{"id":1919046,"date":"2026-05-05T15:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1919046"},"modified":"2026-05-05T15:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T12:12:34","slug":"old-school-runescape-coal-has-outperformed-one-of-the-worlds-most-popular-cryptocurrencies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1919046","title":{"rendered":"Old School RuneScape coal has outperformed one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/old-school-runescape\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Old School RuneScape<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Old School RuneScape coal has outperformed one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Hitting the motherlode.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/old-school-runescape-mining.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Old School RuneScape screenshot showing a player in full golden mining gear, swinging a rune pickaxe at coal rock. He does not, tragically, have mining gloves on.\" loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"old-school-runescape-mining.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Connor Makar avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"tAtwiaBo_400x400.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"374\" height=\"374\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/connor-makar\">Connor Makar<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      Staff Writer<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-05T15:12:34+00:00\">May 5, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mypop-header-wrapper\">\n<p><button class=\"mypop-button button wide\" data-state=\"follow\" data-type=\"tag\" data-uuid=\"8e175857-3e91-445b-9350-7b5b3e2791a5\" data-name=\"Old School RuneScape\" data-follow-text=\"Follow Old School RuneScape\" data-unfollow-text=\"Following Old School RuneScape\" data-aria-follow-text=\"Follow Old School RuneScape\" data-aria-unfollow-text=\"Following Old School RuneScape\" data-popup=\"true\" data-force-login=\"true\" aria-label=\"Follow Old School RuneScape\" title=\"Follow Old School RuneScape\"><br \/>\n  Follow Old School RuneScape<br \/>\n<\/button>          <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Ethereum, one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies, has been outperformed in terms of yearly growth by OldSchool <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/runescape\">RuneScape<\/a> coal.<\/p>\n<p>Spotted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/arkham\/status\/2051208176150958351?s=20\">official X account<\/a> of digital currency trading platform Arkham, comparative growth between the long-lasting and popular decentralised currency Ethereum and OSRS&#8217; beautiful black gold, coal, shows the latter coming out on top between May 2025 and May 2026.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Old School RuneScape - Official Varlamore Cinematic Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aZQJ1nJfyIo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/aZQJ1nJfyIo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Old School RuneScape &#8211; Official Varlamore Cinematic Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s an Old School RuneScape trailer for Varlamore, where I&#8217;ve been fletching totems as of late.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aZQJ1nJfyIo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The resources used to compare the value of these digital goods are <a href=\"https:\/\/coinmarketcap.com\/currencies\/ethereum\/\">Coin Market Cap<\/a> (where the price of cryptocurrency is tracked) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/prices.runescape.wiki\/osrs\/item\/453\">Old School RuneScape wikipedia&#8217;s grand exchange tracker<\/a> (where the value of in-game goods is tracked). Between early May, Ethereum&#8217;s value increased by approximately 31.84 percent, while OSRS coal grew by around 42.65 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from being an interesting point of comparison, and to some, perhaps, a comical jab at cryptocurrency in general, it does raise an interesting question: why has the price of coal grown so much?<\/p>\n<p>As any RuneScape player will know, coal is at the heart of the smithing grind for almost every type of metal above iron. You need heaps of the stuff, and there&#8217;s an almost constant hunger for coal from players power-leveling in the blast furnace mini-game or just making standard armour upgrades. As such, a market for coal tends to be ever present in OSRS for those not willing to grab a pickaxe and mine it themselves.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As for the growth, it&#8217;s worth noting Old School RuneScape <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/old-school-runescape-interview-why-people-still-playing-25-years-later\">has itself grown in popularity of late<\/a>. In fact, with the release of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/old-school-runescapes-demonic-pacts-out-now\">the latest limited-time Leagues game mode<\/a>, it nearly breached its all-time peak player count. More players means more demand for coal!<\/p>\n<p>You can play a fun hypothetical game here. While in theory someone could have invested money into Old School RuneScape through the purchase of bonds (microtransaction items that can be either sold or redeemed for a premium membership), actually getting the money <em>out<\/em> of Old School RuneScape would prove challenging. After all, selling gold goes against the game&#8217;s terms of service.<\/p>\n<p>Ethereum you can actively buy and sell, though cryptocurrency has garnered a reputation for being a tad&#8230; tumultuous. Plus, if you somehow forgot the encryption key for your crypto wallet, that money would just be gone, so each has its quirks. At least with coal you can make a slick Rune platebody.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Ethereum, one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies, has been outperformed in terms of yearly growth by OldSchool <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/games\/runescape\">RuneScape<\/a> coal.<\/p>\n<p>Spotted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/arkham\/status\/2051208176150958351?s=20\">official X account<\/a> of digital currency trading platform Arkham, comparative growth between the long-lasting and popular decentralised currency Ethereum and OSRS&#8217; beautiful black gold, coal, shows the latter coming out on top between May 2025 and May 2026.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Old School RuneScape - Official Varlamore Cinematic Launch Trailer\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aZQJ1nJfyIo?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/aZQJ1nJfyIo\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Old School RuneScape &#8211; Official Varlamore Cinematic Launch Trailer<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Here&#8217;s an Old School RuneScape trailer for Varlamore, where I&#8217;ve been fletching totems as of late.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aZQJ1nJfyIo\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The resources used to compare the value of these digital goods are <a href=\"https:\/\/coinmarketcap.com\/currencies\/ethereum\/\">Coin Market Cap<\/a> (where the price of cryptocurrency is tracked) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/prices.runescape.wiki\/osrs\/item\/453\">Old School RuneScape wikipedia&#8217;s grand exchange tracker<\/a> (where the value of in-game goods is tracked). Between early May, Ethereum&#8217;s value increased by approximately 31.84 percent, while OSRS coal grew by around 42.65 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Aside from being an interesting point of comparison, and to some, perhaps, a comical jab at cryptocurrency in general, it does raise an interesting question: why has the price of coal grown so much?<\/p>\n<p>As any RuneScape player will know, coal is at the heart of the smithing grind for almost every type of metal above iron. You need heaps of the stuff, and there&#8217;s an almost constant hunger for coal from players power-leveling in the blast furnace mini-game or just making standard armour upgrades. As such, a market for coal tends to be ever present in OSRS for those not willing to grab a pickaxe and mine it themselves.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>As for the growth, it&#8217;s worth noting Old School RuneScape <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/old-school-runescape-interview-why-people-still-playing-25-years-later\">has itself grown in popularity of late<\/a>. In fact, with the release of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/old-school-runescapes-demonic-pacts-out-now\">the latest limited-time Leagues game mode<\/a>, it nearly breached its all-time peak player count. More players means more demand for coal!<\/p>\n<p>You can play a fun hypothetical game here. While in theory someone could have invested money into Old School RuneScape through the purchase of bonds (microtransaction items that can be either sold or redeemed for a premium membership), actually getting the money <em>out<\/em> of Old School RuneScape would prove challenging. After all, selling gold goes against the game&#8217;s terms of service.<\/p>\n<p>Ethereum you can actively buy and sell, though cryptocurrency has garnered a reputation for being a tad&#8230; tumultuous. Plus, if you somehow forgot the encryption key for your crypto wallet, that money would just be gone, so each has its quirks. At least with coal you can make a slick Rune platebody.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Old School RuneScape Old School RuneScape coal has outperformed one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies Hitting the motherlode. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Connor Makar Staff Writer Published on May 5, 2026 Follow Old School RuneScape Ethereum, one of the world&#8217;s most popular cryptocurrencies, has been outperformed in terms of yearly growth [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1919046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1919046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1919046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1919046\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1919046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1919046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1919046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}