Jagex Accounts are the future of account security, and if you missed it, it went into Open Beta back in April! This means that everyone can now upgrade to a shiny new Jagex Account!
Now it's been in Open Beta for a few months we wanted to share an update on how the beta is progressing. You've asked for more transparency, and what were doing to improve the Jagex Accounts experience. So settle down and take a read!
Just so were up to speed, these are all the benefits you can get from a Jagex Account:
- Import up to 20 characters under one login
- Enhanced account security, including:
- Stronger Passwords
- Protection against Brute-Force attempts
- Email Notifications
- Required 2FA
- Improved Recovery Process (including Backup Codes)
- Remembered Sessions
- Easily import characters you may have forgotten about
Remember, Jagex Accounts are only available via the Jagex Launcher. This nifty tool remembers your account and works with both the official client and RuneLite.
For more information, visit the official Jagex Accounts Website or get a direct answer from the very handy FAQ!
Now that we're a few months into the Beta, let's take a quick look at just how many of you have heeded our call to upgrade.
As of the end of June, we're pleased to announce that there have been more than 150,000 Jagex Accounts created! With more than 290,000 RuneScape and Old School characters linked. That's phenomenal, and we'd like to thank you for trusting the new system.
Now, let's dive into the feedback survey that we featured in previous Jagex Accounts newsposts and our Gielinor Gazette!
Firstly, we wanted to understand just how much you knew about Jagex Accounts and what you felt about them. This was open to all players, not just those who had upgraded.
- Over 90% of survey participants know what a Jagex Account is and 82% had a positive/neutral sentiment towards Jagex accounts
That's good! It means we've explained what the system is, and what the benefits are. But we want more players to upgrade!
We then wanted to find out why players may not want to upgrade just yet. By identifying pain points, we can work on resolving them to make Jagex Accounts as strong as possible.
- Some of the biggest reasons for not upgrading included:
- Fears of somehow being locked out of an account
- Issues with sharing a RuneScape Account
- Seeing negative stories about Jagex Accounts on social media
- 78% of players would upgrade if their issues are resolved
This suggests that it's perception that's a problem (though we do acknowledge that there are features and changes we ought to make, read on to learn more!). We've seen first-hand that players have run into issues with their RuneScape characters and misattributed those issues to the Jagex Account system. They may post on Reddit, others see their post, and that's what they use to form their opinion as to whether they should or shouldn't upgrade.
So, on to those who have actually upgraded. We wanted to see what they had to say.
- 84% of players with a Jagex Account had a positive experience
- Only 7% had a negative experience (with the rest describing their experience as neutral)
- Their main reasons for upgrading:
- Account Security
- Multiple Character Support
- Remembered Sessions
- A whopping 90% of upgraded players would recommend upgrading to a friend and a further 8% would recommend once some issues have been resolved.
This was great to see, particularly since we're still only in Open Beta! It means that Jagex Accounts is largely achieving what we set out to accomplish.
Lastly, since we were asking about Jagex Accounts, we thought it would be good to get some feedback on the Jagex Launcher too, as you need to use the Launcher once you've upgraded!
- 85% of players have had a positive experience using the Jagex Launcher
- Some of the biggest reasons for not wanting to use the launcher include:
- Launcher Fatigue
- Feels Unnecessary
- Players only play one game
- Official support for Linux (as a OS) & HDOS (as a game client) were notable reasons that would make players use the Launcher.
So, overall we do understand the scepticism and hesitation around upgrading to the Jagex Account, but it's fair to conclude that: Upgraded players have overwhelmingly reported a positive (or at least neutral) experience, and the majority of these would recommend upgrading to a friend.
We'll look to do a very similar survey in the near future to see if your feedback has changed with the multitude of improvements we're bringing to Jagex Accounts. Which neatly leads us to...
From all of the great feedback you've left via the survey and across social media we've highlighted some of the most requested feedback points and wanted to give you an update on where we are at we've each of your concerns!
The Beta is not reversible, will this change in the future?
Being able to 'downgrade' (or 'reverse') would pose a security risk to your Jagex Account, we don't intend to change this.
I would like to have more spaces to import characters.
We recently increased the number of characters you can import from 10 to 20. This is something we are going to continue to monitor, to see how many players are actually using that many slots. So far most people haven't seemed to need so many, but we'll be able to plan expansions if that changes.
I play using HDOS and I can't upgrade as I won't be able to play using my preferred client. Will HDOS be coming to the Jagex Launcher?
Yes; HDOS will be made compatible with the launcher. We're working on establishing just when, but once it's added anybody with HDOS installed will be able to play via the Launcher (and using a Jagex Account).
I would like to be able to re-order characters, so my most important ones are at the top.
We're introducing this feature soon! It'll let you re-order your characters via the Account Management page so they appear in the order you prefer in the launcher and the mobile client.
It's difficult swapping between characters on Mobile, when will this be improved?
Were still investigating how we can improve character-switching on Mobile and cant confirm whether this feature is something well be able to work on. For the time being, we recommend using a trusted password manager which the Old School Mobile App can access to switch between accounts.
I share my account with other players (Clan Accounts, PvP Builds, GIM Members), and I'm worried about my account being locked out if I upgrade.
