There is no failproof way to recognize a bot in Old School RuneScape since humans can intentionally or unintentionally imitate bot behaviour. With the help of additional specialized tools the likelihood increases, but visually recognizing them is still challenging.
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Bot recognition
With how OSRS bots evolved over time, they intentionally imitate human behaviour in game, including language, in order to pass as humans and avoid being detected.
Even though there’s no hundred percent way of telling whether a character is ran by a bot or by a human, there are certain behaviours that are very likely to be performed by bots rather than by humans. These behaviours can help players recognize a bot and further report them so that J-mods can ban them, after confirming they are bots using specialized tools.
However, keep in mind that the bot problem in Old School RuneScape got this so out of hand because bot technology is constantly evolving and the specialized detection technology needs to constantly keep up.
Bot behaviour
Although there’s no foolproof way to determine whether a character is controlled by a bot or a human, certain behaviors are much more likely to be exhibited by bots than by real players. For the sake of this article, we’ll call them bot behaviours, but keep in mind that there’s a chance real players will do them as well.
Cluster vs singular behaviour
Spotting one of these behaviours might not mean much, but spotting a cluster certainly increases the likelihood that that character is ran by a bot.
Bot behaviours
Repetitive Movements
Bots often perform repetitive actions, such as clicking on the same spot or path repeatedly, without variation in movement patterns. In some scenarios, it’s likely that actual players do this as well, and this is especially true for tick perfect methods. It’s OSRS so repetitive movements are part of the game, but keep in mind humans will fail to repeat the exact same at some point cuz fingers hurt.
Instantaneous Responses
Bots may respond to events like item respawns, or monster respawns, or resources respawn with inhuman speed, clicking or reacting instantly. This is also possible for actual players, but not for extended periods of times. However, humans can’t be that instant in chat unless they are using scripts!
Lack of Conversation
Bots typically don’t engage in chat or respond to other players’ messages, or if they do, their replies are generic or nonsensical. This is also the case for players whose native language is not English if they have little to know knowledge of English, or players who are too young to have a rs account (don’t tell Jagex). it’s also the case for players who are not particularly social or players playing on mobile. Just because someone doesn’t engage in conversation, it doesn’t mean they’re a bot, but it’s a subtle sign they could be.
Unnatural Timing
Bots tend to perform actions at unnatural intervals, like clicking every few milliseconds in ways that human players wouldn’t. This is harder to detect by eye, but there are tools that can say with precision.
Long Periods of Activity Without Breaks
Bots can stay active for long periods, such as hours or even days, without taking any breaks or instantly logging back in after they are logged out from a max session time. While some real players can play for hours on end, they do need to sleep, and they will vary the intensity of the content they’re doing or take breaks.
Ignoring World Events
Bots don’t react to world events like random events or player interaction unless specifically programmed to do so. However, during some activities real players can also ignore interactions.
Pathing Errors or Getting Stuck
Sometimes bots get stuck when faced with obstacles or unusual scenarios that they’re not programmed to handle, repeatedly trying the same failed action. That’s when they’re weak and easily recognizable and when you should report them. Even then, it can be a bran new player or a kid, but the likelihood is small.
Teleporting Immediately After Death
Bots often respawn and immediately teleport back to their farming or grinding location without hesitation, which is unusual for real players.
Failure to Switch Worlds
When resources are scarce or competition is high, human players typically switch worlds, while bots often remain on the same world regardless of the situation. Crashing bots is a fun activity. A player might even swear at you if you crash them, bots, unless connected to AI and programmed to do so, won’t say a thing.
Basic Usernames
Many bots use generic, random, or auto-generated usernames with combinations of letters and numbers, such as “abx1323,” which are less common for real players.
Delayed Reaction to Sudden Changes
In dynamic situations (like other players suddenly appearing or attacking), bots may have delayed or unnatural reactions, continuing their task before eventually switching to fight or flee.
Other considerations
Keep in mind that bots are evolving and they can be specialized bots that only do one thing, or general bots who can do a multitude of things. The more advanced the bot the harder it is to detect, especially with the bare eye. When bots break they are the most vulnerable to detection and that’s when it’s our chance to report them.
Other bots are only scripted to send a specific message in public, advertising services or what not.
