Old School RuneScape News

Hello, and welcome to an extra-swampy edition of Postbag from the Hedge! This week I’ve been travelling all over Kourend and Kebos, delivering letters to all sorts of colourful characters. Now, while I wring out my galoshes, let’s have a read through their replies…

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To Kaht B'alam.

Dear Kaht B’alam,

I trust you will be able to read this letter, since you seem to understand and remember our common tongue.

Nevertheless, since we’ve last spoken in your temple, I was curious, to say the least, about your kind and your history.

While you did share a little bit of the mysterious past that surround your origins, it occurred to me that some of your shamans seemed to possess strange powers and abilities, and since some adventurers such as myself are in a constant quest for knowledge and power, I was wondering if you would be inclined to share this wisdom with some of us? In turn, maybe we could work something to bring our species closer, such as an alliance or a treaty that would benefit both of us?

(To be fair, I believe we should try to end the war between the Shayzien soldiers and your tribe if we have the chance.)

Also, in my travels, I met an individual named Ket’sal K’uk, in the swamp, near the north-western coast, who seemed to be too preoccupied by his own rituals to bother speak to me at all. I was wondering if you had knowledge of his presence, and if you could explain me his doings? (Perhaps I would be able to assist him even, if he was to open up.)

Anyway, I hope that this message will reach you and I thank you in advance for your time and reply.

Sincerely, Etienne II

Greetingsss, Etienne II,

Our shamansss do indeed posssesss abilitiesss sssome would consssider… unnatural. Sssuch powersss are a gift, only given after yearsss of ssstudy. Our knowledge is passsed down to usss by our eldersss, in our own tongue, over many generationsss. To explain it to humansss in a way you could underssstand would be… troublesssome. Perhapsss when our massster returnsss he will be open to negotiationsss.

It isss him that we fight for – hisss landsss, hisss idealsss. Asss long asss hisss ordersss ssstand, there can be no end to thisss war. Asss fruitlesss asss it isss.

K’uk? Yesss, I know him. He desssiresss greater power, much like you. The ritual isss complex, but should he perform it correctly, perhapsss our massster will grant him greater knowledge. If he doesss… you should keep your dissstance.

It’sss good to ssspeak again, friend. Perhapsss our paths will crosss again sssoon. If you come thisss way again, could you bring more of thossse chilli potatoesss? Our ssstocksss have dwindled lately…

Until then,

Kaht B’alam

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To the Kourend Council.

How is the council faring with Kourend?

LewisIsFail

Dear LewisIsFail

Always a pleasure to hear from a constituent – especially one who has done so much for Kourend themselves!

Since we last spoke, things have been going fantastically! We’ve been able to support our citizens on their own adventures, as they set out for the new frontier of the Kebos Lowlands. We’ve created new infrastructure in Hosidius House, and, with the support of Lord Shayzien himself, we’ll soon be able to do the same in Shayzien territory.

And of course, we hear all about your comings-and-goings! Would that we all could gallivant about the place slaying foul beasts and causing trouble, eh? Ah, youth. I suppose you’ve no idea how much paperwork you generate!

Which reminds me, I really must be going – I have a meeting with Lady Lovakengj this afternoon to go over the latest reports from the Blast Mine. I know I can count on your vote in the next election to secure an even better future for Kourend!

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Kubec Unkar

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To Rakkar.

Dear Rakkar,

While your mind may have seen better days, I believe there is still something left of you in there. If so, what do you remember of your ill-fated expedition to this former fishing hamlet? How have you survived here for the last few years since the disappearance of the locals and your Fremennik brothers? What do you know of the mysteries lurking at the bottom of that nearby crevasse? What happened to the snakestone you tried to discard? And who or what is the Kayzertief?

With thanks,

GentleTractor

(Thanks for the warning on this one, GentleTractor! Here’s what I was able to get out of him…)

The sun goes down, the moon goes down, the stone goes round and round and down, I know, I know

Five went away and one must stay, keeps the wriggling things at bay, oh oh, folly-oh oh

Beyond the deep he sleeps, he sleeps, the sun must hide where shadows creep, I know, I know, oh oh oh

The earth does shake and he shall wake and each and every one shall take, I know, I know, oh oh oh

(Poor chap – I’m sure he’s glad you’re thinking of him, though!)

