Old School RuneScape News

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!

Issue with Children's Code changes. Any account that doesn't have DOB trying to log in through 3rd party is experiencing issues and potentially very old accounts that created their account before DOB was a requirement. Still under invesitgation.

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This week you’ll get the chance to journey to the Land of the Goblins, complete a new miniquest, and face six Jads… infinitely!

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[h2]Land of the Goblins and Hopespear’s Will Miniquest[/h2]


[h3]Land of the Goblins[/h3]

Land of the Goblins is an Experienced-level quest that advances the much-loved Dorgeshuun storyline that started all the way back in 2005.

Although this quest launched after the Old School backup was made, a mostly-complete version of it still existed in the files. We’ve finished it off, given it a bit of polish, and we’re satisfied that it bears all the hallmarks of a modern Old School quest!

And the best part? This new quest will finally allow players to wear the iconic Goblin Mail in-game!



When we last left Zanik she had only just begun to realise her true destiny. Now, it’s time to fulfil it. Get ready for adventure in the Land of the Goblins!


Requirements and Rewards

[expand]
This is an Experienced-level quest with the following requirements:

• Completion of Fishing Contest and Another Slice of H.A.M.
• 38 Agility
  
• 40 Fishing
  
• 45 Thieving
  
• 48 Herblore
  

Upon completion you'll be rewarded with:

• 2 Quest Points
  
• 8,000 XP in Agility, Fishing, Thieving & Herblore
  

[/expand]

[h3]Hopespear’s Will[/h3]

This miniquest was originally launched alongside Land of the Goblins. To complete it, you must help an old goblin spirit return the remains of his successors to the lost goblin homeland.




Requirements and Rewards

[expand]

• Completion of Land of the Goblins, Desert Treasure and Fairytale II - Cure a Queen
• 50 Prayer
  
• 90+ Combat Level is recommended
  

Upon completion you'll be rewarded with:

• 38,750 Prayer XP
  

[/expand]

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[h2]TzHaar-Ket-Rak's Final Challenge [/h2]



So you’ve faced six Jads. Big deal! Now it’s time for you to face a real challenge: infinite six Jads!

In TzHaar-Ket-Rak’s Final Challenge, you’ll be faced with six JalTok-Jads. Each time one dies, another one will take its place. There’s no downtime between each spawn as the Jads are all on the same attack cycle, meaning they can continue going round in circles and attacking continuously.

To unlock TzHaar-Ket-Rak’s Final Challenge, speak to TzHaar-Ket-Rak in Mor Ul Rek after finishing the previous six challenges. You’ll need a Fire Cape to reach the Inner City, where they live.

The Scoreboard next to TzHaar-Ket-Rak will track how many JalTok-Jads you’ve killed, both as a personal and global best. It will also display your personal and global deaths. Please note that your stats will only appear after you’ve completed the Final Challenge – until then, that section will be hidden.

The Final Challenge awards TokKul based on how many JalTok-Jads you manage to defeat. Should you wish to leave the encounter, you may do so the exact same way you leave the other challenges.

Good luck! You’ll need it.

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



In case you missed it in last week’s newspost, we’re delighted to announce that Leagues III: Shattered Relics has now been extended until March 16th!

This week we’ve made the following fixes and improvements:

• Added an ‘unequip all’ button to the Fragments menu, to make unequipping Fragments easier.
  
• Fixed an issue where My Arm’s Farming patch was inaccessible to some players with a certain combination of unlocks.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Ring of Charos was inaccessible even if a player had completed Creature of Fenkenstrain.
  
• Blocked the ability to purchase a respawn point at Ferox Enclave or Edgeville in League worlds. This purchase provided no benefit, as the Leagues death system overrides respawn points regardless. These purchases can be refunded by speaking to the NPC that was used to make the initial purchase.
  
• Fixed an issue where Barbarian Assault players were unable to level up roles to Level 5 at the end of the wave and could not complete the relevant tasks.
  
• It is no longer possible to sneak into the Vorkath arena without having it unlocked.
  
