Have you taken a walk through Varrock lately? Ugh. Look at those ramshackle houses, filled with broken furniture. Why, some of those poor citizens can't even sit down in their own homes!
We pine for some way to help, to give back to the community, to train Construction without having to click 'remove' on an oak larder thirty times... hold on a second!
Let's start from the very beginning: Construction is a members-only skill that lets you build a Player Owned House, where you can train Prayer, store and repair your items, and have your mates over for a nice cuppa tea, plus all kinds of other cool stuff! Only trouble is, to get the best furniture, you'll need the best Construction levels - and that can get expensive.
But from November 16th, you'll be able to play Construction Contracts, a new way to train Construction that'll see you helping out the citizens of Gielinor while getting all the XP you'd normally earn in your Player Owned House - and some builder-iffic rewards, besides.
Getting Started
You'll need at least level 40 Construction to participate in Construction Contracts - cowboy builders need not apply! Once you've nailed your skills, speak to any Estate Agent to be assigned a contract in either Lumbridge, Varrock, Draynor, or Edgeville.
Gather your supplies, head to the right house, and fix up some lucky citizen's furniture while you listen to the local gossip.
The higher your Construction level, the higher the tier of planks you'll be able to use - and the faster you'll get the job done.
Using higher tier materials will also encourage your clients to give you better reviews, which means more XP for you!
Then comes the best part - the rewards!
Rewards
The biggest reward from Construction Contracts is the ability to earn Construction XP in the overworld at a fraction of the cost.
Each time you complete a contract you'll also earn Contract Credits, which you can spend on various Construction-related goodies in the Construction Contracts Reward Store at any Estate Agent. Let's take a look:
Plank Box
Tired of carrying planks around everywhere? Why, that's Butler's work! Now, there's a better way: a simple, upgradeable storage solution that will let you carry at least 25 extra planks of each type with you at all times.
Here's how many you can carry with the upgraded versions:
Base: 25 Planks of each type
Upgrade 1: 50 Planks of each type
Upgrade 2: 100 Planks of each type
Collect The Master Construction Outfit
From Tuesday 17th, we're introducing the brand new Master Construction Outfit via Dressed to Skill, a week-long Treasure Hunter promotion that'll help you fill out your Elite Skilling Outfit collection!
Aditionally, the launch of Construction Contracts this outfit will be available as a reward for the most intrepid fixer-uppers in the land, using nothing but your hard-earned Contract Credits. Once you've earned enough, simply head on down to the Construction Contracts Rewards Store! Whatever your choice, you're gonna look mighty handy!
Equipping all five pieces of the set will provide you with the following bonuses:
Option to automatically remove furniture immediately after building it
Ability to convert logs to planks on the go
Temporary +3 boost to Construction
Increased build progress for Construction Contracts
Chance to instantly finish repairs during Construction Contracts
Unlimited teleports to your house, house portals, Estate Agents, and your current Construction Contract
Achievements
Construction Contracts comes bundled with eight new Achievements, including 'Absolute Planker', which entails fully upgrading your Plank Box and is required for the Completionist Cape.
Stay tuned for more Construction Contracts news when we cut the ribbon on November 16th.
The RuneScape Team
TWIR: Ninja Strike 14
In this week’s update, the Ninjas have been getting up to mischief with fish (both of the jelly and regular variety) and Wiki functionality! Find out all about it in the Game News and Patch Notes tabs, then get yourself over to the Community Tab for a cheeky preview of Construction Contracts and some amazing player artwork.
Game News
We're going Wiki wild in this week's update with another Ninja Strike! In other news, we've got a special preview of Construction Contracts, a range of new lines in the Merch Store, and an important change to Oddments.
Ninja Strike 14: Wiki Functionality and More!
The Ninjas have hit the books this week to bring you more visible Wiki functionality, plus loads of other quality of life changes. We're also welcoming a new recruit to the Dojo - read on to meet them!
Wiki Functionality
As you know, you can type '/wiki' into the Chat Box to learn about all kinds of topics at the press of a button - but we reckon it would be nice if that functionality was even easier to access. In this week's strike, the Ninjas have added a new Wiki button to the right-hand side of the Chat Box. Just click the button, type in your search term, and away you'll go!
