Menaphos OSRS: Fool's Gold, Soul Altar & the Skilling Dungeon
Quick Decision Snapshot
Menaphos is Jagex's proposed desert city expansion. Here is how access works, the Fool's Gold quest, the true Soul Altar at 90 Runecraft, and the first OSRS skilling dungeon.
- Menaphos is Jagex's proposed desert city expansion
- Here is how access works, the Fool's Gold quest, the true Soul Altar at 90 Runecraft, and the first OSRS skilling dungeon.
Menaphos is Jagex's proposal to open the Kharidian Desert's golden city after 20 years. It was revealed at the RuneFest 2026 Summit and is subject to a poll. It is not live yet.
The proposal includes a Master quest, the true Soul Altar, Old School's first skilling dungeon, and a coastal city with a Sailing port.
Part of the RuneFest 2026 reveal recap — every OSRS announcement in one place.
How You Would Access Menaphos
- Complete Beneath Cursed Sands to enter the city.
- Complete the new Master quest, Fool's Gold, to unlock more of the city and its content.
Fool's Gold continues the Kharidian storyline. You go undercover to investigate Amascut's control over the Puppet Pharaoh Kemesis and uncover what is buried under the city. Jagex describes its scale as similar to Beneath Cursed Sands.
The True Soul Altar
The current Soul Altar in Arceuus draws power from the Dark Altar. Menaphos would contain the original altar itself.
| Detail | Plan |
|---|---|
| Requirement | 90 Runecraft |
| Type | Traditional runic altar |
| Route | A new route through the Abyss |
| New items | Soul talisman and craftable Soul tiara |
| Speed | Faster than the current Arceuus method |
This is the biggest skilling change in the proposal. If it passes, Soul rune crafting stops being an Arceuus-only activity and gains a traditional altar route.
Vault of the Soul Altar
The Vault would be Old School's first skilling dungeon. It is a skill-first challenge built around:
- Thieving
- Agility
- Runecraft
You navigate traps, overcome obstacles and break through Amascut's defences as you push deeper. Jagex wants the Vault to be a repeatable reason to return to Menaphos, not a one-off quest area.
What Else Is in the City
Menaphos would include the amenities of a major settlement:
- Banks, shops and water sources.
- A Sailing port with port tasks.
- A cactus patch for Farming.
- Reasons to spend time above ground, not just in the dungeon.
Jagex also floated early ideas that are not confirmed:
- A mummified Slayer creature in the caverns.
- A high-level Prayer altar hidden in the city.
- More city life and repeatable activities.
Treat those as concepts, not features.
What It Means for Training
If the proposal passes:
- Runecrafting: a 90 RC altar with a faster method than Arceuus changes the Soul rune meta. Our Runecrafting guide and Runecrafting calculator will need new rates.
- Thieving and Agility: the Vault gives both skills a group-friendly, active training method.
- Sailing: a desert port and port tasks extend the Sailing route network.
- Farming: another cactus patch is a small but useful herb and cactus run addition.
Poll Questions
Jagex polled four separate questions:
- Should Menaphos be added as a new area accessible after Beneath Cursed Sands?
- Should Fool's Gold be added as a Master-level continuation quest?
- Should the Vault of the Soul Altar skilling dungeon be included?
- Should the true Soul Altar, Soul talisman and Soul tiara be included?
The results were not final at the time of writing. This page will be updated when the content is confirmed or released.
Should You Care Now?
If you are working toward the quest cape or a Runecrafting goal, yes. The proposal targets two long-standing gaps: Soul rune crafting variety and a repeatable skilling dungeon. Neither is guaranteed, but both are worth watching before you commit to a long Arceuus grind.
For the current methods, see the Runecrafting guide and the optimal quest order. Beneath Cursed Sands is already required for several desert quests, so finishing it is useful regardless of the poll.
FAQ
Is Menaphos in OSRS yet?
No. It was announced and polled at RuneFest 2026, but it is not live.
What quest unlocks Menaphos?
Beneath Cursed Sands gives access to the city. The new Master quest, Fool's Gold, unlocks more of it.
What Runecrafting level does the Soul Altar need?
90 Runecraft. The altar is a traditional runic altar with a new Abyss route.
What is the Vault of the Soul Altar?
Old School's first skilling dungeon, built around Thieving, Agility and Runecraft. It is designed as a repeatable challenge.
Does Menaphos have a Sailing port?
Yes, the proposal includes a coastal Sailing port with port tasks.
Is Menaphos the same as Sophanem?
No. Sophanem is the neighbouring city already in the game. Menaphos is the walled city that has been closed since Contact!.
Ready to apply what you learned?
Plug your stats into our free OSRS calculators to see exact XP, GP costs, and time estimates before you commit to a training method.
Sources & methodology
XP rates, requirements, and drop data in this guide are cross-checked against the OSRS Wiki and verified against in-game behaviour. Grand Exchange prices move daily, so treat GP/hr figures as estimates and confirm current prices with the OSRS Wiki price tracker before committing to a method.
Darren started playing the original RuneScape 2 back in the day and came back when Old School RuneScape launched. He's played on and off over the years and built OSRSToolkit to give players a single place to find reliable tools, calculators, and guides — all informed by real in-game experience.