• Slayer Masters’ shops now restock Fishing Explosives faster on League worlds.
  
• Fixed a typo in the Sage’s dialogue regarding the Dwarven Multicannon reward.
  
• The Bank Chests at Trouble Brewing and Blast Furnace now count as Banks for all League purposes.
  

Lastly, we’re excited to share the cost of this League’s rewards:



We wanted to do something a little bit different with this Leagues and reward some of the biggest grinds!

Alongside the amazing rewards you'll be able to purchase yourselves in-game, we're going to send some exclusive Leagues III medals for some of the biggest achievements in Shattered Relics. We'll have more information to share soon about how you could snag a medal for yourself, but for now, here's a little teaser of what they look like:

Designed by Angels Scapes

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[h2]Wilderness Changes [/h2]

• Added a free toggleable option in the Slayer Reward Shop to let players opt out of the new Wilderness tasks.
  
• Increased the weighting of the new Wilderness Slayer tasks from 3 to 5.
  
• Fixed an issue where Blighted Bind Sacks were only dropping between 1-5 items when they should have been dropping 1-10.
  
• Wilderness Slayer monsters (Jellies, Nechryaels, Dust Devils and Abyssal Demons) now have a longer max range while retaining the same wander range, so that they don’t run away when you Barrage them.
  
• When killing Superior creatures within the Wilderness Slayer cave, they will now always drop a Larran’s Key, an Ensouled Head, and Wilderness supplies alongside their standard loot.
  

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[h2]Other Changes [/h2]

• To comply with the ICO Children's Code in the UK (where Jagex is based) a small number of players may be asked to submit their date of birth when they next log in. Most players will not receive this prompt, but those that do will only need to enter their date of birth once and it should only take a few seconds to complete.
  
• The recommended combat level for a given quest can now be seen in the Quest Journal. When starting a quest you will be warned if your combat level is lower than is recommended but will still be able to proceed.
  
• Green Dragons in the Wilderness Slayer Cave can now drop the additional loot that was added to the neighbouring mobs last week. Justice at last!
  
• The Crystal of Memories no longer mentions the Sigil of Last Recall when checking it.
  
• The Karamja Elite Diary task for making Nature Runes now checks whether you make 56 or more Nature Runes, rather than exactly 56 Nature Runes – and the same change has been made to the Fremennik Elite Diary task to craft 56 Astral Runes.
  

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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! Make sure to tune into this Thursday's Livestream where we'll be talking Land of the Goblins with Mods Ayiza, Ed, Kieren, Tide and Sarnie!

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.

This week, something new has risen from the depths of the Wilderness… meet the Revenant Maledictus!

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[h2]Revenant Maledictus and Wilderness Changes [/h2]


Revenant Maledictus



Something is lurking in the dark corners of the Revenant Caves – a new demi-boss known as the Revenant Maledictus!

Every Revenant you kill now has the cumulative chance, based on its Combat Level, to spawn the Revenant Maledictus. Here’s how that works:

• If a player kills a Revenant Demon, the chance to spawn the Maledictus is 98/X
• If another player then kills a Revenant Cyclops, the chance to spawn the Maledictus is (98+82)/X
• If a third player then kills a Revenant Dragon, the chance of spawning the Maledictus is (98+82+135)/X

‘X’ will remain the same. The more Revenants killed in the caves, the greater the chance of the Maledictus spawning – but when it does spawn, the chance is reset.

There’s also a failsafe which guarantees Maledictus will spawn if it has not appeared for a decent length of time. Another system prevents a Maledictus from spawning if another recently appeared.

To avoid long waits for the Maledictus when servers update, the cumulative chance will be set to a random number – so it could appear at any time! After the first kill per world, the chance will reset to 0 and increase as Revenants are killed, as normal.

Now, let’s hear about the loot! Maledictus’ drops work just like those of Superior Slayer creatures, with a slight modification; Maledictus will run the Revenant Dragon’s loot table three times. One of these rolls is reserved for dropping a guaranteed lower-tier Ancient Artefact (the Ancient Emblem or Ancient Totem). The other two will roll the loot table as standard.