Of course, those of you who like to do things the old-fashioned way will still be able to use the existing '/wiki' feature.
We don't know who this 'General QoL' fella is, but he comes up an awful lot, so he must be one of the Ninjas' greatest foes!
This week they've undermined his nefarious deeds in the following ways:
Jellyfish Stitching
Got partially eaten Jellyfish hanging around your Backpack? That's super gross, but here's something even grosser - from today's update, you'll be able to squish them back into one big jellyfish snack with the help of either War or a fisherman in the Deep Sea Fishing Hub. Mmm... slimy!
Fish Deposits
Sticking with the maritime theme, you can now 'Deposit all' fish in the Menaphos VIP and Port area Deposit Boxes and Banks, just like you can in the Deep Sea Fishing Hub. Hopefully they've got a bag of ice in there...
...and more!
This week's Patch Notes contain all you need to know about this week's Ninja Strike. Go take a look! We'll wait!
A New Ninja?
A new Ninja! Mod Frosch has joined the fight as a Junior Content Developer. So heat up the sake and give a warm Ninja welcome, please!
Construction Contracts Preview Livestream
Join our J-Mods as they clamber over the scaffolding of Construction Contracts and lay out the blueprints of this new, exciting way to train Construction.
You can join the stream on the RuneScape Twitch channel at 17:00 Game Time on November 10th. Don't forget your hard hat!
Prime Gaming
There's a brand new drop waiting for those of you who've linked your RuneScape and Prime Gaming accounts! This month, you'll get 7 days of membership - just the thing for taking full advantage of Double XP LIVE.
As part of our ongoing efforts to balance the game, the following Oddments Store items are now subject to a daily maximum buy cap:
Medium prismatic lamps: 30/day
Medium prismatic stars: 50/day
Pulse cores: 40/day
Cinder cores: 40/day
Small protean packs: 30/day
Keys: 30/day
The cap resets every day, after which point you'll be able to purchase these items up to the cap once more.
Golden Gnome Awards
For those of you who missed our post last week, we'd like to apologise once again for the unavoidable delay of this year's Golden Gnome Awards.
The new date for the all-dancing, all-digital ceremony is Friday, November 20th at 19:00 Game Time. We'll see you there!
Merch Store
Okay, it might not officially be winter yet - thank you, Reddit community - but that doesn't mean we can't get that Christmas spirit going! In the Official Merch Store, we've got a whole stocking full of treats!
First up, we have three new RuneScape-y designs in our popular deskmat range: the Queen Black Dragon, Nomad, and Mah.
Next up, we’ve got a cosy new piece of apparel: the PK Skull Varsity Jacket!
And in case you missed it, tracked shipping is now available on all Merch Store orders. Spend over £80 (that's $100 for our neighbours across the pond) and you'll get tracked shipping for free.
The Ninja Team were at it again this week, striking down fiddly Wiki commands, doing weird science on a bunch of jellyfish, and frantically stuffing fish into Deposit Boxes. Shall we see what all that was about?
Ninja Strike 14
Wiki Integration
A new Wiki button has been added to the right-hand side of the Chat input box.
Click the button to activate a search, then type in the terms you'd like to look up. Simples!
This mimics the existing '/wiki' feature but makes the functionality much more visible.
On desktop, the button can be toggled on and off in the Messages and Social menu, under Chat Customisation.
Desktop users can also keybind the button in the Controls interface.
On mobile, the button is located on the left menu when in fullscreen chat mode.
The size of the Chat input box has been slightly increased on desktop to make room for the new Wiki button.
General QoL
Partially eaten Jellyfish can now be combined together using War's 'Decant' option, or with the help of a friendly fisherman near the jellyfish spots in the Deep Sea Fishing Hub. Please do not think too hard about how we combine the jellyfish.
Robin is also now able to convert noted bones to noted bonemeal and slime
Vyrelords & ladies no longer appear erroneously as a separate entry in the Slayer Codex.
The Personal Slayer Dungeon's Ouija Board can now only be used while in Build Mode.
Tutorial Island
Improvements
The Chat window is now cleared of preliminary log-in messages when arriving in the main game from Tutorial Island.
