Halloween 2012: The Result

Zombies have been spawned, ghosts have been banished and insults have been thrown – it has certainly been quite the Halloween! But, of course, the ongoing battle between Mod Mike and Mod Sabre must come to an end.

After tallying all of the time that both Varrock and Falador were dominated by either Team Righteous or Team Heinous, we have our result…

Team Heinous are the winners of Halloween 2012!

What does that mean for Team Righteous? Well poor Mod Mike, having been told of his loss, spent last night sleeping in the freezing cold at one of England’s most haunted locations: Upminster Tithe Barn!

We’ve put together a short comic strip to show just some of the horrors Mike experienced throughout last night and you can find plenty more evidence of the spooky goings on over on our Facebook page.

As an added bonus, we’ve left the captions on the comic strip blank for you to have some fun with! Send your completed comic strip in to us at [email protected] and we’ll feature and pick our favourite to win a green skin customisation option for their account!

Combat Beta, Combat Academy & XP Reward: Open to All

Combat Academy & Open Beta for All

Those of you playing the Evolution of Combat Beta can now access the Combat Academy: a great way to pick up on the finer points of the new combat system.

Veteran adventurer Lady Deathknell has set up shop in Lumbridge, with her Combat Academy replacing the old melee, magic and ranged training dummies. She has a class full of wide-eyed rookies to beat into shape and she needs a hardy volunteer to help out.

Act as Lady Deathknell’s assistant and you’ll be put through your paces in a set of fully voiced combat trials. You’ll cover everything from basic attacks and the relationship between the styles of combat, right up to more advanced techniques such as damage-over-time effects, exploiting enemy weaknesses and ultimate abilities.

Outside of the training, there’ll also be the opportunity to deploy training dummies – with defensive strengths or weaknesses of your choice – which can be used to test out your latest gear loadout or ability bar setup.

Make it through Deathknell’s rigorous regimen of training in the beta and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a short survey. With this, we’ll fine-tune the new tutorial to give everyone the know-how they need to become all-conquering combatants. Complete this and you’ll be sent a tasty XP reward in the live game (equivalent to 10 times the XP you’d get from a Jack of Trades aura) on the week commencing with the 19th of November 2012.

Whether you’re daisy-fresh from the Troll Warzone or a grizzled veteran of a thousand battles, we want your feedback on the Combat Academy. The beta is now open to everyone, so log in and enlist now!

Evolution of Combat: Mod Mark’s Big Five!

Watch on for details of Mod Mark’s five favourite Evolution of Combat features:

Make X Interface

Also going into the beta this week is our new Make X Production Interface. This awesome new set of tools streamlines skilling like never before: it displays details of all items that can be made in all skills, gives vital information on skill requirements, components needed, and both Grand Exchange and Alchemy value for however many you’re making, and it does this in one tidy interface. You’ll be able to make Evolution of Combat-specific gear too, so take a look and be sure to let us know what you think!

Community Round-Up: 02/11

Thanksgiving Fun

Thanksgiving may not be for another few weeks, but that hasn’t stopped us already getting into the spirit of things. In a RuneScape first, we’re offering you the chance to choose your own Thanksgiving-related title that will be added into the game to celebrate the festival! Submit your entries here.

Pro PvPers take to the Duel Arena

Ever wondered who’d win in a fight between Silentc0re and S0 Wrecked? Reckon Regicidal would wipe the floor with Soft Pillow? Wonder no more as we present to you the first official YouTuber PvP Duel Arena tournament! Find out more about the fights here.

Combat Academy

With this week’s large Evolution of Combat update, we’ll also be launching the Combat Academy. The Combat Academy is a new tutorial system for that will help you get to grips with all of the new and exciting features of the Evolution of Combat. Not only will you receive a generous XP reward for completing the tutorial, there will also be a whole host of fun competitions happening throughout the weekend to celebrate its release!

Fansite News

All of the fansites are as busy as ever and Zaffre.net is no exception as they venture into the God Wars Dungeon. This one isn’t for the faint of heart as the groups attempt to take down the minions of Zamorak and slay K’ril Tsutsaroth. Find out more and gear up here.

In need of some Livid Farm tips? RuneHQ’s Miss Sarah has you covered in her extensive video guide that details the best way to unlock the additional Lunar spells from the minigame.

Movellas Competition

Over the past few months we ran a competition with Movellas to allow RuneScape players to write their own RuneScape stories. After many hours of reading all of the great submissions, we have selected our winners! You can read the winning RuneScape stories here.

Weekly Twitter Competition

Did you know that there are lots of chances to win great prizes every Wednesday? Make sure to follow @RuneScape on Twitter to get involved!

Fan Art

Following on from last week’s spooky theme, we have another great piece of fan art from Tip.it user tripsis!

