Fishing Skill Boss And Easter - Old School RuneScape Weekly Update (24/03/21)
We're delighted to see so many of you enjoying Tempoross! We've been swimming through vast oceans of feedback and the following changes have now been implemented.
[h2]Today's Hotfix (26th March)[/h2]
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Your Feedback
Our Actions
We’re removing some of the less desirable fish from the reward table entirely, so you are given valuable fish more often.
We're reducing the chance to receive some low value items such as nails, feathers and bait, but increasing the stack size when you do receive them.
We're increasing the chance to receive all types of fish you can obtain from the reward table.
We’re slightly increasing the number of Soaked Pages you can obtain.
We're changing the Reward Permit cap on Ultimate Ironmen from 10 to 8,000.
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While some changes will be live in-game via a hotfix today, we've been seeing plenty of other feedback regarding Tempoross. We'd like to take a little more time to investigate some of the main points, which are listed below, before we commit to any further changes. It's likely that any further updates to Tempoross after today's hotfix will not go live until our next game update on Wednesday, April 7th.
[h2]Player Feedback and Future Changes (26th March)[/h2]
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Your Feedback
Our Actions
Successfully subduing Tempoross within 1 cycle of its phases feels unrewarding and provides less points than if you were to intentionally make the encounter last longer.
We didn’t anticipate that Tempoross would be defeated so quickly! We’ll be closely monitoring how often this occurs and will make adjustments where necessary once we’ve been able to review the data.
There’s sentiment that the XP rates provided in the blog are unachievable, and that the overall amount of XP provided should be increased given that the activity is more click-intensive than traditional Fishing.
Tempoross is not meant to be a replacement for traditional Fishing. We don't want to stop everyone from Fishing around Gielinor as that adds life and character to the world!
You can get more XP by sacrificing reward points, but we want the encounter to feel like it’s worth the effort you’re putting in. We’re currently monitoring XP gains and will adjust them accordingly once we’ve received more data.
You can get more XP by sacrificing reward points, but we want the encounter to feel like it’s worth the effort you’re putting in. We’re currently monitoring XP gains and will adjust them accordingly once we’ve received more data.
The Tome of Water does not increase the effectiveness of Curse spells.
Although the increased accuracy of Curse and Bind spells was polled, the strength of Curse spells was unfortunately missed out from the blog. We’ll look to include this in a future poll - the blog will be with you very soon!
Game clients are crashing when playing alongside larger groups of players during the Tempoross encounter.
We have found that this issue is exclusively for iPhone users and we are actively looking into a solution.
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[h2]Issues and Hotfixes (24th March)[/h2]
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Issues Raised
Current Progress
Some debug messaging was left in to the creation of the slayer and boss kill log interfaces.
(12:50 GMT)(13:30 GMT) This issue will be fixed with the next game update (Wednesday April 7th).
The Tome of Water doesn't currently appear in the Magic skillguide or feature in the level up message.
These issues will be fixed with the next game update (Wednesday April 7th).
The 'Scry' option on both the Portal Nexus and Scrying Pool are currently disabled.
This will likely remain unavailable until our next update (Wednesday April 7th). We'll update once we have more information to share.
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[h2]Game Update Changes[/h2]
The downtime with this week's game update will last slightly longer than usual to enable our engine team to perform some necessary work. We expect the downtime to be around an hour, based on previous similar scenarios.
We'll also be taking the game offline at 11:00 GMT on Thursday March 25th for essential work related to recent login issues. Assuming all goes well, we don't expect the game to be offline for much more than a couple of hours. There will be an hour countdown beginning at 10:00 GMT to ensure you have plenty of notice.
As the team starts to unwind ahead of the Easter public holidays, there will be no game update next week. Our usual weekly update schedule returns on Wednesday April 7th.
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[h2]Fishing Skill Boss [/h2]
ATTENTION ALL SKILLED FISHERFOLK: We, The Spirit Anglers, need your help!
For generations, seafarers told legends of the ocean coming to life; waters amassing into colossal shifting forms that whip the waves into a raging storm. Perhaps you have heard of the Spirit of the Sea? Maybe you have been told that this Spirit is simply a guardian of the oceans, fending off those who disrespect its waters and wildlife. Others would call it a wicked and vengeful god, wantonly tearing ships apart for its sport.
They are not just stories. Tempoross, the Spirit of the Sea, is back. Much remains unknown, but our research suggests that it could be as old as Gielinor itself. After lying dormant for centuries, the beast has finally awoken.
