About The Wilderness
If you continue to head North in Runescape you will eventually come to a vast, deserted area of land known as ‘The Wilderness’. In this area, players can attack each other in hope of killing their opponent and retrieving their loot - making it dangerous to wear your best equipment here.
Entering The Wilderness
It is not possible to simply stroll into The Wilderness by accident. You will know when you are about to enter the wilderness as a ditch is placed at the boundaries to stop you wandering in. This ditch runs along the entire edge of the wilderness and requires one click to jump over it.
A warning screen will also appear, reminding you of the dangers of the wilderness and giving you a chance to turn back.
This screen will only appear the first time you enter The Wilderness since you logged on, not every single time you enter.
Dangers of The Wilderness
Upon entering The Wilderness you will be given the option to attack other players. They also have the option to attack you. At the edge of The Wilderness you can only attack players the same level as you. As you head farther North, and deeper into The Wilderness, a small skull icon at the bottom right of the screen will increase allowing you to attack players higher/lower levelled than yourself.
This number corresponds to the level difference in attacking other players. For example, if you are a level 50 character, and are in Level 27 Wilderness then you can attack players from level 23 - 77. The same range of levels can also attack you. It is also worthy to note that you cannot teleport out of The Wilderness after Level 20 Wilderness and the Ring of Life, which can be obtained by completing the Lost Tribe quest or through a combination of crafting and magic, does not work past level 30 Wilderness.
If you die in The Wilderness you will respawn in Lumbridge like normal. If you are unlucky enough to die in The Wilderness, be it to another player or a monster, you will lose all except your three most expensive (shop price) items. Stackable items such as money, runes, and arrows are also lost. If you attack another player before they attack you, a skull will appear over your head, and will remain there for 20 minutes. If you die while this skull is still above your head, you will lose ALL your items. Remember that these rules also apply to every other player, so if you kill someone without a skull they will keep their 3 most expensive items. (Using the level 25 prayer Protect Items as stated in the Prayer Guide will let you keep 1 extra item if you die.)
With that said, enjoy The Wilderness and some of the danger involved with it. A popular activity in Runescape is to go PKing or “Player Killing” which can reap some big rewards if you are lucky and experienced. A good idea would be to explore it with items you do not mind dying with until you get used to the system of attacking and being attacked. Be careful out there!