Old School RuneScape News

[h3]Issues and Hotfixes[/h3]

[expand]

• February 23rd, 12:00 GMT - Due to Nex's expensive drop calculations, Combat Achievements inadvertently called too much code causing the system for item drops to crash during a kill.
  
  • HOTFIXED - We have now fixed the underlying issue causing this.
• February 23rd, 12:45 GMT - The 100k payment to enter the Revenant Caves is not transferring to a Loot Key upon death. Instead, the gold drops to the floor.
  
  • HOTFIXED - The Rev Caves fee should now drop within the Loot Key.
• February 23rd, 15:30 GMT - If a player had a full inventory in PvP worlds when getting a kill with Loot Keys enabled, the key would be deleted when attempting to pick it up from the ground.
  
  • HOTFIXED - This has now been resolved. If your inventory is full, the Loot Key will drop to the floor and you'll be able to pick it up as expected.

[/expand]

This week, we’ve got some news about the Android Open Beta, Nex Combat Achievements, and Loot Keys!

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[h2]Old School RuneScape New Android Client Open Beta[/h2]

The New Android Client Open Beta will officially begin on February 28th!

Before we get to the good part, we’d first like to apologise for the delay. We'd hoped to get this to you in January, but a few unexpected issues slowed things down.

But now it’s almost time, and we can’t wait to hear all your feedback about the new client features making their way to mobile!

A lot of nitty-gritty technical bits arrive in the game as part of this week’s update, allowing us to do some final tests and ensure the client is stable before it rolls out officially.

The Android Open Beta will bring some of the new client features to mobile for the first time, including (but not limited to):

• Buff Bars
  
• Fishing Spot Indicators
  
• HUD Improvements (NPC Information and Combat Styles)
  
• Agility and Slayer Helpers
  
• Chambers of Xeric Helper
  
• Woodcutting and Ore Respawn Timers
  
• Increased Draw Distance
  
• Navigation Tile Indicators
  
• Chat Improvements
  
• Entity Highlights for NPCs (new to mobile)

We’ve fixed a number of the issues our fantastic playtesters raised in the Android Closed Beta last November, including bugs related to the XP Tracker and Buff Bar timers. We’ve also increased the amount of time you can spend outside of the app before it disconnects.

Unfortunately, there are still some known issues that we haven’t been able to fix in time for the Open Beta. We’ll be listing these in a separate 'Known Issues' newspost on Monday February 28th. This will be updated as often as needed with any new bugs and other problems we find – it’s your one-stop shop for communication between our bug-busters and yourselves!



Gathering Your Feedback

During the Android Closed Beta, we used Discord as our main channel to communicate between playtesters, QA and our developers. The Android Open Beta will be completely open (hence the name!), and therefore we're unable to provide the same level of support and direct responses as we did for the Closed Beta.

We reckon a survey will be the most efficient method of gathering your feedback – and one will be included in the 'Known Issues' newspost.

We’ll use the information we collect to understand where we need to focus our efforts the most to make the mobile client as good as it possibly can be.

How Can I Get Involved?

If you’ve previously opted into the Android Open Beta, you’ll automatically be eligible for the new client provided your device meets the minimum specs listed below. If you do not want to test the new features, you'll need to opt out - see image below for instructions.

You may find that your app automatically updates the client without being prompted. If this happens to you, you’ll be given notice in-game to let you know you’re using the new client – and if you’re ever unsure whether you’ve got the Beta client or not, the message will repeat for your first five log-ins (including world hops).



Mobile Support

If you have general issues with the mobile client, your first port of call should always be the Mobile Support Hub, which you can find here.

However, if your issue is specific to the Android Open Beta, your best bet is to check the Known Issues newspost once it goes live for all the latest information.

The minimum specifications for the Android Open Beta are:

• Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later
  
• At least 2GB RAM
  

Please note that if your device does not meet these requirements, you will not be able to participate in the Android Open Beta. If you wish to continue playing without these specs, you’ll need to opt-out of the Beta using the instructions in the image above.

Android Beta Feature Showcase

If you're not on mobile but still want to see the new features in action, we're hosting a Feature Showcase livestream on Thursday March 3rd!

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[h2]Nex Combat Achievements [/h2]



Since the release of Nex, we've been itching to add some additional challenges for you to show your prowess!

So, this week we've added an array of new tasks for you to sink your teeth into. Here’s a list of the brand new Nex achievements!



Existing rewards for Combat Achievement tiers will remain locked until these new tasks are completed, as normal.

We can't wait to see you all get stuck in!

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[h2]PvP Changes: Deadman Mode-style Loot Keys [/h2]

Next up, a highly anticipated PvP change: Loot Keys for PKing! With this new setting enabled, you can opt to have your PvP opponents drop their loot in the form of a Key. That Key will contain up to 28 of your target’s most valuable items, which would otherwise have been dropped on death.





To benefit from this new change, you’ll need to purchase the ability to gain keys from Skully for a cool 5 million GP. You can also speak to him to toggle your newfound ability off and on at any time.

• You’ll be able to receive loot keys on both normal and PvP worlds.
  
• Using the Loot Key on the chest next to Skully will allow you to see all the glorious loot stored inside the Keys.
  
• You can hold up to five Loot Keys at any one time. Should you receive a Key after hitting this limit, it’ll drop to the ground along with any loot, as per existing behaviour. Loot Keys cannot be banked.
  
• You'll be able to customize your drops from the following options:
  
• Decide whether your opponent's food and potions go to the Loot Key, or are dropped normally, allowing you more survivability.
  
• Change the value threshold of Loot Keys, so that items above a certain threshold will appear normally on the ground.
  

Skulled players will have a Skull icon over their head that shows how many Keys they hold. Initially we said that this would only appear for those with two or more Loot Keys, but we’ve since decided it should apply to any skulled player holding between one to five Keys.

Left: a player with one Loot Key. Right: a player with five Loot Keys and the Revenant buff.

The total amount of claimed Keys and total value of loot both claimed and destroyed is tracked, and can be checked with Skully.



Loot Keys and Death

The effects of being un-skulled and the Item Protect Prayer apply to any items not held in Loot Keys, but not Loot Keys themselves. As a consequence, Loot Keys will always be dropped on death – whether PvP, PvM, skulled, or un-skulled.

Should you be unfortunate enough to die with Keys in your Inventory, they will either be transferred to the player that killed you (if they are eligible to receive them) or deleted.

Iron players will be able to unlock Loot Keys, but please note that they will only have the option to destroy the contents of the Key entirely.

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[h2]Other Changes[/h2]

• Using an Ornament Kit on God Books no longer causes issues.
  
• Fixed a graphical issue with the Shattered Relics Abyssal Whip.
  
• Further to last week’s update, we’ve removed a red cross symbol present in the Dunce Random Event.
  

Shattered Relics Rankings



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[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.

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That's it for this week's game update newspost!