On top of these loot rolls, and dependent on how many players were attacking the Maledictus, a certain number of players who dealt the most damage will be granted a buff we’re calling 'Forinthry Surge.

For Iron players, the normal applications for loot apply however, Iron players can still receive the buff regardless.


Fortinthry Surge

To acquire this buff, you’ll need to be wearing the Amulet of Avarice.

Players with the buff are marked with a unique skull above their heads and will receive a 15% Damage and Accuracy boost for all combat styles while fighting Revenants – including the Revenant Maledictus itself. The buff lasts for 30 minutes.

Removing the Amulet of Avarice during this time will also remove the buff. World-hopping will reduce the duration of the buff by one minute per hop.

If you don’t manage to grab the buff from the Revenant Maledictus, you can always snipe it from another player by killing them in PvP. For example:

• Player A acquires Forinthry Surge from fighting Maledictus.
  
• The same player then continues killing Revenants in the same world for five minutes.
  
• Player B, with an Amulet of Avarice equipped, kills Player A.
  
• Player B acquires Forinthry Surge with a 25 minute timer.
  

Wilderness Slayer



Some new task-only creatures have been added to the Wilderness Slayer Cave:

• Abyssal Demons (task amount = 75-125)
  
• Dust Devils (task amount = 75-125)
  
• Jellies (task amount = 100-150)
  
• Nechryaels (task amount = 75-125)
  

Enemies in the Wilderness Slayer Cave now also have a chance to drop items from a new loot table containing consumable blighted items and items from Justine's LMS Rewards Shop.

We've also made some changes to Wilderness Slayer:

• The number of Fire Giant kills required per task has been reduced from 100-150 to 75-125.
  
• The number of Hill Giant kills required per task has been reduced from 100-150 to 75-125.
  
• The number of Bloodveld kills required per task has been reduced from 90-140 to 70-110.
  
• Additional Bloodveld spawns have been added to the Wilderness God Wars Dungeon. These additional spawns will replace some of the werewolves that roam the area.
  
• Additional Bear spawns will be added north of the Ferox Enclave. Watch out, Derse Venator!
  

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[h2]Leagues III: Shattered Relics Changes & Fixes[/h2]



Here's some of the following small changes and fixes made over the last week:

• The Myths’ Guild Bank will now allow you to swap your Fragments.
  
• Extra items gained from Smithing Double now correctly count towards 'Smith X item/s' tasks.
  
• The Barbarian Assault tasks ‘Read Level 5 in any Role' and ‘Reach Level 5 in All Roles' now correctly complete when the Level Up interface appears at the end of the wave.
  
• Auto-completing the Troll III quest bundle now correctly sets up the fire pit at Weiss.
  
• Message in a Bottle is now more balanced and shouldn't give as many Beginner Clues.
  
• Players now correctly unlock the Ardougne Teleport when purchasing any of the Elf quest bundles.
  
• Green Dragons in the Wilderness Slayer Dungeon will now count towards League Tasks.
  
• Arclight now works correctly with Twin Strikes.
  
• Certified Farmer now works correctly in the Vinery at Hosidius.
  
• Catch of the Day now works correctly with Personal Banker.
  
• Dying from Poison after exiting the Wilderness will no longer result in a PvP death.
  
• You can now teleport to My Arm's boat with Last Recall.
  
• Auto-completing Sir Amik's section of Recipe For Disaster now correctly unlocks the Evil Chicken’s Lair.
  
• Thorgel now appears when auto-completing the Elf III quest bundle.
  

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[h2]Other Changes [/h2]

• Fixed an issue where Galvek’s waves were killing safe players as he changed phases.
  
• To remedy an issue where Group Ironman leaders could not leave their group if their teammates were inactive, leaders no longer need to wait until they have abdicated to leave the group. They will, however, have to wait the usual seven days for their leave request to be processed.
  
• Additionally, players can no longer be made the leader of a group if they have a leave request pending.
  
