The complete history of Giants in RuneScape

Storyline / “History” Overview

• The video presents a timeline of how “giants” in RuneScape evolved, focusing specifically on Hill Giants—which were originally just called “giants.”
• It explains how their models/visuals changed across major updates and how their name evolved due to Slayer task clarity, with later lore/wording adjustments.
• It also briefly covers how other giant types (fire, moss, ice) had related—but distinct—rename/model-change moments.

Gameplay / Practical Relevance Mentioned

The discussion ties history to how players encounter these monsters:

• Spawn locations
  • How Hill Giants appear in RuneScape Classic vs Old School RuneScape (OSRS).
  • Notable map/dungeon areas mentioned include:
    • Lava Maze
    • Chaos Temple
    • Tithe/Fel/Timber village maze (noted as “Tithe/Fel/Timber (?)”)
    • Deep Wild
    • Edgeville Dungeon
• Drop table continuity
  • The video emphasizes that Hill Giants’ core loot remains very similar across eras.
  • Example noted: limpwurt root and beer having equivalent drop-rate fractions to earlier versions.
• Spawning giants via Legends Quest
  • Players could spawn giants by interacting with barrels in Legends Quest cave (still present at the time of the video).
  • The speaker notes this is a separate topic.

Key “Gameplay Highlight” Points / Strategies or Tips

Slayer task tip (Naming clarity)

• When Slayer was introduced, tasks for “giants” caused confusion because players assumed it referred to all giant types (moss/fire/ice).
• The solution was renaming to “hill giants” so Slayer assignments were unambiguous.

Focusing on location counts (Route/efficiency)

• The video compares:
  • Classic: 6 locations
  • OSRS: 13 Hill Giant locations
• It also notes that some areas expanded to keep multiple spawns (e.g., Lava Maze, Deep Wild, Edgeville Dungeon over time).

Timeline of Hill Giant Changes (Visual + Naming)

RuneScape Classic (original release period)

• Hill Giants were originally just called “giants.”
• Visual/model traits
  • They resemble a bigger version of the player model.
  • Early standout feature: a belt + belt buckle (repeatedly highlighted because it later changes).

RuneScape 2 public release (March 29, 2004)

• Major graphical overhaul.
• They were still called “giants” (not yet “hill giants”).
• Visual changes noted
  • A more distinct monster design (e.g., shorts; no shirt/shoes as described).
• The belt + belt buckle remains after this transition.

Slayer era (Jan 26, 2005)

• When Slayer released, the models changed again:
  • Removed wrist guards
  • Removed belt + belt buckle
• Still not “hill giants” yet, so the naming mismatch with Slayer confusion persists.

Slayer rename fix (Jan 31, 2005)

• A further update renamed them to “hill giants” to clarify Slayer tasks.
• The video specifically notes that players were worried the task might not clearly exclude moss/fire/ice giants.
• Location additions mentioned alongside the increased demand:
  • North of the Observatory
  • Southwest of the Gnome Stronghold

Capitalization + lore-style explanation (Sept 27, 2006)

• The video says the name became “Hill Giants” (capitalized) about 1 year and 8 months after the initial rename.
• A “Postbag from the Hedge” response is quoted/paraphrased, humorously explaining:
  • They call themselves “hill giants” because they look like hills (bumpy/chiseled/muscled features).

August 29, 2006 “current model” era

• The video highlights the Aug 29, 2006 update (“Demons, dragons, and giants”) as the point where giants gained their current OSRS-looking model.
• Extra milestone mentioned:
  • This update is when Hill Giants received capital “G” (compared to other giant types).

OSRS 2026 note (RS3 timeframe comparison)

• The speaker references a recent RS3 model update on March 23, 2026 (Haven Height-related).
• They claim RS3 used the older August 2006 model for a long time, then updated with the introduction of a new landmass.

Other Giant Types (Fire, Moss, Ice) — Key Differences

• Each has its own relative timeline from Classic:
  • Moss giants: added Feb 5, 2001
  • Ice giants: added April 6, 2001
  • Fire giants: added May 8, 2002
• Related model/Slayer changes described:
  • After the Kuramja Dungeon / Jan 17, 2005 window, moss and fire giants received temporary model variants (Model 2 and Model 3 appear briefly).
  • Those variants lasted briefly (about 9 days), until Slayer released and models were adjusted again.
  • Adjustments included belt/buckle/wrist-guard removals for those types.

Modern OSRS Variants and Notable Character: Oore

• The video lists additional OSRS “giant” variants/locations beyond basic Hill Giants, such as:
  • Varlamore / Hill giant variants (described with mushrooms on head)
  • Giants Foundry Plateau variants with different weapons/gear
• Oore / Hill Titan
  • The speaker explains Oore’s model appears to combine multiple Hill Giant looks.
  • Oore uses a club, framed as a throwback to older giant styles.
  • It’s mentioned that Oore “drops that iconic Hill Giant club.”

RS3: Haven Height and “Realm of Memories”

RS3 Hill Giant visuals

• The speaker attributes the RS3 model overhaul to:
  • Haven Height expansion
  • Hollow Hill settlement
• They emphasize drop table similarity between Classic and RS3.

Realm of Memories (birthday event archive space)

• The video describes Realm of Memories as a limited-time area tied to anniversary events:
  • First appeared with the 20th anniversary event (Jan 2021) for ~3 weeks
  • Returned for the 25th anniversary event (2026) for ~2 weeks
• It contains:
  • Old models
  • OSRS/RS2/Classic references
  • Interactive “museum-like” nostalgia content
• Connection to giants:
  • A section includes hill giants and fire giants using unused/alternate models (specifically a fire-giant unused model without belt/buckle/wrist guards).

Extra “Source-Based” Evidence Approach Mentioned

• The video repeatedly recommends using primary sources, such as:
  • Official wiki history pages for model revisions
• It also recommends using:
  • Older videos or in-game archives to verify model appearances by year.

Gamer(s) / Sources Featured (as Mentioned)

• Charlie the Unicorn (referenced while pointing out an RSC wiki page element)
• RuneScape Wiki / OSRS Wiki / RS3 Wiki / “Zanof”
  • Mentioned: “Zanof the RS3 wiki” as an RS3 wiki editor
• Jagex
  • Official developer/source of updates and “Postbag from the Hedge”
• “Postbag from the Hedge”
  • NPC Q&A feature used as a quoted/paraphrased source
• No specific player-streamers/gamers are named as featured individuals in the provided subtitles.