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Christmas 2021 - Weekly Game Update (December 16th)



It’s our last update of the year – boo! But it’s also our most festive update of the year – woo!

Keep reading to learn all about this year’s Christmas event, some changes to the Item Sink system, the Annual Survey, and the Golden Gnomes!

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[h2]Christmas Event 2021 [/h2]



Snow is falling, presents are being wrapped, and gingerbread gnomes are lurking in ovens across Gielinor. Christmas has come to Falador!

Sadly though, not all is merry and bright for one young squire. He’s been rushed off his feet getting ready to play Santa at the festival, and he’s found himself in a real Christmas cracker! He’s only gone and washed the suit alongside Sir Vyvin’s armour – and we all know what happens when you mix red and white!

Now he has to restore the (admittedly rather fetching) pink armour to its former glory, finish setting up the grotto and get all the presents ready - all on top of his regular squire duties! If only there was a seasoned adventurer around to help him out…

Well, if you know any seasoned adventurers, point them in the direction of the White Knights' Castle (the one in Falador) where the unlucky squire is waiting. Who knows, perhaps there’ll be some extra-special gifts for whoever helps out?

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[h2]Item Sink Changes [/h2]

Thanks to last week's introduction of the G.E. Tax and Item Sink measures, we've been sinking around 30 billion GP per day, on average. The vast majority of this sum has been removed from the game's economy completely, allowing us to extend the Item Sink feature to cover more requested items. 

While we have no immediate plans to change the tax rate, in future we may need to bolster these features so they have more impact, especially as so many of you are keen to see more items covered by the Item Sink system. Bear in mind that changes don't have to be applied across the board - we could keep skilling supplies at the current rate while raising the tax on cosmetic items to 1.5%, for example. There's many possibilities, so please keep sending us your feedback! 

Along with adjusting the rates at which some items are sunk, we've added more items to the list of Item Sinks:

  • Amulet of Torture
  • Ancestral Hat
  • Ancestral Robe Bottom
  • Ancestral Robe Top
  • Archers’ Ring
  • Avernic Defender Hilt
  • Berserker Ring
  • Seers’ Ring
  • Warrior Ring
  • Dragon Pickaxe
  • Dragon Warhammer
  • Dragon Hunter Lance
  • Hydra's Claw
  • Inquisitor's Hauberk
  • Inquisitor's Great Helm
  • Inquisitor's Mace
  • Inquisitor's Plateskirt
  • Kodai Wand
  • Necklace of Anguish
  • Ring of Suffering
  • Sanguinesti Staff (Uncharged)
  • Sarachnis Cudgel
  • Tormented Bracelet
  • Twisted Buckler
  • Cut & Uncut Zenyte
  • Zenyte Shard

In addition, the Grand Exchange convenience fee text will no longer overflow from the text box when the item being sold has a long description.

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[h2]Golden Gnomes 2021 [/h2]



You only have until midnight (00:00 GMT) on December 16th to vote in this year’s Golden Gnome Awards! Don’t miss your chance – CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR VOTE!

Right, enough shouting. All that's left to do now is mark your calendars for 17:00 GMT on December 17th, because that’s when we’ll be announcing 2021’s Golden Gnome Award Winners in a spectacular livestream extravaganza! See you there!


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[h2]Annual Survey 2021 [/h2]

You might have spotted this year’s Old School RuneScape Annual Survey in your inbox already – but if you haven’t completed it yet, there’s still time! This is your chance to tell us how we can improve the game you love, so it’s well worth filling out.

The survey will only take around 30 to 45 minutes, and your responses really will help shape the world of Old School RuneScape. One of the things that makes Old School special is that you, the players, have control over the game’s future – so don’t miss your chance to tell us what you'd like to see in the year ahead!

As a little extra incentive, everyone who completes the survey will get the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win one of fifty $50 Amazon vouchers.

The survey closes on Friday, January 7th 2022, so don't miss out! If you’ve lost the email, just click this link to have your say, today!