If you want to see your fan art featured in the weekly Community Round-Up, send it over to us at [email protected].

That’s it for the Community Round-Up this week. Be sure to teleport on over to the forums and discuss what you’ll be up to this week with the rest of the community!

Tears of Guthix: Go with the Flow

 

Tears of Guthix: Go with the Flow

If you’ve never tried Tears of Guthix before, it’s a cool D&D located under Lumbridge which – after completing the short Tears of Guthix quest – can be played up to once a week for a handy XP boost to your lowest-levelled skill. It’s steeped in RuneScape lore too, as you’ll tell stories of your adventures to Juna – a serpentine servant of Guthix – in exchange for a short time catching the XP-giving tears.

The first thing veterans among you will notice is the full graphical rework. Juna, now super-sized and draped across the entrance to the tears alcove, makes for an imposing sight as she unravels the skeins of your fate. The tears themselves now make for a stunning cascade down the beautifully re-rendered walls, and the light creatures shimmer eerily as you make your way through the cave.

We’ve multiplied XP gain in the cave by three times, bringing it in line with equivalent areas of gameplay. The biggest boost comes to high-level players, though. Those of you with 80 Crafting and Mining can make an ornate and extra-large bowl for up to five times the XP gain you’d have got before the update.

We’ve made some technical tweaks so that switching between the streams of tears is quicker and feels more responsive. We’ve also updated the Games Necklace so it can be used to teleport directly to Juna’s cave. The new interface we’ve built for it includes keyboard shortcuts so, it’s quicker and easier to use than ever.

Whether it’s your first time collecting the tears, it’s a cozy part of your weekly routine, or you’ve been waiting for a reason get back into the flow, it’s the best time ever to drink deeply from the Tears of Guthix.

Mod Wilson


How to start Tears of Guthix:

  • First, you must complete the Tears of Guthix quest, which has the following requirements:
    • 44 Quest Points
    • 20 Crafting
    • 49 Firemaking
    • 20 Mining
  • You may then complete the D&D once per week, but you also need to have obtained at least one of the following since you last collected the tears:
    • 1 Quest Point
    • 100,000 XP. This can be shared across any number of skills.

Other requirements:

In order to craft the improved bowl, you must have at least the following. You will then be able to talk to Juna to begin the process of making the bowl:

  • 80 Crafting
  • 80 Mining

Behind the Scenes Video

If you haven’t already, you can take a whistle-stop tour of the Tears of Guthix content in our latest Behind the Scenes video:

In Other News

  • We’ve fixed a bug where near-maxed level players were not receiving Dungeoneering XP from Tears of Guthix, when they should have.
  • Solomon’s Store is now stocking Dragon Keepsake Keys. One of these handy objects will allow you to convert any wearable item into a cosmetic re-skin for your gear, so you can truck down into the QBD’s lair with your p-hat proudly on display. Log into Solomon’s General Store to treat yourself, or check out our FAQ if you have any questions.
  • Yelps has introduced D&D Tokens onto the Squeal of Fortune. Fancy an extra go per week on Tears of Guthix? Check out our FAQ for more details!

 

Evolution of Combat Launches 20th November!

For further information on the Evolution of Combat Release, see the following news items:

  • Survey Results
  • One-Click Combat
  • Upcoming Changes
  • Skilling

After five months of feedback and fine-tuning, the time is finally here: we’re hugely excited to be able to announce the official live launch date of the Evolution of Combat: the 20th of November 2012!

With thousands of hours of playtime from yourselves and hundreds of changes to the system from your feedback, we’re now looking forward to a new era in RuneScape. Once the Evolution of Combat has been released, you can look forward to some great new boss monsters and combat-related updates that would never have been possible previously.

We also had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Combat Academy and survey that launched last week and are now making some small tweaks and adjustments prior to launch.

Naturally, you’ll have lots of questions about the Evolution of Combat now that the date is confirmed, and we’re going to be running a live stream this weekend to address these. You can post your questions in the forums here. In the meantime, check out our FAQ.