• Dagon’hai garments are now recognised as Zamorakian items. This affects monster aggression in the God Wars Dungeon, the Zamorakian Sight Fragment in League III: Shattered Relics, and various other things in the game.
  
• Implemented more rigorous tracking to detect alternate accounts aiding Iron players by luring the Kalphite Queen. Additionally, if combat against her halts for more than five minutes, she’ll reset her health completely so that her next opponent has a fresh boss to fight.
  

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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, 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.

Well that’s January done – everyone is back from their holiday break, and hopefully well rested, recharged and sticking to those resolutions for 2022! In RuneScape, the year has already kicked off with a bang in the form of Nex and more recently the launch of Leagues III: Shattered Relics. But this is just the beginning. We've got a lot more to come in the months ahead – so let’s have a sneak peek!

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[h2]Project Status Update[/h2]




[h3]Released Content[/h3]


Leagues III: Shattered Relics

For just over a week now you’ve been busy unlocking, spending and working your way through the list of tasks for Leagues III, all under the watchful eye of The Sage. To keep you on track, this week's game update included a bunch of fixes, tweaks and changes, including reducing the prices of the skills and bosses you can buy with Sage's Renown! Keep up to date with all the new adjustments by checking out yesterday's newspost.




Nex

Honestly, we've been a bit blown away by how many of you are willing to take on The Fifth General in all her monstrous might! Now, with Leagues III up and running there's no better time to give her a go, so why not head down to the God Wars Dungeon and show her what you’re made of? And of course, we'll be keeping an eye on how our terrifying Nihil is doing – your feedback has been invaluable so far and we'd love to hear any further ideas you have for her.


Group Ironman

We recently polled plans for the future of Group Ironman, and we're happy to announce that all our suggestions passed! You can now look forward to shared storage improvements, using Player-Owned Houses when the owner isn't home (and even redirecting the House Teleport to group members’ houses) and an expanded list of tradeable items. Plus, for you Hardcores, the Emergency Teleport Shards will provide an exit out of areas that are newly dangerous for you lot, but which don't already possess a teleportation method. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, eh?

Stay tuned for more information soon!


New Client Features

First off, huge thanks to everyone who participated in the Android Beta at the end of last year. We’ve been addressing your feedback and bashing those bugs, all in preparation for an Open Beta in the near future.

Once that happens, the different versions of the client will become something we see as ‘always on’, and any new features we release will be made available across all platforms.

Right now we’re wrapping up the Mobile changes and gearing up for the next batch of features – this time shifting our focus to Clue Scrolls!


[h3]Upcoming Content[/h3]


Land of the Goblins



Land of the Goblins, the penultimate quest in the Dorgeshuun questline, is almost ready to go! You’ll be able to experience Zanik’s latest adventure from February 9th. More details can be found here.



As an extra teaser take a look at one of the new tracks featured with our newest quest: Catacombs and Tombs.


Guardians of the Rift

Formerly known as Guardians of Gielinor, this past ideation pitch is finally coming to fruition – a brand new minigame to train Runecraft, scheduled for March! It’s a fresh method for building up that infamously slow skill, which should offer better rewards for players who like making loads of quick decisions.

It also features a new involving wizard, portals, fearsome Abyssal Creatures and of course, Runes, glorious Runes!

Find out all the details here.




Beneath Cursed Sands

Looking ahead to spring, Beneath Cursed Sands is the next quest in the Desert storyline, and it’s due to arrive this April. Completion of this quest will be a requirement to access the Tombs of Amascut Raid coming later in the year, so this is one to keep an eye on.

Development on the quest is well underway, and today we’re excited to share our first in-game images

















We'd love to hear your feedback on the above images. In particular, we're keen to get your thoughts on the new model and chathead for Maisa as we know we haven't always got these kinds of changes right. On that note, you might be wondering why we're even updating Maisa at all. We've chosen to do this as Maisa's current model from the Contact! quest is not very fitting in multiple ways. It's inconsistent with the tone of the storyline, Maisa's backstory and the thematics of the areas she's found in.