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[h2]Other Changes [/h2]

  • We’ve released some Nex-related content early to make it easier for us to test. Keep your eyes peeled and get ready to face Nex: The Fifth General herself on January 5th!
  • Cerberus can now perform her attacks from a greater distance, to discourage safe-spotting.
  • The Giant Easter Egg no longer dances in PvP areas due to the disruption it causes to walking and combat animations.
  • An obscure corner of the Duel Arena that was unsafe on PvP worlds is now safe.
  • The amulet of avarice buff will now apply to the Ornate wilderness combat dummy.
  • The option text for switching Chat Mode to your Group Iron Man group has been corrected.
  • The popout panel on the Steam Client no longer covers the close button when the World Map is on full screen.
  • The Steam client login screen has been updated to show the Old School RuneScape logo.


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[h2]PvP World Rota [/h2]

The PvP rota has moved to Period A:

  • 539 - (US) - PvP World
  • 548 - (Germany) - High-Risk PvP World
  • 577 - (US) - Free-to-Play PvP World
  • 559 - (UK) - LMS Competitive
  • 390 - (AUS) - LMS Competitive - this world becomes active with this rota.


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That's everything for this week's game update. We'd love to hear your feedback so please let us know what you think via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, the Steam forums or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Ellie, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, KT, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Matheus, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Nylu, Oasis, Peppers, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Sigma, Skylark, Sova, Squid, SteveW, Tide, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

Android Beta Recap and Next Steps



We're delighted to wrap up our first ever Android Beta this week!

For the past couple of weeks, a select group of players have been testing our enhanced client features on their Android devices. We wanted to run a Closed Beta to acquire some valuable player feedback before the app enters Open Beta in January 2022.

Today, we'd love to share what we've learned, and look at what's coming next. We've also got an approximate date for our next iOS Beta event, so read on for more!

[h2]Bugs and Issues [/h2]

With the help of 2,185 active testers in the Beta, we have successfully identified and confirmed approximately 47 new bugs that we hadn't caught in our initial testing. We've been closely monitoring the feedback coming through via Discord, and we have to say - we're so impressed with the level of detail and feedback we've received!

We can't express just how useful this information is, so we'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who was involved.

Issues relating to crashing or freezing (those that might require a player to relog or restart the application) are being prioritised, with a view to having them fixed before our Open Android Beta in January.

Another major bug you pointed out was that font scaling looked pixelated on certain devices. This has also been prioritised. We can't say if we'll be able to perfect the font for every device, but we should at least be able to offer better scaling options. This is likely to be something that is further refined in the Open Beta.

Once the major bugs have been resolved, we'll be starting work on the other issues (as listed below). Some of them already have quick fixes prepared, while others will require more investigation. We of course intend to address them all, but we're not yet able to date every one.

New bugs arising from player reports

  • The Dense Essence mine in Arceuus is missing a respawn timer.
  • Sometimes the app does not resize when returning to the game.
  • Various buffs leave the buff bar before the end of their intended duration.
  • Clan messages are repeating when hopping worlds.
  • Bounty Hunter Interfaces appear on target worlds unnecessarily.
  • Text can look blurry/pixelated on some device resolutions.
  • Client can freeze when tabbing out to another app and back again
  • Leaving the app and returning can block further input.
  • Extra minimap icons are incorrectly displaying.
  • XP tracker can occasionally be tapped through.
  • Destination Tile Indicator does not always clear itself properly.
  • When hopping worlds, chat does not show the most recent messages.
  • Fishing spots are clickable through the inventory.
  • Multi combat swords clipping the Wiki button.
  • When typing messages into the chat/search bar, the backspace input will only start removing text from the previous space added to the chat/search bar.
  • XP tracker displays the wrong skills when performing certain actions.
  • XP trackers sometimes stack on top of each other.
  • Rendering issues on Fold devices (such as no resize when going from folded to unfolded).
  • Samsung Galaxy Fold is causing UI Issues where the Settings Menu overlaps with Bank Interface.
  • Logout button does not work on first press.
  • When chopping Redwood trees in the Woodcutting Guild, the respawn timers are a bit too high.
  • When mining on Miscellania, the coal veins do not have respawn timers when they have been depleted.
  • When taking part in the Gauntlet, the Gauntlet timer does not dodge the left side panel interface.
  • When taking part in Tempoross, the UI should dodge the side panels on mobile.
  • The membership prompt when interacting with members' objects/things on F2P accounts is sometimes not displaying correctly.
  • There is a missing agility shortcut highlight in Trollheim.
  • When mining volcanic ash, there is no timer when the ash pile depletes.
  • Zooming in is sometimes slower than zooming out.
  • The game client crashes when attempting to use the X to close the Bank search.
  • The new volume slider overlaps with the text at the bottom of the screen.
  • There are large FPS fluctuations in and around the COX raid when you change your draw distance.
  • The old logo appears on the newer client.
  • Some desktop tooltips are being shown on mobile e.g. the audio settings buttons.
  • Players can see the fishing UI behind the inventory bag UI.
  • There are some transparency issues on the minimap under certain UI settings.
  • Tile Indicators showing on the wrong areas in the Prif Agility Course.
  • The Agility parcourse indicators disappear when you log in and out when using the course.
  • The UI is not making it clear when players have just one of a stackable item.
  • The app logs a character out much faster when switching apps.
  • Players in Friends Chat don't show up as purple dot on minimap as expected.
  • Trees (and other general environment objects) aren't displaying correctly on the minimap.
  • Ports/Docks are not rendering correctly on the minimap.
  • Portrait mode is not currently officially supported by the client.
  • The Beta also does not support splitscreen mode.
  • A number of tap tool tips are appearing in incorrect places.
  • UI issues relating to font and scaling, as well as reports about the login screen being off-centre/overlapping with other UI.
  • The previously hit button for the Bank Pin doesn't show a number.
  • Bank scrolling is not working as intended.