While we seek to understand the reasons behind this sudden resurgence, there are more pressing concerns. The Spirit is coalescing once again in the seas around Al Kharid. We are The Spirit Anglers - a band of hardy heroes of the waves who pledge to keep the storm subdued!
The time is now! Join us and save the seas!
[h3]Tempoross Overview[/h3]
Tempoross is an all-new, fun and sociable way to train Fishing. Available to all members with at least level 35 Fishing, we're aiming for an accessible, social encounter as an alternative to the current hands-off levelling methods. You can tackle the Spirit of the Sea on your own or in a group, as Tempoross will scale to your team's size. This encounter complements existing Fishing methods and the current meta, and is not a replacement.
XP rates scale based on your Fishing level. For players with levels between 35-70, this offers some of the best Fishing XP available in the game, albeit at the cost of receiving fewer fish - and being a more intensive process. Here's a breakdown of the approximate experience rates you should expect:
- 35 Fishing - 30,000 XP per hour
- 70 Fishing - 70,000 XP per hour
- 99 Fishing - 80,000 XP per hour
We'll be monitoring feedback and XP/point gains after release, and we are open to adjusting these values in future.
There will also be themed worlds for Tempoross where you can find other crew-mates for your voyage!
- US: World 422
- EU: World 463
- UK: World 341
- AUS: World 531
[h3]Tempoross Location[/h3]
A few weeks ago, fisherfolk from Al Kharid were out to sea when a swelling storm blackened the sky. As the waves became fierce and the fog thickened, the horrified fisherfolk witnessed a great figure with empty, glowing eyes that seemed to be formed of the very ocean itself. It took all of their combined sailing skill to battle the storm and scramble back to the safety of Al Kharid. Once safely ashore, the fisherfolk rushed straight to Chancellor Hassan to relay the events. Greatly concerned by their testimony, the Chancellor appointed them to investigate further.
The fisherfolk were sent to the Ruins of Unkah, on the west coast of the Kharidian Desert. Here they established a base of operations. This group became known as the Spirit Anglers.
Ready to become an honorary Spirit Angler? Talk to Ferryman Sathwood, just south of the Al Kharid bank. He will ferry you between Unkah and the Sea Spirit Dock:
The Ruins of Unkah and the Sea Spirit Dock, located in the Kharidian Desert
The Ruins themselves are worth exploring - here you'll find a Bank, scoreboard, fishing supplies shop, and even meet a retired sailor NPC here can trade in unwanted rewards for Soaked Pages (more on them later). You can also exit the Ruins here and head into the desert, but you will need a shanty pass - you can buy one at the gates.
Once ready to battle on the high seas, players must face Tempoross between two boats. Each boat has two cannons, so you'll want your crew spread evenly between them. Fishing spots will spawn on the north and south sides of the island, and you'll need to dash around catching fish - they're ammunition for your cannons!
The layout of the Tempoross encounter.
[h3]Tempoross Encounter[/h3]
Tempoross rises from the sea!
The Sea Spirit is a tempestuous beast, with two phases of attack. Before heading out, speak to Captain Pudi on the Sea Spirit Dock - she will give you an outline of the fight and key tactics.
Tempoross has three important stats to keep an eye on:
- Energy: Behaves like regenerating armour and is reduced in phase one.
- Essence: Behaves like Health and is reduced in phase two.
- Storm Intensity: Phase one failure timer. You must reduce its Energy before this reaches 100%!
[h4]Phase One: Storm[/h4]
"Beneath the surface, the glowing Spirit Fish swarmed together, exploding forth into a colossal, watery form."
Core Loop: Gathering and Loading
To defeat the awakened spirit, you must gather Harpoonfish and load them into your cannons to launch at Tempoross. Raw Harpoonfish can be caught in several locations around the island, using a - need we say it? - harpoon. Once you've collected enough fish, head back to the ship and fire them from the cannons to start dealing damage to Tempoross!
Captain Ahab could have used these!
Like fishing, loading cannons is a progressive action, and one cannon alone is not enough. Your team will need to work together to keep as many cannons running optimally!
Raw Harpoonfish are sufficient for dealing with the boss. However, sacrificing a bit of time to cook Harpoonfish will harden them, dealing even more damage!
Harpoonfish are friends, not food!
Using either a Dragon or Crystal Harpoon will give better catch rates. The latter also gives a 1/3 chance of catching crystallised Harpoonfish, which will earn you some extra XP. The Infernal Harpoon's passive Cooking effect will also apply, offering a 1/3 chance of Harpoonfish being cooked as you fish!