Tombs of Amascut

Old School’s third raid is coming later this year, and the team are hard at work on deadly but exciting new challenges for you to face! But don’t worry, there’ll be lots of lovely rewards for your troubles. We’re rustling up a revised rewards blog, and we’ll be sharing that with you very soon, so keep ‘em peeled.


Wilderness Changes

We know some of you have been waiting patiently for the next changes to the Wilderness and – hooray! - we've got a couple of things just around the corner for you.

The Revenant Demi-Boss will make its debut in next week's update, giving you something extra to get on with inside the Caves. This scary creature will appear in a random location and can be attacked by multiple players at once.

Not only will you score some sweet loot, but the players who deal the most damage will bag themselves a buff that will help them with the other inhabitants of the Revenant Caves - a 15% increase to damage and accuracy against Revenants for 30 minutes! Hopping worlds will decrease the timer by one minute. In addition, only players wearing the Amulet of Avarice can receive the buff, and if you kill a player with the it, it will be transferred to you, unless you already have it activated. To be 100% clear, you also need an Amulet of Avarice equipped to receive the buff via PKing.

We’ll also be adding Abyssal Demons, Dust Devils, Jellies and Nechryaels for Wilderness Slayer Tasks, reductions in the number of kills required for said tasks, and the chance to hit a new loot table when tackling creatures in the cave. Happy slaying!


Deadman Re-Run

Last time we updated you on the Deadman: Reborn re-run, we were aiming for a January Beta, with the full re-run to follow shortly after.

Work on our anti-DDoS protection has been impacted due to the recent vulnerabilities with Java and exploits with Log4j. The team had to be moved to prioritise this work and ensure our players remained safe.

Working on the solution for anti-DDoS protection will be resumed as a priority and we hope to share more info with you soon.

We're committed to re-running the event, but as we mentioned previously whilst we're confident in our solution, there is still a chance that unexpected problems will crop up - and of course, they'll need fixing before we can officially re-run the finals.

We appreciate that you've all been waiting patiently for some time already, but we feel it's vital for you to have confidence in our ability to deliver a smooth event, free from issues before we fully commit to a re-run.


Poll 76

We know it's been a while since our last big poll, but we're nearly ready to share the next one with you! This time will be talking about Clues, Pets, Combat Achievements, Clans and lots more. We'll be sharing more details in an upcoming newspost.


Mobile Client Beta

We touched on this earlier, but you can expect an Open Beta for the new features on mobile very soon. Again, we’d like to thank everyone who participated in the Android Beta – your feedback has been invaluable as we work to bring these features to everyone!

We’ll be able to share more about the Open Beta next month.

Don’t worry iOS users, we haven’t forgotten about you! Although we’ve had some delays, we hope to have a similar process to the Android Beta up and running for you shortly.

Speaking of Apple products, Mac users will be excited to hear that we’ve been working on bringing Old School RuneScape to you, too. Expect more news about that soon!

[hr][/hr]
[h2]Ideation Update[/h2]

by Mod Nin & Tide

As revealed in our last Gazette , our ideation process is taking on an exciting new form this year. However, we still have plenty of ideas from last year to talk about, so here's Mods Nin and Tide with some updates on a few of their ideas:


Marsh Island

Ahoy, Me Hearties! I have some interesting booty to share with you – an ideation pitch that would branch off the pirate storyline to explore the dark past of one of the brothers!

Why the pirate storyline? It’s unfinished business! Also, I wanted to do something a bit different and expand the world, with the addition of Marsh Island. It’s home to the followers of Saradomin, but an ancient evil has started to rear its head – the Necromancers, followers of an Ancient god.

Your task on the island would be to help the remaining followers of Saradomin remove the Necromancers and restore the town. Along the way, you’ll uncover a few secrets, and at the end of the quest you’ll get a new weapon with a twist of its own.

The weapon has three slots for Charms. You would gain one from completing the quest and the rest by exploring and completing tasks on the island. These charms would have a range of benefits, from helping out with your island activities to combat buffs versus the undead!


