Eastern Realms

The Eastern Realms was one of the largest updates in RuneScape's history, itself a part of the huge New Venture expansion. It added a whole new continent to the east of Gielinor, composing of one large island and a small archipelago - part of which is available to free players. The rest is members-only.

When the first update was released, the website received an overhaul, as with other major updates. The main page was changed to depict three eastern adventurers - one wearing samurai armour and a katana, one in ninja armour with throwing stars and the final in silk mages robes with an exotic staff - looking out over an ancient city, with an Eastern Temple featuring prominently, from their position in a bamboo forest.

Evidence
Many players had speculated that Jagex would eventually release the area as there was a lot of in-game evidence pointing to this. The release was hinted at in the previous Postbag from the Hedge when the Chaos Elemental, renowned for giving away clues about the future, said ''Over the choppy, choppy waves I go. Look! A fish and a flower for the mistress! She will be pleased''. This is a reference to both the quests Journey East and Mysterious East.

Later in the same letter, the elemental wrote ''The ogres have taken my shards. Wait, they're not ogres! Imposters! Give them tea for their efforts. Spiffing''. This refers to the quest Sword of Tukani, cyclopes and tea. Many players though the reference to ogres and shards was linked to summoning and Bogrog, not the east. Jagex's official Twitter also suggested the eastern lands may come out before the update, despite the fact it hadn't been mentioned in Behind the Scenes, with an image from Journey East (the point where the player and Ak-Haranu}} fight off some bandits).

Update: THE EASTERN REALMS!

Yes, as so many of you have predicted over the years, we are finally releasing the long-awaited Eastern Lands. These mysterious lands can be found to the east of Morytania! To give you an idea of the kind of places you can visit, we've included a basic map of the area below:



Begin your journey in deepest wilderness, rescuing a lost merchant from bandit attack. In return, he'll take you east to his homeland: the great city of Tokaji. Discover the mysteries of the east, explore the dense bamboo forests, recover the shards of an ancient sword, learn about many new ways of fishing, smithing, woodcutting and more. You can even help build a brand new Grand Exchange! To the north of the free area, we find the myserious village of Mikyo and its surroundings. Help Ak-Haranu and his students in what promises to be a very interesting crossover. To the east, the fearsome Gujriki tribe pose a threat to stability in the east and battle is looming.

The high mountain range to the east is home to the walled village of Satezma in the high snow-filled pass. Great rewards await the adventurer willing to aid those behind the palisade. Further to the east lies one of the toughest battlegrounds in the world. Introducing Shikado - a war-torn battlefield beyond the mountains. Choose your allegiance between three warring factions and battle for supremacy in a massive, all-PvP area. With time, you may uncover the mysteries behind the conflict but, for now, your main focus is the glorious battle ahead. Deep in the wasteland, the boldest adventure may discover the trap-riddled tomb of the greatest warrior of this war to explore for brand-new, high-levelled equipment to supplement the regular battle armour.

In the far south of the realms there is not one island but many - the archipelago of Assikai. Famed for its skilled fisherman and hunters, these islands also house a very challenging agility course and a darker secret - the lair of an ancient sea demon. Battle his minions and the king of the oceans himself for more high-level equipment and a new type of gemstone. Last, but certainly not least, is the largest area of all. Travel from the slums of Ganpon to an all new hunter area, from the Sorcerers' Tower to the necropolis of Naishi and from the guild of master farmers to a dragon-infested mine with an ancient secret. There are slayer masters to visit, new spellbooks to master, ancient prayers to unlock, activities to play, tombs to raid, wastes to explore and dungeons to delve. So what are you waiting for? Get playing!

In Other News

 * A new colony of Eastern settlers to the south of Port Phasmatys has been found. Go and take a look to see if you can help out.
 * Free players and members alike will be able to explore the latest twist in the tale of the white and black knights. Smiths of all experiences will be pleased to here one of the oldest mysteries of smithing will be unlocked as a reward - black armour.
 * You will notice many skills have been re-vamped in the name of balance and to create space for all the great new things you'll find in the east.