There will also be further news posts over the next few days, detailing key changes and how best to prepare for the launch. While it’s securely founded in the RuneScape combat you know so well, it contains an array of large-scale improvements and new features, including:

  • Abilities: These are a replacement for the old special attacks found on weapons, but they’re an whole different beast. Divided up into three classes: basic, threshold and ultimate, these do more damage than regular attacks and cause a range of nasty negative effects to your opponent, such as damage over time or stuns. Some may even bestow positive effects, healing you or further boosting your damage output for a set amount of time. Making sound use of abilities will push your combat prowess to new heights.
  • Adrenaline: This new resource is built each time you hit an enemy with an auto-attack, or with a basic ability. It’s spent when you use the more powerful threshold and ultimate abilities, and when you eat food in combat, so you’ll want to build it as quickly as possible during a fight.
  • Action Bar: This handy new interface holds all your ability buttons, and can give quick access to essentials such as potions, food and utility items.
  • Armour and Life Points: The armour you wear now greatly affects your maximum life points. The Evolution of Combat is balanced with this in mind, so you’ll need to gear up to stand up to your foes!
  • Dual Wielding: That’s right – with the launch of the Evolution of Combat, this much-requested feature will be fully implemented. With abilities specific to dual-wielded weapons and increased gear choices for mages such as wands and orbs, your choice of gear loadout has never been more varied. Off-hand versions of most weapons will be made available once the Evolution of Combat launches, so no need to go out and buy duplicates of your favourites just yet.
  • And Much More:We’ve introduced far too many new features, tweaks and improvements to list here, but some of the biggest are as follows:
    • We’ve filled out gaps in gear progression, including loads of brand-new level 50 gear and new options for mages and rangers.
    • The combat triangle is more important than ever, and you’ll need to take careful count of your foe’s fighting style to prevail.
    • There’s an array of awesome-looking new animations for the new abilities and distinct combat styles.

We’ve also listened carefully to feedback from those among you who know and particularly enjoy the current system. With your input in mind, we’ve made many changes to the Evolution of Combat which will allow you to continue playing with the traditional style of combat, while also benefiting from the raft of improvements the update brings.

For full details, take a look at our FAQ or our quick guide on the wiki. If you haven’t already, you can also still log into the beta and give the new system a whirl – be sure to try out the new Combat Academy in Lumbridge while you’re there!

Just two weeks to go – plant the date securely in your calendar, because you won’t want to miss the Evolution of Combat launch!

Solomon’s General Store: Dragon Keepsake Box & Keys

Greetings, adventurer!

I introduce to you the Dragon Keepsake Box! This marvellous invention enables you to equip an item and receive all its benefits – bonuses and all – while taking on the appearance of a different adornment!

You’ll find your box in the Customisation screen; found in the ‘Equipped’ tab. Visiting my store, you’ll notice that I now stock Dragon Keepsake Keys – these are all you need to transform your items into fabulous cosmetic overrides.

For example, you may have a particular cape that is aesthetically superior, yet its bonuses aren’t fit for your intentions. Now, the solution is effortless! Simply use the item on the key and visit the Dragon Keepsake Box section of the Customisation screen. Here you can apply the cape as a visual override, while retaining the bonuses and effects of whichever cape you have actually equipped.

What’s more, Dragon Keepsake Keys can be used to convert all manner of items – hats, capes, amulets, torso pieces, leg plates, gloves and boots – into fantastic cosmetic overrides.

Dragon Keepsake Keys are available from my store right now! Should you have any queries regarding which items are compatible with this illustrious new product, you’ll find a full list here. For queries regarding my distinguished boutique, I’m confident you’ll find an answer in the comprehensive FAQ, found here.

If you’ve yet to visit my establishment, why not drop in and receive 200 RuneCoins absolutely free? Remember that if you wish to purchase additional RuneCoins, you can do so here or by clicking ‘Buy RuneCoins’ inside my store. Don’t forget that I offer a 10% discount to all members.

Until next time.

Evolution of Combat Video Competition

Think you know your stuff about the Evolution of Combat? Fancy winning some prizes for sharing your knowledge with the RuneScape community? Look no further!

We’re looking to feature a whole host of well-made and informative Evolution of Combat tutorial videos, specifically focusing on some of the key areas of change that the Evolution of Combat will bring.

Think of your audience as somebody who has yet to spend much time in the Evolution of Combat beta and wants to know more about how to best utilise the new abilities and action bar when the update goes live.

Your video can be about almost anything, assuming it’s related to the Evolution of Combat update, but here are a few of our suggestions:

  • Boss killing (e.g. God Wars Dungeon, Corporeal Beast, TzTok-Jad)
  • Skilling – specifically the ways the action bar can speed up skilling (e.g. power mining)
  • Creating the perfect specialisation set-up (e.g. warrior, mage, ranger)
  • PKing and the Duel Arena – PvP Combat
  • Dungeoneering

Every video we feature on our official channels will receive the following prizes:

  • Promotion of the video on the official RuneScape website, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter pages
  • Green Skin customisation
  • Ornate Katana in-game item
  • 25 Squeal of Fortune spins
  • 10% XP boost for 72 hours (real-time)
  • Three months of RuneScape membership

We’ll be accepting submissions right up until the 30th November and will be featuring selected videos as we receive them.

So, jump into the Evolution of Combat servers and start filming – we can’t wait to see all of your entries!