The music player menu.
Music in RuneScape is mostly in-game background music (music tracks) designed to enhance a player's gaming experience and fit with the environment the avatar is in. Music in RuneScape draws inspiration from progressive rock, with elements of classical and world music.
Players need to unlock most tracks during gameplay by going to a particular place, completing a quest, or performing some action (such as reading a particular book). As of 3 September 2018 there are 1243 music tracks available via music player. As RuneScape ages, more music tracks are added.
The 500th track was Tournament! (now unlocked automatically) which was released on 20 November 2007. Unlocking 500 tracks will also unlock the Air Guitar emote. It is notable for being one of the few emotes with audio.
The 1000th track is Book of A Thousand Songs, which was released on 4 August 2014. Unlocking 1000 tracks will also unlock the Demonic Rock Off emote.
Currently, the player does not receive a message when he/she unlocks every music track (though one does appear every time an individual track is unlocked).
The volume of the music can be controlled through the Audio tab on the Settings screen.
Unlocking all song tracks is a requirement for unlocking the Completionist cape.
Genres[]
Music in RuneScape is divided into many genres, with the genre depending on the location that they unlock and play. Once you go to a location, any music that you unlocked of that genre will play, not just the music that unlocks there. Most genres include:
Musicians[]
Players listening to a musician
Musicians are NPCs found throughout the game who play certain tracks with different instruments. Players can listen to them by right-clicking them. While listening to the musician, players increase the rate of their Life Points regeneration and energy restoration. As shown in the picture to the right, multiple players can listen to music at once and restore their energy.
Musicians play various instruments, including a violin, flute, drums, snake charming flute (pungi), a lyre and bagpipes. The music the musicians play is based on actual tracks, as the guitarists play a variation of Harmony, the flutists play a variation of Al Kharid, and the fiddlers play a variation of Spirit
Music Player[]
On 9 February 2010, a Music Playlist was added in an update. This feature allows players to choose a list of tracks that will be played when the Playlist feature is turned on.
The music player is the screen on the interface that lists all music tracks. The titles of unlocked tracks are shown in green, and those of locked tracks are displayed in red. It also features a button at the top which, when activated (in green), continuously plays the same track as a loop. If not clicked, different tracks are played after the end of each. The music playlist can fit a total of 30 tracks. A search option was released 19 August 2010.
Music track list[]
Tutorial music[]
As of 24 October 2012, all F2P players will have the following 57 tracks unlocked upon starting the game or during the events:
Notes[]
- Many tracks can be unlocked just standing very near the area where it is unlocked, so it is not necessary to have all requirements.
- Some music tracks can, for some reason, be unlocked without visiting the area or even getting close to it, such as Dragontooth Island, Legion, and Narnode's Theme. Free-to-play players can unlock these tracks, despite the tracks officially unlocking in members-only areas.
- Born to Do This was used for the opening music track, when a Holiday event is going on. Scape Scared for Hallowe'en, and Scape Santa is used for Christmas. Other Scapes may be used for new skills, such as Scape Summon for the release of Summoning, or Scape Hunter for the release of Hunter. Scape Theme (the previous log in screen theme) is now available in the track list. Now, with the release of RuneScape 3, the opening track is now Scape Bold, played by a symphony orchestra.
- With the release of RuneScape 3, the log in & lobby screen now plays total five tracks in the same order: Scape Bold - The Town - Scape Dark - Village Life - Scape Melancholy.
- The track Zanik's Theme is heard during a cut-scene in Death to the Dorgeshuun, but is not unlocked until Land of the Goblins.
- Until 26 October 2004, the default music track in the Barbarian Village was Dark, but it has been changed to "Barbarianism". The Dark track was moved to the Bone Yard (located east of the Graveyard of Shadows in level 17 Wilderness).
- Armadyl Alliance is unlocked before the gap to Armadyl's area in God Wars Dungeon, so 70 Ranged is not needed.
- While waiting for a clan war to begin, a slower version of "Clan Wars" plays.