The mobile toplevel UI is now gradually revealed as the player makes progress on Tutorial Island. Mysterious!
The text in the Minimap tutorial is now less ambiguous.
A pair of obstructive chairs have been removed from the starting area on Tutorial Island.
An overlay which cycles between the Core Camera and Interaction controls has been added to Tutorial Island, replacing the preliminary Camera pop-up which could be dismissed permanently.
As they were too frequent before, 'Achievement Complete' pop-ups no longer occur for Path Achievements. Completing an entire path (with the exception of the Tutorial Island Path) will still trigger the completion pop-up.
The RuneScape Guide has been re-named Reginald, to make it clear who you're supposed to speak to.
The Lorehound pet now provides an increased chance to find lore pages while excavating.
The timer for the Powerburst of Opportunity has been extended from 9.6 seconds to 15 seconds, to allow players to better time its use around reaching 100% focus while excavating an Archaeology location.
Mr Mordaut no longer turns to face the player during a certain section of dialogue.
The pyramids in Xolo City will no longer have 'Interact' options if the mystery has been progressed.
Achievements
Improvements
Unchecking the 'Show Complete' checkbox on the Achievement interface will now remove completed steps in Achievement dropdowns, making it much easier to see what you have left to complete - super useful for those completing cape Achievements.
The Feats subcategory in the Achievement interface has been upgraded to a full category, with sub-categories for hidden Achievements such as Clue Logs, Boss Logs, Slayer Logs, the silver and gold Warden titles, and breeding the Player Owned FarmRavensworn traits.
A 'Boss Pets' subcategory has been added to the Achievement system and can be found in the 'Combat' category. Completing boss subcategories is no longer dependent on getting a rare pet drop.
Changed the prerequisite quest for the 'Kitty Litter' Achievement from Rat Catcher to Gertrude's Cat, as you can use a kitten as well as an adult cat.
'The General's Shadow' Achievement has been removed as a requirement for the Quest Cape Achievement because it prevented players from claiming their Quest Cape.
At the request of players, the 'Mobilise This' Achievement has been reinstated.
The 'Death Plateau' and 'Druidic Ritual' Achievements are now completed if the pre-rework versions of these reworked quests are complete. (The 'Wolf Whistle' Achievement already supports the pre-rework version.)
The 'Supply and Demand' Achievement now references the Death Plateau Achievement instead of the quest so that the pre-rework version is a valid prerequisite.
The TzHaar boss collection log has been renamed 'TzTok-Jad and Har-Aken' to avoid confusion with the TzHaar Slayer Collection Log, which was added afterwards.
The Draynor Manor grounds have been de-spookified as much as possible, although the spine-tingling graphical rework remains.
Community
In this week's Community Tab, you can catch up on Construction Contracts, chill to some player-made Rune Tunes, and learn a top-secret Wiki tip!
Livestreams
J-Mod Livestreams
Tuesday November 10th | 17:00 Game Time | Construction Contracts In-Depth
You know the premise, now nail down the details! Join our J-Mods for an in-depth look at Construction Contracts. All (or at least most of) your questions will be answered!
Featured Streamer
Our featured streamer this week is Woutiiee, who'll be going live on Wednesday November 11th at 12:00 game time to polish off the last couple of gear upgrades for his Ironman. Expect Elite Dungeons, Nex: AOD, Solak, and maybe even a couple of clue scrolls.
If you press the 📣 icon on the main page of the Wiki (or just, y'know, visit this link) you'll be taken to a feed of all kinds of curated RuneScape news, including developer tweets, newspost updates and more! It's a great way to keep up with what's going on.
Creative Corner
Steam Screenshots
by MrZiiGGY
by Zerstörer
by renzooo
Awesome Art
Happy (belated) Birthday, Prezleek! You may not be celebrating with a Golden Gnome this year, but at least Mavrick882 has drawn this scrumptious looking cake. Don't suppose there's any left for us starving newspost writers, is there? No? Worth a shot.
All we've got to say about this is: WOW. WE LOVE THIS SO MUCH! Sw1tchbl4de has done an incredible job! Look at the colours! The expressions! Amazing job all 'round.
