Shamanism

Shamanism was proposed to players as a new skill in March 2023 in a blog alongside two other potential skills, Sailing and Taming. It would allow players to use gathered materials in rituals to create powerful items, along with the ability to access the Spirit Realm, which would likely be similar to its incarnation in RuneScape 3.

The skill concept came in second place in a poll, and as such has been currently shelved for potential future use due to outstanding player support.

Study the magical power of nature through Shamanism and unlock the ability to perform rituals. Gather components, perform rituals, and infuse objects with the magic of the Spirit Realm. Create powerful items like Tikis, Totems and Poultices, and augment your own equipment with powerful new effects.

— Official tagline from the initial proposal.

The core gameplay loop of the skill would involve:

1. Foraging for natural components throughout the world.
2. Gathering spiritual components at Disturbed Sites.
3. Drawing a ritual circle anywhere in the world.
4. Creating powerful shamanic items through rituals.

Natural components (e.g. mushrooms, tree bark, berries, etc.) would be found in new nodes scattered across the game, and could be foraged with a high enough Shamanism level. They could also be gathered from monsters using a carving knife, which would give different components depending on the monster harvested (e.g. bone marrow, blood, organs, etc.).

Spiritual components (physical manifestations of magic) would be gathered from special nodes called Disturbed Sites — places where the veil between the Spirit Realm and the physical world is thinner than other areas.

A majority of both components would have been untradeable.

The two types of components would then be combined into new items using a ritual circle, which could be drawn in most outdoor areas, similar to fires.

A higher Shamanism level would grant access to more rituals and deeper parts of the Spirit Realm.

The Spirit Realm is a mirrored version of Gielinor where everything is opposite to the physical world and vice versa. For example, a door that is locked in the physical world would be unlocked in the Spirit Realm. Shamanism would allow players to jump between the two worlds in order to discover secrets and unlock paths that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Items created using the Shamanism skill, such as relics and totems, would provide some form of utility. Potential examples given included weapon/armour augmentation (such as stat increases or new damage types) and gear augmentation (such as skilling tool enhancers).

• Shamanism overview infographic