Posted on December 12, 2012
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.
Posted on December 12, 2012
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!
Posted on December 12, 2012
Evolution of Combat: Player Feedback Changes
It’s been five months since the Evolution of Combat Beta launched, and the feedback is still coming in swathes from every corner of the RuneScape community. While we knew you’d jump at the chance to help reforge the combat system into one that’s well and truly yours, the level of passion, commitment and insight that you’ve demonstrated in your feedback has been mind-blowing.
Huge thanks go out to everyone who’s tried the beta and offered their opinion so far. The Evolution of Combat’s come on in leaps and bounds since its beta launch in June, and that – in large part – is down to you. Some of the biggest changes we’ve made so far have been in direct response to feedback from you. Here are a few examples of the most prominent:
The new combat system’s more involved, tactical and exciting than ever before, but some of you found that long combat endeavours such as Slayer tasks had – as a result – become feats of endurance. As such, we upped auto-attack damage and introduced a new ultimate named Momentum – which further increases auto-attack damage for 20 minutes per activation – which means a lower intensity approach to combat will remain available.
The relationship between gear and your combat capabilities is one of the most profoundly altered areas of the combat system, and your feedback and gameplay data have been invaluable in balancing these aspects. A great example of this was rebalancing shields, which many of you said were overpowered.
Another big change is the introduction of adrenaline and abilities, and your input helped us not only to ensure that they worked in a fair and balanced way, but also to make the ability book interface as user-friendly and intuitive as possible.
Dungeoneering was a big point of feedback too, as increased emphasis on the combat triangle and introduction of elemental strengths and weaknesses meant that solo players among you were having a much harder time than you should. With this in mind, we relaxed the vulnerability relationships as they’re applied in Daemonheim, and brought in a new range of omnielemental staves for use by dungeon-delving wizards. There are some big changes to the binding system coming soon, too!
As we’ve said from the start, we need every bit of feedback and every suggestion you can offer on how to make the Evolution of Combat system the update that you want. The beta’s now open to everyone, and there’s still time to make your opinion heard, so – if you haven’t already – log in, gear up and start sending your feedback!
Posted on December 12, 2012
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!
Posted on December 12, 2012
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!
Posted on December 12, 2012
Evolution of Combat: Survey Results
The recent announcement of a launch date for Evolution of Combat certainly garnered a lot of attention! Your level of passion and dedication is obvious to see. It’s you guys who make RuneScape the uniquely amazing game that it is, and your enjoyment as RuneScape players is of paramount importance to us. As such, the decision to launch the Evolution of Combat into the live game was not taken lightly.
We’ve eagerly listened to the excellent constructive feedback from those of you taking part in the Evolution of Combat Beta. During the last five months, we’ve worked hard to implement your suggested changes and improvements thanks to that feedback. This culminated last week in the beta launch of the Combat Academy and a survey to gauge the opinions of those of you who had given the system a try.
We’d like to thank the many tens of thousands of you who took the time to take part. The results below are completely as captured (the responses haven’t been weighted in any way shape or form and no negative responses were removed) and additionally we’ve included some of our own further analysis to help give you some insight into how the data stacks up. We’re naturally looking forward to hearing your thoughts on these figures too!
Question 1. What is your current combat level in the live game?
- 1-20 = 1.93% of users
- 21-40 = 1.67%
- 41-60 = 3.37%
- 61-100 = 23.84%
- 101-120 = 28.04%
- 121-138 = 41.14%
As you might expect, high-level combat players formed the largest proportion of users in the beta, with 69% of the respondents being level 101 or higher. It’s terrific to see that those of you who’ve used RuneScape’s combat system the most over the years make up the majority of respondents providing feedback.
Question 2. Which of the following best describes your play-style?
- I focus on fighting monsters = 11.97%
- I focus on quests and the storyline = 8.77%
- I focus on non-combat skilling = 6.82%
- I do a bit of everything = 65.44%
- I focus on PvP = 4.29%
- I play for the social aspect and my friendships = 2.71%
This result surprised us a little, as we were expecting the responses to be more weighted towards combat-focused players. It’s always been clear the Evolution of Combat benefits everyone – not just high-level combat players – and this is a clear indication of that fact. We’re throwing every resource available at ensuring that it’s right for the job.
Question 3. How much time have you spent in the beta previously?