Discuss this update on our official forums, on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the#gameupdatechannel. For reference on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.

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, Jalo, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kamon, 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, Torrance, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team.

We haven’t forgotten about those Tombs of Amascut rewards! In fact, we’ve been discussing your feedback at length. However, in January, a new piece of content dropped that made us re-think a few of our decisions: Nex.

The rewards for defeating the fearsome Angel of Death were really impressive, and this inspired us to reassess Tombs of Amascut’s loot. Your input was also crucial in helping us see how we could push even further with these desert delights!

So, what’s changing? While we are still happy with some of the items we’ve designed, others have undergone significant reworks. As an added bonus, we’ve also included two new features that will neatly coincide with this particular Raid. Let’s get into it!

Concept Art for Tombs of Amascut rewards.

As always, we refer to the in-game timings as cycles. Each cycle is equal to 0.6 seconds and is also commonly referred to as a 'tick' by the wider community.

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[h2]Masori Armour[/h2]

The Masori were powerful ranged weapon-wielders active during an ancient Kharidian war. They focused primarily on defending ordinary people from the violent thieves and murderers who sought to take advantage of the wartime chaos. This mighty clan has been long since disbanded, but their weapons can still be found in the palaces of wealthy Menaphites, and among the treasures of long-dead Pharaohs.

Requirements

• 80 Ranged
  
• 30 Defence (80 when upgraded)
  

Probably the biggest change in this rework is the removal of the Low Life effect – and the additional Dodge mechanics – from Masori Armour. Although some of you liked the unique effect for this set, its uses were a bit niche and many of you felt the tradeoff was simply not worth it.

As such, the armour set will now consist of the Helmet, Chestplate and Chainskirt – and no Amulet. This doesn’t mean that Low Life won’t be visited in some form in the future, but for now, it won’t be a feature here.

Instead, the stats that came from the effects of Low Life on the original Masori Armour will make up the base versions of the new set – plus the original Prayer Bonus:



Wait… base version? Yep, we’ve decided to take a similar approach to Nex rewards and offer some shiny upgrades to the Masori Armour, with the base version still being equippable, with different requirements.

Using plates broken down from Armadyl’s Armour and crafting them (with 90 Crafting) onto your Masori Armour pieces with a chisel, you can create the upgraded versions.

Breaking Down Values

• Armadyl Helmet - 1 Armadyl Plate
  
• Armadyl Chestplate - 4 Armadyl Plates
  
• Armadyl Chainskirt - 3 Armadyl Plates
  

Crafting Values (with 90 Crafting)

• Armadyl Helmet - 1 Armadyl Plate
  
• Armadyl Chestplate - 4 Armadyl Plates
  
• Armadyl Chainskirt - 3 Armadyl Plates
  

The base equipment will focus on low Defence and high Offence, making it one of the best choices for an Offence Ranged build, while the upgraded version will be the new best-in-slot Ranged gear in all categories:



The fully upgraded armour will surpass the Offence capabilities of Armadyl’s pieces. For comparison, the fully upgraded armour will have the following stats over a full Armadyl’s set:

• Stab Accuracy: +18
• Slash Accuracy: +18
• Crush Accuracy: +18
• Mage Accuracy: +23
• Ranged Accuracy: +19
• Stab Defence: +8
• Slash Defence: +10
• Crush Defence: +10
• Mage Defence: +12
• Ranged Defence: +8
• Range Strength: +8
• Prayer Bonus: 0

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[h2]Heka of Tumeken and The Ward of Elidinis[/h2]


[h3]Heka of Tumeken[/h3]

Tumeken was the God of Sun and Elidinis was the Goddess of Fertility. As husband and wife, they were the joint leaders of the Menaphite Pantheon. But while Tumeken and Elidinis steered the people of the Kharidian Desert spiritually, it was the responsibility of the human Pharoah to rule in practical matters. Osmumten was the last Pharoah before the end of the ancient war, and he fought alongside Tumeken against enemy forces, until the noble God sacrificed himself to end the conflict. After her husband’s death, Elidinis fled to mourn the loss of her family. Before before she left, the Goddess gifted Osmumten with Tumeken's Heka and her own broken Ward.

Requirements

• 85 Magic
  

The Heka of Tumeken is a wand-like magical weapon, requiring 85 Magic. It has a built-in spell with charges which will need to be replenished, using one Soul Rune and three Chaos Runes per charge.

The wand stats haven’t changed too much and still have a base attack rate of two cycles with every fourth hit, firing a bigger attack that deals significantly more damage, and with a longer delay afterwards. For a more visual example:

20 damage → 20 damage → 20 damage → 60 damage

2 cycles → 2 cycles → 2 cycles → 4 cycles

And here’s the newest example of how damage will be calculated:

• Standard fast attacks scale based on '(Magic Level / 6) + 1' for the base max hit.
  
• The slower fourth attack scales based on '(Magic Level - 25) / 2' for the base max hit.
  
• Mage Strength no longer applies uniquely to the Heka.
  

While the original design of the Heka of Tumeken was great on paper, it was lacking a certain 'something'.

If you look at previous raid rewards like the Twisted Bow and the Scythe of Vitur - they were unique, powerful, and most importantly had that wow factor that made them worth the grind.

Instead of scaling differently according to your Magic Strength, the Heka will now unleash a special effect dependent on the spellbook you are attuned to, alongside a fourth, more powerful attack, allowing you more options for your builds. Here’s what we’re thinking:

• Standard Spellbook: 10% boosted damage.
  
• Ancient Spellbook: The spell will hit into a 3x3 Area of Effect (AoE) attack.
  
• Lunar Spellbook:
  • Heal allies by 5% of your current Magic level (rounded down) along the path of the projectile (capped at 5 players).
    
  • Increase the Ward’s attack range by 1.
• Arceuus Spellbook: Lose 3 Prayer points and in return:
  
  • The boost is not permanent and will be lost after a period of time.
    
  • Drain 5% of the NPCs Magic Level (up to 20%).
    
  • Boost your Magic level by 50% of drained Magic level (capped at 15% additional Magic level).
    

This means you’ve got a fast-attacking weapon that can be mastered to work effectively in tricky encounters, along with free additional mastery to explore with the unique spellbook effects and varying attack speeds. Because, let’s be real… Magic needs some love!


[h3]Ward of Elidinis[/h3]

We haven’t done too much tweaking to the Ward of Elidinis, since it effectively meets our original design goals. Here’s a recap:

Requirements

• 80 Magic
  
• 80 Defence
  
• 80 Prayer
  

The Ward of Elidinis will be the new best-in-slot magical shield. Players will get the broken Ward as rare loot from the Tombs of Amascut. With 90 Prayer and 90 Smithing, you'll be able to combine the broken Ward with an Arcane Sigil and 10,000 Soul Runes to repair it.