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Known Pre-Beta Issues
  • Reports of Wilderness level not displaying for some users.
  • Some users may experience low framerate on certain devices.
  • The minimap zoom toggle settings are currently not available.
  • The roof toggle does not match its stated setting (turning it off/on again upon login updates it).
  • The mobile FPS limiter is not working correctly for some users.
  • The Fishing helper displays the desktop mouseover menu.
  • Some players on newer devices (Android 11+) experienced crashing before reaching login.
  • Reports of feedback text not appearing in the correct place.
  • Interface scaling options are not offered on mobile.



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[h2]Feedback Responses[/h2]


Sensitive logout timer

Many users reported that the app has a very sensitive logout timer when users tabbed out. This is something we're investigating as a priority as we know it impacts player experience. However, there are other tech dependencies with this issue, so we don't know if it will be resolved before the Open Beta in January. Thanks for pointing it out!

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Ground Item Markers

By far the most frequent suggestion from our testers was that they would like to see Ground Item Markers. We are planning to add this feature to the client, but it needs more work before we can release it. It will also need it to have price checking functionality so players can filter out low value items that they don't want to see. As soon as it's ready, it will be making its way to mobile!

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Draw distance and FPS

A number of our testers noted that while the new client felt extremely smooth, the larger draw distance caused FPS drops on certain devices. The mobile client at default distance should run smoother and with more FPS than the older client, but higher frame rates can have a noticeable impact to performance on weaker devices. The issue is currently being investigated. In the long term, we'll be looking at optimising performance, but sadly there's no silver bullet to fix these problems - keep reporting them to us and we'll ensure it's followed up correctly!

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Sidebar, XP Tracker and UI

The Sidebar and XP Tracker received a lot of positive feedback throughout the Beta, although we're aware that there were some issues with the UI overlapping with other interfaces. Players suggested that the new UI should be moveable, or that we should add new buttons to give it a generally cleaner look for mobile.

In the short term we'll be doing our best to fix any errors, and this will be prioritised for the Open Beta in January. In the long term we would like to refine the entire UI, reorganising it to suit mobile specifically. However, since we're still in the process of adding new features to the Sidebar, it doesn't make sense for us to overhaul things just yet. We'd instead like to roll out all of the new features so that we know exactly what we're working with. Once we have a view of the full picture, we can polish the UI specifically for mobile.

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Splitscreen Mode

We're aware that splitscreen mode wasn't available in this Beta. Although there's a couple of issues with it that still need resolving, we're aiming for splitscreen to be available during the Open Beta in January.

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Highly Requested Features: Tile Markers, Menu Entry Swapper, Boss Timers, Loot Trackers, NPC Highlights and Cannonball Counts

While we're planning to roll out the new client app in a few months' time, we're still making continuous improvements and changes to the existing client post-launch, and hopefully you'll see some of your many wonderful suggestions live in-game!

