See also, Free-to-play.
Pay-to-play, or "members," are players that pay to have full access to RuneScape. Members benefits were initiated on February 28, 2002. Most updates and news concerns the member portion of the game. The free-to-play portion of the game rarely receives game updates, except for holiday events.
Member Advantages
- Nine extra skills (Agility, Farming, Herblore, Construction, Summoning, Thieving, Hunter, Fletching & Slayer).
- Higher capabilities in other skills.
- Easier to train skills, due to new methods and locations.
- Ability to buy a Skill Cape for a level 99 skill.
- Use of several more transportation systems (Eg. Canoeing, Gnome Gliding etc.).
- Ten times as much explorable map area.
- More Random Events (Eg. Strange Plants, Poison Gas, Beekeeper etc.).
- More accessible servers (members can access free-to-play worlds and pay-to-play worlds, although they cannot access most members only features in free-to-play worlds).
- More Minigames.
- Better equipment, such as Dragon, Barrows, and Crystal weapons and armour.
- More bank space (Non-members have only 68 bank spaces while members have 496).
- More items available.
- Many more quests.
- More music and sound effects.
- More space on the Friend list and Ignore list (Members get 200 spaces while non-members get 100).
- Use of the Forums on the RuneScape website.
- Ability to vote in all polls on the RuneScape website (some available to free players).
- The ability to make money various ways much quicker then non-members.
It is important to note that these benefits will only be available if the member logs onto a members server. If a members-only item is on a non-members server it will not be usable. The name of the item is replaced with "Members object" and the examine is "Login to a members server to use this."
Subscription
In order to become a member and access the pay-to-play version of RuneScape, players must first have a subscription. When players subscribe, they receive members credit which allows them to access the pay-to-play version of RuneScape. Subscriptions through different payment methods may have varying lengths, although there is a minimum length of one month. Jagex is affiliated with several payment providers which each provide different subscription payment methods and prices. Different payment methods require different information to be given during a secure payment process. Subscriptions can also be cancelled and extended.
Extra features
Membership unlocks many features of RuneScape that are not available to free players. Almost all recent updates to RuneScape are available to members, but not to free players. There are very few quests available to free players, while new quests available to members are added at a rate of 1-2 a month. There is a condensed list of features unlocked with membership at the top.
Members Only Areas
Free players have very limited access to the world of RuneScape. Free players can only access the kingdoms of Asgarnia and Misthalin, the north-eastern most point of Karamja, and most of the Wilderness. Membership allows full access to the entire world map. Remember that these new lands bring with them new quests, people and activities to experience and explore.
Pay-to-Play in the Clan World
There are many things in the clan world that are only for p2p players. For example, one of the major clan communities is nearly all P2P (RSB). In P2P, you have the ability to go to the forums, thus, you can easily make good communication, nicer events, and you can keep a base for your clan in the RSB.
P2P Warring
P2P Warring is often known as the war to see who has more money. Generally, P2P wars are decided by whoever has the better items, instead of who is better strategically. Many strategies like barraging, are much easier in P2P warring (as this is the only place where you can barrage). Although P2P warring is strategically low in quality, it has a lot of clans that adore it, especially on the RSB. On the RSC, it is much lower in quality and less clans use it.