Players without those stats will be able to pay Abbot Langley 20,000,000 GP to create it for them. Additionally, existing Arcane Spirit Shields can be handed to Langley for disassembly, returning just the Arcane Sigil back, so players can make the switch. This won’t require a GP fee, but will destroy a Blessed Shield in the process.



Both the broken and fully repaired Wards can be equipped, but the broken Ward will be tradeable, and untradeable when fixed. Players can dismantle it to recover both the Sigil and the Ward, but the Runes will be lost. Dying in PvP will result in the Sigil and the broken Ward being dropped.

Here are the stats for the charged Ward of Elidinis, and the Arcane Spirit Shield's stats, for comparison:



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[h2]Lightbearer[/h2]

Ahmek was a formidable warrior who sought to capitalise on the political instability at the end of the war. He crafted a powerful ring which he imbued with the unstable energy left behind from Tumekin's sacrifice. Ahmek sought to use this ring to emerge as a new power in the region; by forcibly uniting thieves and mercenaries under his command, he would overthrow Osmumten. His scheming proved fruitless, however, when the ring was stolen, and he was murdered in his sleep. The Menaphite Guards claimed the ring from the body of the murderous thief and dutifully presented it to the Pharoah.

We’ve not made any changes to the Lightbearer’s stats or effects, so here’s a reminder:

The Lightbearer is a ring with no Attack, Defence, or other bonuses. It does, however, have a unique effect. When equipped, your special attack energy will regenerate 100% faster (approximately 15 seconds per 10% / 150 seconds per 100%). Unequipping the ring will cause the timer to reset.

We assume that for the most part you'll want to continue using rings like the Berserker ring. But there will be some situations where the additional special attack rate will warrant its use. We think this ring will shine in places where kill times are longer, or where you'll want to use a special attack per kill (like Graardor, K'ril, Abyssal Sire etc). You could even use it whilst Woodcutting or Fishing!

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[h2]Osmumten’s Fang[/h2]

Known to his people as Osmumten the Hunter, he was renowned for bringing down many of the land's deadliest beasts. During his hunts, he wore armour and weapons crafted by the region's finest artisans. One such weapon was his Fang, with which he was eventually buried.

Requirements

• 82 Attack
  

Osmumten’s Fang is a five-cycle weapon that packs serious punch while on Stab. It’s decently effective against low defence NPCs, but it excels against monsters with a high defence. We expect its damage-per-second output to be comparable to Rapier-tier weapons on opponents with low Defence, with much greater damage-per-second output on opponents with higher Defence.

We’re doing something a bit different with the Fang, so let’s look at how the damage will be calculated. Instead of rolling ‘0-max’ hit like most weapons, it will instead:

• Roll ‘(max hit
• 0.15) - (max hit - (max hit
• 0.15))’
  
• For example: If the max hit is 60, then it would roll between 9-51.
  

Alongside this, Osmumten’s Fang will include a special attack. Costing 50%, this special attack would increase the max hit of the weapon to its true max hit for one attack, and boost accuracy by an additional 50%.

For example: If its max hit was 60, it would then roll 9-60, provided it passes accuracy.

One new aspect of the Fang is more similar to the Crystal Halberd and various Spears: this weapon will deal full damage to the Corporeal Beast when on Stab. In addition, we will be removing the 50 damage cap that Corp currently has. Now you’ve got a weapon that’s great for taking on ol' Corp, so you can have more fun hunting the Sigil to make that completed Ward of Elidinis!

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[h2]And there's more![/h2]


[h3]Stat Renewal Potion[/h3]

How about something completely new! We know that one of the most useful potions you can create during Chambers of Xeric is Overload, which boosts all the player's combat stats by 6 + 16% while damaging them for 50 HP. Uniquely, the boost is repeated every 15 seconds until the effects wear off, after which the player heals 50 HP. This makes it better than your standard potions as it ticks up over time.

Tombs of Amascut will introduce a new secondary component called Lily of the Sands. When combined with a Dwarf Weed, this will create the new Stat Renewal Potion. You will need 71 Herblore to create it, and each one you make will net you 150 XP.

Essentially, the Stat Renewal Potion has the same stat-renewal aspect of an Overload, so if your combat stats are below base, it will restore them back up. This means:

• The effect would last for five minutes.
  
• The amount it would restore is 16% of your skill level + 6
  

This potion will not boost your stats above your base level.


[h3]Pharaoh's Sceptre Teleport[/h3]

Ok, one more treat while you’re here! As we’re raiding in the desert, we want to give players an easy way to get to an instance once it comes available.

As it happens, there's already a specific item that can get you to a couple of important places within the Desert: The Pharaoh’s Sceptre. So, let’s make use of it!

Use the Sceptre on an obelisk outside the raid entrance and you'll be granted an additional teleport close to the raid entrance. This will only be possible after completing Beneath Cursed Sands.

If this passes, we’ll also tidy up the right-click menu, so you just have ‘Teleport’ and ‘Teleport to Previous’ options on your Sceptre. Clicking on ‘Teleport’ will then bring you an interface with more options of where to go.

The Sceptre would also be recoloured and made untradeable after completing it’s attunement.

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That’s what we’d call a wrap! Got feedback? Here’s how to join the discussion:

• Join the Official Old School RuneScape Discord server and head to the #tombs-of-amascut channel in the Summer Summit area.
  
• Use the #OSRSRaids hashtag on Twitter.
  
• Reply to the Tombs of Amascut Reddit thread or make your own threads with '(Tombs of Amascut / ToA)' in the title.
  

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kamon, Kieren, Kirby, 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, Torrance, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team

This week we’re celebrating our 9th Birthday and showing off some mega-cool Leagues III medals!

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[h2]9th Birthday Event[/h2]

It’s Old School RuneScape’s 9th Birthday, and we’re celebrating with a grand party in Al Kharid – but as per usual, something has gone horribly wrong…



Hey, wait a second – we’ve just been informed that nothing has gone wrong and everyone’s having a lovely time! It’s a birthday miracle!

Well, since there’s no monkeys to chase, cat ears to craft, or cakes to bake, you might as well kick back and enjoy the party! Why not go on a treasure hunt, join a cook-off, or partake in a spot of Fishing? Just head to Al Kharid to join the festivities.

As a reward for completing the event, you’ll be rewarded with a brand-new pair of skis, perfect for coasting over the dunes of the Kharidian Desert* in style!



*Adventurers are warned that skis have NOT been tested in cold climates and optimal performance is not guaranteed. The Old School RuneScape Team is not liable for any injuries incurred as a result of using skis outside of the Kharidian Desert.

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[h2]Leagues III: Shattered Relics[/h2]

• Players will now receive teleports on their Kharedst’s Memoirs after purchasing the Kourend II or III bundles and will have access to them when opening the League interface.
  
• Crafting the Crystal Body or Crystal Legs at the Singing Bowl in Prifddinas will now complete the ‘Craft a piece of Crystal Armour’ task.
  
