Why RuneScape Can't Delete Its Dumbest Update

Summary of main arguments and key points

• “Ditch of Folly” / “Moat of Stupidity” traces back to 2007 wilderness baiting scams. Early RuneScape—especially PvP—was full of baiting scams. In the wilderness, players typically lost most items on death, so scammers lured victims across the wilderness boundary using staged threats and incentives.

• Jagex’s first major protection attempt: a physical barrier (the moat).

  • Before the moat, players received warnings when entering the wilderness, but the warnings were easy to ignore or bypass.
  • The moat was introduced on April 18, 2007 to make the boundary clearer and harder to misjudge. Players had to:
    • Push/climb over the ditch
    • Accept a new “enter wilderness” prompt on first crossing during a login session
    • Navigate through brief safe rows to orient themselves
  • The goal: reduce accidental entry and make baiting harder.

• Why players disliked it

  • Many saw it as “hand-holding,” preventing players from learning risky lessons the hard way.
  • Others argued it wouldn’t stop scams, since scammers could adapt with additional lures and tactics.

• Mechanical and balance consequences made it more than an eyesore

  • The moat reshaped wilderness geography, requiring removal/alteration of certain areas/fences to make room.
  • It changed combat and projectile interactions: once you jumped the ditch, you negated incoming projectile damage, which became relevant in later discussions and game modes.
  • It hit Runecrafters hard, because the moat was crossed repeatedly during Abyss rune-running loops—adding time cost hundreds of times per day.

• Aesthetic controversy became part of its legend

  • Fansites (notably tip.it) and community forums mocked the design as the “moat of stupidity.”
  • The video claims the original intended design was different/less straight, but it was altered during development for practicality—resulting in the well-known plain “strip across the map” look.

• The ditch stayed even after its original purpose largely changed

  • By the end of 2007, wilderness PvP restrictions were introduced and trading limitations were tightened, shifting the broader anti-bot/anti-fraud strategy—and leaving wilderness PvP effectively “dead overnight” for players accustomed to it.
  • Soon after, ghost enemies (revenants) were added to keep danger in the wilderness, so the moat remained relevant in some form even as baiting threats changed.
  • In 2010, engine/graphics changes caused clipping; rather than remove the structure, Jagex replaced the moat with a wall/barrier due to technical issues. Later changes restored wilderness interactions again (including around Feb 2011).

• Old School RuneScape kept it because the OSRS starting snapshot contained it

  • When Old School RuneScape was released (based on a 2007 backup), the moat/wall persisted because it was added only four months before that snapshot date.
  • OSRS uses polls, and removing the moat required 75% “yes” early on.

• Repeated polls to remove it failed for consistent reasons The video highlights multiple near-misses and failures, including:

  • January 2014: removal failed at 68.3% (below the 75% threshold)
  • A later narrowly failing survey about a year later: 70.1% in favor (still below 75%)
  • Deadman Mode (around 2018): removal failed with 60.4%, in part because mechanics made the ditch a strategic “safe spot” (jumping could negate damage even when both sides were dangerous)
  • A 2016-era push came closest with 71.9%, but still failed

The video argues community reasons included:

- Some players simply **preferred having a clear boundary**
- Some confusion/distrust around poll wording (e.g., conditional phrasing)
- Some players benefited from the existing setup—for example, Abyss runs where others getting an easier route would add disadvantage or reduce personal efficiency

• A “skip option” poll controversy may have changed outcomes

  • Later polls allowed players to select “skip.”
  • The video claims a survey-writing mistake reused older wording and omitted the skip option correctly in the final question structure (impact uncertain).
  • One poll later dropped to 36.4% in favor, which the video attributes mainly to:
    • More complex/wordy question framing
    • A changed player base: OSRS became far more mainstream (notably after mobile), meaning many players had never experienced the “pre-moat” wilderness and opposed changing it

• Bottom-line conclusion The video’s stance is that the moat/destination barrier began as a rational anti-scam measure, but later became iconic, mechanically embedded, aesthetically disliked, and difficult to remove due to repeated polling thresholds and shifting community preferences. Overall: RuneScape “can’t delete it” anymore because enough players either like its clarity or have become too accustomed to it to support removal strongly enough.

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Presenters / contributors

• RuneScape YouTuber / video narrator (speaker in the video)
• Creator Crafted (video sponsor)
• Mod Ash (developer mentioned)
• Jagex staff / Jagex team (mentioned generally)
• Tip.it editorial staff (tip.it times editor mentioned)
• Old School RuneScape polling community (players/moderators mentioned generally)