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To Eodan.

Can you tell the tanner in the middle of Forthos dungeon I hate him and his business model sucks?

Mazrrim

Hello Mazrrim!

Always lovely to get customer feedback. You know, operating such a niche business, as a single father just trying to make ends meet in the world, isn’t easy. With all these Magic-users stealing business from good, honest workers, a nice review can make all the difference! Let’s see what this one says…

Oh.

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To the Voice of Yama.

Oh mighty Voice of Yama,

Howdy! I've wandered about Kourend a good bit and found myself in a particularly warm chasm when I stumbled upon your goat-headed self. We chatted for a bit. Personally I thought you were a swell fellow, but you did seem standoffish about your master's intentions. What's the big boy up to? Gathering power, yeah, but like... what for? How so? Right now all he's done is blind a few guys and get thousands of demons slaughtered.

Also, you're a minotaur, correct? The only other minotaurs I've seen are stuck in some weird hole in the ground underneath a bunch of barbarians. Do you ever get any goat-like tendencies? The urge to munch on tin cans, perhaps? A very peculiar sound you like to make, a bleating-crying-screaming sound?

Anyways, have a wonderful day, don't forget the sunscreen and say hello to your grandmother for me.

Mud-Brain

*Snort*

Mud-Brain… how appropriate.

My master’s plans are far beyond what your feeble mortal brain could comprehend. Look upon the ravaged gaze of his disciples and know that this is the fate that awaits you all. You are blind, and blind you shall remain, until it is too late to stand in my master’s way. What further explanation is needed?

Foolish mortal - I may look like a minotaur to your crude and untrained eye, but any creature with half a brain could tell that I am a mighty demon who happens to have a minotaur's head. It's a subtle difference. I expect it is far beyond your reckoning.

To answer your final question: the battle-cry of the minotaur is a majestic sound, yes. A pity that you weaklings rarely ever hear it more than once.

… Meemaw says hello.

The Voice of Yama

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To Veos.

Veos, you've been free of body possessions since I helped you... right? No new voices in your head? I was worried about you, dude.

FlamingBunnyChanou

Ah, FlamingBunnyChanou!

I’m very glad to hear from you. To tell the truth, I have been feeling a little under the weather lately. Nothing to worry about though, I’m sure.

Your friend,

Veos

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To Mary.

Dear Mrs. Mary,

Why does your house contain an incomplete windmill? It has the turbine outside, part of a grinder inside, as well as pot and sink downstairs, and a wheat field by the nearby guild. I would very much like to be able to make bread in the area.

Thank you,

Nomes

Dear Nomes,

That’s an excellent question! You ought to send it to the council. An adventurer like you might be able to knock some sense into them! Since Gordon and I settled here in Kebos we’ve had no help whatsoever from those layabouts. We’d be better off asking the lizardmen!

You can be sure I’ll be voting in Tomas Lawry when I get the chance. It’s about time we saw some changes around here.

All the best,

Mary

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To the Knight of Varlamore.

Dear Knight of Varlamore,

What is Civitas illa Fortis like? And when will it be open to adventurers once more?

SacKingsRS

Hello, SacKingsRS!

Ah, Civitas illa Fortis. The shining jewel in Varlamore’s incandescent crown! Nothing I say could do its beauty justice, but I shall do my best.

Lets see… from the sparkling ocean to the gleaming snow-capped mountains that flank the city borders, Civitas illa Fortis is bathed in glorious sunlight. It’s a truly magnificent sight, my friend. As you sail in, your eye is immediately drawn to the radiant palace of our Queen, flanked by the Kualti headquarters and the Grand Museum. Oh, if you could only see the treasures there for yourself.

I’m sure you will be able to visit soon. Our Queen, the illustrious Zyanyi Arkan, is drawing up treaties and negotiating visits even as we speak. It will not be long before the two nations of Varlamore and Kourend can engage in jolly co-operation once more!

Stay vigilant, friend.

Astra

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To Rose.

Dear Rose,

Where is Xeric?

Periwinkleditor

I’m so sorry, Periwinkleditor – I looked all over Kourend and Kebos (and even nearly got carried off by an overfriendly sheepdog!) but I couldn’t find hide nor hair of this ‘Rose’ person. Are you sure she lives here?

