Unannounced phenomena

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Unannounced phenomena are various events in Old School RuneScape that have at one time or another hinted to future updates.

In the week prior to the release of Monkey Madness II, monkey archers would periodically appear in the Tree Gnome Stronghold near the central bank and wander around before disappearing.

On the 29th of December 2016, prior to the release of Chambers of Xeric, a chatbox message stated You feel a disturbance deep below the ground, as if some ancient beast had stirred. with the ground shaking at the same time.

On the 13th of October 2017, the week prior to the release of the 2017 Halloween event, the masked stranger appeared in various locations, including Falador Park, Lumbridge Swamp, Barbarian Village, and Varrock west mine, and Etceteria. Rarely, the stranger's face would appear on the screen and laugh at the player, similar to Durial321 or the Barrows brothers. He was removed the following day.

In an update on the 16th of January 2020, two teasers were added for The Nightmare boss. Sleepwalkers that would spawn in various locations and walk to the entrance of the Sisterhood Sanctuary were added, and there was a 10% chance that upon death, a ghostly face of The Nightmare would rise.

On the 19th of May 2021, around 17:42 UTC, if the player was located at the continent of Zeah, a chatbox message stated The ground beneath you violently shakes. with the player character exclaiming What the... What was that? However, if the player was anywhere else, the chatbox message would instead be You hear a faint rumbling from the far west...

This phenomenon was a teaser for the quest A Kingdom Divided. Lord Trobin Arceuus reveals after the quest that the earthquake was caused by Xamphur.

On the 19th of November 2025, around 9:55 UTC, every player had dialogue appear overhead, with a new message appearing every minute or so. It started with Imagine if you could sail a boat..., and was proceeded with Surely it can't be possible..., It's beyond madness..., No! It can be done!, and finally It's happening!!!. After the final message at exactly 10:00 UTC, every player had the skill popup for Level 1 Sailing.

Additionally, the music track Test Your Sails played everywhere, and the player as well as humanoid NPCs performed the Flap emote with the final message.

• Unannounced phenomena date back to RuneScape 2, with the most well known being the strange power teasing the release of Daemonheim in early 2010.