Jagex Accounts are not designed to be shared; Letting other players into your account, for any reason, leaves it extremely vulnerable. They could lock you out of the account, drain your bank, or use the account to break rules and would ultimately require your friend access to your email account too. Account sharing is against the Rules of RuneScape and as such, Jagex Accounts do not facilitate account sharing.
Clan owners can configure their permissions so that deputies and other senior Clan members can manage the Clan without anyone needing to share accounts at all.
I'm concerned my account has been compromised and I am worried about upgrading!
If youre worried that a character youd like to import has been compromised, follow these steps to recover your account. Remember, once your character has been imported it will be secured under your Jagex Account and you can take advantage of new security features like backup codes and 2FA.
My RuneScape character has been compromised and I think it has been imported to a Jagex Account that is not mine!
If you're certain you're entering the correct login information and still cant import or access a character, then its possible that character has been compromised. Contact Jagex Support immediately so we can take action to secure your account and transfer it away from the hijacker's Jagex Account. Once you upgrade to a Jagex Account you will have protected yourself from the vulnerabilities of the old RuneScape account system.
I saw something that mentioned the ability to archive characters, is this still in the works?
You may have seen the concept of Character Archiving in the recent Jagex Account Survey. This feature would allow you to hide redundant characters from your list, freeing up space for more active accounts without unbinding any characters. This is not a confirmed feature, but the Publishing Platform team are looking into it. Please note that It would NOT unbind the character from the Jagex Account!
I would like to play more than one character at once, will this ever be possible?
The Jagex Launcher already allows you to play multiple accounts at once using both RuneLite and the official Old School RuneScape client. As long as all your characters are imported to the same Jagex Account you can play all 20 at once, if you like!
I can't use RuneLite natively anymore now I've upgraded!
To use RuneLite after upgrading to a Jagex Account, youll need to open it through the Jagex Launcher.
Will you be adding the C++ Client (Steam/Mobile) to the Jagex Launcher?
Yes, soon!
Will there be official support for Linux?
While the Jagex Launcher is not currently supported on Linux, there are some community projects that might help you play and we are reviewing how smoothly these workarounds function. Please head to our dedicated Linux article for more information.
The Jagex Launcher needs Admin access, which means I can't install it in all the places I play, will this change?
Requiring Admin access is the best practice for both device and client security. We cannot confirm that this requirement will be removed, but are keeping an eye on player feedback around this.
I would like the Jagex Launcher to close completely once I've opened Old School RuneScape.
You are free to close the Jagex Launcher manually once youve opened your Old School client of choice this shouldnt affect your playing experience. We have no plans to make this process automatic.
Since 20% of players have now upgraded to the Jagex Accounts system, we think its time to celebrate!
As you know, attaching an Authenticator to your account gets you an additional 20 Bank Spaces. Since Jagex Accounts are the next step up in security, we think its fitting that upgrading should get you another 20 Bank Spaces!
If youve already upgraded, youll receive your 20 Bank Spaces upon your next login after this week's game update.
For those of you who for some reason havent added an Authenticator, upgrading to a Jagex Account will net you 40 extra Bank Spaces after all, Jagex Accounts have an authenticator built in, so youll be even more secure than before!
Stronghold of Security
Weve also noticed that the Stronghold of Security is now a little outdated. It doesnt cover the most recent rule changes, or highlight the benefits of Jagex Accounts.
Consequently, we plan to improve the questions asked by the Security Doors and update other NPC dialogue options to match. Dont worry the layout and everything else you love about this iconic location wont change.
Although, now that you mention it, we have considered giving Jagex Account holders the option to receive something fancier from the Cradle of Life. If that sounds enticing, youd better upgrade!
This bit of the blog details everything you need to know to upgrade to a Jagex Account. We've prepared a handy how-to video that walks you through:
- Upgrading to a Jagex Account
- Managing your Jagex Account settings
- How to import additional RuneScape characters to your Jagex Account
Before you get started though, we just want to reiterate the following:
- After you migrate your existing characters to a Jagex Account, theyll all sit under a single, secure login, protected by the new security features.
- The Jagex Launcher is required to use your Jagex Account.
- If youve been using the Jagex Launcher already but havent yet upgraded, youll need to sign out of the Jagex Launcher after upgrading. When you log back in with your Jagex Account credentials, you should be able to access all your imported characters.
- The Jagex Launcher requires Admin access to install. If youre on a shared network (for example, at work or school), you may not be able to install and run the Launcher.
- The Jagex Launcher is not supported on Linux OS. If you want to continue playing on a Linux machine after upgrading to a Jagex Account, there's guidance available in the above Support article.
- While HDOS is an approved client, it is not available on the Jagex Launcher at this time it will be featured on the Jagex Launcher in the near future.
- Only import characters that you own - once a character is imported to a Jagex Account, nobody will be able to log in to the character except the Jagex Account owner.
Jagex Accounts are the best way to ensure your accounts are secure, but make sure you fully understand the above points before upgrading. It is not possible to downgrade from a Jagex Account this is a one-way process!
To keep things simple, we've put together a nifty infographic showing you step-by-step how to upgrade to a Jagex Account!
Hopefully, youre now convinced that Jagex Accounts are the best thing ever, and you cant wait to upgrade. Good news the next step in your journey towards better security, more convenient character switching, and a boatload of other features starts NOW! Just click the button to begin the upgrade process.
You can also discuss Jagex Accounts on our official forums, on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.
The Old School Team.
