13.08.2025
OSRS Sailing Guide: How to Train the Sailing Skill Fast in Old School RuneScape
The community has been discussing Old School RuneScape Sailing as a possible new skill for as long as we can remember. In 2023, the rumour finally became a promise – the developers held a poll and found out that players want to go to sea more than anything. Could they say no? No!
So it's been two years – are we getting there yet? How soon will we finally cast off and venture into the blue unknown of the ocean? And what is it going to be like? This is the blog post to answer all your questions about OSRS Sailing – let's figure it out!
🛶 Small ships aren't really ships – they are mostly boats. At first, you'll have to row to move them, but later on you'll be able to install a sail and harness the wind. Small ships are well suited for solo players – but it's possible to bring company to them (not a very big one though). We suspect that capsizing a boat is going to be a real risk, so take care. Also, note that these vessels can only navigate shallow waters – open and deep seas aren't available for them.
What is Sailing? 🛟
Sailing is a unique skill in Old School RuneScape that lets you navigate seas aboard your own vessel. What sets it apart from other skills is how complex it is. While the main idea is, well, literally sailing across seas, there are many more things that come along with it:
- Customizing your ship
- Gathering and managing a crew
- Completing contracts and discovering islands
- Deep-water fishing
And more. Basically, the entire ocean becomes your playground where you do all kinds of activities to become a stronger and wealthier seafarer.
What's really unique about the OSRS Sailing skill is how it gives you a fresh perspective on the game's world. You can now clearly see how interconnected all parts of it are. And you're free to discover the shortest routes from one edge of the map to another – isn't it the perfect blend of exploration and utility?
Here's a video released after the beta to give you a better idea of what the gameplay is going to look like:
When does it become available? 🗓
As of July 2025, Sailing in Old School RuneScape hasn't been released yet. It's expected to be added to the game in late 2025.
Nevertheless, players have already had an opportunity to try out the OSRS Sailing gameplay during an alpha test (spring 2025) and a beta test (summer 2025) – that's why we already have a good idea of what to expect.
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What activities does Sailing include? 🎣
The high seas of Gielinor hold lots of mysteries – and they can keep you busy with solving them for quite some time. But alas, we can't set sail right away to see all of them and there's also no way to say what activities will become community favorites. So in the meantime, let's discuss the ones we know the most about:
- Navigating and upgrading your ship
- Exploring the sea and finding treasures
- Completing special seafaring quests
- Participating in Boatletics
⚓️ Navigating and upgrading your ship
Ships are the centerpiece of your maritime adventure. Without it, you can't go to sea, visit distant islands, or catch rare fish – without a ship, there's simply no Sailing! So you'll need to get one – and shortly after learning the skill you do.
As you can expect, your first vessel isn't going to be a massive flamboyant galleon. It'll be slightly more modest – basically, a rowboat.
So, a rowboat – is it a lousy vessel? Or are all ships in RuneScape some sort of a rowboat? Not at all, there are several types of ships – let's take a closer look:
| SMALL 🛶 | LARGE ⛵️ | COLOSSAL 🚢 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 2x3 - 4x3 | 4x6 - 6x10 | 8x12 - 10x16 |
| Max. Facilities | 2-3 | 4-6 | 8-10 |
| Floors | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Base Speed | 1.5 tiles / tick | 1 tile / tick | 0.5 tiles / tick |
| Base 90º Turn Speed | 2 ticks | 4 ticks | 6 ticks |
| Sea-Type Speed |
|
|
|
⛵️ Large ships are more like yachts. They are the golden middle among OSRS ships: big enough to carry a crew and even weapons, compact enough to be nimble and safely enter the shallows. A very convenient vessel for most activities.
🚢 Colossal ships are true giants of the sea we all know and love. They are expensive to maintain and upgrade, but nothing beats them in the deep sea. They might not be the fastest vessels, but they can carry a lot of stuff and can weather a tempest of any intensity. Unless it becomes truly nasty – but that's rare.
So what do you do with your ships? First and foremost, you sail them! Just click the steering wheel to enter the navigation mode and control your vessel just like your character on land.
When you get enough skill and resources, you can get your ship an upgrade at any port. There seems to be a whole new category of OSRS Sailing items dedicated to just that. They can make your ship faster, more resilient, or more battle-ready... in case some sea monster shows up!