Canoe Expansion

Because are other rivers, not just the fancy-schmancy River Lum! The River Dougne would be the next river to get canoes, Gielinor’s coolest mode of transport. The stations would be as follows:

• Castle Wars
  
• Tree Gnome Village
  
• Ardougne
  
• Just south of Baxtorian Falls, south of the house
  

This quality of life change would allow you take a scenic route through the west side of the continent, making travelling that little bit easier.


The Corrupted Rat

Our story begins on a normal day in Varrock Castle. A guard was making his rounds when he spotted a suspicious masked figure – he ran towards them, only for them to teleport away, leaving nothing but a green stone. Thinking nothing of it, he threw the stone in a nearby drain and went about his duties.

Years later, the stone’s power has leaked into the waters of Varrock Sewers and the rats there have started to mutate. One in particular is proving troublesome! King Roald has ordered his guards to put a stop to this weirdness, but it’s a bit much for them to handle. Can you help defeat the beast?

The Corrupted Rat would be a free-to-play boss which can be killed for a new poison weapon.


Musical Instruments

The wandering bard Amadea is down on her luck, out of inspiration, and unable to fix her broken lyre. In exchange for your help, she might just give you a lesson or two – featuring a fun 100 bpm rhythm-based minigame!

Once sufficiently inspired, Amadea will decide to settle down and open up a music shop. Should you find any musical instruments on your journey – a drum like object in the depths of Mor Ul Rek, perhaps, or panpipes crafted by the fairies of Zanaris – she’ll help you add them to your collection!

Equipping an instrument lets you play music that can be heard by those around you – and it’s not limited to the usual 100-bpm rate! You’ll be able to play, and be heard, in real time using your computer’s keyboard. Yes, we can do that! Imagine busking at the Grand Exchange, playing for a dance in your Clan Hall, or performing a dirge in the Lumbridge Castle Grounds to really rub it in when someone dies.

This was originally ideated as a fun new social activity that both members and free-to-play players could enjoy. You might have seen the Bard skill pitch from GentleTractor, Caveman Only, and ScreteMonge, which takes the idea of playing music to the next level. What do you think?

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[h2]Postbag from the Hedge[/h2]

New Year, New Postbag! This year my resolution is to deliver even more of your lovely letters, in rain, heat, snow, or gloom of night! It shouldn't be too hard, since most of Gielinor doesn't have weather. Ha ha!

Anyway, let's take a look at this month's post!


To the Messenger

To the extremely persistent Messenger,

I know you're scared of your employer, but trying to pass that letter to me at the bottom of the ocean seems a bit much. Have you thought about a less hazardous use of your talents? Maybe delivering Gnomish cuisine?

Signed, a slightly concerned adventurer

What on Gielinor is this?!

I was just minding my own business and this blooming talking skull popped out of nowhere and handed me a letter! What if I'd been in the bath or something?

Hmm.

In hindsight I may have been a bit overzealous. But you have to understand, the sender of that letter was not to be trifled with! I'm just glad the whole ordeal is over.

I'm not sure what I'll do now, although your friend Pete here says the GPDT are always looking for talented delivery people. Maybe I'll give that a go!

Thanks for the tip,

The Messenger

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To a Nechryael

To a Nechryael

Hey Mr Nechryael, I gotta question for you. Are you in any way related to the Mahjarrat? I've met a couple Mahjarrat in some ancient ruins in the desert and they kinda look similar to you (although I must say you look much more muscular than they did, do you work out?).

Sincerely,

TheWiseLoner

Dear TheWiseLoner,

What are you on about? I met a couple of Mahjarrat in the bad old days and they looked absolutely nothing like me! You ought to get your eyes checked. Thanks for the compliment though - we exercise when we can, but it's a bit difficult in this old place. We tried organising a fun run once, but it upset the crawling hands.

Until next time,

Mr Nechryael

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To My Arm

To My Arm,

How are your farming adventures going? It only felt like yesterday when I was watching you pick your very first Gout Tuber.

