Month: December 2012

Combat Academy & Open Beta for All

Those of you playing the Evolution of Combat Beta can now access the Combat Academy: a great way to pick up on the finer points of the new combat system.

Veteran adventurer Lady Deathknell has set up shop in Lumbridge, with her Combat Academy replacing the old melee, magic and ranged training dummies. She has a class full of wide-eyed rookies to beat into shape and she needs a hardy volunteer to help out.

Act as Lady Deathknell’s assistant and you’ll be put through your paces in a set of fully voiced combat trials. You’ll cover everything from basic attacks and the relationship between the styles of combat, right up to more advanced techniques such as damage-over-time effects, exploiting enemy weaknesses and ultimate abilities.

Outside of the training, there’ll also be the opportunity to deploy training dummies – with defensive strengths or weaknesses of your choice – which can be used to test out your latest gear loadout or ability bar setup.

Make it through Deathknell’s rigorous regimen of training in the beta and you’ll have the opportunity to take part in a short survey. With this, we’ll fine-tune the new tutorial to give everyone the know-how they need to become all-conquering combatants. Complete this and you’ll be sent a tasty XP reward in the live game (equivalent to 10 times the XP you’d get from a Jack of Trades aura) on the week commencing with the 19th of November 2012.

Whether you’re daisy-fresh from the Troll Warzone or a grizzled veteran of a thousand battles, we want your feedback on the Combat Academy. The beta is now open to everyone, so log in and enlist now!

Evolution of Combat: Mod Mark’s Big Five!

Watch on for details of Mod Mark’s five favourite Evolution of Combat features:

Make X Interface

Also going into the beta this week is our new Make X Production Interface. This awesome new set of tools streamlines skilling like never before: it displays details of all items that can be made in all skills, gives vital information on skill requirements, components needed, and both Grand Exchange and Alchemy value for however many you’re making, and it does this in one tidy interface. You’ll be able to make Evolution of Combat-specific gear too, so take a look and be sure to let us know what you think!

It’s been five months since the Evolution of Combat Beta launched, and the feedback is still coming in swathes from every corner of the RuneScape community. While we knew you’d jump at the chance to help reforge the combat system into one that’s well and truly yours, the level of passion, commitment and insight that you’ve demonstrated in your feedback has been mind-blowing.

Huge thanks go out to everyone who’s tried the beta and offered their opinion so far. The Evolution of Combat’s come on in leaps and bounds since its beta launch in June, and that – in large part – is down to you. Some of the biggest changes we’ve made so far have been in direct response to feedback from you. Here are a few examples of the most prominent:

The new combat system’s more involved, tactical and exciting than ever before, but some of you found that long combat endeavours such as Slayer tasks had – as a result – become feats of endurance. As such, we upped auto-attack damage and introduced a new ultimate named Momentum – which further increases auto-attack damage for 20 minutes per activation – which means a lower intensity approach to combat will remain available.

The relationship between gear and your combat capabilities is one of the most profoundly altered areas of the combat system, and your feedback and gameplay data have been invaluable in balancing these aspects. A great example of this was rebalancing shields, which many of you said were overpowered.

Another big change is the introduction of adrenaline and abilities, and your input helped us not only to ensure that they worked in a fair and balanced way, but also to make the ability book interface as user-friendly and intuitive as possible.

Dungeoneering was a big point of feedback too, as increased emphasis on the combat triangle and introduction of elemental strengths and weaknesses meant that solo players among you were having a much harder time than you should. With this in mind, we relaxed the vulnerability relationships as they’re applied in Daemonheim, and brought in a new range of omnielemental staves for use by dungeon-delving wizards. There are some big changes to the binding system coming soon, too!

As we’ve said from the start, we need every bit of feedback and every suggestion you can offer on how to make the Evolution of Combat system the update that you want. The beta’s now open to everyone, and there’s still time to make your opinion heard, so – if you haven’t already – log in, gear up and start sending your feedback!

Tears of Guthix: Go with the Flow

If you’ve never tried Tears of Guthix before, it’s a cool D&D located under Lumbridge which – after completing the short Tears of Guthix quest – can be played up to once a week for a handy XP boost to your lowest-levelled skill. It’s steeped in RuneScape lore too, as you’ll tell stories of your adventures to Juna – a serpentine servant of Guthix – in exchange for a short time catching the XP-giving tears.

The first thing veterans among you will notice is the full graphical rework. Juna, now super-sized and draped across the entrance to the tears alcove, makes for an imposing sight as she unravels the skeins of your fate. The tears themselves now make for a stunning cascade down the beautifully re-rendered walls, and the light creatures shimmer eerily as you make your way through the cave.

We’ve multiplied XP gain in the cave by three times, bringing it in line with equivalent areas of gameplay. The biggest boost comes to high-level players, though. Those of you with 80 Crafting and Mining can make an ornate and extra-large bowl for up to five times the XP gain you’d have got before the update.

We’ve made some technical tweaks so that switching between the streams of tears is quicker and feels more responsive. We’ve also updated the Games Necklace so it can be used to teleport directly to Juna’s cave. The new interface we’ve built for it includes keyboard shortcuts so, it’s quicker and easier to use than ever.

Whether it’s your first time collecting the tears, it’s a cozy part of your weekly routine, or you’ve been waiting for a reason get back into the flow, it’s the best time ever to drink deeply from the Tears of Guthix.

Mod Wilson

How to start Tears of Guthix:

First, you must complete the Tears of Guthix quest, which has the following requirements:
44 Quest Points
20 Crafting
49 Firemaking
20 Mining
You may then complete the D&D once per week, but you also need to have obtained at least one of the following since you last collected the tears:
1 Quest Point
100,000 XP. This can be shared across any number of skills.