• The Saradominist Defence effect is now correctly applied in PvP.
  

Leagues III Medals



Last week, we showed off some exclusive, real-life Leagues III medals. Here’s how you can get your hands on one!

The first set of medals have a Gold, Silver, and Bronze version for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the following categories:

• Most Leagues Points
  
• Most Tasks Completed
  
• Most XP gained
  
• First to Max
  

And the second set of medals have just one Gold variant for the dedicated players who complete the following achievements:

• First to Obtain All Fragments
  
• First to Unlock all Skills
  
• First to Unlock all Bosses
  
• First to Reach Tier 7
  
• First to Reach Tier 7 without Hitpoints
  

Although some of these milestones have already been achieved, we’ll be waiting until the League is over to confirm the winners. Should you be among them, we’ll contact you via your player inbox, where we’ll gather a few more details so you can receive your prize!

Remember, the League has been extended – so there’s still time to complete those tasks, earn those League Points, and put yourself in the running!

If you miss out on one of these prizes, then stress not. An Antique Nickel variant of the medal will be coming to the merch store for you to reward yourself with, no matter where you finish!

Good luck!

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[h2]Additional Changes[/h2]

• Recoloured and redesigned various red cross symbols throughout the game.
  
• Green Dragons in the Wilderness Slayer Cave now drop their loot as banknotes for players with an Amulet of Avarice equipped.
  
• The Zaryte Crossbow’s special attack now triggers the teleport prevention effect after it is used in PvP.
  
• XP is no longer lost upon death in a Deadman world if the dying player is unskulled. This applies to both PvP and PvM deaths.
  
• The Miniquest Journal for Hopespear’s Will now gives more information.
  
• Previously, the music track Dusk in Yu’biusk wasn’t unlocked during Land of the Goblins because it only appears in the post-quest version of Yu’biusk. However, as this was confusing, we’ve allowed players to unlock it during the quest itself – although it still won’t play unless you return to Yu’biusk afterwards.
  
• Oldak’s dialogue following Land of the Goblins now changes based on whether you’ve found a way back to Yu’biusk or not.
  
• The recommended Combat level for Land of the Goblins has increased from 60 to 65.
  
• Fixed spelling errors in Land of the Goblins.
  
• Readded missing Wiki options in the Quest List.
  

Combat Achievements Competition

Last year on the release of Combat Achievements we threw in some extra thrills with six competitions and some fantastic prizes! We'd like to reveal the winners of those competitions:

• Grandmaster: Ginny
• Master: Karl
• Elite: Nosevesey
• Hard: igotnoolife
• Medium: evonaabi
• Easy: Ozzys

Congratulations to all the winners! Messages have been sent to your player inbox with more details on your prizes!

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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
  

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

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Discuss this update on our official forums, on the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the#gameupdatechannel. For reference on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, Jalo, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kamon, Kieren, Kirby, 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, Torrance, Veda, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko

The Old School Team.

Breaking news! The Emir of Al Kharid has been made aware of illicit activity going on in the glorious old battlegrounds formerly known as the Duel Arena. As a result, all fights are now overseen by the guards of Al Kharid. With this increased security, the locals feel safer approaching the area and even watching the actions. The tribunes are busier than ever before, with crowds cheering for the fighters below.

Word spreads fast and challengers from all parts of the world have come to Al Kharid to fight in the now-reputable venue. People used to shy away from it, knowing that a scrap in the Duel Arena could lead down a dark path.

Now, for the first time in a long time, a victory here may actually be seen as prestigious!

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[h2]The Basics[/h2]

Last year we made a number of changes to the Duel Arena in an effort to reduce the amount of Real World Trading and scamming that went on there. These were short-term measures to tide us over until we could deliver a full replacement.

Today, we’re ready to share that replacement with you.

Welcome to the PvP Arena!

The PvP Arena (known by Al Kharidians as the Emir’s Arena) gives players an opportunity to fight each other in a controlled environment, where matches take place on an alternative save game world against players of a similar skill level. You’ll be able to register your interest in finding a fight and then get on with whatever other activities you want until a match has been prepared.

Adjacent to the Chat-channel, Clan chat and Group Iron side-panels, you’ll also see the Grouping side-panel, originally created in 2014 to help players group together for minigames. It provides convenient access to a set of official chat-channels where players can seek other folks interested in playing the same minigame. It now has an extra PvP Arena button, which opens into a new side-panel for… the PvP Arena! What a twist.

Clicking the PvP Arena button will open the PvP Arena's side-panel, replacing the Grouping side-panel.

The Find button invites the player to look for a PvP Arena group.

From here you're able to register yourself for either a 1v1 Tournament or 1v1 Battle where the game decides who you fight against. Alternatively, you can join a manually created 1v1 Tournament, or organise a 1v1 fight against a friend. More on this later in the blog!

Once the match is ready, you’ll be notified that it’s time to fight! You’ll be prompted to swap to the alternative save game world, giving you enough time to get to a safe place where you can hop worlds and participate.

Because fights take place on an alternative save game world, your standard game profile is left behind along with all your levels and items. Instead, you’ll be given the following stats:



You can then specialise into a primary Combat style. Each style offers improved stats that suit your preferred choice. The available options are:

• Melee: Attack 85, Strength 95
  
• Ranged: Ranged 95
  
• Mage: Magic 95
  

Once you’ve picked a primary Combat style, you’ll then need to select a secondary style. This cannot be the same as your primary style. The options are as follows:

• Melee: Attack 70, Strength 80
  
• Ranged: Ranged 80
  
• Mage: Magic 80
  

When the fight is complete, you’ll be able to return right back to where you left off! If you were successful in defeating your opponent, you’ll be rewarded with Rank Points and Reward Points.

• Rank points are used to determine your rank. When finding a fight, the PvP Arena system will try to match you with another player with a similar Rank. The more points you have, the higher your Rank is!
  
• Reward points are used to purchase unique items from the PvP Arena Reward store. More on this below!
  

Rank and Reward points can only be scored by winning a fight generated by the game. There are no rewards for participating in manually organised events.

Let’s look at each of the matchmaking options available and how they differ from one another!


1v1 Tournaments

Until now, Tournaments have been exclusive to the Deadman finales, so relatively few players ever get to experience them. With the introduction of the PvP Arena, we’re making Tournament-style play available to everyone!

Tournaments offer a way for players to participate in a series of 1v1 fights in succession - if you're good enough to make it to the next round, that is! You can let the game form a tournament group for you, selected from the pool of available participants, or have a go at organising one of your own!

To enter a Tournament, simply register your interest via the PvP Arena side-panel. Once enough players have signed up, the game will proceed to create a 1v1 Tournament for successful applicants.