The team is currently working on Tile Markers, Loot Trackers and NPC Highlights Boss Timers, although we can't yet say exactly when these features will be rolling out. A number of players also wanted a cannonball ammunition count - this seems like something we can fit in for the Open Beta, so we will aim to do just that!

We also agree with those who said that a Menu Entry Swapper would be a great addition - especially on mobile, because it significantly impacts the portable experience. We've added it to our backlog, although we're not yet sure when we'll be able to get to work on it.

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Further Suggestions

Our Beta testers were not short on ideas, and we still have hundreds of fantastic suggestions to ponder! We're so excited to make the client the best it can possibly be. Most of the features that have been requested have been added as part of a healthy backlog of things we can do once the priority changes are out of the way - we're talking things like push notifications for Farming, or automatic screenshot features for important milestones. These won't arrive for some time, but are certainly features we'll be working to implement with the help of our players!

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[h2]What's Next? [/h2]

As mentioned above, our Android Open Beta is is currently scheduled for the end of January 2022. Please note that this is an estimate, and could be subject to change if further issues arise. Provided all goes well with the Open Beta, we'd like to roll out the app officially around late February 2022.

From that point, the minimum requirement to use the Old School App on Android will be Android 8.0 (Oreo) or above.

Since we can't offer both the current client and enhanced client simultaneously, the moment will arrive when players will have to update from the existing app to a new one. We apologise to any player who cannot meet the new app requirements when the time comes.

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Future iOS Beta Events

Many of you want to know when there will be an iOS Beta. We're delighted to confirm there will be, and that we think this will be happening around March 2022. If successful, we imagine a full iOS rollout could happen between late April or early May, depending on how many critical issues and bugs pop up in the testing process.

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Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Ellie, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, KT, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Matheus, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Nylu, Oasis, Peppers, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Sigma, Skylark, Sova, Squid, Steve W, Tide, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

Proposed Changes To Death Pile Mechanics

Behind the scenes, we've been thinking about an improvement we could make to death pile mechanics, which UIM players may benefit from. This would be a small, but helpful change that we hope you'll love!




Currently, there is significant risk for Ultimate Iron players when dropping items to the ground. Unless they are able to get back to their items within 60 minutes after their items have dropped to the ground, the contents of the death pile will despawn and be lost forever. This risk factor is generally accepted as 'part and parcel' of the UlM game mode, however, when battling with connection issues, UIMs could suffer devastating losses. We've been looking at an engine change to offer players fairer opportunity to utilise death pile mechanics.

The change we're proposing will slightly affect other accounts, but not in a significant way. Please read on for more information to let us know what you think!



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[h2]What currently happens? Why does it need changing? [/h2]

Nothing needs changing at the moment - if you don't want us to change anything, then we don't have to. But, let's take a moment to explain what currently happens when an ultimate ironman dies.

On death, UIM drop their carried items to the ground in the location died in the form of a death pile. The death pile remains for a period of 60 minutes, whereby if the UIM fails to pick up their items within the timer, the items will despawn. This mechanic can make for some incredibly thrilling gameplay, however there are several factors that may increase the risk disproportionately. Consider the effect of:

  • Internet disruption.
  • Game world reboot.
  • Unexpected game world shut down.
  • In rare situations, where too many items are dropped near a death pile, the world will start to delete items (cheapest first)) because the memory isn't large enough to keep all of them.

With variants largely outside of players' control, we would like to remove the risk factor associated as we don't think players should be punished for factors outside of their control. So, we're proposing a change that would offer players more opportunity to utilise death pile mechanics without fear of losing items due to a disconnection or server outage. This would allow UIM players to utilise death pile mechanics to their highest potential.

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[h2]Proposed Changes[/h2]

Currently, when a player drops an item, it is 'attached' to the game world that it was dropped on. Even after you log out, the item will remain there until it despawns. The proposed change is to instead make dropped items 'attached' to your player, so that item is saved when you log out, and will still be there when you log back in, regardless of which world you log into. Its despawn timer would also pause while you are logged out.

This would only apply to items that will only ever be visible to you. Examples include UIM death piles, as well as dropped untradeables such as Clue Scrolls, for all types of account (not just UIM).

The idea is to provide you with more protection from disconnection issues. When the player logs out, the item is removed from the game world, and when the player logs back in, the item is re-added to the game world with its despawn timer in-tact.