Adding Layers: Attacks
Players must remain wary of Tempoross' attacks. These shake up the core loop, keeping the playing space dynamic and forcing players to stay on their toes. We've opted for attacks that hinder mobility and resource-hoarding as opposed to causing damage, as we don't want hoarding food to be the solution. This means Tempoross is considered a safe activity and is accessible to a wider group of players, including those with accounts focused purely on skilling.
Wave Attack
Tempoross will occasionally unleash a huge, 360-degree wave that covers the entire area. You'll need to tether yourself to masts or totem poles with a rope to avoid being swept away.
When tethered, the wave will pass over you without any effect. You cannot move but can tether/untether freely. If a wave hits an untethered player it will knock them away from Tempoross and they will lose some fish and a random tool (hammer, rope, or empty/full bucket).
The wave also has a chance of breaking each mast and totem pole. If this happens, you'll need to repair them with a hammer before the next wave hits.
Tempoross unleashes a mighty wave against its foes!
Lightning Attack
Watch out for Lightning strikes! The tile they hit and the area around it will ignite, and in some cases this can block off pathways. Also, be careful not to stumble into the fires or you'll lose fish and tools to the flames! The good news is that fires can be put out with buckets of water. They'll also be put out by the above mentioned wave attack - that's not such good news, though...
Clouds are summoned to strike the player down!
Torrent Attack
Tempoross will target cannons with water torrents. This doesn't break them, but stops you from firing fish temporarily. If you are standing next to a cannon's ammo crate during a hit, you'll be shocked in place for a few seconds.
Cannons that have been struck by a Torrent Attack.
Storm Intensity
During phase one, the intensity of the storm will continuously increase. Tempoross will attack with more frequency and power, and break the masts more often. Keep those cannons firing, though - if intensity reaches 100% your party will be forced to retreat until the storm subsides!
Phase Two: Coalesce
"An intense whirlpool swirls as the colossal form submerges, drawing in the dispersed Spirit Fish..."
If you successfully reduce Tempoross' Energy to zero before the storm gets too intense, it will submerge, triggering phase two.
Can you defeat the Spirit of the Sea?
While submerged, Tempoross draws in the fish you scattered in phase one to regain its energy. The storm will subside during this time, so this is your chance to get in close and disperse the energised fish, reducing Tempoross' total Essence. Once Essence is fully depleted, your watery foe won't be able to regain energy and will retreat for a longer period, leaving the seas safe until it can surface again. If Tempoross' energy reaches 100% before you deplete its Essence, it will resurface and phase one will start again.
It'll take roughly two to three phase cycles to fully subdue Tempoross. Work hard as a team, and you'll finally defeat the Spirit of the Sea!
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[h2]Scores and Rewards[/h2]
Scoreboard
After the fight, the scoreboard near the Sea Spirit Dock will show your personal best time, personal completions and the global best time and completion. You'll also be able to see how many rewards you fished out of the reward pool (see below). There is no player time given at the moment, but this is something we would like to add in future.
Reward Pool
For your prize, head to the reward pool, at the beach near the Sea Spirit Dock. The pool will always contain some resources, but if you successfully subdue Tempoross, you'll receive extra - and have a chance to trade points for unique rewards! If you fail the encounter, you will lose any points you earned during that attempt. Points will be protected with a Bank PIN that players will only need to use once per session.
The Reward Pool on the beach at Unkah.
Normal and Ironmen can store a maximum of 8,000 reward chances in the pool and Ultimate Ironmen currently have a maximum of 10. We applaud anyone who can resist the temptation to loot the pools before they're completely full!
You'll also receive a selection of noted fish based on your Fishing level, plus small amounts of other resources such as planks. You have a chance to get a new casket reward, with a selection of useful items! These are also stackable like clue caskets.
You will need a net (big or small) to fish out of the reward pool. Not got one to hand? You can nab one from the nearby spirit angler sitting by the pool!
Spirit Flakes
Spirit Flakes are a common reward found in the pools of debris They are fish food infused with the energy of Tempoross itself! They are an untradeable resource that provide a 50% chance of catching an extra fish for no additional XP. This effect stacks with Rada's Blessing, and the flakes can be used on any type of fish (although not on Harpoonfish within the Tempoross encounter). They appear in the collection log with a maximum collection number of 65,535.