Community
Pink Skirts Event
For this week's Pink Skirts Event, better bring your A-game, because you're taking on the Kalphite King! Join Dj Whiggsy and Capt Obv this Tuesday, November 10th from 20:00 - 21:00 Game Time on World 68 to join in the fun!
For more details, add Dj Whiggsy to your Friends' List or check out the full list of Pink Skirts events here.
The RuneScape Team
Double XP LIVE has begun!
Grab your blankets and hot chocolate – it’s time to snuggle in for Double XP LIVE! From now until November 16th, you’ll have 48 hours of Double XP time to train as many skills as you like – and for the first time, that includes Archaeology!
In case you missed the announcement, here’s all the archaeological activities you can get Double XP for:
Base Precision is doubled, so you'll get double the projects per hour from excavation.
XP from excavation and screening activities is doubled.
Players will not receive Double XP from tomes, research, mysteries, pylons, or restoring artefacts.
Don’t forget, you can pause your timer any time you’d like to take a break, and it doesn’t count down when you’re offline. So take your time, relax, and get to work on those skills at your own pace!
Get ready to be Gielinor’s handiest handy-person with Construction Contracts, a less intensive and less expensive way to level up your Construction skill, coming on November 16th!
You’ll need level 40 Construction to get started – and with Double XP around the corner, there’s no better time to get building!
We’ll reveal the juicy details about Construction Contracts in a dedicated preview livestream on November 10th at 17:00 Game Time. Catch all the action over at Twitch.TV/RuneScape. See you there!
The RuneScape Team
Login Server Maintenance - 3rd November
Hello everyone,
We'll be performing some important maintenance on our login servers.
The work will be carried out on Novemember 3rd starting from 14:30 Game Time and affects all players logging in or hopping worlds.
This will last for 2 hours, and there is a small chance you will not be able to log-in or hop worlds for approximately 10 minutes during this period . If you are already logged in, you can continue playing as normal.
Apologies for the disruption.
The RuneScape team
This Week In RuneScape - 02/11/20
It’s officially winter, so grab your comfiest blankets and sit yourself down for this week’s update! To begin with, you’ve got a great excuse to hide out in your igloo with Double XP LIVE and a hefty Achievement Rework. Then check out the Community Tab for some chilled-out J-Mod livestreams and some not-so-chill Araxxi fanart!
Game News
Hold up, hold up! Before you dive headlong into Double XP LIVE, take a moment to check out the Achievement Rework. We’ve spent 10 months on these extensive changes, so make sure you’ve brushed up on the latest information before you go Achievement hunting. In the meantime, though…
Double XP LIVE starts November 6th!
Double XP LIVE is back this Friday, November 6th! For those of you who are new here, Double XP LIVE is a ten-day long event where you’ve got 48 hours of Double XP to spend on whatever skills you like.
It’s extra-exciting this time around, because for the first time ever, you’ll be able to gain Double XP for selected activities in Archaeology. It’s a great time to dig into the skill, and maybe even work your way up to Orthen, our newest dig site!
Free-to-play players needn’t feel left out, either! They’ll get 20% extra XP throughout their 48 hours.
Double XP LIVE will run from November 6th to November 16th. For more information, check out the dedicated newspost.
Achievement Rework
After 10 months and countless hours spent shuffling categories and triple-checking code, we’re pretty proud to have achieved the Achievement Rework, a total overhaul of the Achievement system that’ll make it more expandable, more resilient, and much speedier. Read on to hear all the details!
System Work
Visually speaking, Achievements will look and feel much the same as they always have – but don’t let that fool you! We’ve done loads of work under the hood.
To begin with, every single Achievement has been rewritten and retested to ensure that they’re functioning as expected. We’ve changed over 1,165 files, so you can imagine how deep this rabbit hole went!
We’ve also rewritten the code itself, centralising various functions and moving them to the game engine. In short, this means that the Achievement system is more resilient – no more crashing every time you open the Completionist category!
It also means that it’s easier than ever for us to add new Achievements to the game – so keep your eyes peeled!