For technical reasons, we're unable to support multiple gravestones, making this mechanic unsuitable for Ultimate Ironmen who will require multiple death piles.

To illustrate our proposal further, check out this table:



UIM would be able to utilise death pile mechanics cross-world, due to the fact their items are saved to their player-save rather than on the world they're on. In the case of dropped untradeables, regular accounts will receive a small benefit as it be saved to your player-save allowing them to appear cross-world for a period of 3 minutes. Please note, we don't recommend testing this out with your rare untradeable items just yet - we're just pitching this as theoretically possible pending your feedback.

That's it, really. We'd like to hear what you think about this proposal. Do you have any concerns or feedback? Let us know!

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Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Ellie, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, KT, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Matheus, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Nylu, Oasis, Peppers, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Sigma, Skylark, Sova, Squid, Steve W, Tide, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

Golden Gnomes: Finalists



Last week we asked you to nominate your favourite content and content creators, and you answered our call in your thousands! So without further ado, let's take a look at your picks for the 11th Annual Golden Gnome Awards Finalists:



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[h2]Best New Old School RuneScape Video Creator[/h2]

This award celebrates the new kids on the block, who started making videos just this year! They might be newcomers, but this category is packed full of talent.

The nominees are:

Hanannie Teletubyking xRakine D O U G

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[h2]Best Old School RuneScape Video Creator[/h2]

And now for the old guard! These video veterans have been creating top-tier Old School RuneScape content for years – but which one will get your vote?

The nominees are:

SoupRS Settled Solo Mission Chilli/Gunschilli

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[h2]Best Old School RuneScape Video[/h2]

This year, our video nominees have been pushing the boundaries of content creation – but which one will win your vote?

The nominees are:

Swampletics: The Movie (#32) by Settled
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN, GIELINOR GAMES FINALE (#11) by SoupRS
THE BEST RUNESCAPE VIDEO EVER MADE. by Solo Mission
Karamja Only UIM Inferno - Series Finale (#50) by Verf

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[h2]Best New Old School RuneScape Streamer[/h2]

It takes time and effort to Twitch your way to fame and fortune, but this year the following newcomers have made an excellent start!

The nominees are:

7asty Dino_xx monimu DefyJ

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[h2]Best Old School RuneScape Streamer[/h2]

This year we've had more time to enjoy our favourite streamers than ever – so hopefully you're all well equipped to pick one to vote for!

The nominees are:

itswill Odablock B0aty Faux

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[h2]Best New Old School RuneScape Artist[/h2]

These budding Bob Rosses picked up their paintbrushes and started creating Old School RuneScape art for the first time this year! Which one will get your vote?

The nominees are:

Witchcrafty Artistic.imp Nilky DrTigrexPhD

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[h2]Best Old School RuneScape Artist[/h2]

Every year, these artists pour blood sweat and tears – and hopefully some paint, too – into their work. So let's celebrate their efforts and cast some votes!

The nominees are:

Hooti Tooti CrumbOSRS Legend Arts Killerfishy24

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[h2]Best Old School RuneScape Artistic Creation[/h2]

Look, you can see for yourselves that every one of these magnificent creations deserves a spot in the MOMA – but only one can receive the Golden Gnome!

The nominees are:

117scape HD plugin by 117Scape


Swampletics: The Movie' poster by Legend Arts


Bloodhound by Witchcrafty


Konar and Nieve vs the Alchemical Hydra by DrTigrexPhD


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Best Old School RuneScape Cosplay Creation

Loads of you submitted images of yourselves in your fabulous costumes, wielding mighty props of all stripes, but only the best can make it through to the finals.

Please note: Due to the way voting has worked out this year, we'll instead be announcing the winner of this category during the awards ceremony livestream on December 17th!

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[h2]Honourable Mentions[/h2]
  • Best New OSRS Video Creator: Eliop14 & Limpwurt
  • Best OSRS Video Creator: Verf
  • Best OSRS Video: The $10,000 OSRS Battle Royale: Veterans ft. B0aty, Torvesta, Framed, C Engineer, J1mmy and MORE: by EVScape
  • Best New OSRS Streamer: Limpwurt
  • Best OSRS Streamer: Mmorpg
  • Best New OSRS Artist: 9Twin
  • Best OSRS Artist: lily/babyimpling
  • Best OSRS Artistic Creation: I drew the Gower brothers creating RS 20 years ago by Jesse Martin

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We'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who cast their votes, and an equally large congratulations to all of our brilliant finalists!