Looks like this one’s a return to sender. Don’t get many of those these days!

So, Periwinkleditor… where is Xeric?

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That's all from Postie Pete for now! If you have any questions or feedback please let us know what you think via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

Mods Acorn, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Bonsai, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Flippy, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Maylea, MikeD, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Oasis, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Squid, Steve W, Sween, Tide, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

We're super excited for the arrival of our 150th quest: A Kingdom Divided in June! With the release just around the corner, it's time to get hyped for the next chapter in the Kourend storyline. Read on for the trailer, lore and two (yes, TWO) competitions!

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[h2]Watch The Trailer[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We recently had a special A Kingdom Divided livestream which you can watch here where we cover design, lore and maybe even a teaser or two...

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[h2]Introducing: A Kingdom Divided[/h2]

Great Kourend: a land of wealth, comfort and security. Across its five cities, the people of this Kingdom work to bring peace and prosperity. However, all is not as it seems. Beneath this delicate façade lies an uncomfortable truth: the kingdom of Great Kourend is A Kingdom Divided.

Since the death of the last king, Great Kourend has been ruled by the Kourend Council. Under the watchful gaze of the Council, Kourend has enjoyed a golden age of progression. But not all of its citizens are happy, and, spurred by the recent arrest of Councillor Sophia Hughes, allegations of corruption are growing.

However, the political games of the Council may be the least of Kourend’s concerns. A darker power is gathering in the Kingdom - one that could change the face of Gielinor forever...



Requirements & Rewards
[expand]To complete A Kingdom Divided you'll need to have finished the following quests:

• Client of Kourend
  
  • X Marks the Spot (This quest is now a requirement in order to start Client of Kourend)
• The Depths of Despair
  
• The Queen of Thieves
  
• The Ascent of Arceuus
  
• The Forsaken Tower
  
• Tale of the Righteous
  
• Architectural Alliance
  

You'll also need the following skill levels:

• 54 Agility
  
• 52 Thieving
  
• 52 Woodcutting
  
• 50 Herblore
  
• 42 Mining
  
• 38 Crafting
  
• 35 Magic
  

Upon completion of the quest you'll be rewarded with:

• 2 Quest Points
  
• 10,000 Experience Lamp
  
• New Arceuus Spells
  
• Kourend Castle Respawn Point
  
• 20 Additional Kharedst's Memoirs Charges
  

[/expand]

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[h2]Two Competitions![/h2]

[h3]Competition #1 - Login Screen Design Challenge[/h3]

For the first of our competitions, we want you artistic types to design something familiar to all 'Scapers... the Old School login screen! With the lore and background of Great Kourend as your inspiration, we'd like you to come up with a thematic login screen for when A Kingdom Divided arrives in June. If you win, every player that opens up Old School will see your design as they prepare to step into Gielinor! Here's everything you need to know:


Competition Details - Login Screen Design
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Dates & Times:

• The competition begins at 13:00 BST on May 13th and closes at 23:59 BST on May 24th.
  
• The four finalists will be chosen by the Old School team and will feature in a poll starting on May 28th and closing on June 1st.

Dimensions & Display:

• The image you submit must be 545x671 pixels exactly and either JPG/JPEG.
  
• The login screen works by taking an image and mirroring it. When submitting, make sure that it's half of a login screen (see the examples below).
  
• Remember that the flames and window boxes (where players enter their login details) will be placed on top of your image, in the same positions as where they currently sit. These cannot be moved.

Submissions:

• Email [email protected] with the following:
  
  • Subject: A Kingdom Divided Login Screen
  • Your Login Screen design
    
  • Your RuneScape Username (RSN)
    
  • Your local currency (for prizes)

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We want to make sure all the finalists are rewarded for making it to the top four. Here's what you could win:

• 1st Place - £200 Amazon voucher and 12 months of membership
  
• 2nd Place - £100 Amazon voucher and 6 months of membership
  
• 3rd & 4th Place - £50 Amazon voucher and 3 months of membership

If you need a little inspiration, look no further than the previous winners of our login screen competitions for the Song of the Elves and Kebos Lowlands! And there's always the classic, of course!