Improve other skills faster 💪
Sailing is lots of fun, but the game has so many more skills – level them up faster with the help of a pro team. ArmadaBoost's OSRS Skills boosts make it so much easier: you don't waste time while you're AFK, as a professional player keeps training your skills for you in the optimal way.
🧭 Exploring the sea and finding treasures
The vast waters of Gielinor are filled with islands, islets, archipelagos, and more – just waiting to be discovered. What you may find on them are challenging puzzles and hostile creatures – but don't worry, as you'll also likely find riches.
Another way to find something valuable is by salvaging. It works like this: you find a shipwreck or some other debris while traversing the sea. Approach and activate the Salvaging Unit to extract resources right into your ship's cargo hold. Quite often you'll end up filling it to the brim – and it's not uncommon to find something truly precious among the salvage.
🏴☠️ Completing special seafaring quests
As you sail on in your beautiful ship, you'll visit many different ports. Each port has a task board – come up to it while you're on land to see what quests you can get. Most of them fall into one of two categories:
- Cargo Runs
- Bounty Hunts
The former is straightforward: pick up cargo at port A, unload it at port B. Sometimes it's a literal pleasure cruise, sometimes your voyage suddenly becomes a bit more complicated than you expect, since the shortest route between those two ports turns out to be full of hazards.
The second type, Bounty Hunts, usually involves locating dangerous sea creatures or pirates and putting an end to their mischievous activity. Most often things will get violent.
Both quest types award you generously: you get valuable items, currencies, and, of course, Sailing experience points.
🚣♀️ Participating in Boatletics
As you raise your Sailing skill, you get access to more activities. One such high-level activity is called Boatletics – a fun timed obstacle course at sea. The concept is simple: complete a particular route and collect some items along the way – all within a given time limit.
In many ways it's similar to Agility courses, so if you have some experience with them, you'll feel at home. Boatletics similarly involves lots of clicking, high tension, and high risk of failing to finish the run in time – that's tough. But it's surely worth it, as the amount of Sailing XP you get there is unmatched.
* * *
Okay, so there are plenty of activities – but are there also plenty of Sailing rewards in OSRS? Unfortunately, this part is still shrouded in mystery. What we do know is that there'll be special sea-themed capes for reaching some of the highest levels. Also, as you level up and complete quests, you'll be receiving better ship parts as well as gold and other resources – useful both at sea and on land.
How to train Sailing fast in OSRS? 🏄♂️
Since the skill hasn't been added to the live version of the game, it's unknown what the best strategies for leveling up the Sailing skill in RuneScape are going to be. Just let the community's elders spend some time with it – we'll get in-depth guides and metas in no time. But before that, the next best thing we can use is deduction. So, taking into account all that we already know about Sailing, what should you do to train it faster?
Here's our take:
- Port Task Boards are a priority – visit all the ports you can, take all the tasks they have. Tasks seem to be the most reliable source of XP that's also easily accessible and involves little randomness.
- Keep your ships upgraded – even small improvements go a long way. If you can make your vessel go slightly faster, you should. That applies all traits: speed, defence, attacking capabilities, cargo capacity, etc. Your ship is your main tool when it comes to seafaring – whenever you get a chance to improve it, don't think twice.
- Exploration missions – try completing them as soon as possible. They are one-time quests found in most sea areas. They involve scouting the area with a spyglass and yield lots of XP.
- Duck chasing quests – another type of one-time quests. They are used to introduce currents in a particular section of the sea. You place a duck on the water and follow it to see the current's route. As a result it gives you a decent amount of XP and valuable knowledge of where you can get a handy speed-up in that area.
Once we finally get to enjoy the new skill in the live version, we'll make sure to update our OSRS Sailing guide with tested leveling strategies, so stay tuned.
* * *
Now that you know all the Sailing basics, you're ready to explore the big, beautiful sea and enjoy its salty air. You understand how ships work and what shapes they come in, what ports are for, and what useful activities you can find there – all that and more. So when the long-awaited update finally arrives, you'll have the edge over the clueless landlubbers who'll head out to sea unprepared.
And if you need any help in your OSRS adventures – whether on land or at sea – feel free to turn to a professional team for support. ArmadaBoost offers a wide catalog of services that can help you with anything from leveling a particular skill to getting better gear or defeating the strongest bosses in the game. Check out our Old School RuneScape services to get a solid power-up today, or get in touch with us to learn more!
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