What's Next?

All that's left to do now is vote for the winners! You can have your say HERE at any time until midnight on December 16th. The awards ceremony itself will take place on December 17th in a spectacular livestream extravaganza!

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Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Ellie, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, KT, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Matheus, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Nylu, Oasis, Peppers, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Sigma, Skylark, Sova, Squid, Steve W, Tide, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

Grand Exchange Tax & Item Sink - Weekly Game Update (December 9th)



[h2]Issues and Hotfixes (December 9th)[/h2]

[expand]
Issue Raised
Current Progress
11:45 BST: Reports of making certain items faster than regularly intended.
14:15 BST: [FIXED] The Game Worlds are now back online and this issue has now been resolved.

Thank you for your patience.

[/expand]
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This week we’re implementing the Grand Exchange Tax and adding some long-awaited PvP changes! In other news, we've got a range of exciting, Christmassy things in the Official Merch Store - so you'll learn all about those, too.

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[h2]Grand Exchange Tax & Item Sink [/h2]

With this update we're introducing the Grand Exchange Tax and Item Sink discussed last week.


Grand Exchange Tax

We've added a 1% tax for all sales on the Grand Exchange. Any item sold through the Grand Exchange will be subject to the tax which will be deducted from the initial sale price. This tax is applied on a per item basis, so if selling multiple items, the tax is applied per item sold, rather than the total received.

The Grand Exchange interface has also been updated to clearly show how much tax you will pay when selling an item. This can also be tracked when viewing the offer status for any sale, so as a seller, you will always be able to see your bottom line - so don't worry about hidden costs!

Any item sold for under 100 GP will not have tax applied, therefore any sales under this threshold will show that no tax has been applied in the interface. Along with this, any item sold over 499,999,999 GP has a capped tax of 5,000,000 GP, which will show in the interface.

Here's some examples:

From Top to Bottom: 
  1. Status of an existing offer where tax is charged, below the 5m cap.
  2. Setting up a new offer where tax is charged, below the 5m cap.
  3. Setting up a new offer, where tax is charged, above the 5m cap.


We’ve also updated the player-to-player Trade menus, preventing the ‘Accept’ button from being pushed for a few seconds after either player changes the items in the trade. This should give buyers and sellers the chance to spot any scams, but if you need to trade quickly – such as in certain PvM situations – or if you’re confident taking the risk, you can opt out of the delay completely.

In case you missed it in last week’s post, here are some examples of how the tax shakes out in different trades:

[h3]Sample Cases[/h3]
[expand]

Simple case:

Ram0ceanFan is selling 100 Cooked Shark for 975 GP each and is matched against a buyer offering the same amount.
The 1% fee charged for each item is 9.75 coins, which the game rounds down to 9 coins per Shark.
Thus, Ram0ceanFan receives 96,600 GP, which is 97,500 minus the 900 GP fee.


Expensive item:

OlmRaider73 is selling a Twisted Bow for 870,000,000 GP and is matched against a buyer offering the same amount.
The 1% fee charged for each item is 8,700,000 GP, capped at 5,000,000 GP.
Thus OlmRaider73 receives 865,000,000 GP, which is 870,000,000 minus the 5,000,000 GP fee.
If OlmRaider73 preferred to spend time finding a buyer for a direct player-to-player trade, rather than spending that 5,000,000 fee, that’s totally fair.


Cheap item:

Newb5caper is selling 100 Guam Leaves for 29 GP each and is matched against a buyer offering the same amount.
The 1% fee charged for each item rounds down to zero.
Thus, Newb5caper receives the full 2,900 GP.


More complex case:

BigDealerDel is selling 1,000 Tin Ore for 99 GP each.
  • 500 of them are bought by a player who was offering the same amount. The 1% fee charged on each 99 GP item rounds down to zero, so BigDealerDel receives 49,500 GP for those 500 items.
  • The other 500 are bought by a player who was offering 101 GP per item. The 1% fee charged on each 101 GP item is 1.01 GP, which the game rounds down to 1 GP per item. BigDealerDel therefore receives 50,000 GP for those 500 items, which is 50,500 minus the 500 GP fee.