Each Tournament consists of anywhere from 4 to 64 players, with each round being split until there are only two participants left! Here's how this might look for a Tournament of 16 players:

• 16 players are divided into eight 1v1 battles
  
• The eight winners from the first round then fight in four 1v1 battles
  
• The four winners from the second round then fight in two 1v1 battles
  
• The final two winners then fight each other for the victory.
  

You’ll receive Rank and Reward Points based on how you place – so give it your all!

Fancy creating your own Tournament? Well, you can! Please bear in mind though that participants in manually-created tournaments will not receive rewards – it’s just for fun!


Ranked 1v1 Duels

Hungry for battle but don't want to commit to a full Tournament? You’re after Ranked 1v1 Duels! These are one-off battles where the game will automatically pit you against an opponent of similar rank.

Just like tournaments, the winner of a 1v1 Battle will receive Rank and Reward Points.


Unranked 1v1 Duels

In Unranked 1v1 duels you’ll choose the opponent you want to fight, mano a mano. You won’t get rewards, but this kind of fight is great for trying out new Combat style combinations, or just getting in some practice ahead of a big Tournament!

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[h2]Rewards[/h2]

Your time within the arena won’t go to waste, even if you aren't able to reach the top ranks! There are loads of rewards waiting to be snatched up with your hard-earned Reward points. We haven't given the same love and attention to PvP as we have with other updates, and so we'd really like to be able to provide items that can breathe new life into the scene.

Accordingly, the rewards are focused on PvP, so they can only be used against other players. If any of the non-cosmetic items are equipped, you will simply be unable to attack anything other than players.

The non-cosmetic rewards can only be used in the following PvP-enabled areas:

• The Wilderness
  
• PvP Worlds
  
• Soul Wars
  
• Castle Wars
  
• Fight Pits
  

Notice that some of these items are untradeable, where they'd typically be tradeable. This is intentional. The aim here is to reduce the appeal for illegitimate players – but don’t worry, we're certain these items will still see plenty of use from genuine PvP players!


Ornament Kits

For a small number of Reward points, you'll be able to purchase the following tradeable Ornament kits:

• Dragon Claws Ornament Kit
  
• Dragon Warhammer Ornament Kit
  
• Heavy Ballista Ornament Kit
  
• Armadyl Ornament Kit for Armadyl Helm, Chestplate and Chainskirt (one Kit is required for each item).
  
• Bandos Ornament Kit for Bandos Chestplate, Tassets and Boots (one Kit is required for each item).
  

The cosmetically enhanced versions of the items have identical combat stats, special attacks and requirements to the originals. Should you be killed in PvP without protecting them, your killer will receive both the base item and the Ornament Kit.

We’re limited on how many Kits we can offer with this update, so if you have a favourite you'd rather see in this list be sure to let us know!


New Blighted Sacks

For a small number of Reward Points, you'll be able to purchase two new Blighted Sacks that can be used within the Wilderness.

• A Blighted Wave Sack that supplies the Runes required for any Wave spell.
  
• A Blighted Surge Sack that supplies the Runes required for any Surge spell.
  

These sacks are untradeable. The following behaviour applies should you die with one of them in your Inventory:

• Non-PvP Death above and below 20 Wilderness: Blighted Sacks sent to your Gravestone if they are not protected.
  
• PvP death above and below 20 Wilderness: Any unprotected Blighted Sacks are destroyed and converted into an appropriate number of coins, which then drop to the player killer.
  

Imbue Scrolls

The only way players can imbue items outside of Nightmare Zone is by playing Soul Wars. Given this is predominantly a PvP activity, it felt fitting to expand on this offering by giving players the chance to purchase Imbue Scrolls for a low price from the PvP Arena Reward Shop. These would be untradeable and would allow players to imbue the following items:

• Black mask
  
• Salve amulet
  
• Salve amulet (e)
  
• Seers ring
  
• Archers ring
  
• Warrior ring
  
• Berserker ring
  
• Ring of the Gods
  
• Tyrannical ring
  
• Treasonous ring
  
• Ring of Suffering
  
• Granite ring
  
• Slayer helmet
  

A Quick Note...

All of the rewards from this point on in the blog act the same way. If you die with them in PvP, they transform into a broken version and money is dropped to the player killer. You must then take them to Perdu to be repaired.

You can use a Trouver Parchment on all of them! Unsure of how Trouver Parchments work? The Old School Wiki has a handy explanation.


Wristbands of the Arena

Do you hate having to complete quests before your account is ready to step foot into the Wilderness and fight other players? Well, shame on you, because quests are great! But sure, for those of you whose spacebars really cannot take the strain, we've got you covered...

Wristbands of the Arena are an untradeable alternative to Barrows Gloves. They have very similar stats, but with slightly higher accuracy.



Barrows Gloves typically require 41 Defence to equip. Wristbands of the Arena, however, would require just 30 Defence, which we think would bring a little more variety to the PvP scene.

Note that unlike Barrows Gloves the Wristbands would only be usable in PvP combat, so you will still have to get questing if you plan on doing anything that would normally call for the Barrows Gloves.


Centurion Cuirass

We’ve come for quests, now it’s time for non-PvP minigames. Skip the Barbarian Assault with our next item, which is an alternative to the Fighter Torso!

The Centurion Cuirass is a lost artefact unearthed during the restoration of the Arena. Once donned by only the mightiest warriors, the sandy and well-worn armour is now a relic of what once was. A symbol of the arena's past fortune, and a hope that it may thrive once again.



The Cuirass is untradeable, and has similar stats to the Fighter Torso, but with slightly higher defensive stats. It requires 40 Defence to equip.


Calamity Chest & Breeches

The Calamity Armour was once shared between three infamous followers of an Ancient god – Maoma, Saika and Koriff. The Calamity Coven sought to emulate their deity and take control of their own fate, and they reasoned that wealth was their only means to do so. They believed that each and every person had the right to do whatever they needed to take control of their life – and if they were too weak, then others would take control for them.

With these shared beliefs spurring them, they brought about what is known as the Calamity – the complete downfall of the once glorious Duel Arena. Once a bustling hive of healthy competition, under their reign of tyranny it quickly became a dark and corrupt place. Even years after the Calamity Coven retreated into the shadows, the Arena is still fighting to shed its iniquitous reputation.

The Calamity Armour set is an untradeable PvP take on the Void Armour set. Like Void, you’ll need the full set for it to be really effective – and like Void, it pairs with three interchangeable helms that are required to activate the set effects. We’ll talk more about those in a moment.

The armour has low defence, so it’s risky in PvP and requires the wearer to be good at predicting their opponent’s next move and quickly switching gear to reduce incoming damage.

It comes in three tiers, allowing for flexibility with different PvP builds.

The Calamity Chest and Breeches have no requirements.

The Superior Calamity Chest and Breeches require 55 Defence to equip.

The Elite Calamity Chest and Breeches require 78 Defence to equip.