For more details and the full T&Cs, head over to the forum thread. We look forward to seeing all of your submissions!


[h3]Competition #2 - 'The Story So Far' Video Challenge[/h3]

Calling all budding video-makers! Can you create a video that summarises the events leading up to A Kingdom Divided? Get your viewers up to speed with the lore of the Kourend storyline, and you could win some fabulous prizes.

It's up to you to decide what style of video you want to make. Documentary, parody... whatever tells the story best! The most important thing is to have fun, and create an informative and entertaining video.

To help you get creative, we will be making the Oculus Orb available to EVERYONE with the game update on May 19th! If you're not familiar with the orb, it's a device that gives players total control over the camera, making it easier for you to capture gameplay within Gielinor. Just head on over to Diango in Draynor Village to receive this fantastic item!

The quests you need to cover can be found in the Requirements & Rewards section above. Here's what else you need to know:

Competition Details - 'Story So Far' Video
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Dates & Times:

• The competition begins at 13:00 BST on May 19th and closes at 23:59 BST on June 4th.
  
• The winner will be voted for by the Old School team between June 7th and June 11th.

Dimensions & Display:

• Videos must be no longer than eight minutes.
  
• Your video must be uploaded to YouTube, but can either be unlisted or public.
  
• Videos are not limited to just gameplay clips – you can feature animation or other styles of presentation.

Submissions:

• Email [email protected] with the following:
  
  • Subject: A Kingdom Divided Video Competition
  • The YouTube link to your video
    
  • Your RuneScape Username (RSN)
    
  • Your local currency (for prizes)

[/expand]

We want to make sure all the finalists are rewarded for making it to the top four. Here's what you could win:

• 1st Place - £200 Amazon voucher and 12 months of membership
  
• 2nd Place - £100 Amazon voucher and 6 months of membership
  
• 3rd & 4th Place - £50 Amazon voucher and 3 months of membership

For more details and the full T&Cs, head over to the forum thread. We look forward to seeing all of your submissions!

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[h2]Kourend Chronicles[/h2]

Uncover Kourend's murky past and see another side to your adventures in Kourend Chronicles, a six-part series packed with new lore from your favourite continent. Check back each week for more stories, and keep your eyes peeled - we've sprinkled in a few cheeky hints for Kourend's future...

Kourend Chronicle 1: A Curious Client Kourend Chronicle 2: Lab Notes Kourend Chronicle 3: The Plot And The Potion Kourend Chronicle 4: A Kingdom United Kourend Chronicle 5: The Man In The Tower Kourend Chronicle 6: The Ascent


Crikey... not long to go now! We hope you're as excited for the release of A Kingdom Divided as we are. If you have any questions or feedback please let us know what you think via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

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Mods Acorn, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Bonsai, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Flippy, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Maylea, MikeD, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Oasis, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Squid, Steve W, Sween, Tide, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

[h2]Name Reservations For Clans Are Closed! [/h2]

That's it folks: pre-registration for Clan names are now closed. Thanks to everyone who took the time to request their marvellous moniker!

Let's talk about what happens next, including what you'll need to do if your application was successful.

First of all, there will be no game update this week. We'll be using this time to test and tweak the system to perfection, ready for the big launch. It's all hands on deck!

We expect next week's game update (May 19th) to be a soft launch, with successful applicants being assigned their Clan name through a manual process explained below. Throughout the week, all players will have access to the shiny new Clan side-panel, though all actual features of the system will be disabled. Tantalising!

Provided the names process runs smoothly, the Clans system will fully launch on May 26th. All of the features, interfaces and menu options of the Clans system will be accessible to everyone, and you can start having fun! If you didn't get the chance to pre-register your Clan name, or your reservation request was unsuccessful, this will be your moment. You'll be able to grab a name on a first-come, first-served basis.

Clans...coming soon.

[h3]Next Steps[/h3]

If you've applied for a Clan name, you'll receive an Inbox message from us in the next week or so, letting you know if you've been successful. You will receive your answer by May 19th at the latest, so please be patient with us.

If your application has been accepted, congratulations! The Inbox message will include an invite link to a Discord server that we'll be using to arrange the registration of Clan names. The message will also give the Discord tag of the staff member leading the project. Discord tags are unique, so don't accept any messages or links from Discord tags other than the one named in the message.