Maybe we can go on another adventure together sometime soon?

Sincerely, your strangely-named human friend

Hey Friend!

Goutweed growin' very nicely here in Weiss! Lots of tasty tubers. An' that's not only thin' growin' around here! Snowflake an' My Arm 'ave been plantin' some seeds of our own, an' we're proud to announce dat a new friend is on der way! My Arm can already hear the STOMP STOMP of little feet... even though we didn't use no seed dibber!

Hope you come and meet der little one soon. Maybe we name dem after you!

All der best

Your friend

My Arm (an' Snowflake)

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To Pontak

Dear Pontak,

Fifteen years ago, on the 29th of Septober in the 168th Year of the Fifth Age, I wrote you to give an update in my quest for Zamorak's teddy bear, Saradomin's wig, a left-handed chisel, cheese from the moon, and a dodo egg.

First, I'd like to apologize for my language; I was but a mere child at the time. In the many years passed, I've since completed the trials once over again, and even slain the mighty Jormungand, and am now known as Thorkar Dräpare. It's safe to say I have grown substantially over these years. To that end, I'd like to make amends and extend my hand for a truce. What say you?

Secondly, I wanted to give you an update. I've since located the Mage Gower's skull; you'll be interested to know that he actually still possesses it. I pen this note from inside my sleeping bag, which I use often. I had Guthix's climbing boots, but sold them many years ago after their street price skyrocketed. And, recently, I traveled to Zanaris and was able to craft a delicious cheese from the many cows that inhabit that realm. So, I have now retrieved that item as well. However, despite my many efforts, I have yet to locate the dodo egg. However, rest assured: my quest continues to this day.

I hope this finds you well, and I do sincerely wish you all the best.

aragornjack1

Ha! Hello, Thorkar, formerly known as Thorlor.

I remember your letter well! It was this one, wasn't it?

Dear Pontak,

Why do you hate all outlanders? You are mean. And by the way, I bought Zamoraks Teddy Bear, but i got rid of it. It tried to attack me. You wouldnt want one of those. And I have the left handed chisel. All regular chisels are left handed. And Saradomin's wig belongs to Veleornia. She's actually a boy who is bald. She went to the makeover mage, and he forgot to give her hair. Oh and one more thing, Im level 57 and im soooo much stronger than you. I only need to kill Koschei the Deathless and then Ill have seven votes and Brundt will let me in. hahahahah u are a noob.

Hope you have a bad life,

aragornjack1

Good to see your spelling's improved, at least. We Fremenniks learn how to use apostrophes before we can talk! So you've completed multiple trials, have you? Slain the Jormungand? Humph. Still not so impressive by Fremennik standards, but I suppose I can forgive you your earlier outburst. I remember how I reacted when Old Chief Svinulf told me I had to build a longboat with nothing but a glass hammer and a box of assorted knots! It took me at least a week. Good old Svinulf - now there was a man who knew the real meaning of the word 'trial'!

Maybe I'm out of touch? No, this new generation is just soft. Pah! Even Askeladden's Pet Rock could fetch me a measly Dodo Egg.

Still, I will say you've made good progress with the rest of the list. In another 15 years, maybe you'll finish it off - and my left toenail will be chieftain!

Keep looking,

Pontak

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To the Banks of Gielinor

To the representative of the Gielinor Banking system,

What was your reaction the first time you saw someone try to deposit the mythical Godsword? Are there items that the wonderful Banking staff prefer or resent? My second question is about your new branch being opened in the near future. What was the process like acquiring the land rights in the newly discovered Ancient wing of the God Wars Dungeon? I’ve been enormously impressed by your commitment to customer service (like your work with the chest on Ironman Isle on Fossil Island), and I’m very impressed that you’re taking this to the next level. Will you be getting KC for your personnel every time that items need to be brought down?

Gratefully yours, The Adventurer

Good day, Hablapata!

