Deathmatching will be banned in Old School RuneScape next week, as part of an effort to combat real-world trading and promote a fairer game.
After August 15th, Deathmatching will be considered a violation of the Games of Chance rule. The team announced the new rule, the penalties for breaking it, and how they came to this decision. This decision stems from the work they began a couple of years ago to make things fairer and continue the fight against RMT.
Perhaps to combat cheating, the developers closed and replaced the Duel Arena, but it was replaced by entertainment such as Deathmatching. The team knows that cheaters may come up with another plan, but according to the announcement, they are also strengthening some other security measures.
The point of Deathmatching is to create high-stakes PvP battles that are related to real-world trading practices. Players essentially bet all of their loot and money on the fight, creating high-stakes battles. Other rules during the match may include using standard gear and agreeing not to use healing. You can get a nice payday after winning, but it destabilizes real, honest PVP.
Additionally, people are incentivized to buy or create accounts just to participate in such matches. In late 2022, the developers clarified that practices such as betting or dueling through an intermediary as a real trading process are not allowed. Deathmatching is one part of the shadow business of players that is more relevant than ever, and therefore they felt it necessary to draw attention to it.
For the first offense, players will receive a 3-day ban and the removal of all ill-gotten gains, but in case of a repeat offense, a permanent ban will be issued.