- If you are standing near a crop circle outside the Impetuous Impulses minigame, the track "Impetuous" will play but no name will appear on the top of the Music Player (although, the version of "Impetuous" played at the crop circles is slightly different - it is quieter with less of a bass tune).
- The music is composed as JAGA tracks using in-house software by Jagex.
- Some time before, all tracks used to play according to a very specific area the player was in. Nowadays, tracks play according to the general theme of the area, which means places that previously only had one track accompanying it may now play more tracks.
- Lament of Meiyerditch and Night of the Vampyre can both be unlocked on the east side of Meiyerditch and North of the meeting point without even starting Priest in Peril now, since an update that allowed players to enter Morytania without starting the quest.
Renamed tracks[]
- On 4 June 2007, Jagex renamed Gnome to Goblin Village and Gnome Theme to Dwarf Theme.
- On 10 December 2007, Jagex renamed Wolf Mountain to Wild Isle.
- The song "Final Destination" was called "Angels & Demons" until changed by Jagex. The song is still called "Angels & Demons" on the Game Guide.
- With the release of RuneScape 3, Lightness was renamed Darkness.
Deleted tracks[]
- Scape Summon - The main tune during the Summoning Update on 15 January 2008 was deleted from music log with an Update on 5 February 2008, although it continued to play on the Summoning loading and login screen. It was a bug which Jagex reports on their site:
- "Audio > Subcategory:" Added By: mod_clark on 5 February 2008. "The ScapeSummon track has done a runna! We are aware of this and will hunt it down and secure it with big 'stop running away chains' - in the meantime it is an issue that we are aware of and there is no need to report it.'".
- See also: Update:Music system temporarily off - 9 February 2008.
- Scape Summon back on list with the Catapult Construction update on 13 February 2008.
- Spiritual has been deleted, because it sounds too much like Taverley Dreams.
Required skill levels[]
These are the minimal levels (or quest points) needed to unlock all music tracks.
Achievement[]
- Music Maestro (
50) - Unlock all music tracks.
Trivia[]
- In the music Norse Code (playing while in Jatizso), the high pitch flute plays the Morse code letters for RuneScape. With short notes being dits, and long notes being dahs: dit-dah-dit R, dit-dit-dah U, dah-dit N, dit E, dit-dit-dit S, dah-dit-dah-dit C, dit-dah A, dit-dah-dah-dit P, dit E.
- The following sounds may be heard on the FunOrb game Armies of Gielinor: Legion (Lobby), Principality (Misthalin Map), TzHaar! (Desert Map), Poles Apart (Snow Map), Dead Quiet (Swamp Map) and Attack 1-6 (In Battle). Campaign mode also includes Brain Battle, Faithless, Fight or Flight, Kingdom, "Life's a Beach!" Soul Wars, Strength of Saradomin, The Other Side, The Shadow, The Sound of Guthix, The Terrible Tower, Zamorak Zoo
- Life's a Beach! can be heard on the Mos Le'Harmless arena in the FunOrb game Arcanists.
- Occasionally The Horn of Chill, normally unlocked at Ghorrock during The Temple at Senntisten quest will play when encountering elder evil trees.
- When unlocking the 500th track, players get the message "You've unlocked 500 music tracks and can use a new emote!".
- More than 100 of the existing and new tracks have been recorded with a live symphony orchestra with the release of RuneScape 3.
See also[]
- List of recent music, for dates of release
- Free-to-play music, for non-member music
- SoundCloud exclusive music, for music only released on the official SoundCloud account
- Music Player, the in-game interface for controlling background music tracks
- Sound effects, sounds heard through different actions or items ingame
- Quest music rewards - This is a list which shows the amount of music unlocked during the quest.
- RuneScape 3 - The Soundtrack, a compilation of 20 tracks remastered for the RuneScape 3 release.
Music | |
|---|---|
| Lists | |
| Official Sound Tracks |
|
| Rewards |
 Air Guitar Demonic Rock Off |
| Miscellaneous |
 Music Player |