2010

2010 marks the 11th anniversary of the formation of Jagex, and the 9th anniversary of the release of RuneScape. Jagex has the dubbed 2010 as the year of "hard work" and referred to this several times in a Q&A. There have been several RuneScape updates planned for 2010, and the following is a list of announcements made by Jagex.

January

 * 4 January: Jagex announces the RuneScape Q&A schedule for 2010.
 * 8 January: Jagex releases RuneScape Cards in Canada.
 * 11 January: The quest, Nomad's Requiem, is released.
 * 12 January
 * Several game worlds are moved.
 * Jagex changes the RuneScape Q&A schedule for 2010.
 * 13 January: Postbag from the Hedge 43 is released.
 * 18 January: The blog Community Management: A 2009 Retrospective is released.
 * 19 January: Barbarian Assault Improvements and Agility Benefits for Fishing, Hunter and Thieving
 * Barbarian Assault is updated to include coloured abyssal whips and item updates.
 * Agility is updated to make it easier to train, along with Fishing, Hunter, and Thieving.
 * 20 January: The blog Machinima: The Orb of Oculus is released.
 * 23 January: Every player online, both free players and members, receive the message You feel a strange power unleash itself upon you. Players are lifted into the air, surrounded by mysterious forces, and shortly after fall back onto the ground. Topics involving this are posted onto the RuneScape Forums. For more information, see Strange power.
 * 28 January: The RuneScape Q&A with Mark Gerhard is posted on the RuneScape Forums.
 * 29 January
 * RuneScape Machinima Competition 2 is announced.
 * The Clan Celebration Month is announced.
 * The blog Community Management: Clan Submissions Page is released.
 * 12-month Cards on Jagex Store again.

February

 * 1 February
 * The quest Rune Mechanics is released.
 * Runecrafting is updated to include the chance of obtaining double Law, Death, and Blood runes.
 * The trade limit while trading with friends is increased.
 * The Orb of oculus, a machinima tool is released.
 * 4 February: The RuneScape Q&A with Andrew Gower is posted on the RuneScape Forums.
 * 5 February: New Items in the Online Store
 * 8 February: Strykewyrms
 * Strykewyrms, Staffs of light, Hexcrests, Focus sights and Full slayer helmets are introduced.
 * A custom music playlist capable of playing up to 12 music tracks is introduced.
 * Standard Detail is updated, and the old Standard Detail is repackaged as Safe mode.
 * A server blackout occurs at approximately 02:44 UTC.
 * 11 February: The RuneScape Q&A with the RuneScape Content team is posted on the RuneScape Forums.
 * 12 February: Two developers' blogs are released: Localisation: A Day in the Life and Shattered Heart: A History of Non-violence.
 * 16 February
 * The Familiarisation D&D is released.
 * A Guaranteed Content poll is launched to determine a second item which can be recoloured by Commander Connad, after his successful abyssal whips' recolouring project.
 * The Machinima Q&A video is posted on Jagex's YouTube channel.
 * 19 February
 * The second part of the Q&A with the Content Team is released.
 * The RuneScape Machinima Competition 2 is officially closed at midnight UTC.
 * 22 February
 * The activity Impetuous Impulses is improved.
 * A bank deposit box is added at the Runecrafting Guild.
 * The ability to wield weapons while cutting ivy with a dragon hatchet is disabled.
 * Dark bow is the item chosen to be recoloured by Commander Connad.
 * The Wilderness Castle is added to the world map in an unannounced update.
 * 24 February: The vote to choose the winner of the RuneScape Machinima Competition 2 is started.
 * 25 February: The RuneScape Q&A with the RuneScape Audio team is posted on the RuneScape Forums.
 * 26 February
 * The Big Ticket 2010 is announced.
 * Two developers' blogs are released: Bonus XP Weekend: Save the Date! and Design Notes: What's a Grandmaster Quest?