Frankly, being handed a Godsword was quite a shock! Especially since there were three more in the queue. It's not every day you have to stick an item thought to be the stuff of myth and legend in the vault - well, actually, it is. It's every day. Hardly anything surprises us Bankers, although we're never thrilled to have to handle 28 Buckets of Compost. Can't complain, though. At least it's in a bucket!

Obviously I can't share the full details, but it's all thanks to a mysterious tip-off. A messenger just showed up one day and said we might like to expand to the Ancient Prison. We didn't even know such a place existed! But as you've observed, we're always looking to improve customer service, so we made the necessary preparations and hey presto - there's your Bank.

Unfortunately we won't be getting KC for trekking down there. We'd hardly be the most popular Bank in Gielinor if our staff went around murdering people!

Thank you for your enquiry,

B. Anker, Official Representative of the Bank of Gielinor

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To Skotizo

To Skotizo,

Your feet so big, but flipper so small, why?

Sincerely, a flipper enthusiast

To the doomed Wasting EXP:

These Dark Claws of mine are indeed awe-inspiring. I can only assume that whichever lowly wretch thou hire to turn them into 'flippers' has to shrink them to fit thine puny human tootsies. Embarrassing!

Yours mockingly,

Skotizo

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To Konar quo Maten

To Konar quo Maten,

I found a Brimstone Key and it says it's for your heart. Can the next task you give me be a nice walk in the park with you?

Bringer of Death,

Unfortunately a walk in the park (even a nice one) would not serve the needs of balance. Perhaps you'd like to slay some Steel Dragons in the Brimhaven Dungeon instead?

Yours,

Konar quo Maten

x

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To Mambo-duna-roona and Patrick

ear Mambo-duna-roona and Patrick,

I recently built a Large Orrery in my home, and after studying it I am perplexed. It shows our home planet Gielinor, alongside our moon Zanaris, in orbit around a star. However, I also noticed a second planet with two moons also orbiting our star.

What is this planet? Is it inhabited? Are its moons similarly inhabited by magical fairies like Zanaris? I'd love to know.

With great inquisitiveness,

Worldstream

Dear Worldstream,

How wonderful to see an adventurer like yourself with such a passionate interest in astronomy! That Orrery looks to be based on our model here at the Observatory.

Unfortunately, Scorpius' notes on the project were lost in one of the many goblin raids, although we can guess that the model does indeed show our own planet, and one other. However, I must stress that this is all conjecture. I myself have not observed these other celestial bodies, and judging by this model they'd be completely uninhabitable. Take the large planet in the middle, for example; if Scorpius is to be believed, half of it would never even see daylight! What sort of creatures could survive in such conditions?

Perhaps these fairies of yours could manage it? Ha - fairies on the moon. What a charming idea. Take my advice, young astronomer - lay off Patrick's wine!

Yours,

Professor Groningen

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To Bob the Cat

Can you please tell Bob the Cat I said pspspspsps?

Oh, Freak_Mage... I'm sure he knows.


That's all from Postie Pete for now! There will be a new Reddit thread soon where you can submit letters for the next Gazette, so keep your eyes out for that!

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[h2]Player Creation Showcase[/h2]

We're back with another batch of your biggest and best pieces of creative work! Every individual featured in the Gazette will receive three months of free membership as thanks for their superb efforts, so keep an eye on the linked social accounts inbox for more details on how to grab your reward!

If you are looking to be featured in the next Gazette then make sure to submit your creations through our Player Showcase Gallery Form and state what Gazette you would like it to feature in. We look forward to seeing more of your incredible talents!

@Nilky

@PeachHoneyArt

u/Graxnar

u/Frau

GameQuicc

ArcanMakes

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That's everything for the return of the Gielinor Gazette. We'd love to hear your feedback on the newest edition and as with everything else, if you’ve got any ideas about the sorts of things you’d like to see in upcoming editions of the Gielinor Gazette, then please do let us know via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, the Steam forums or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.

Mods Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Brow, Bruno, Con, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Gecko, Grub, Halo, Havik, Hornet, Husky, 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