Level Designer - RuneScape Dragonwilds

Jagex: The RuneScape Company; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Healthcare (including Dental)

Discretionary annual performance bonus

Pension contributions (minimum 6%)

Life Insurance

Enhanced family leave policies fromDay

Flexible working hours

Job summary

Jagex: The RuneScape Company is seeking a Mid-Level Level Designer to craft immersive, open-world spaces and engaging quests for the Ashenfall continent. The role combines narrative pacing, level design, and combat tuning, with collaboration across art and design teams.

This 22-month fixed-term contract will be employed directly by Jagex with full benefits, offering predominantly remote work and onsite attendance as required, within comfortable commuting distance of Cambridge, UK.

Qualifications

• Proven quest design experience across gameplay beats, narrative pacing, and player-facing logic — open-world or multiplayer context a strong plus.
• Hands-on experience blocking out open-world environments, with a clear understanding of how space drives player behaviour and exploration.
• Practical background designing combat encounter spaces — enemy placement, sightlines, and arena flow that make fights readable and rewarding.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop quests from concept to completion, creating engaging narratives and gameplay hooks that motivate players.
• Layout open-world spaces to encourage natural exploration and support both solo and multiplayer gameplay while maintaining environmental storytelling.
• Design and tune combat encounters by placing enemies and shaping arenas for rewarding melee and ranged combat experiences.
• Collaborate with artists and designers to deliver cohesive and polished game elements.
• Script quest logic, NPC dialogue, and events using Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints and proprietary tools.
• Document designs, identify tooling needs, and iterate based on feedback, promoting clear communication and rapid improvement.

Skills

Quest design

Open-world design

Level design

Unreal Engine 5 (Blueprints)

Narrative pacing

Gameplay scripting

Tools

Unreal Engine 5

Job description

Location: Cambridge, UK - This position offers flexible working options, including predominantly remote work. Applicants are preferably based (or willing to relocate) within a comfortable commuting distance of our office to attend onsite as required.

Can you work with a wider team to create immersive experiences on an ever expanding world?

We're seeking an experienced Mid-Level Level Designer to craft immersive, open world spaces filled with memorable quests, engaging activities and challenging combat encounters. This role requires a strong blend of narrative, gameplay, and level design expertise to expertly weave player exploration, challenge, narrative pacing and player progression through the expansive continent of Ashenfall.

The role is offered as a 22-month fixed-term contract, employed directly by Jagex with full benefits, and with the potential to convert to permanent as the project grows.

What you'll be doing:

• Design and develop quests from concept to completion, creating engaging narratives and gameplay hooks that motivate players.
• Layout open-world spaces to encourage natural exploration and support both solo and multiplayer gameplay while maintaining environmental storytelling.
• Design and tune combat encounters by placing enemies and shaping arenas for rewarding melee and ranged combat experiences.
• Collaborate with artists and designers to deliver cohesive and polished game elements.
• Script quest logic, NPC dialogue, and events using Unreal Engine 5 Blueprints and proprietary tools.
• Document designs, identify tooling needs, and iterate based on feedback, promoting clear communication and rapid improvement.

What we're looking for:

• Proven quest design experience across gameplay beats, narrative pacing, and player-facing logic — open-world or multiplayer context a strong plus.
• Hands-on experience blocking out open-world environments, with a clear understanding of how space drives player behaviour and exploration.
• Practical background designing combat encounter spaces — enemy placement, sightlines, and arena flow that make fights readable and rewarding.
• Strong working knowledge of UE5, including Blueprints, level scripting, and cross-discipline workflows.
• A solid grasp of narrative structure and how to translate story intent into designed spaces and quest flow.
• A clear, proactive collaborator who stays aligned across art, narrative, and design in a fast-moving, iterative environment
• MMO or survival genre experience, familiarity with RuneScape, or exposure to procedural world generation are all advantages but not required.

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including:

• Private Healthcare, including Dental Plan.
• Discretionary annual performance bonus.
• Minimum 6% Pension contributions.
• Life Insurance.
• Enhanced family leave policies from day 1.
• Flexible working hours.
• 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex

We are Jagex: The RuneScape Company. Home to one of gaming's most enduring success stories. We create deep, community-powered games with worlds that evolve, inspire, and endure. Our flagship MMORPG franchise, RuneScape, has welcomed over 300 million player accounts, inspiring generations of players across PC and mobile for 25 years. As we begin our 26th year, we are accelerating our strategy to expand RuneScape into a broader ecosystem of forever games and connected experiences, grounded in a renewed commitment to integrity and fair play. This includes the reduction of monetisation mechanics, as well as the launch of RuneScape: DragonWilds into Steam Early Access in 2025, representing a major step in building a multi-genre future for the RuneScape universe. We remain focused on building enduring worlds, empowering player-led innovation, and laying the foundations for the boldest era in RuneScape's history. For more information, visit https://www.jagex.com/ . Headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, we are home to passionate creators, storytellers, engineers, and even a few dreamers, all united by a single mission to shape the future of online worlds and empower players to make them their own. We're looking for people to join us who share our ambitions and values. We foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating experiences that inspire our communities. Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; We Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; We are our Customers' Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and We Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity.

Inclusion & Accessibility Statement

We are committed to providing equal opportunities and creating an environment where everyone can thrive. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, and we recruit, develop, and promote based on merit and ability. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please let us know when you're invited to interview.

Right to Work Statement

This role is only open to applicants who have the permanent right to work in the UK. We are unable to provide or take over visa sponsorship for this position, either now or in the future. Applicants must therefore be able to demonstrate their ongoing eligibility to work in the UK without the need for employer sponsorship.