Maoma's Headgear Set

Maoma was the corrupt captain of the Emir’s guard. Her job was to oversee fights at the arena and ensure that order was upheld – but in reality, she was taking bribes to look the other way. Some say she even instigated some of the fights to make the Arena more popular and recruited prisoners to bolster the fighters’ ranks!

Moama's Headgear is an untradeable helm that can be used alongside the Calamity Armour to activate the full set effect when using the Melee Combat style.

Maoma's Med Helm has no requirements.

Maoma's Full Helm requires 55 Defence to equip.

Maoma's Great Helm requires 78 Defence to equip.

Koriff's Headgear Set

Koriff was the crowd-pleaser. Perhaps the most notorious of all, she would always be the centre of attention at the Arena. With a charming personality, she'd make sure the richer visitors had a particularly good time, pampering them with the best seats and service possible. Little did they know of her collaboration with Saika, Maoma, and the thieves they paid to pick the rich guests' pockets.

They say that fighters couldn’t help but come back for more bloodshed, even at the cost of their own life expectancy. They also say that Koriff had a direct hand in encouraging them back to the Arena, only for them to die shortly after. When crowds became tired of certain competitors, you could bet that their bodies would be carried out pierced with barely-visible crossbow bolts – and that Koriff had earned a windfall betting against them.

Koriff's Headgear is an untradeable helm that can be used alongside the Calamity Armour to activate benefits when using the Ranged Combat style.

Koriff's Headband has no requirements.

Koriff's Cowl requires 55 Defence to equip.

Koriff's Coif requires 78 Defence to equip.

Saika's Headgear Set

Saika was the puppet master. She was in charge of the Arena’s economy, making sure to profit from the crowds that came to watch the fights. Her greed knew no bounds as she fudged the numbers for years - claiming the cost of running the place was so high that it barely made any profit. These sketchy numbers made their way to the Emir, and he kept shelling out to keep it going. Unfortunately for him, the funding would go straight to Saika's pocket. She would pay destitute citizens a pittance to pretend they were working, just to keep up her ruse.

Saika's Headgear is an untradeable helm that can be used alongside the Calamity Armour to activate benefits when using the Magic Combat style.

Saika's Hood has no requirements.

Saika's Veil requires 55 Defence to equip.

Saika's Shroud requires 78 Defence to equip.

Other Reward Ideas

In addition to the juicy loot we've proposed so far, we'd also like to open the discussion on two other rewards - an amulet that can save you from critical PvP damage, with a cooldown between uses, a potion that grants immunity from future Binding spells, without helping against already-existing Binds, and a new left-click teleport than can be used up to level 30 Wilderness.

We're still not entirely sure about the design of these, so we thought it best to put them out there and see what you think!


Amulet of Souls

The Amulet of Souls is a new item created by combining an Amulet of Fury, an Onyx and an Amulet of Souls Scroll. The Scroll can be purchased from the PvP Arena Reward Store. Soul and Death Runes are required to charge the amulet, which stores 10 charges in total.

While wearing the charged Amulet of Souls, if you take damage in PvP that would normally kill you, you are granted another life. You’ll recover from the lethal damage with 5 HP, curing any Poison or Venom in the process.

This effect has a 15-minute cooldown.



In PvP deaths, any unused Death and Soul Runes are removed from the Amulet and given to the player killer.


Thaw Potion and Flame Rose

Flame Roses are a new stackable Herblore ingredient, purchasable from the PvP Arena Reward Shop.

Combining a Flame Rose, Dwarf Weed, White Lily and a Vial of Water will create a Thaw Potion.

Thaw Potions can be consumed to grant immunity from Binding spells for 10 seconds. You'll have to be careful when you decide to pop the pot though! They provide no benefit if you are currently bound and can only be used every two minutes.

Creating Thaw Potions gives a nominal amount of Herblore XP.


New Left-Click Teleport

The only available left-click teleport that can be used up to level 30 Wilderness is the Royal Seed Pod, a reward given to players after completing Monkey Madness II.

This leaves certain PvP focused account builds without a similar option, as the completion of the quest grants Defence experience.

We'd like to change this by offering an alternative to the Royal Seed Pod from the PvP Arena reward shop. This new teleport item would be untradeable and it would teleport players to the PvP Arena.


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The Old School Team.

Poll 76 is here! We’ve had absolutely loads of player suggestions recently, but as we’re juggling a number of commitments at the moment, this poll will focus on smaller changes for the most part. It's all good stuff, though - including some tweaks you've been asking after for a while.



Let's start with Elite Clue changes. We know there is interest in seeing Elite Clue Challenge Questions working like they do for other Clues - this is a big job and one we'll probably look at in a future poll. In the meantime, however, we've focused on the fact that Elite Clue Scrolls work inconsistently compared to the other tiers.

This is because when we added Gilded Armours to the mega-rare drop table, we didn’t adjust the rate for 3rd Age as well. In fact, 3rd Age pieces were actually made rarer because of the additional items! This was a mistake on our part. We have made the adjustment in other tiers since then, but Elite was not included.

Here's how the numbers crunch in practice:

• 3rd Age from Elite is 1/5,750
  
• 3rd Age from Hard is 1/3,250
  
• 3rd Age from Master is 1/1,270
  

As you can see, it's actually harder to get 3rd Age from Elite Clues than Hard ones. So, we plan to fit 3rd Age between Hard and Master clues, at a rate of 1/2750 - and that rate will remain static, even if new items are added to the Clue reward pool!

Should this question pass the poll, it would affect new and existing caskets.

Poll Question #1: Should we change the rarity of 3rd Age items from Elite Clues to fit proportionally between Hard and Master Clues (1/2750)?

On the subject of Clues, we'd also like to award them when you’re completing runs of the Hallowed Sepulchre - a hopefully welcome distraction from those long Agility grinds!

We think we could add Clues to all floors, but it won’t be meta to Clue hunt here.

Here are our suggested rates (per Coffin):



Poll Question #2: Should we add Clue Scrolls to each floor of the Hallowed Sepulchre, as explained in the Poll 76 Blog?


The release of Nex brought a new best-in-slot armour, and your feedback has been divided. Some of you really love how nostalgic it looks, and others feel that it doesn’t quite fit the Old School style.

As a backport from the original Torva Armour from 2011, we tried to keep as close to the original design as possible, but we can see that it may not be everyone's cup of tea!

Our artists have been paying attention to what you've had to say and they would like to present a simplified version:



Poll Question #3: Should the Torva Armour be simplified as shown in the Poll 76 blog?

Next up, let’s talk pets and insurance!

We've had a few unfortunate situations where a player has lost their pet, either because they weren't able to get it insured, or because they didn't realise they needed to. In the past, we've justified insurance costs for the purposes of sinking gold, but with the recent introduction of the Grand Exchange Tax and purchasable storage space, we might do things a little differently.

What if your insurance fees were automatically covered, so that once you've unlocked a pet, it will always be reclaimable from Probita?