Overall, BigDealerDel has sold their 1,000 Tin Ore for 99,500 GP.

[/expand]

A shark-cessful transaction.


Here's a list of items exempt from the tax. Most of these are tools used by new players, as such we'd prefer not to inhibit trade on such items:
  • Chisel
  • Dibber
  • Gardening Trowel
  • Glassblowing Pipe
  • Hammer
  • Needle
  • Pestle and Mortar
  • Rake
  • Saw
  • Secateurs
  • Shears
  • Spade
  • Watering Can (0)

Bonds are also exempt from the tax since they already charge a fee when they’re converted from non-tradeable to tradeable. The Grand Exchange menus will clarify which items have fees.


Item Sink

We’ve also implemented the previously-mentioned Item Sink system, which will help with inflation by using the tax collected from sales to purchase various expensive items from sellers, then delete those items once the trade is complete. Here’s how that works in detail!

When a taxed trade takes place through the Grand Exchange, part of the taxes paid will be consigned to a virtual coffer. An automatic system will then use those funds to purchase specific items, chosen by us. The system decides which items to buy based on the estimated quantity of the item entering the game per day and the amount we’d like it reduced by.

Various things can happen when a player creates a Sell offer for one of these items:

If the virtual coffer’s funds are below a specified item’s value, the system doesn’t interfere because it can’t afford the item. The player’s Sell offer is created as normal on the Grand Exchange.
If we’ve already hit the daily quota for an item, the system doesn’t interfere because we don’t want to create supply issues. Again, the player’s Sell offer is created as normal on the Grand Exchange.
If the virtual coffer has enough funds and we haven’t hit the day’s quota, then the system immediately pays the seller the cost of the item (minus tax) and then removes the item from the game.
While we agree that lots of items would benefit from a reduced supply, we want to start small. A shorter list lets us monitor exactly how much money is coming in and out of the game, and how player behaviour changes in response.

For now, here are the eligible items:
  • Abyssal Bludgeon
  • Arcane & Spectral Shields
  • Armadyl Armour
  • Bandos Armour
  • Dark Bow
  • Dinh's Bulwark
  • Elder Maul
  • God Swords (Armadyl, Bandos, Saradomin, Zamorak)
  • Kodai Insignia
  • Kraken Tentacle
  • Nightmare Staff and Orbs (Eldritch, Harmonised, Volatile)
  • Occult Necklace
  • Prayer Reward Scrolls (Arcane, Dexterous, Torn)
  • Saradomin Sword
  • Scythe of Vitur
  • Smoke Battlestaff
  • Toxic Blowpipe
  • Trident of the Seas
  • Twisted Bow
  • Zamorakian Spear

The team will actively monitor the markets and your feedback with a view to adding more items to this list in future.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]PvP Changes: Skulling & Luring [/h2]



For those unfamiliar with PvP, when attacking another player you receive a PK Skull marker which lasts for 20 minutes. In this time, it’s possible to get into a fight with someone with 19 minutes and 30 seconds left, causing the marker to disappear during combat. This means that in addition to losing your Skull, there’s a chance your opponent will receive a Skull from hitting you – negating your own risk and adding to theirs. To fix this, we’ve made it so that PvP Skulls no longer time out while in PvP combat.

We’re also addressing the issue of Skulltricking. Skulltricking takes various different forms, but ultimately, the end goal is the same – to trick an unsuspecting victim into attacking another player and gaining a Skull. This week’s update adds a new setting in the Control Settings interface which restricts attacking other players if that action would result in you getting Skulled.



Please note that this setting is always disabled on DMM worlds.

