OSRS Raids 4: The Fractured Archive First Look & Everything We Know (2026)

Old School RuneScape’s fourth raid, The Fractured Archive, was first announced during the Winter Summit 2026 and is scheduled to release in late 2026. Billed as the toughest raid yet, it takes a combat-focused approach with minimal skilling or puzzle elements much like the Theatre of Blood setting it apart from recent entries like the Tombs of Amascut.Deep beneath Gielinor lies a sacred vault created by Guthix himself, housing millennia’s worth of powerful artifacts and ancient knowledge. Players must venture through these halls, facing agents of rival gods, Guthixian guardians, and curious creatures to prevent the archive’s treasures from falling into the wrong hands.

Teams of 2 to 8 players can take on the raid, with solo completions possible but intended to be extremely difficult. On release, a full team wipe will reset the entire raid with no second chances designed to fuel a high-stakes World First race before transitioning to a more forgiving TOA-style retry system in the weeks that follow. A practice mode allowing players to tackle individual bosses will also launch post-release to help raiders refine their strategies. Access to The Fractured Archive requires completion of While Guthix Sleeps, and while rewards haven’t been revealed yet, Jagex has confirmed details are coming throughout 2026 via future blogs and polls.

Quick Facts: Fractured Archive at a Glance

Feature	Details
Release	Late 2026 (Winter)
Requirements	While Guthix Sleeps quest (accommodations for other builds TBC)
Team Size	2-8 players (scales; solo possible but brutally hard)
Style	TOB-like: Demi-bosses + final boss, no puzzle/skilling rooms
Difficulty	Toughest raid yet – simple mechanics for top-tier optimization
Wipe Mechanics	Launch: Full reset on team wipe. Post-launch: TOA-style infinite retries w/ reduced rewards
Practice Mode	Added weeks after launch (individual bosses)
Location	Ancient Guthixian Temple, bottom of Chasm of Tears
Poll Status	Passed Feb 2nd (94.5% yes) – rewards polls incoming

This roadmap spotlights it as the Winter closer, perfect hype builder.

Lore: Defending Guthix’s Treasures

Deep beneath Gielinor lies the Fractured Archive, a cave system carved by Guthix’s followers to hoard his most prized artifacts, knowledge, and god-inspiring loot. Sealed for millennia after construction halted, it’s now under siege by agents of other gods, curious creatures, and Guthixian guardians. You join the Alliance to stop looters like Ezekiel (Saradomin’s enforcer) from claiming the goodies.

Ties perfectly into Guthix quests like While Guthix Sleeps. Expect epic storytelling with that organic, nature-reverent aesthetic in the concept art.

Raid Structure: Boss Rush Perfection

Jagex’s philosophy: “Simple mechanics, leaving plenty of space for you to optimise and make the best players really stand out.” No filler puzzles like Chambers or TOA – straight bossing like Theatre of Blood. Demi-boss gauntlet leads to a final boss. Scales dynamically for smaller teams, but solos will be a nightmare (current plan, subject to change).

Launch emphasizes world first race with full resets – no brute force cheesing. Practice mode drops later to let masses learn without killing leaderboards.

Key upcoming polls/decisions:

Rewards: Focused blogs, 1-2 items at a time for better feedback.
Build accommodations: How pures/alt builds access despite quest req.

So excited for this to be revealed! Hope you guys are excited to test your PvM skills in the next Raids! Here's some of the Concept Art from the blog, showcasing one

Teased Bosses: Guardians and Intruders

Two standouts from Mod Jerv’s stunning concept art:

Guthixian Archive Guardian: Massive, dormant tree-skull horror awakened to protect the archive. Towering scale (player for reference), vine tentacles, glowing red eyes. Pure nightmare fuel – imagine dodging those limbs!

Ezekiel: Saradomin’s justice-bringer, here to snag artifacts. Ferocious resistance, armored knight vibe with divine fury. Expect holy mechanics clashing with Guthix’s natural defenses.

More bosses incoming via sneak peeks throughout 2026. Environment screams organic Guthix: roots, crystals, glowing flora.

Rewards: Speculation and Proposals

Official rewards TBD, but Jagex promises iterative polling to avoid past pitfalls. Community’s already buzzing:

From r/2007scape’s top proposal:

Guthixian armor set: Gem-infused green plate (melee-focused, nature theme).
Chain flail weapon: Spiked ball mace with crystal effects.
Pet, titles, etc.

Popular ideas in comments:

New prayers (balance/regen boosts).
Mega rares like Tbow upgrades.
BiS for hybrid styles.

Expect BIS power with fashion flex – green Guthix dyes?

Raids 4: The Fractured Archive rewards proposal : r/2007scape

Community Hype and Concerns

X and Reddit exploded post-reveal:

1.2k likes on official trailer post.
Mod Jerv’s art: 250+ likes, fans begging for pet skulls.
Poll: 60k+ votes, overwhelming pass.

Concerns: Quest lockout for pures (devs addressing). Solo viability praised but daunting. Wipe changes ensure fair WF race.

My Take: Peak OSRS PvM Incoming

This is the raid. TOB purity, Guthix lore, skill ceiling through the roof. If you’re like me (1830 TOB KCs, no WF), it’s motivation to grind. World firsts will be legendary – duo? Solo??