OSRS Leagues 6 turns the MMORPG's progression on its head, with a demonic twist

OSRS Leagues 6 begins today, and it's the ideal time to dive into Old School Runescape. We haven't seen a new seasonal league for the MMORPG since 2024, but it's making a dramatic return with the new Demonic Pacts League. It should prove a good jumping-on point if you've been thinking about coming back, while also offering something fresh for veteran players. Turning the typical progression upside down and starting you in Varlamore, the seasonal event puts everyone on an even playing field and challenges you to approach its restrictions in the most creative way possible.

If you're new to OSRS Leagues, the general gist is that it's a special, limited-time variant of Old School Runescape that takes place on separate worlds from the main game. You make a fresh character from scratch and benefit from boosted XP and drop rates to accelerate through the progression at a faster-than-normal pace. The real draw, however, are the league-specific mechanics, which this time revolve around players taking contracts from Yama, the demonic Master of Pacts.

In the new league, you'll start out at level three in Varlamore, with a choice between three possible initial relics. Misthalin is completely inaccessible during this league, but you'll be able to gradually branch out to Karamja, along with three additional regions of your choice, as you complete tasks. Experience rates start off at 5x the normal amount, but will ramp up to a 16x multiplier, encouraging you to find unconventional ways to progress. You're also limited by Ironman rules, meaning no player trading or use of the Grand Exchange.

Yama has locked away the Sage that typically runs leagues, and he's taken charge of proceedings in their place. Instead of the combat masteries seen in the previous Raging Echoes League, there's now a branching combat skill tree called the Pact system. You'll spend your first point here during the tutorial, but will gradually unlock up to a total of 40 Pact points, along with the potential to earn up to three full tree resets if you want to change your build later in the league.

Echo bosses return, but they've been adjusted to fit into the new system. By taking on a standard version of a boss, you'll have a chance to snag an Echo Orb, which you can use to battle the more powerful variant and attempt to grab their exclusive drops. These upgraded foes can be found in all areas aside from Karamja, so you'll have up to four in total to work with, depending on which regions you choose to progress through.

There are also a whole heap of relics to unlock. The starting choice of three is between Endless Harvest, Barbarian Gathering, and Abundance, so you can choose how you want to play right from the beginning. You can see the full list of relics that you'll unlock access to on the road to tier eight below, and Jagex promises that "this version's roster will be one of the hardest to choose from." Watch out for tier three in particular, which lets you instantly teleport to either banks, boss locations, or agility shortcuts.

Starting our journey in Varlamore, the newest region in OSRS, means rethinking how you start your skilling from the ground up. Karamja always unlocks next, upon completing 80 tasks, but then you're free to choose any of the other areas (except Misthalin) as you reach the later milestones of 200, 350, and 450 tasks. Naturally, there will also be plenty of league-specific rewards to unlock with the points you earn, although the shop to cash these in won't be available until a little further down the line.

OSRS Leagues 6 'Demonic Pacts' is live now, and runs from Wednesday April 15 until Wednesday June 10, 2026. "For Old School Runescape players who are currently AFK and have never played the mode, Leagues is the game they've loved for years dialed up to 11," creative director Kieren Charles remarks. "Faster progression, a level playing field for all, and new gameplay mechanics that provide a fresh take on the Old School experience."