from cannonball-related skilling methods

These changes aim to stabilize long-term cannonball supply while making Sailing combat more accessible and economically sound.

Rebalancing the Core Combat Loop

Jagex acknowledges that cannons unintentionally became an “unofficial fourth combat skill,” overshadowing traditional combat and nullifying player gear progression. To correct this:

• Sailing cannons will now scale with Ranged gear accuracy and strength, restoring value to player equipment.

• Cannons will feature slower attack rates but more serious damage per hit, improving thematic feel and increasing cannonball efficiency.

• Traditional combat used from a boat will now behave exactly as it does on land, eliminating sluggish restrictions.

Boat-to-land combat remains disabled to prevent bypassing intended boss mechanics or safespot interactions.

These updates lay the groundwork for future advanced weapon upgrades—potentially including elemental cannonballs, magic cannons, or even boat megarares.

Smarter and More Autonomous Crewmates

Combat at sea often feels too click-intensive compared to land combat’s auto-retaliate ease. To fix this, Jagex plans:

• A “Fire at Will” mode allowing crewmates to automatically attack nearby enemies.

• Improved targeting logic to match player targeting behavior.

• Better scaling between crewmates’ Ranged and Privateering levels to minimize wasted shots.

The goal is to make crewmates feel like meaningful combat allies rather than inefficient liabilities.

New High-Level Monster: The Veiled Kraken

A new elite sea monster—the Veiled Kraken—is planned for the Tangled Kelp region. Similar in difficulty to the Vampyre Kraken, this foe offers:

• A new source for the Dragon Cannon Barrel, alleviating salvage-only frustration

• Drops of Inky Paint

• An engaging alternative to passive salvaging

This addition gives high-level sailors fresh PvM content and a more interactive progression route for upgrading their vessels.

Quality-of-Life Upgrades

Spring also includes several key QoL improvements:

• New cannon hotspots enabling players to choose firing angles

• Faster and smoother looting of sea creature drops

• Facility placement flexibility on boats

These refinements aim to eliminate awkward “wiggle” techniques and streamline gameplay.

Summer 2026: New Quest, Naval PvP-Style Encounters, and Player-Designed Islands

Summer brings major content updates with both narrative and mechanical depth.

The Red Reef: A New Experienced-Level Sailing Quest

The next chapter of the Troubled Tortugans storyline arrives in The Red Reef, a quest featuring undercover intrigue, questionable trading companies, and classic OSRS humor.

Requirements:

• 52 Sailing

• 48 Smithing

• Completion of Troubled Tortugans

Rewards:

• 2 Quest Points

• 15,000 Sailing XP

• 5,000 Smithing XP

• Access to the Sacred Grove with Camphor trees, a +7 invisible Woodcutting boost, and a deposit box

Development will release this quest only once the Ship Combat rework reaches the desired level of polish.

NPC Boat Combat

Sailing will soon introduce boat-vs-boat battles, where players take on enemy vessels crewed by hostile NPCs. These encounters may involve battling the ship itself as well as pirates onboard, offering a hybrid of naval and on-foot combat fantasy.

Player-Designed Island Competition

Jagex received over 1,400 community island submissions, and four finalists now move to a ranked-choice vote. The winning island will be refined and adapted into official Sailing content.

This initiative represents one of the most collaborative update designs in OSRS history.

Autumn 2026: New Barracuda Trial and a Mystery Sequel Quest

As temperatures cool, Seas-on fans get more high-skill challenges and story-driven content.

New Barracuda Trial

These time-trial challenges are among the most beloved Sailing activities, and a new, more difficult Barracuda Trial is planned for release in Autumn. Players can expect the hardest course yet—faster, trickier, and designed with player feedback at the forefront.

Sequel Quest to an Existing Storyline

Jagex is also preparing a sequel to an existing questline that ties into Sailing. Details are deliberately under wraps, with the studio hinting only that “the seas may get quite strange.” Expect more lore-rich, sea-centric narrative content.

Winter 2026 and Beyond: A Major Sea Expansion

Toward the end of the year, Jagex intends to tackle one of the most exciting long-term additions yet: a full Sea Expansion.

Potential areas include:

• The Eastern Ocean

• The Untamed Ocean

• The Forgotten Ocean

• Additional points of interest in the Sunset Ocean

This expansion may connect with new quests, new Barracuda Trials, or new high-level Sailing content.

While early in design, Jagex is gathering feedback now to determine whether the community wants this expansion greenlit.

The Sailing Opinion Poll: What Players Really Think

The late-2025 Sailing Opinion Poll revealed critical insights:

• Core systems like navigation, ship upgrades, and most training methods are well-received.

• Ship Combat is the number one pain point.

• Early-game Sailing (1–30) is considered the weakest section.

• High-level content (72–90) is where players want the most development focus.

• Roughly 80% of players support buffs to Sailing, especially in Courier Tasks, Deep Sea Trawling, and certain Ship Upgrades.

• There is strong interest in more high-value uniques, bosses, cosmetics, and deeper integration with other skills.

One major exception emerged: Protection Tasks remain unpopular and are under review.

Overall, the poll strongly validated the 2026 roadmap’s focus on combat rebalancing and new high-level content.

Final Thoughts: A Transformational Year for Sailing

2026 marks a pivotal year for Sailing. With foundational combat fixes, new PvM encounters, narrative expansions, community-designed content, and the first steps toward expanding Gielinor’s oceans, Sailing is evolving into a deeply layered, long-term skill.

To help players enjoy the game to its fullest, RSorder offers dependable services—OSRS Gold and Professional Sailing skill Boosting—guaranteeing quick resolution of any in-game issues.

RSorder Team