Free-to-play

Free-to-play, also known as 'F2P', is the free version of RuneScape. Players who play the free version are known as 'free players', 'F2Ps', and 'non-members'.

Overview The free part of RuneScape is a trial version. Free players only enjoy about 10% of RuneScape's capacity. If they want to, then they can pay a monthly fee and become a member (granting acess to more skills, items, etc.). It is recommended if you're only playing rarely (less than 2 days a week).

Disadvantages Listed below are the disadvantages free players have over members.

Smaller world - The world free players have is very small compared to what members have. Free players have access to about 1/10 of RuneScape, whereas members have access to the whole world. Few quests - Free players can only complete 18 quests whereas members can complete an additional 88, with new members quests being added almost monthly. Limited access to skills - Free players have access to 15 skills whereas members have access to 23 skills in total. Free players also have limited access to the skills available to them. For example, free players cannot cut maple trees whereas members can. Few items - Free players have access to under 1,000 items, whereas members have access to over 2,000. Less equipment - Free players cannot use as many weapons or as much armour as members can. Free users can only use certain rune equipment, while members can get more advanced equipment such as Dragon armour and Barrows equipment. Slower Training - Free players do not have access to the locations that allow for fast leveling of skills/combat. Less Bankspace - Free players may have only 60 items in bank, although free players do not have as many items to store as members. Smaller Friend list - Free players Friend list is limited to only 100, whereas P2Ps Friend list is up to 200. No longer items in chests Cannot use forums With respect to gameplay, new updates within RuneScape are virtually restricted to members. Except where the update concerns graphics, the free version of RuneScape has remained largely static since the introduction of members' servers and the 3-D RuneScape 2. Free-to-play servers have seen the addition of one new quest, one highly limited skill as a direct result of that quest, the tutorial island, a handful of prayers, and token ranging equipment along with twelve bank spots, in contrast to the near-weekly updates given to members. In addition, the in-game area open to non-members has decreased slightly, and most outside-of-game features (such as the forums) are open to members only.

Advantages Despite these disadvantages, there are some fundamental advantages to free-to-play.

No cost - players are not required to pay, nor is there a cut-off period. Free-to-play acts as a demo to most players: some may find they do not enjoy the game, and are able to leave without losing money, and others may use the free-to-play version to learn the basic skills of the game before launching themselves into membership. Simpler play - as restricted as the play is, players are able to devote more time to social or fun activities. That is, free players can relax, not feeling as if they are wasting in-game time they could use to train, make money, or do quests. Safer wilderness - members tricks, such as poisoning, teleblock, and Ancient Magicks, are not available to free-to-play. In fact, many player killers prefer free-to-play wilderness as it requires a more refined strategy than simply using the strongest attacks and most debilitating effects. The maximum possible equipment is also cheaper, with no pressure to reach equipment levels that cost millions of coins.