You must join the Discord server and arrange a suitable time for us to meet you in-game. Since there are thousands of Clans to manually assign in a relatively short timeframe, we're going to be holding several drop-in sessions from May 19th onwards. Think of it as booking your appointment at the Clan clinic!

Once a Clan name has been assigned to you, the side-panel will tell you which Clan you're in, but all of the features from the menu will remain blocked until Clans is fully launched on May 26th. You can peek at your presents but you can't open them yet...

To recap:

• Pre-registration for Clan Names is now closed.
  
• There is no game update this week, but players who have pre-registered a name can expect an Inbox Message with news by May 19th.
  
• If your application has been successful, the Inbox Message will contain a link to the Discord Server we're using for this process, and the Discord ID tag to verify that it's us.
  
• You should join the Discord Server as soon as possible and sign up to an in-game drop-in session from May 19th onwards.
  
• At the drop-in, we will create your Clan name and then transfer ownership over to you.
  
• Those who have successfully been assigned their Clan name will see it on the Clan side-panel, but no one will be able to access the features of the Clans system until the full launch, expected on May 26th.
  

We're almost there, everyone! Thanks so much for your continued patience. We know that you've been eagerly awaiting the release of the Clans system and can't wait to see how creative you'll get with the new features. Clan-tastic!

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[h2]PvP World Rota[/h2]

With no game update this week, the PvP world rota will remain on the same rotation and will not move to Period B until next week's game update on May 19th.

After recently introducing the weekly change to the rota based on feedback from a player survey, we are currently investigating changing the system that handles this.

Rather than worlds constantly changing between regular and PvP, we'll look to add worlds dedicated to the PvP rota instead. These worlds would always be configured as PvP worlds, but they'd only be live when they're included within the active PvP world rota period at the time.


As always, please share your feedback with us via the official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

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Mods Acorn, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Bonsai, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Flippy, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Maylea, MikeD, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Oasis, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Squid, Steve W, Sween, Tide, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zukop

The Old School Team

[h2]Hotfixes and Issues (29th April)[/h2]

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Games Room tables are popping up all over Gielinor this week – see you in the pub! We’ve also been tweaking the mechanics for Tempoross, the Spirit of the Sea, so you can have an even more splashing time sending it to a watery grave. Plus, spell tweaks, interface adjustments and more...

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[h2]Minigame Madness[/h2]

Fancy a pint and a game of Runelink? We've added Games Room tables to some of the most popular pubs in Gielinor, as well as the Grand Exchange! This means that both Members and Free-to-play adventurers alike can battle it out on the board.

One of The Golden Field's new tables.

Show off your tabletop tactics in the following locations:

• The Blue Moon Inn (Varrock)
  
• The Rising Sun (Falador)
  
• Forester's Arms (Seers' Village)
  
• The Golden Field (Hosidius)
  
• South-West of the Grand Exchange (Varrock)
  

Each pub will have two tables for all the current games, while the Grand Exchange will have eight. All tables can be operating a game simultaneously, but if all the tables are taken, you can still spectate! Members have access to the Burthorpe Games Rooms if they can't find an available table.

Game in style at the Grand Exchange!

Two new NPCs have popped up in the Grand Exchange's Game Zone, representing Saradomin and Zamorak. Talking to them will allow you to change your current world to the Castle Wars designated world (344) and put you in the lobby of your chosen side! For beginners, friendly NPC Meredith is also hanging around the Grand Exchange, ready to teach you how to play any of the games on offer.

Which side are you on?

Board games are unavailable in Deadman Mode and on PvP worlds.

Oh, and talking of games, the grandmasters among you may have spotted an error in the layout of the display chessboard in the Varrock Palace. The board has been updated and now respects the actual rules of chess!

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[h2]Fishing Skill Boss[/h2]

After reviewing your feedback, we've made another wave of tweaks to the Tempoross mechanics:

• The fire clickboxes are now slightly bigger, covering more of the 2x2 space they occupy. The height of the fire will no longer change as it animates.
  
• The fire itself is now slightly less punishing and will remove resources every two game cycles (1.2 seconds) rather than every game cycle.
  
• The wave attack won't disrupt as many actions when it's incoming, so you can try and cook an extra fish or two!
  
