A surprising MMO migration is unfolding live on Twitch and Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is the new and unlikely destination for some streamers and viewers.
Top World of Warcraft streamers, including Guzu, AnnieFuchsia, Shobek, Sodapoppin, and Savix, have been spending their summer not in Azeroth, but in Gielinor. While most haven’t quit WoW outright, their vacations into OSRS have sparked a major surge in viewership and renewed interest in the nearly two-decade-old game.
And it’s not just the streamers having fun. The OSRS community is thriving on the energy. Watching seasoned MMO veterans fumble through basic mechanics, learn obscure game loops, and panic in the Wilderness has been endlessly entertaining.
One quote has captured why so many WoW players are finding OSRS refreshing. Streamer Shobek said it best:
"I find it so fresh that I can play a character that will not be irrelevant one year later."
In contrast to WoW’s regular power resets through expansions and gear progression, OSRS features a timeless design. Your progress is never invalidated. There's no need to roll a new character just to experience different gameplay paths. With enough time, your one character can do everything every skill, every boss, every quest. Your character does it all!
Interestingly, many new players have jumped straight into Ironman mode, where trading is disabled and every item must be earned by hand. Some even went Hardcore Ironman, where one death strips you of your hardcore status permanently.
This forces players to interact with far more of the game than usual they can’t rely on gold or Twitch donations to buy their way to power. Suddenly, every rune, fish, and bronze bar matters. There are no short cuts which means that it’s a slower, more immersive grind and audiences love watching the struggle with no hand holding.
The differences between WoW and OSRS have led to some hilarious misunderstandings.
Many WoW players obsess over Smithing, only to learn it's not as central to OSRS gameplay. Others panic when teleporting to danger zones like the Wilderness. One streamer (Shobek) lost his mind when he accidentally bought expensive runes or found a rune scimitar drop in just two kills. It was quite hilarious. Then there are those who get truly lucky like Sodapoppin who gets Fish Barrel within his first 110,000 exp of fishing...
Old School RuneScape, which predates even World of Warcraft, hasn’t changed much at its core. That’s what’s keeping it alive. Its "anti-irrelevancy" design, as Redditor loopuleasa describes it, is central to its appeal. The game grows with you, not around you.
Mod Gengis from Jagex, the developers of OSRS, praised the community response and welcomed the WoW streamers:
"Always looking to compare notes on how we can improve [first time user experience]... It’s a huge honor."
Whether you’re a WoW veteran or a total newbie, OSRS remains a uniquely rewarding grind. Its permanence, community-driven updates, and near-endless paths to progress make it a special kind of MMO for players. One where your character always matters and does not magically get forgotten or lost over night.
So if you’ve been watching your favorite streamers dip their toes into Gielinor, the only real question left is: Why haven’t you joined them?