Any pet achieved (with the exception of Cats and Pet Rocks) would be automatically insured. If you are unlucky enough to lose your pet, we could make a design change so that your pet could be redeemed from Probita for her usual fee of 1million GP.

Poll Question #4: Should we automatically insure pets? Cats and Pet Rocks would not be automatically insured.

In even rarer circumstances, players may receive a message letting them know that they ‘would've’ been followed if they achieved a pet drop with a follower out and a full Inventory. While we've taken measures to prevent this happening in the future, we also want to ensure that players receiving this message will also able to get their pet from Probita for her usual reclaim fee. This would not count for duplicate pets.

Poll Question #5: Should we make a change that if you ‘would've been followed’ by a pet, it would not be lost but instead be reclaimable from Probita for a reclaim fee of 1million GP? This would not count for duplicate pets.

We can also ensure that pets marked in the Collection Log as 'received' are reclaimable from Probita in the same way described above. This would mean players who had previously received a pet and lost it through death could reclaim it, as long as it's been tracked by the Collection Log. Unfortunately we won't be able to track pets which have been received and lost before the Collection Log was released. Would you like to see this change?

Poll Question #6: If Question #4 passes, should we allow players to reclaim any pet that they have already unlocked in their Collection log from Probita for the usual reclaim fee of 1million GP?

Lastly, many of you have already forked out millions of GP to insure your pets appropriately. Should the above questions pass, you may reasonably expect your money back! We can ensure that any previously paid insurance fee would be added into a reclaim fee coffer from Probita. The reclaim fee coffer could be used to discount any pet reclaim.

For example, if you had previously insured two pets at 500,000 GP each, your reclaim fee coffer would contain 1million GP, meaning one free pet reclaim.

Poll Question #7: If Question #4 passes, should a player's previously paid pet insurance count towards a coffer from Probita to be used for the purposes of reclaiming unlocked pets?

Since the release of Combat Achievements, a common discussion point has been around Kill Count (KC) tasks. Some players enjoy them, but they’re also pretty time-consuming.

We knew that these types of tasks would be time intensive and we planned it that way to guide players into trying new strategies in PvM. We wanted to encourage you to practice, but some tasks feel longer than necessary and others take almost 100 hours to complete!

We think we can tackle this issue by reducing the quantity of tasks across the board. We won't be able to give specifics on precisely how each task will be reduced, as they're all slightly different. But, as an example, we'd be looking to reduce the Chambers of Xeric Grandmaster Kill Count task from 250KC to 50KC. The lower KC tasks would stay the same.

Poll Question #8: Should the quantity of Combat Achievement Kill Count tasks be significantly reduced?

A while ago we fixed a bug that was allowing some players to kill NPCs without gaining XP. This meant 10 HP accounts could do various types of content that they wouldn't otherwise be able to do!

We jumped in to fix this bug without warning, and unfortunately this sudden change impacted various account builds.

However, we’ve come up with a new item which will allow the affected accounts to resume their journey.

'Poison Dynamite' would be a new item, created with one Dynamite and three Nightshade. It can be lit and deployed with a Tinderbox.

After 5 cycles, the Poison Dynamite will explode, rolling off your highest accuracy stat against the targets appropriate defensive stat. For example, if your Ranged stat is highest, roll your Ranged vs the target's Ranged defence.

• It will deal 0-4 damage, only hit the target on the coordinate it was deployed on, and have a 25% chance to poison the target if it deals damage.
  
• It will only hit the target if it's multi combat or if it's a single target and the player is in combat with it.
  
• It will grant kill credit to the player that deployed it, equal to damaging the NPC normally.
  
• A player can only deploy one at a time.
  
• Poison Dynamite is untradeable.
  
• Lighting the dynamite will give a small amount of Firemaking XP.
  
• This cannot damage other players.
  

We hope that this is a sensible way to let those players resume the content in a way that feels fitting to Old School and not reliant on a bug. We'd like to gather your feedback on this idea and then proceed with it as part of the unpolled changes in Poll 76.

Now, onto max hits. It feels good to hit your max hit on an NPC, knowing you did the highest damage possible, right? Well, in light of player feedback we've been tinkering with ways we can make this feeling even better. We'd like to introduce a visual indicator that distinguishes between regular hit splats and max ones.

Check out what we've designed below and let us know if you like it! We didn't want the design to be too extravagant because we wanted to ensure that the 'max' hit splat is still readable and consistent with the Old School style.



From the left: The dark hitsplat on the left refers to someone else's hit. The hitsplat in the middle is your regular hit. The hitsplat on the far right would be your 'max' hit.

At present we will not be able to offer this toggle in PvP. Unfortunately, this setting gets technically complex when we try to put it on a player - because it's toggleable, each player would have to have the setting enabled to see the max hit splat in PvP.

Poll Question #9: Should we add a toggleable setting that would display a new hit splat when you hit an NPC with your max hit?

Now onto Slayer equipment. Players have pointed out that while V's Shield should feel like an upgrade to the Mirror Shield, it actually feels a bit underwhelming in practice. Despite requiring players to complete the Fremennik Exiles quests and needing several better stats to wield, the best we can say at the moment is that it just… looks a bit cooler.

So, here’s what we could do to make V’s Shield feel like a proper upgrade for Slayer:

• Remove the negative offensive bonuses to Ranged/Magic.
  
• Improve the Magic defence to +5 to match the Mirror Shield.
  

Poll Question #10: Should we improve the Magic defence of V's Shield by +5 and remove the negative offensive bonuses to Ranged/Magic?

Next up, a highly popular request regarding Bryophyta's Staff. Many players have requested to use it in free-to-play, which seems only fair considering that Bryophyta is a free-to-play boss.

We’ve previously asked whether Bryophta's Essence should be free-to-play and this failed to pass the poll.

We'd like to see whether your thoughts have changed:

Poll Question #11: Should Bryophyta's Staff become a free-to-play item?

Poll Question #12: If Question #11 passes, should Bryophyta's Essence also be available as a drop in free-to-play?

If this passes, free-to-play players would be able to take the essence and 50,000 GP to Zaff to acquire the Bryophyta's Staff.

During the Clan release, a hugely popular request was for customisable scenery and hospitality features.

We had a little think and we think drop parties for Clans sounds fantastic! We're excited for players to bring these fun events into their Clan Halls and make them more of a home.

Poll Question #13: Should we add a Combat Ring with safe death and a Party Room Chest and Lever to the Clan Hall?

We can't wait to see you having fun with this!

Speaking of Clan Hall upgrades, we'll also be releasing several unpolled ones, many of which were notes during the release of Clans last year.

Firstly and MOST IMPORTANTLY, we're going to be allowing players to interact with the cat in the Clan Hall.

We'll also be allowing players to use more keys on the piano.