March

 * 2 March: Due to cheating and the exploitation of bugs, 68 accounts are permanently banned by Jagex, with another 48 are given temporary bans. Some of the players banned were stated to be high-level players with an average of 2,000 total levels, with in-game time of between 200 days to 1,000 days.
 * 3 March
 * A scheduled 15-minute downtime is announced with the next update.
 * Shattered Heart is released.
 * The success when smelting iron is improved for both members and non-members.
 * The RuneScape Lobby is introduced.
 * Changes are made to the Hitpoints skill and it is renamed to Constitution.
 * The blog Hitpoints to Constitution: What Constitutes the Change? is released.
 * 4 March: The Q&amp;A by the Community Management team is released.
 * 5 March
 * A new payment partner, Paymo, is introduced for PayBySMS.
 * The winner of the RuneScape Machinima Competition 2 is announced.
 * The February 2010 issue of the blog Community Management: Clan Submissions Page is released.
 * 8 March: Four new items are introduced in the Jagex Store.
 * 10 March: The Big Ticket 2010 draw for this month is announced, and will take place on 26 March.
 * 11 March: The Q&amp;A by the Player Support team is released.
 * 12 March: The Bonus XP weekend officially is officially launched.
 * 15 March
 * The quest The Blood Pact is released. This gave players a maximum of 300 quest points. It was also the first free-to-play quest to be launched after Rune Mysteries, which launched in December 2003, 7 years prior. It also gave player access to a low-levelled dungeon, the Lumbridge Catacombs.
 * Free player forum access is expanded. All free players who have earned over 5 million XP are allowed into the RuneScape Forums.
 * 19 March: Players are reminded about the Big Ticket 2010 draw for this month.
 * 23 March: Fish Flingers is released.
 * 25 March: The blogs Community Management: Supporting Clans and Halloween 2010: Quoth Mod Raven are released.
 * 26 March: The March 2010 issue of the blog Community Management: Clan Submissions Page is released.
 * 29 March: The 2010 Easter event is released.
 * 31 March: The Instant demo gameplay mode for affiliated websites is released (hidden update).

April

 * 1 April: Jagex plays an April Fools' Joke by announcing that there was a Runescape Theme Park about to be opened, it also included a Developer's Blog and a Poll. Everything was admitted false the next day.
 * 7 April: The winners of the Armies of Gielinor Story competition are announced.
 * 12 April: The Dungeoneering skill is released, for both free to play and pay to play. Several glitches concerning Dungeoneering appear in the next few days, and most of them are fixed.
 * 19 April: There is a Forum Reshuffle, that divides the Forums in Level-Based communities, many players rant about this change.
 * 20 April: The cost of Dungeoneering Rewards is greatly reduced, ending the rants of many players. A Live Dungeoneering Q & A session is done in the forums, revealing that there was an expansion of the skill in the works.
 * 21 April: The Slayer Challenges are added to the rest of the slayer master
 * 24 April: Runefest is announced
 * 28 April: The Buyers and Cellars quest is released, along with the Thieves' guild.

May

 * 13 May: The quest Fairy Tale III - Battle at Orks Rift is released.
 * 25 May: The quest Elemental Workshop III is released.
 * 27 May: Castle Wars Improvements occurs, earlier then expected due to a bank holiday.

June

 * 1 June: Runescape classic temporarily re-opened for a two-week period for subscribing members.
 * 9 June: Court Cases is released.
 * 15 June: Ancient Effigies is released.
 * 18 June: Jagex clan cup 2010 is launched
 * 24 June: Quiet Before the Swarm is released.
 * 24 June: The price of Climbing boots rose to 75k Grand Exchange price and 45k Alch price. This also caused some items to be protected over and/or increase in price.
 * 24 June: Sheep Shearer and Witches Potion are no longer Quests and have become miniquests.
 * 24 June: Swept Away and Myths of the White Lands are permanently made free to play.

July

 * 1 July: Behind the Scenes July is released
 * 5 July: The Love Story Quest is Released
 * 6 July: PayBySMS with Paymo is now available in Australia
 * 19 July: Dungeoneering was updated
 * 19 July: The waypoint marker was renamed your marker
 * 21 July: A Live Developer Q&A was announced
 * 23 July: Live Developer Q&A happened

August

 * 4 August: Elite treasure trails and 150 New Items Released
 * 4 August: 10 Extra Bank Spaces for F2P and Members

Scheduled updates
July 150 new items released

August

 * 28 August: the first RuneFest event is scheduled to take place in London, England

Quests, skills, and combat equipment
Jagex has stated that they have planned on expanding existing quest series, concluding a couple of series, and releasing a new Grandmaster quest. In addition, they stated that existing skills will be expanded with new activities and rewards. The release of a new set of combat equipment has also been confirmed by Jagex, however this may simply be new equipment within Dungeoneering, or possibly the 'Vulcanised Armour' mentioned by the 43rd Postbag from the Hedge.

"For one, we want to continue producing quests at the rate and quality that we have been, which means expanding the most popular storylines and bringing a couple to dramatic conclusions. We’ll also be casting a critical eye over our existing skills, searching for holes, and filling them with new training activities and rewards. That’s before we even mention the new skill that is coming in 2010! And yes, there will be new combat equipment as well, and also a new Grandmaster quest – but more on that closer to release."

- Andrew, Mark Gerhard and Mod Fetzki