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Installing Third-Party RuneScape Software (Especially “Cheat” Software) Fake RuneScape Emails and Instant Messages (Phishing)

In the previous topic I discussed third-party RuneScape clients; now I'm going to talk about their exact opposite: third-party RuneScape servers, more commonly called private servers. In essence, these are servers that are run by people other than Jagex, and are completely separate from the normal RuneScape game. This means that what you do on these private servers has no impact on your character when you log into “real” RuneScape, and vice versa.

These private servers are created by people who either have gotten hold of Jagex's server code, or have reverse-engineered it by looking at the code for the RuneScape client. They then set up these private worlds where they and their friends can log in. Some claim that these private servers are “fun” because they can incorporate cheating functions. For example, you can give yourself level 99 in every skill or “magick” yourself a full inventory of party hats.

Now, I suppose that some people might derive some kind of superficial enjoyment from this. But remember that everything about your account—character, levels, items and so forth—is stored on Jagex's servers. If you are using a private server, then no matter what you do, no matter how many party hats you give yourself, none of it transfers over to the real RuneScape game.

The problem with these servers, however, goes far beyond them being a “fantasy world layered on top of a fantasy world”. These servers are generally run by renegade operations that are violating Jagex's intellectual property rights; that is to say, they are behaving in an unethical and arguably illegal manner. Now, are these the sorts of people you feel can be trusted?

Consider that to use a private server you are going to have to download software, and any time you download software you are at risk of getting malware. Also remember that you will be logging into these private servers, which will store your user name and password. Some players make the mistake of using the same RuneScape account name and password as on real RuneScape, which is a big mistake!

Overall, I recommend that you avoid these servers completely. There is too much risk associated with using them, and really, what is the point? Does it matter if you have level 99 in everything and 200 party hats, if everyone else does too?

If you do decide to use private servers, you are on your own, so be very careful. And whatever you do, definitely do not use your real RuneScape password on these servers!

Installing Third-Party RuneScape Software (Especially “Cheat” Software) Fake RuneScape Emails and Instant Messages (Phishing)