We’ve also added some additional safe areas in PvP worlds to tackle combat luring:
  • Duel Arena entrance
  • Fossil Island - North Island Bank
  • The Kourend Castle building (all floors)
  • Volcanic Mine Bank area
  • Blast Mine Bank Chests
  • Barbarian Outpost
  • Ape Atoll Bank area
  • Xeric’s Glade - Grape Vines
  • Soul Wars Lobby

Lastly, the Looting Bag can now be used in Ferox Enclave.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]New Client Features Improvements[/h2]

We’ve also made a bunch of changes to the New Client Features!
  • Removed the ‘Reset XP’ function from the XP Tracker and replaced it with an ‘XP Goals’ function. You can now set a target for either level or XP amount. Those chasing 200million XP can also set virtual levels!
  • Commas have been added to high numbers in the XP Tracker for ease of reading.
  • Added a new setting to show how many options a clickable object has. This setting can be changed in the Interfaces category and is off by default.
  • Players can now search for Headers in the Settings menu, with all applicable options displayed under that Header.
  • Agility Course Highlights will apply as soon as players complete their first obstacle after logging in.
  • The colour black (#000000) can now be used for Tile Highlights.
  • The Agility Shortcuts Helper has a new option to display skill requirements as an overlay on Shortcuts.
  • Increased the text size in the Agility Overlay for ease of reading.
  • The Desert Heat effect has been added to the Buff Bar.
  • Added messaging to inform the player that their Venom Resistance is about to expire and, once it has expired, that they no longer have Venom resistance but Poison Resistance.
  • Fixed a bug which prevented skills from being tracked properly.
  • Coal Ore in Miscellania will now display respawn timers on the Steam client.
  • Fixed a bug which made regular messages appear highlighted as though they contained a link.
  • Made tweaks and subtle improvements to areas that display chat.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Other Changes [/h2]
  • All recorded times for the Hallowed Sepulchre have now been reset due to bug abuse. You can learn more from last week’s game update newspost.
  • Lowered the minimum kill-count to appear on the HiScores for Skotizo, Chambers of Xeric Challenge Mode, Hespori, Obor, Bryophyta, Jad and the Corrupted Gauntlet to 5. We’ve also changed the required kill count for the Mimic to 1. The HiScores will update upon next login.
  • Additional options have been added to the Settings menu under ‘Ctrl+Click to invert run mode’:
    • NEVER: Holding Ctrl while clicking will never invert your currently selected run mode.
    • WALK -> RUN: Holding Ctrl whilst clicking will invert your run mode only if you have run toggled OFF.
    • RUN -> WALK: Holding Ctrl whilst clicking will invert your run mode only if you have run toggled ON.
    • ALWAYS: Holding Ctrl whilst clicking will invert your run mode regardless of whether you have run toggled on (as long as you have sufficient Run Energy).
  • Messages sent to a Chat Channel can now start with the following characters: ! # “ $ % & ‘ ( )
  • + , - or .
  • Bones to Peaches will now appear locked on the Spellbook if you haven’t unlocked it from the Mage Training Arena.
  • The Bandos Godsword (or) now shows its ornamentation correctly when wielded by female characters.
  • Ultimate Iron players may now pick up an empty Bolt Pouch from their death piles instead of having to return to the shop to replace it – provided they don’t already have a spare Bolt Pouch stored elsewhere.
  • Watering Cans will now remain in place in the Backpack when used to water seedlings.
  • Fixed clipping issues with the Banana Hat.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Official Merch Store[/h2]



RuneScape: The First 20 Years Digital Release

Rejoice, e-bookworms: RuneScape: the First 20 Years is now available for your e-reader! Grab a copy from Amazon, Apple Books and other digital book platforms.

Keeping it old school? You can still get a physical version of the book on the Merch Store right now - and of course, at all good bookstores and online retailers!


Christmas Gifting

The last of our Elvarg Xmas Jumpers are selling fast. Order now to get yours in time for Christmas!

Other gift ideas include the Fancy Socks or Map of Gielinor Jigsaw – but make sure Santa knows the last shipping dates for international orders from the UK. You can find them on the Royal Mail website!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]PvP World Rota[/h2]

The PvP rota has moved to Period B:
  • 560 - (UK) - PvP World
  • 579 - (US) - High-Risk PvP World
  • 561 - (UK) - Free-to-Play PvP World
  • 580 - (US) - LMS Competitive

World 390 (AUS) for LMS Competitive has been de-activated with this rota.

[hr][/hr]
That's everything for this week's game update. We'd love to hear your feedback so please let us know what you think via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, the Steam forums or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, KT, Kurotou, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Matheus, Maylea, Markos, Meat, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Nylu, Oasis, Peppers, Regent, Redfield, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Sigma, Skylark, Sova, Squid, Steve W, Tide, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team