- This is my first time = 22.12%
- Between five minutes and an hour = 21.40%
- Between one hour and four hours = 30.85%
- Between four hours and ten hours = 15.12%
- Between ten hours and twenty hours = 5.79%
- More than twenty hours = 4.72%
We knew that many of you had previously avoided the beta because they gained no direct benefit on their live account (and free time is very precious!), so we had expected that the range here would skew towards under four hours, which proved to be the case.
Question 4. After playing the Combat Academy, do you now feel you have a good understanding of the new combat system?
- Yes, I understand the system well = 34.0%
- I think I understand most of it = 33.03%
- I already understood it from playing the earlier beta = 17.43%
- There are parts of it I don’t yet understand = 6.54%
- I find the whole new system confusing = 7.22%
- I feel it made it even more confusing! = 1.77%
Over 80% of users replied here that they had a decent understanding of the new system. We’ve taken your feedback on board regarding areas of the academy that could be improved, and those changes will be released with the Evolution of Combat on the 20th of November.
Question 5. Out of the following, what do you like most about the Evolution of Combat?
- Dual wielding = 31.05%
- The action bar, new interfaces & shortcuts = 26.12%
- The different abilities = 19.69%
- The ability to switch enemy targeting = 1.17%
- The adrenaline system = 5.99%
- The new combat animations = 15.98%
We believe Dual wielding is one of the coolest things in the Evolution of Combat and this was reflected in your responses. The action bar is also a particularly useful new addition, as it can be used for skilling and combat, and this was reflected in it being the next most popular feature
Question 6. Overall, what are your thoughts on the new combat system?
- I definitely prefer it to the old system = 20.31%
- I like it so far, but can’t yet be sure = 19.14%
- I don’t like it = 19.62%
- It’s OK, but needs improvement = 14.31%
- I like both the new and the old systems = 25.97%
- I don’t do combat, so have no opinion = 0.66%
This was always going to be the question that got the most attention, and understandably so. We’ve been following forum and general community sentiment very closely since the launch of the beta; as we’ve made many of the suggested changes & improvements there was an increasingly positive feeling about the update, which is backed-up by these results. Of course, we intend to keep listening to your feedback and improving the Combat System post-launch, so things can only get better from here.
Over 80% of respondents who played the latest Evolution of Combat Beta either preferred it or had a generally positive response to it. We also looked at this answer broken down by player level and found that there was little variation in response percentages, so it has support across all levels.
We’re especially interested in hearing the opinion of those of you who said you weren’t happy with the new system. If you haven’t already, we really hope you’ll give the Evolution of Combat a shot upon launch, especially to see how much it has changed since the early betas. To smooth the transition, we’ll release with a range of guides, Q&As and insider info, including how you can still use Evolution of Combat for traditional, low-intensity combat.
The launch of the Evolution of Combat is a huge step for RuneScape – thank you for your continued support and for your feedback so far, and we hope to see you on the battlefield soon!
Posted on December 12, 2012
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!
Posted on December 12, 2012
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.
Posted on December 12, 2012
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!
Posted on December 12, 2012
Community Round-Up 08/11
In this special Evolution of Combat focused Community Round-Up, we’ve got a more events, competitions and awesome fansite news than you can cast a Dragon Breath at.
Evolution of Combat
The 20th November will see the highly anticipated Evolution of Combat update release into RuneScape and we have a whole host of exciting events and competitions to coincide with the launch.
Live Stream
We have a live stream Q&A this Sunday at 9pm with the Evolution of Combat developers so be sure to send in any questions you may have about the update!
Pro PvPers at the Duel Arena
After some brief warm-up rounds last weekend, we’re ready to go with the first official video maker Duel Arena Tournament and our much-loved PvPers will be taking to the arena this weekend! Be sure to show up and spectate the fights and show your support for your favourite video makers! You can find out more about the tournament here.
Fansite News
Everybody’s excited for the launch of the Evolution of Combat and RuneScape’s fansites are no exception! Tip.it is hosting a video competition for the best video trailer that shows off the Evolution of Combat and there’s a whole host of great prizes to be won! You can get involved over on their website.
RuneSlayer are joining in with the hype too as they launch their top Evolution of Combat tips competition along with a whole bunch of giveaways throughout next week You can find out more over on their forum.
Community Art
RuneScape fanatic Will Verdrag has created his very own Dark Bow! Not only is he an avid ranger in RuneScape but also in the real world, regularly practicing his archery in his garden. We think it looks great! You can check out his video on making the bow over on his YouTube channel.