Finally. if you've ever wanted to see the total numbers of players online in your Clan, you're in luck! The side panels for your Clan, the Clan where you're a guest, and the legacy Chat Channel will show a total of how many players are in those places. It would also be possible to separate totals for Clan members and guests if desired – and if space permits.

Moving on to more changes! As a noob, you might remember being surprised by some of the projectiles from certain spawns in the TzHaar Fight Cave (or not! Some of you are scarily good at the game).

During our process of looking into the Enhanced Client, we noticed a discrepancy. The Inferno allows players to see NPCs beyond the usual draw distance, while the Fight Caves do not. It's always been this way and we thought it would be worth asking whether you want us to offer the same draw distance in the Fight Caves, so that you can always see where NPCs have spawned.

We know that the surprise might be part of the fun, which is why we pass it over to you. We considered that this change might also have some impact on speedrunning, though we feel the types of players speedrunning the Fight Caves will already know about where everything is going to spawn based on their earlier observations.

Poll Question #14: Should we allow increased NPC visibility in the Fight Caves, similar to the Inferno?

While we're on the subject of visuals, let's discuss camera effects. There are not many places in the game with these, but they can be distracting when we do include them! As an unpolled change, we’re going to offer a toggle on the Settings menu that will allow you to turn on or off any camera movement and screen effects.

You’d be able to toggle based on the game mode, so we can include the following:

• Baba Yaga's House
  
• Fishing Trawler
  

We also have some specific plans about how we'll handle the tunnel vision effects in Icthlarin's Little Helper, so watch this space for that one!

Please note, this would not apply to effects that interfere with gameplay, such as the Last Man Standing fog.

Fishing Guild Changes

Have you ever found yourself stuck without a Net in the Fishing Guild? You can already grab a Harpoon and a Big Fishing Net from the entrance room, but not a regular Fishing Net.

Poll Question #15: Should we add a Fishing Net spawn inside the Fishing Guild? This would be Ironman-friendly.

We've also noticed that players might find themselves short on other gear while in the Fishing Guild. What if Roachey could provide players with Rods, Harpoons, Nets, and Small Nets? Currently, he just offers Bait and accepts fish.

Poll Question #16: Should we add more items to the Fishing Guild store? This would include the same items as other fishing stores across Gielinor (Rods, Harpoons, Nets, and Small Nets).

To make skilling easier, we'd also like to give you the option to use your spacebar to ‘Smith the last item.’ Should this pass, there would be a clear visual indicator included to let you know what that item is.

Poll Question #17: On the Smithing interface, should we allow players to use the spacebar to 'Smith last item'?

We can also offer the same improvements for the Jewellery Crafting interface.

Poll Question #18: On the Jewellery Crafting interface, should we allow players to use the spacebar to 'Craft last item'?

And how about we give Cooking some love? There are various locations across Gielinor which we think could include a left-click ‘Cook’ operation, similar to ranges. We would ensure that players would not be able to walk on top of the fire, to prevent anyone ‘dinner-griefing’ you by stepping on your beautiful meals!

Poll Question #19: Should we add a left click ‘Cook’ option to the Rogues' Den and Barbarian Village fires?

Next up, it's time to talk about the Pharaoh's Sceptre! We've seen various community requests for us to buff this item, and we'd like to meet you in the middle. What if we made the Pharaoh's Sceptre one-handed instead? This would allow you to flex your Book of Darkness while wielding the Sceptre at Pyramid Plunder!

Poll Question #20: Should we make the Pharaoh's Sceptre one-handed?

We'd like to offer Hellhounds, including Cerberus, the ability to occasionally drop an Ensouled Head, which would give players more of a reason to complete Hellhound tasks.

The Ensouled Heads would count as part of the 'Expert' Reanimation tier and offer 1,000 Prayer XP. It will also work with the Soul Bearer and contribute towards your ‘Hellhound’ Slayer task!

Poll Question #21: Should we give the ability for Hellhounds (including Cerberus) to occasionally drop an Ensouled Head? The drop rate for regular Hellhounds would match other Ensouled Heads at a rate of 1/40. The drop rate for Cerberus would be 1/15.

Too many Giant Keys and Mossy Keys in your inventory? We propose to make them stackable, to avoid Inventory clutter! Note that these items wouldn't stack together, but as two separate stacks.

Poll Question #22: Should we change Mossy Keys and Giant Keys to make them stackable?

We’d also like to add a log-in message that appears when you have items stored in an item retrieval service like at Hespori or Vorkath. If the player dies, the items will still be deleted as usual.

Poll Question #23: Should we send you a log-in message to alert you when you have items stored in an item retrieval service?

Next up, we're looking at removing the prompt given when right-clicking Robin to 'Claim Slime'. Players have been teleporting away by accident without pressing the spacebar after the dialogue!

Poll Question #24: Should we allow players to instantly acquire Slime and Bonemeal when clicking 'Claim Slime' on Robin?

Should this pass, you'll instantly be given Slime and Bonemeal after using the right-click option. We'll also be changing the text to say 'Slime and Bonemeal' rather than 'Bonemeal and Slime'.

During the Guardians of the Rift feedback process, players raised a frustration about the slight delay after clicking on a Runecraft Altar. This delay restricts the player from performing any action for a couple of cycles, which may affect opening Runecraft Pouches or clicking Teleports.

Considering that this delay is not present when crafting combination Runes, we are open to removing it. This change would have an effect on existing Runecraft methods by increasing the XP/hr for conventional Runecraft. All non-combination methods of Runecraft would therefore be slightly buffed. Let's put it to a poll and see what you think!

Poll Question #25: Should we remove the existing delay after using Essence on Runecraft Altars?

Last but not least - Soul Wars! We think an additional Fairy Ring would improve accessibility to the Soul Wars Island, so we'd like to add one to the north coast.



Poll Question #26: Should we introduce an additional Fairy Ring to the Soul Wars Island as shown in the Poll 76 Blog?

Let's talk about a couple of unpolled changes next, which we'd like to introduce as part of the work for Poll 76.

We'll be looking to allow Soul Wars to be playable in every world. We think this would entice organized Clans to go to their own world and allow players who enjoy the sport of it to play it more competitively on themed worlds.

Back in April, we also mentioned that we were looking to allow players to 'Buy X' in the ‘Other’ tab at the Soul Wars Shop. Players will be able to purchase Blighted items and Spoils in custom quantities.

Finally, we'll also be looking to increase the XP from Soul Wars Rewards.

We originally communicated that the XP would be equivalent to intermediate Pest Control at around 80,000 XP per hour. However, at present players achieve around 60,000 XP per hour at best. For this reason, we'll be adjusting the XP calculations to better reflect what was polled, ensuring that players spending their Zeal tokens receive the intended XP for their effort in the minigame.

That's it for Poll 76!

We hope to have more regular polls throughout the year, keeping them relatively short to ensure that we can get the changes out as soon as we can. Let us know your feedback!