• Reducing Tempoross' energy to 10% or lower will prevent it from attacking for a full 25 game cycles. If you don't continue to shoot fish within that time, it will begin to attack again.
  
• Beyond the encounter itself, you'll be pleased to know that previously blocked Fishing spots south of the Ruins of Unkah are now accessible.
  

Also, both basic and recoloured versions of the Heron will now use the same placeholder slot in the Bank!

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[h2]Heal Group Spell[/h2]

Recently, the Heal Group & Heal Other spells have been seen to generate a method of "infinite" healing. For the cost of a few runes, you could scale one cast to hundreds, if not thousands of HP a cast.

If you combine this with multiple accounts spamming Heal Group, with no cooldown, it could trivialise a lot of content and reduce the need to bring or use healing supplies anywhere you could safely use this spell.

This spell is for healing, but was never envisioned to be this effective. As such, we think it's important to make it worthwhile whilst the reducing the possibility of abuse.

The Heal Group spell has been altered with the following changes:

• The spell now functions by dividing up to 75% of the healer's health equally between up to five injured players in the immediate area, and throwing in an additional five points for healing.
  
• Once the spell has been cast, it will update your attack delay by three game cycles, similar to eating food.
  
• The Heal Group will now have a 90-second cooldown once cast.
  

We will be montioring feedback on these changes but hope they make the spell remain viable for legitimate use whilst not being easily abused.

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[h2]PvP World Rota[/h2]

The PvP rota has moved to Period A:

• The host for the High-Risk PvP world will be W343 (Germany)
  
• The Standard PvP world will be W324 (US West)
  
• The free-to-play PvP world will be W417 (US East)
  
• The members-only LMS world will be W333 (UK)
  
• The free-to-play LMS world will be W469 (US East)
  

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[h2]Other News[/h2]

• The Smithing XP gained from Barronite has been increased from 10 to 30.
  
• Ahrim's staff can now auto-cast ancient spells again whilst wearing full Ahrim's and the Amulet of the Damned.
  
• In Last Man Standing, ancient spells are no longer greyed out for players who have not completed Desert Treasure.
  
• Last Man Standing spawn locations have been spread out.
  
• Combat XP in the PoH has now returned back to normal.
  
• We've tweaked the interface for choosing a display name so it's a little less confusing for newcomers.
  
• The audio can get a little busy when chopping tentacles from the fearsome Kraken. The chopping sound effects are now slightly more spaced out.
  
• The information interface provided at the start of Fishing Trawler can now be toggled off or on by talking to Murphy on the boat in Port Khazard. You can also switch it straight off just by clicking "Do not show this again" on the interface itself.
  
• The Collection Log total value was showing a little higher than it should be! This has now been adjusted.
  
• A stray bit of wall has been deleted from the area west of Ice Mountain.
  
• The maximum quantities of fish you can select for processing in Camdozaal have been corrected.
  

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, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

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Mods Acorn, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Bonsai, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Flippy, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Maylea, MikeD, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Oasis, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Squid, Steve W, Sween, Tide, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

[h2]Hotfixes and Issues (May 6th)[/h2]

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Who remembers Phosani's Nightmare? Temporarily released in early 2020 to support the Nightmare of Ashihama launch, this was a more difficult version of the encounter for those of you who actually like waking up in a cold sweat! It was a pretty neat idea in theory, but as it could only be tackled as a solo encounter for one week, and with minimal differences from normal mode, it wasn't providing long-lasting, repeatable content.

Now, we know that many of you have been dreaming of new end-game content. We have some exciting plans in the works to address this, but in the meantime we thought the return of Phosani’s Nightmare could provide a worthy challenge for those of you who have grown accustomed to current PvM content!

As with the recent A Night At The Theatre additions, this is us adapting our schedule to add new challenges that will tide you over while we work on bigger changes. This isn’t our magic solution to the lack of end-game content, but it's something we can whip up within a short timeframe while working on the major updates we'll be announcing this summer.

With a more punishing encounter that includes harder to execute mechanics, brand new phases, more attack combos, new metas and a new loot table, Phosani's Nightmare is back for real, and she’s stronger than ever!

Now, close your eyes... Don't be scared...

