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Update: Yama

This article is compiled from the videos of GnomonkeyRS. It records what Gnomonkey said, with sources, not verified game fact. See About.

Update: Yama

Update: Yama
Type Update
Release/Update Yama (new boss, 2025)1
Related Yama, Awakener's Orb, Yama contracts
Armour requirements 78 Mining and 83 Smithing2
Combat Achievement tier Elite at lowest3
Solo time (testing) About 8 minutes4
Videos 3 (first 2025-05-09, latest 2025-05-13)
Main source Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS)

The Yama update covers the run-up to the release of the boss Yama, which Gnomonkey treated across a blog reaction on 9 May 2025 and a summary of a Jmod Reddit AMA on 13 May 202556. Yama is one of two high-level updates in the year, alongside Mocha, and the previous one, the Coliseum, came roughly a year earlier1. Gnomonkey is very excited for the boss and planned to do it on release despite concerns about its drop system7.

Contents

Contracts

Yama contracts are a drop and are tradable, but full details of the system had not been released8. A moderator in Gnomonkey's chat said they are used on entry, so players should hope they can finish the fight or lose the GP spent on the contract9. In the Reddit thread, Mod Goblin confirmed they are not a pay-GP-for-better-drop-rates system, the same stated goal as Awakener's Orbs, that they mechanically change the boss, and that they are used to unlock the white variant of Oathplate, an ornament kit for the new armour1011. Gnomonkey compares the system to the Awakener's Orb setup, where unlocking Blorva requires the four awakened bosses11. Mod Goblin felt the contract system is a lot better than the Awakener's Orb one, which Gnomonkey said could be true but cannot be judged without full details8.

Gnomonkey's concerns, from the 9 May video:

  • He is happy that Jagex shared an early blog but is not excited or at ease with most of it5.
  • Contracts being off for the first week after release kills much of the hype, since he wanted to rush the hard variant on day one for a world first. He considers this mostly a streamer issue and would prefer the hard variant be available instantly1213.
  • A week before launch, many community complaints cannot be fixed, particularly because contracts are tied to the market. By release there will be no way to remove contracts from banks, so he wants Jagex to explain exactly how they work while there is still time1415.

Details from the AMA

Topic Detail Source
Difficulty Quite punishing, lots of movement plus prayer and gear switching, few confusing mechanics, one mechanic that kills outright if failed entirely; base Yama is a notch beyond regular Vardorvis, with fight length closer to Phosani's Nightmare but less intensely punishing 1617
Doability Can be soloed entirely; does not scale in stats or mechanics; encourages duo play more like Royal Titans than Theatre of Blood; doable on a one-defence pure; high 90s stats and Blood Moon gear can get kills with slower kills, more damage and more prayer lost 181920
Solo time About eight minutes in testing, which Gnomonkey says is close to a typical Phosani's Nightmare kill 4
Duo death A dead player goes straight to Lumbridge; the other can finish the fight, but the dead player gets no loot role, as in Duo Nex 21
Combat Achievements Elite likely lowest tier, no medium tasks 3
Stats No demon bane damage reduction; Monster Examine enabled on release 3
Armour Needs 78 Mining and 83 Smithing to make 2
Death Gravestone at the bottom of the Chasm of Fire; fees reduced 75% until 10 Yama kill count. Gnomonkey puts the fee at 500k for a maxed player, versus about 50k at Phosani's Nightmare and about 100k at Nex 2223
Fight loop Possibly more like Vorkath or Grotesque Guardians than Royal Titans: short downtime before the fight, and a joining player is not locked out after a few seconds; some high-intensity phases and downtime like P3 Verzik; tribrid better left to raids 2425
Drops Uniques drop outright with loot to the floor; Oathplate shards act as soft drop protection and GP per hour, creating demand for Infernal shale. Drop rates to be shared within a week or two; Oathplate time-to-completion sits between Nex and Bandos grinds 2627
Tech Room for unusual tech, though players may or may not opt for it 28
Access No bank nearby; Fairy Ring DJR is fastest, plus new agility shortcuts in the Chasm 29

Plans

Gnomonkey plans to stream Yama as soon as it is released, duo with Saks, attempt a world-first solo, then publish a guide quickly and try challenges such as a lower-budget solo130. He encourages viewers to try it on release day, as it seems doable without an Inferno cape or a duo partner, and to keep giving feedback since Jmods said they are willing to rework things30.

Revision history

Date Video Change
2025-05-13 Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS) Added the Jmod AMA summary: difficulty, solo viability, gravestone fees, drops and Combat Achievements.
2025-05-09 Yama Contracts: Missed the Mark (OSRS) Page created: blog reaction, contract concerns, release plans.
## See also

References

  1. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 23:16 ↩↩↩

  2. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 6:06 ↩↩

  3. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 3:34 ↩↩↩

  4. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 12:42 ↩↩

  5. Yama Contracts: Missed the Mark (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 0:00 ↩↩

  6. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  7. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 0:00 ↩

  8. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 1:24 ↩↩

  9. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 0:53 ↩

  10. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 1:51 ↩

  11. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 2:22 ↩↩

  12. Yama Contracts: Missed the Mark (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 4:19 ↩

  13. Yama Contracts: Missed the Mark (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 5:19 ↩

  14. Yama Contracts: Missed the Mark (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 18:54 ↩

  15. Problem with Yama Contracts and Awakeners' Orbs (OSRS), 2025-05-09. ▶ 21:56 ↩

  16. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 1:57 ↩

  17. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 12:08 ↩

  18. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 0:57 ↩

  19. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 4:04 ↩

  20. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 13:41 ↩

  21. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 2:30 ↩

  22. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 6:22 ↩

  23. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 6:58 ↩

  24. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 7:20 ↩

  25. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 9:20 ↩

  26. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 7:59 ↩

  27. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 11:17 ↩

  28. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 8:38 ↩

  29. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 13:13 ↩

  30. Higher Hopes for Yama (OSRS), 2025-05-13. ▶ 39:43 ↩↩

Updates

Leagues 6: Demonic Pacts • Update: Yama • Update: Doom of Mokhaiotl rewards • Update: Blood Moon Rises • Update: Raids 4 rewards blog • Update: Demonic Spade • Update: Project Rebalance • Update: Summer Sweep-up • Update: Yama contracts • Poll: Bronzeman Mode • Update: Rubium and smithing nerfs • Forestry • Update: Varlamore fletching activity • Project Zanaris • Update: Sailing 10k XP hotfix • Update: Sailing Salvaging revert • Player Island Competition • Update history 2016-2023 • Update: Sailing pirate combat • Golden Gnome Awards • Update: Metal dragons task • Update: Nex • Update: Sunfire splinters removed from Doom of Mokhaiotl • Bugs and hotfixes (Doom of Mokhaiotl) • Poll: Mokha rewards • Update: Entry Mode CM CoX • Update: Membership price increase • Update: Sailing launch • Update: Sailing slayer monsters • Update: Sailing week 2 • Update: Slayer block lists per master • Update: Tombs of Amascut changes • Update: Wyrmscraig

Category: Updates