Other requirements:

In order to craft the improved bowl, you must have at least the following. You will then be able to talk to Juna to begin the process of making the bowl:

80 Crafting
80 Mining

Behind the Scenes Video

If you haven’t already, you can take a whistle-stop tour of the Tears of Guthix content in our latest Behind the Scenes video:

In Other News

We’ve fixed a bug where near-maxed level players were not receiving Dungeoneering XP from Tears of Guthix, when they should have.
Solomon’s Store is now stocking Dragon Keepsake Keys. One of these handy objects will allow you to convert any wearable item into a cosmetic re-skin for your gear, so you can truck down into the QBD’s lair with your p-hat proudly on display. Log into Solomon’s General Store to treat yourself, or check out our FAQ if you have any questions.
Yelps has introduced D&D Tokens onto the Squeal of Fortune. Fancy an extra go per week on Tears of Guthix? Check out our FAQ for more details!

For further information on the Evolution of Combat Release, see the following news items:

Survey Results
One-Click Combat
Upcoming Changes
Skilling

After five months of feedback and fine-tuning, the time is finally here: we’re hugely excited to be able to announce the official live launch date of the Evolution of Combat: the 20th of November 2012!

With thousands of hours of playtime from yourselves and hundreds of changes to the system from your feedback, we’re now looking forward to a new era in RuneScape. Once the Evolution of Combat has been released, you can look forward to some great new boss monsters and combat-related updates that would never have been possible previously.

We also had an overwhelmingly positive response to the Combat Academy and survey that launched last week and are now making some small tweaks and adjustments prior to launch.

Naturally, you’ll have lots of questions about the Evolution of Combat now that the date is confirmed, and we’re going to be running a live stream this weekend to address these. You can post your questions in the forums here. In the meantime, check out our FAQ.

There will also be further news posts over the next few days, detailing key changes and how best to prepare for the launch. While it’s securely founded in the RuneScape combat you know so well, it contains an array of large-scale improvements and new features, including:

Abilities: These are a replacement for the old special attacks found on weapons, but they’re an whole different beast. Divided up into three classes: basic, threshold and ultimate, these do more damage than regular attacks and cause a range of nasty negative effects to your opponent, such as damage over time or stuns. Some may even bestow positive effects, healing you or further boosting your damage output for a set amount of time. Making sound use of abilities will push your combat prowess to new heights.
Adrenaline: This new resource is built each time you hit an enemy with an auto-attack, or with a basic ability. It’s spent when you use the more powerful threshold and ultimate abilities, and when you eat food in combat, so you’ll want to build it as quickly as possible during a fight.
Action Bar: This handy new interface holds all your ability buttons, and can give quick access to essentials such as potions, food and utility items.
Armour and Life Points: The armour you wear now greatly affects your maximum life points. The Evolution of Combat is balanced with this in mind, so you’ll need to gear up to stand up to your foes!
Dual Wielding: That’s right – with the launch of the Evolution of Combat, this much-requested feature will be fully implemented. With abilities specific to dual-wielded weapons and increased gear choices for mages such as wands and orbs, your choice of gear loadout has never been more varied. Off-hand versions of most weapons will be made available once the Evolution of Combat launches, so no need to go out and buy duplicates of your favourites just yet.
And Much More:We’ve introduced far too many new features, tweaks and improvements to list here, but some of the biggest are as follows:
We’ve filled out gaps in gear progression, including loads of brand-new level 50 gear and new options for mages and rangers.
The combat triangle is more important than ever, and you’ll need to take careful count of your foe’s fighting style to prevail.
There’s an array of awesome-looking new animations for the new abilities and distinct combat styles.

We’ve also listened carefully to feedback from those among you who know and particularly enjoy the current system. With your input in mind, we’ve made many changes to the Evolution of Combat which will allow you to continue playing with the traditional style of combat, while also benefiting from the raft of improvements the update brings.

For full details, take a look at our FAQ or our quick guide on the wiki. If you haven’t already, you can also still log into the beta and give the new system a whirl – be sure to try out the new Combat Academy in Lumbridge while you’re there!

Greetings, adventurer!

I introduce to you the Dragon Keepsake Box! This marvellous invention enables you to equip an item and receive all its benefits – bonuses and all – while taking on the appearance of a different adornment!

You’ll find your box in the Customisation screen; found in the ‘Equipped’ tab. Visiting my store, you’ll notice that I now stock Dragon Keepsake Keys – these are all you need to transform your items into fabulous cosmetic overrides.

For example, you may have a particular cape that is aesthetically superior, yet its bonuses aren’t fit for your intentions. Now, the solution is effortless! Simply use the item on the key and visit the Dragon Keepsake Box section of the Customisation screen. Here you can apply the cape as a visual override, while retaining the bonuses and effects of whichever cape you have actually equipped.

What’s more, Dragon Keepsake Keys can be used to convert all manner of items – hats, capes, amulets, torso pieces, leg plates, gloves and boots – into fantastic cosmetic overrides.

Dragon Keepsake Keys are available from my store right now! Should you have any queries regarding which items are compatible with this illustrious new product, you’ll find a full list here. For queries regarding my distinguished boutique, I’m confident you’ll find an answer in the comprehensive FAQ, found here.

If you’ve yet to visit my establishment, why not drop in and receive 200 RuneCoins absolutely free? Remember that if you wish to purchase additional RuneCoins, you can do so here or by clicking ‘Buy RuneCoins’ inside my store. Don’t forget that I offer a 10% discount to all members.