Fish Barrel
The Fish Barrel can store a total of 28 raw fish of multiple species. Fish can only be removed from the barrel at a Bank, similar to the Looting Bag. You can combine the Fish Barrel with the Fish Sack to create an equipable version of the Fish Barrel that can be worn in the cape slot. Sounds tempting? The Fish Sack can be purchased for 1,000 molch pearls from Alry the Angler on Molch Island.
The Fish Barrel is untradeable and is fairly rare. If you have the Barrel on your person during a PvM death below level 20 Wilderness it will drop to the gravestone and the contents are kept. If you suffer a PvM death above level 20 Wilderness, or a PvP death, the Barrel will be destroyed. The item value will be dropped to the gravestone and its contents wiped.
Tackle Box
The Tackle Box provides additional storage for fishing equipment including rods, feathers, bait and the Angler's outfit. This saves on Bank space and improves organisation.
You're able to effectively store up to 2,147,483,647 of most pieces of fishing equipment. Exceptions to this are the charged variants of the Infernal and Crystal Harpoons - you can only store one each.
The Tackle Box is untradeable and is fairly rare.
Spirit Angler's Outfit Style
Take pieces of the Angler's outfit and a large amount of Spirit Flakes to Gita Prymes, east of the Sea Spirit Dock, to transform it into a Spirit Angler's outfit piece! This alternative style for the Angler's outfit has the same stats and Fishing XP bonus. It can be converted back to the standard Angler's style for free by speaking to the same NPC.
Players fortunate enough to have gathered the full Spirit Angler's outfit will find it very useful in their endeavours against Tempoross. The full kit functions as a rope when tethering to masts and totem poles! This saves you an inventory slot and ensures you don't lose your rope when the waves hit.
Harpoonfish Trophy
While fishing in the pools of debris, you may happen upon a rather spectacular aquatic specimen. A fish so fine that it would be worthy of stuffing and mounting onto a wooden board in your Player Owned House...
The Fish Trophy is untradeable and a rare reward. You'll need at least 66 construction and two teak planks.
Tome of Water and Soaked Pages
Requiring level 50 Magic to equip, the Tome of Water is a new offhand magic item similar to the Tome of Fire. Water spells are weak compared to their fire alternatives, so the goal of this item is less about raw damage and more about utility. With the increased accuracy of Curse and Binding spells when wielding the Tome of Water, we want it to feel reliable and worth an item switch. Time to make a splash!
Add Soaked Pages to the Tome of Water and it will become charged. The effects while wielding the charged Tome are as follows:
- Unlimited Water Runes
- Standard Spellbook Water, Curse and Binding spell accuracy is increased by 20%
- Standard Spellbook Water spell damage is increased by 20%
Water Combat spells, Curse and Binding spells will consume one charge. Using the Tome of Water with Ancient Magicks will provide unlimited Water Runes but will not use charges from the Tome, as these spells do not have any added benefit, as per the previous Poll.
The uncharged Tome of Water and the Soaked Pages will be tradeable, but the charged Tome of Water will be untradeable. The Tome of Water is a rare reward whilst the Soaked Pages are somewhat uncommon. It will be possible to exchange a Tome of Water for 25 Soaked Pages, should you find yourself having too many tomes and not enough pages.
Tempoross Pet and Heron Pet Recolour
You will have a very rare chance of obtaining a unique pet from the reward pool. The very fitting Tiny Tempor is a scaled-down version of Tempoross itself! Adorable...
Although you won't be able to obtain the Heron pet from Tempoross, you can recolour one you already own to match the Great Blue Heron for a bargainous 3,000 Spirit Flakes! Return the Heron back to its regular self by using any raw fish on it, plus one Spirit Flake.
Feeding the Heron different types of fish may result in some new dialogue. We'll leave it to you to figure out which types...
Dragon Harpoon
You have a rare chance to gain the Dragon Harpoon from battling Tempoross. This means all account types now have a chance to acquire Dragon Harpoon outside Combat experiences!
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[h2]Happy Easter... Sort Of[/h2]
Gregg the Rabbit is a bit fed up with things. Easter comes around, and he's thrust into the limelight once again. He's tired of being the centre of attention, so with your help, he's going to do everything he can to make Easter about something completely different. Introducing: Eastdoor!
Gregg the Rabbit getting ready for Eastdoor!
If you're able to help out our bunny friend, you'll be rewarded with your very own Eastdoor - perfect for impromptu knock-knock jokes, classic sketch comedy and general obstructionism. But what's this peeking over the top? Why, it's the other reward - Gilienor's finest propeller hat! Note: manual propulsion is required.
