Jagex has been dropping RuneFest 2026 teaser images featuring Thgo, the Old School RuneScape smithing quest NPC, and Doric, the early mining tutor — and Old School players are asking what an OSRS smithing rework could actually look like. Nothing is officially confirmed beyond the teaser artwork itself, but the pairing strongly suggests smithing and mining changes are coming together. This piece breaks down why the current smithing skill feels disconnected from armor progression, and what a more sensible level curve, training method, and endgame system could involve. It's built for Old School players who train smithing, mine their own bars, or just want to see the skill matter again.
RuneFest Teasers Explained
Jagex's countdown images show Thgo, who hands out the smithing cape quest, alongside Doric peering in from behind. Community members have reported this points toward a combined smithing and mining rework announcement, though Jagex has not confirmed specifics.
Nothing beyond artwork is confirmed, so treat any level numbers or mechanics below as community-proposed ideas rather than official patch notes.
Why Smithing Needs Change
Right now, smithing's level requirements don't line up with when you'd actually use the gear. You need 40 attack to wield a rune scimitar, but 85 smithing to make a rune dagger yourself. Mithril armor is wearable at level 20 but not smithable until level 50.
That gap means smithing currently trains a number, not a usable skill — most players just spend OSRS gold on rune gear from shops instead of making it. This matters most to mid-level accounts who'd like smithing to actually feed their own gear progression instead of just being XP for XP's sake.
Proposed Bar Level Changes
One community idea lowers smithing requirements so bar tiers track closer to when armor becomes wearable, closing the gap between low and high tiers.
Bar Tier | Current Smithing Level | Wield/Use Level | Proposed Smithing Level |
Bronze | 1 | 1 | 1 (unchanged) |
Mithril | 50 | 20 | ~30 |
Rune | 85+ | 40 | ~60–69 |
Dragon items | 90+ | 60 | Situational, kept high |
The clearest takeaway is that mid-tier bars carry the biggest mismatch today, so closing that gap would likely do the most to make early and mid-game smithing feel worthwhile.
New Training Methods Idea
To offset lower-level requirements without inflating experience rates, one proposal ties smelting and smithing speed to manual timing — similar to the existing oath plate minigame, where hammering on-beat produces gear faster than passive AFK smithing.
A second idea is a "smithing contracts" system: an NPC sends players to a location with a furnace and anvil to smith requested items, either using provided materials for pure experience or bringing your own bars for gold above alchemy value. This would give smithing an actual money-making identity, which currently relies almost entirely on the blast furnace and gold ore experience-boosting gauntlets. New and mid-level players training smithing for the first time would benefit most from a method like this, since it offers a clear reason to train beyond just watching a skill number climb.
Torva And Oath Plate
At the top end, one idea extends the oath plate-style timed smithing process to Torva armor, which currently combines instantly from broken pieces. Making it a deliberate, skill-based process — potentially with strong experience rates — would give level 90+ smithers a genuine high-level money maker rather than a one-click conversion.
Is an OSRS Smithing Rework Confirmed for 2026?
No — only teaser images referencing Thgo and Doric have been shown so far. It's reported to be connected to smithing and mining, but Jagex hasn't confirmed mechanics, levels, or a release date.
How Would the Blast Furnace Change Under a Smithing Rework?
Reworked smelting could add manual timing bonuses at regular furnaces, reducing reliance on the blast furnace as the only efficient way to make bars, while still allowing AFK training at the old rate.
What Level Would Rune Armor Require After the Rework?
Under the proposed curve, rune-tier smithing could drop to around 60–69, closer to the 40 attack needed to wield rune gear, making self-made rune armor realistic for mid-level accounts.
Will the Mining Rework Launch With Smithing?
Likely, since lowering bar requirements without changing ore access would create bar shortages — runite ore still requires 85 mining, so a matched mining rework is expected alongside it.
Quick Tips
· Treat all level numbers here as community proposals, not confirmed patch details.
· Watch for RuneFest 2026 announcements before planning smithing training around these changes.
· If a mining rework lands separately, expect ore availability to shift bar-making priorities.
· Manual timing-based training (oath plate style) is the method most likely to reward active play.
Who Benefits Most?
New players get a clearer picture of why current smithing feels disconnected from gearing up, especially with cheap RS gold often making shop-bought gear the faster route, so expectations are set before any changes land. Mid-level accounts learn which tier gaps (mithril to rune especially) are most likely to shrink first. High-level smiths get insight into potential Torva and oath plate-style endgame training that could replace instant-conversion methods.
Nothing here is locked in, but the teaser pairing of Thgo and Doric makes a combined smithing and mining rework a reasonable expectation heading into RuneFest 2026 — worth watching rather than planning around just yet.
