Treasure Hunter’s End Sparks Division
Jagex has officially confirmed the removal of RuneScape’s long-standing Treasure Hunter system after the community vote concluded in favor of its removal. While the decision was framed as a step toward restoring integrity and balance to the MMO, it’s proving far more divisive than anticipated.
Many high-level and maxed players supported the removal, viewing Treasure Hunter as a relic of the game’s pay-to-win era. But others — particularly casual players or those who use the daily keys to ease their training grind — feel alienated. For them, Treasure Hunter wasn’t a shortcut, but a way to make progress in skills they disliked or didn’t have time to train manually.
Casual Players Feel Left Behind
For years, Treasure Hunter provided a small but meaningful boost to players who couldn’t dedicate endless hours to RuneScape. Daily keys offered a chance to earn extra XP, skip tedious training sessions, and make steady progress without having to spend all day grinding.
Now, with the system being removed, many players feel that Jagex has listened only to the elite minority — those with maxed accounts — while ignoring the larger player base that actually benefited from the feature.
One player put it best: “I can’t spend 24/7 on the game. Having those extra XP boosts from Treasure Hunter was a blessing. Now it’s gone, and what we get instead looks worse.”
XP Bundles Raise New Concerns
In place of Treasure Hunter, Jagex is introducing a new system called XP Bundles, allowing players to purchase bonus XP directly. While this removes the randomness of loot boxes, many argue it’s just another form of monetization — one that feels even more blatant.
Players are calling it a “moneygrab,” criticizing the move as tone-deaf and disingenuous. Instead of reducing microtransactions, RuneScape seems to be rebranding them, offering the same advantages but without the transparency of free daily keys.
A Step Forward or Just Another Trap?
While Jagex claims this transition is about rebuilding trust and removing pay-to-win elements, the new XP Bundle system appears to contradict that message. The removal of free daily keys, coupled with paid XP boosts, risks alienating the very players who relied on Treasure Hunter the most.
For casual fans, the message is clear: progress now comes at a price. And for many, that’s not a step toward integrity — it’s a step backward disguised as reform.