No license needed for this hat![hr][/hr]
[h2]Shooting Stars [/h2]
Shooting Stars should now deplete more slowly when large groups are mining them.
Cannons can once again be placed where a Shooting Star would land. However, if a Star lands on it, it will be destroyed and will need to be reclaimed from Nulodion.
There is now a chance you might receive additional stardust when mining Shooting Stars.
Size
Chance
1
2%
2
6%
3
12%
4
20%
5
30%
6
42%
7
56%
8
72%
9
90%
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[h2]Merch [/h2]
March Merch Musical Madness
We're commemorating the iconic Sea Shanty 2 from March 2004 with this special pin! Need a refresher on this seafaring ditty? Mod Ian’s masterpiece can be found on the popular Original Soundtrack Classics Album, which is up on the store for pre-order on a fourth repress special gold disc variant. You can also pre-order the recently announced Old School Combat Classics album!
But that’s not all, March hares. Snag the Runecrafting Skillcape and Dragon Scimitar Keyrings and limited edition Nature Talisman Pin – all celebrating content released in March over the past 20 years! Spring has also sprung with our limited edition Rubber Duck pin, just in time for a quacking Easter. And finally, the Magic Skillcape keyring is back in stock.
Grab all these goodies on the store and while you're there, don't forget to pre-order the forthcoming book! 'RuneScape: The First 20 Years' is published by Dark Horse later this year.
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[h2]Other News [/h2]
PvP World Rota
Thank you to everyone that participated in our recent PvP World Rota survey. After looking at your feedback we are going to be trialling a new method. Starting with the usual rotation on next week's game update, we will then change the rota weekly, instead of every two weeks.
We will continue to monitor your feedback regarding the rota, including the latest changes and your ideas for the future. If you haven't participated in our survey yet click here.
Rule Clarification
We've made a slight change to the options in the Report Abuse interface. We'll be updating the 'Buying or selling an account' report option to 'Buying/selling accounts and services'. This can be used to highlight players who are advertising this activity in-game.
You can find out more about the change in our Rules Clarification - Account Services newspost from yesterday.
Smaller Changes
Pharaoh's Sceptre now has scaling drop rates depending on the room its chest/sarcophagus is located.
Floor 1: 1/3500
Floor 2: 1/2250
Floor 3: 1/1250
Floor 4: 1/750
Floor 5+: 1/650
This is to stop bots farming level one chests with very low stats. The expected hours for a sceptre is now higher at a lower end, but lower at the high end.
Master Farmers' drop tables for herb seeds now scale with Farming level. This is to stop bots using Master Farmers with very low stats. Herb seeds will now be worse below 71 farming and better above 71 farming.
The PvP safe zone has been increased for the Mount Quidamortem area.
With last week's Zealot items change, we found the wrong cost was changed. We've amended that with this update and Zealot robes will now protect over all bones.
Other Fixes:
- The notional value of graceful items has been increased. They're now more likely to be protected on death over other items, and more likely to trigger the warning about dropping valuable items.
- The leeches of Morytania have been updated to apply their stat-drains to the more recent skills - Farming, Construction and Hunter.
- The account creation screen once again offers the full choice of boot colours and skin colours, omitting only those options that need unlocking specially.
- Players will no longer find all their metamorphic dust consumed by using it on an olmlet. A new message informs them if they have previously unlocked the metamorphosis ability.
- Quest points are now correctly awarded when Priest in Peril becomes complete, even if the player does not subsequently receive Drezel's warning about the perils of Morytania.
- A misplaced tree has been moved out of the path near Burgh de Rott.
- A typo has been fixed in Prifddinas.
That's everything for this week's game update. We'd love to hear your feedback so please let us know what you think via our official forums, on the 2007Scape Reddit, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel.
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Mods Acorn, Arcane, Archie, Argo, Ash, Ayiza, Banjo, Boko, Bonsai, Brow, Bruno, Curse, Daizong, Deagle, Dibber, Ditto, Dylan, Ed, Elena, Errol, Fed, Flippy, Gayns, Gecko, Gee, Grub, Halo, Husky, Jndr, John C, Kandosii, Katies, Kieren, Kirby, Lenny, Light, Lottie, Mack, Maylea, MikeD, Morty, Nasty, Nin, Oasis, Roq, Ry, Sarnie, Squid, Steve W, Sween, Tide, Vegard, West, Wolfy & Zuko
The Old School Team
Theme A: Crystaline/Prifddinas style
Theme B: Gothic/Darkmeyer style
Theme C: Fantasy Medieval style.
