A 10-year-old MMO brought back from the dead is getting its first new skill, and it's secretly the hottest debate in games right now

gamesradar.com:

After grinding the same 23 skills for 10 years, Old School Runescape players are finally ready for a new one, and responses to the initial skill pitches from developer Jagex have sparked one of the fiercest debates in the history of MMOs. 

There is a lot to unpack here. Old School RuneScape (OSRS) launched in February 2013 after hundreds of thousands of players voted in favor of its return following the controversial pivot to what's now colloquially known as RuneScape 3 (RS3) or just RuneScape. OSRS was literally founded on nostalgia; much like Vanilla WoW, players specifically wanted to play this version of their favorite MMO. And while the game has seen some major updates over the years, like the addition of raids, other game modes, and powerful new equipment and spells, the core game has remained mostly unchanged. 

Crucially, OSRS has always had the same 23 skills, ranging from combat skills like Attack and Range to artisanal skills like Crafting and Herblore. These skills are the bedrock for everything in the game, which means that changing one or adding a new one will not only affect how OSRS is played and balanced, it will likely have ripple effects across several other skills. 

On top of that, some OSRS players are understandably wary that a new skill could make the game feel less old school or even push it closer to the feel of RS3. After bringing their game back from the dead, a lot of players do want to see it expand, but they don't want its soul to change. This sentiment pervades reactions to the skills that Jagex pitched this week (opens in new tab): Sailing, Taming, and Shamanism. 

Sailing was actually proposed back in 2015, but it wasn't fully solidified at the time. The gist is that this skill would let