The iconic RuneScape quest, “While Guthix Sleeps,” will be coming to Old School RuneScape (OSRS) in a couple of weeks. This is a fan-favorite quest that innovated storytelling in RuneScape and has been a template for succeeding quests and storylines within the game. Now that it is going to be ported to OSRS, let us discuss the impact of this legendary quest.
What is the Story Behind “While Guthix Sleeps”?
[WARNING: May contain spoilers!]
“While Guthix Sleeps” (henceforth, WGS) is the first grandmaster quest in RuneScape, and has been lauded by fans as one of the best quests in the game based on its storyline and challenges. The story revolves around a Mahjarrat who wants to obtain an artifact called “The Stone of Jas” and wield its power for themself. The player then takes on the quest as they unravel the mysteries of the powerful artifact, witness the intensifying rivalry between the dragonkin and the Mahjarrat, and get involved in the internal conflicts between the race’s top leaders. After completing the quest, the player will receive a rare item and ability to craft items which can be sold for OSRS gold.
What are the Challenges of Porting “While Guthix Sleeps”?
As the first grandmaster quest in the RuneScape lore, WGS provided players with an immersive storyline and challenging experiences. The amount of care that Jagex put in this quest was felt by the players who played it when it was first released in 2008.
While OSRS has been around for more than a decade, WGS was nowhere to be seen. That is until early 2024 when the developers announced that WGS will receive the Old School treatment. This inevitably comes with its set of problems.
Firstly, the developers themselves addressed the issue of the unique item drop of the Tormented Demons (dragon claws) which is already incorporated into OSRS before the announcement of WGS—in the form of the Demonic Gorillas. Jagex wants to resolve this issue by asking the community about what they want to get as a reward for finishing the Tormented Demons in WGS: a unique item drop plus dragon claws, or just a unique item that they will design from scratch.
Secondly, there were a few community-led suggestions about adding something new to the WGS quest. One of these suggestions is the “Rites of Balance” which is a prayer that is activated after completing WGS. This prayer will then be a catalyst for future late-game content that players can look forward to.
Lastly, since the quest is added very late into the game’s development, the player may be required to take the WGS quest with a different character requirement than the original. Of course, new players will have to grind the game or do some OSRS power leveling to ensure they qualify for the WGS quest.
The Impact of “While Guthix Sleeps” on the Game’s Lore
It is no secret that WGS is a fan-favorite quest. It’s a long quest that has a deep storyline, and the rewards feel like they are hard-earned. But WGS’ lore doesn’t only impact the quest itself but the whole RuneScape as a whole.
This includes looking at how the storyline of every succeeding quest (grandmaster or otherwise) is written, what kind of experiences the players can expect in each quest, and what kind of rewards they’ll receive after completing them.
For the storyline, WGS is sandwiched between The Temple of Ikov and the Ritual of the Mahjarrat stories where we are introduced to the Mahjarrat leader Lucien who wants to consolidate power within his race.
[WARNING: May contain spoilers!]
In The Temple of Ikov, players will have to infiltrate a temple to retrieve a powerful item called the Staff of Armadyl, which is one of the 12 ancient Elder Artefacts. It is a crucial element in the whole Mahjarrat storyline, including WGS. This quest’s setup lets you pick a side: the Guardians or Lucien. While these choices do not necessarily reflect the personality or alignment of your character, they get you—the player—involved in the story.
This builds us up to the core of WGS’s immersive storytelling. Since I have already explained in brief the story of WGS, how does it affect later quests?
The Ritual of the Mahjarrat takes place years after the events of WGS. In this story, the three dragonkin who were released from prison after WGS now cause destruction across Gielinor. Meanwhile, the Mahjarrat wants to complete their Ritual of Rejuvenation for Lucien to consolidate his power. It’s up to the adventurer to prevent Lucien from taking over the world and causing further damage to RuneScape.
This deepens the lore since the Ritual of the Mahjarrat gives us a glimpse of what will happen next. No spoilers this time!
How Does “While Guthix Sleeps” Affect Player Experience?
We can also see how WGS unified the whole story through quest items that the player interacted with. For instance, the Stone of Jas gives players a boost while taking on the Tormented Demons. While the player will not be able to obtain the item as it is a story item (spoiler!) it nonetheless proves how RuneScape wants the players to feel like they are integrated into the story.
The quest is also very challenging and takes a long time to complete. Aside from grinding to meet the required levels, the quest itself involves tons of preparations. This is not a bad thing as it gives you the opportunity to gear up before the battle with the Tormented Demons.
You will also have to use a lot of your skills to solve many of the quest’s puzzles. This is why the quest needs high skill levels. To take on a grandmaster quest with low skill levels will be tough: the Tormented Demons alone does at least 1000 damage to the character. Therfore, players should be readily prepared before taking this quest on.
We can also see that Jagex put a lot of thought into making WGS a fulfilling quest for players. The item drops are very valuable late-game equipment that also has a high resell value. If this also translates into OSRS, then players will be delighted to do the whole quest again.
Conclusion
The upcoming release of “While Guthix Sleeps” to OSRS will rekindle the interest of RuneScape players who want to experience it all over again. By giving it the Old School treatment, WGS will have its own quirks and unique challenges. This time, however, players are prepared to take on the task, and willing to be immersed in one of the greatest stories in RuneScape.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