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[h2]The Changes[/h2]

Phosani’s Nightmare is a solo-only encounter and will require at least one completion of The Nightmare of Ashihama.

We want this encounter to be faster paced, with more variation per fight, and more things happening simultaneously to keep the player engaged. We also want a significantly speedier kill than a regular Nightmare solo kill. Currently, it can feel like quite a drawn-out fight – more a test of stamina than skill!

This new encounter will be different from The Nightmare of Ashihama in all sorts of ways. We don’t want to reveal the full extent of the changes, as we’d like for some of them to come as a surprise. But here's a taste of what to expect this time around:

• Increased damage dealt to players using incorrect Protection Prayers...
  
  • ...But reduced damaged for those that use their Prayers correctly (Amen!)
    
• Additional Shield and Totem phases...
  
  • ...But with reduced Hitpoints of each phase.
    
• Additional special attack combinations.
  
• An increased rate of special attacks.
  
• Changes to existing special attack mechanics.
  
• Randomised phase rotations, making each fight feel a little different (and less predictable)!
  
• A brand new phase that will overwhelm any unprepared adventurer. You have been warned...
  

Poll Question #1

Should Phosani’s Nightmare, a vastly different solo-only version of The Nightmare of Ashihama encounter, be added to the game? The boss fight mechanics would be updated to make the encounter more challenging and engaging. The rewards would be improved to match these changes.

Poll Question #2

Should the proposed randomised phase rotations and Protection Prayer changes for Phosani's Nightmare also be made for The Nightmare of Ashihama?

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[h2]The Rewards[/h2]

What would an additional challenge be without additional reward? Yeah, a bit of a swizz. Fortunately, we have plenty of extra goodies in store.

Very rare drops are okay. Low-value regular loot is okay. Long walks back after resupplying are... hmm, okay. But with The Nightmare of Ashihama you've got all three, and we understand the frustrations some players have. With Phosani's Nightmare, we're not looking to drastically change the available loot, but we think we can improve it.


Parasite Pet Metamorphosis

First up is a metamorphosis. Similar to Chambers of Xeric Challenge Mode, completing Phosani’s Nightmare would give a chance at an item that can be used on the Little Nightmare to unlock a Parasite variation of the pet. Creepy!

We’re not sure why you’d want to have this thing following you around, but here it is anyway.

Poll Question #3

If Phosani’s Nightmare is added to the game, should there be a chance to receive an item that transforms the Little Nightmare pet into a Parasite version?

Slepe Teleport

Sometimes in life, it's about the journey, not the destination. Yeah, we can get philosophical too, y'know.

But when it comes to The Nightmare, the trip back after resupplying is kind of long and arduous. It can even cause you to lose your world, or force you to use alternate accounts to resupply between kills. This extended schlep was an intentional design choice, and one we made quite clear leading up to the release, but the comments we've received have shown that this wasn't necessarily the best approach. We'd like to take this opportunity to improve the situation.

What if we allow players to teleport to Slepe via an upgrade to Drakan’s Medallion, the necklace rewarded after completion of A Taste of Hope? This upgrade would be made via an untradeable tablet that would be obtainable from both The Nightmare of Ashihama and Phosani’s Nightmare, with a higher chance of receiving it from the latter encounter.

The upgraded Drakan's Medallion would teleport players to the Sisterhood Sanctuary as shown below:

The proposed teleport location for the upgraded Drakan's Medallion.

Alternatively an untradeable teleport scroll could be added to the potential loot from Phosani's Nightmare, similar to the Key Master teleport from Cerberus. These stackable scrolls would teleport players to the same location as the Drakan's Medallion and could be added to the Master Scroll Book.

Poll Question #4

Should The Nightmare of Ashihama have a chance at dropping a tablet which allows players to upgrade their Drakan’s Medallion? this upgrade would allow players to teleport to the graveyard just next to the Slepe Church. If this question passes and Phosani’s Nightmare is added to the game, the tablet will also drop from Phosani’s Nightmare with a slighter better chance.

Poll Question #5

If Poll Question #4 passes and the teleport item is added to the game, how should this item be introduced? The highest voted option will win and be implemented into the game.

Option 1: The teleport should implemented via an upgrade to Drakan’s Medallion.

Option 2: The teleport should be implemented via untradeable teleport scrolls that drop from the encounter, similar to Key Master teleport from Cerberus.

Poll Question #6

If untradeable teleport scrolls are the preferred option in Poll Question #5, where should they take you? The highest voted option will win and be implemented into the game.

Option 1: The teleport location should be the Sisterhood Sanctuary as shown in the blog.

Option 2: The teleport location should be near the Slepe Graveyard.

Better Regular Loot

Given the increased difficulty of Phosani's Nightmare, we reckon it’s fitting to improve the regular loot you can swipe after each successful kill.

We propose to increase the quantity of normal loot drops from this particular encounter by 50% (when compared to the standard Nightmare of Ashihama).

Alongside this base increase in quantity, we’d also replace some of the less desirable drops from the loot table, such as Adamant arrows. With these changes, plus an increase in the kills per hour, this should not only increase the value from each kill, but also help offset the hefty resource cost of facing against this harder encounter in the long run.

This change will be made if Poll Question #1 passes, which can be seen earlier in this blog. We think these changes could be well suited to the regular Nightmare of Ashihama too, so we're polling that separately with the below question.

Poll Question #7

If Phosani’s Nightmare is added to the game, should we also replace some of the less useful drops from The Nightmare of Ashihama loot table, such as Adamant arrows, with more desirable items?

Different Unique Chances

Finally, we’d like to make sure that the chance of obtaining a unique item correctly reflects the increased difficulty of the encounter.

Obtaining uniques from Phosani's Nightmare will be around 20% faster than regular efficient Nightmare of Ashihama. This will take into account the faster kills per hour you'd expect to achieve, as well as the lessened downtime you'd incur after each fight, because of that lovely teleport we mentioned earlier.

This should make fighting Phosani’s Nightmare a viable and faster-paced alternative to The Nightmare of Ashihama, albeit one that will require more focus, and less reliance on potential teammates!

Poll Question #8

Should the chance of obtaining a unique item be adjusted for Phosani's Nightmare to reflect the increased difficulty of the encounter?

We’re really excited to hear what you think about this new and improved encounter with The Nightmare! With a teleport to reduce your resupply commute, an overall buff to the rate at which you can obtain unique items, and slight buffs to the regular loot, chasing these uniques should be much more enjoyable.

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[h2]Additional Changes[/h2]

While not related to Phosani's Nightmare, in the A Night At The Theatre blog we offered a cosmetic upgrade to The Scythe of Vitur as a potential reward from Theatre of Blood Hard Mode. The poll question to add this into the game has passed, but we know not everyone was happy with the proposed design.

As a team we always enjoy your concepts for weapons. It's enlightening to see what items resonate for players, especially when they've been brought to life by others in the community!

We'd like to offer some alternate designs alongside the poll for Phosani's Nightmare, giving you an opportunity to select your favourite from a variety of options.

Plus, it's important that we clarify briefly why the Scythe design remains Saradominist. In the Second Age, when Morytania was still known as Hallowvale and unblemished by the Vampyres, the castle atop The Theatre of Blood was home to a Saradominist queen. Following the God Wars, the Vampyres claimed many valuable Saradominist relics as their own. Some of the originals can still be found deep within Lady Verzik Virtur's vault!

Concept art of the various Scythe of Vitur cosmetic upgrade options, one of which will be added as a reward from Theatre of Blood Hard Mode.

Poll Question #9

Which cosmetic variation of the Scythe of Vitur should be added to the game alongside Theatre of Blood Hard Mode? The highest voted option will win and be implemented into the game.

Option A
Option B
Option C
Option D

A Kingdom Divided & Arceuus Spellbook Rework

Following the recent Arceuus Spellbook rework beta, there are some additional changes that we'd like to make based on your feedback. We're included these questions in this poll to ensure we avoid any delay in development!

Poll Question #10

Should it be possible for the Master Wand to autocast the new spells coming alongside the Arceuus spellbook rework?

Poll Question #11

Should the Resurrection spells coming alongside the Arceuus spellbook rework be changed so that each tier of the spell has three individual spells instead? This would give players the ability to choose between summoning either a Magic, Melee or Ranged Thrall at each tier.

As always, please share your feedback with us via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

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