As you can imagine, this was a huge job, and though it shouldn't affect your RuneScore, given the extent of the changes there's a small chance that it might. If you notice something wrong, be sure to report it in game and we'll do our best to correct the issue.
New Achievement Categories
Every single Achievement has been sorted into one of 8 categories:
Skills
Exploration
Area Tasks
Combat
Lore
Activities
Completionist
Grace
These groups also contain various sub-categories.
Questers will notice that there's now a 'Lore' category, which holds all the Achievements you'll need to get that elusive Master Quest Cape.
Combat achievements are now organised in difficulty order, from War's Retreat up to Final Boss, with a subcategory for each boss (where appropriate, grouped by dungeon). No more tedious scrolling while you try to remember how many more times you need to beat Solak!
You’ll also spot that Achievement Diaries are now listed separately under the ‘Area Tasks’ category. They’re grouped by difficulty to help you plan your next steps.
Lastly, the ‘Grace’ category, which holds any achievements you’ll need to complete before the grace period for new content ends, no longer has a sub-category. Now you can see at a glance what you have left to do.
Interface Changes
Lastly, we’ve made a few improvements to the Achievements interface which should make it feel a bit smoother to use:
Quest Achievements are now visible and ordered by release date.
When ‘Show All Achievements’ is selected, all chain Achievements will also be shown – not just the last one.
The ‘Show Completed’ tickbox will now also hide or reveal completed sub-categories, making it easier to see what you have and haven’t done.
You may now click any Achievement in the ‘You’ve Almost Finished’ section to go directly to the Achievement description page.
Hidden Achievements are now slightly less hidden, and contain a message telling you to play the game more in order to unlock them.
Psst… try snacking on more stroopwafels!
The number of completed Achievements will now be more accurate.
Full Comparison Temporarily Removed
We've temporarily disabled the Full Comparison button, which would allow you to compare your Achievements to those of other players, as this feature needs to be completely rewritten to work with the new Achievement system.
In addition, Full Comparison has been poorly since the Achievement system began to hit its operations limit, so it'll remain disabled until we've resolved this problem.
Known Issues
In such a big release, there are bound to be a few problems. These are the bugs we're aware of and working to fix:
The Archaeology Contribution, Discovery, Donation, Research and Restoration chain Achievements do not trigger a pop-up or a Chat message upon completion. Although the visuals are missing, you will still be able to complete the Achievements.
Your RuneScore will not immediately update. Relogging or completing another Achievement will resolve the issue.
Due to the nature of these bugs, they are unlikely to be resolved until the new year.
Kerapac Track
Today marks the end of the Kerapac Track. The cosmetic rewards are gone, for now, but you can still learn some sneaky tidbits of lore!
Speak to The Curator in Burthorpe to learn more.
Prime Gaming
It’s your last chance to grab a Currency Pack and two Umbral Chests from our friends at Prime Gaming.
Next week, you’ll have the chance to grab 7 days of RuneScape membership – perfect if you want to dip your toes into everything the game has to offer!
To see what's on offer and to get your hands on some goodies, click here.
Merch Store
Christmas has come early in the Official Merch Store this month with 10 new lines from Angels Scapes!
Our limited-edition Christmas pin collection includes a Marionette pin for your Toy Box, and, of course, Cracker pins! This year, each Cracker will contain one of three different coloured Party Hats. Lift the hinged lid to see which one you've got!
You can also pick up a brushed gold ‘Nice’ pin, perfect for that special someone with a great Fishing level.
We’ve also got new additions to the Skill Cape keyring series! You can now show off your Woodcutting and Firemaking prowess wherever you roam.
Last but definitely not least, we’d like to introduce our all-new line of mobile phone ring holders! Keep your phone safe while you selfie with the Max Cape or the PK Skull design.
See something you like? Make sure to add it to your Christmas list… or, you know, just treat yourself!
In other Merch Store news, we’ve added a tracked shipping option. It’s just the thing to help you keep track of your holiday purchases.
It is now possible to purchase the Ring of Pestilence from the Halloween Spooky Store on mobile.
The 'Earn Keys' in the Treasure Hunter interface now correctly directs players to the offerwall.
Penguins spotted while you have max Penguin Points will now count towards your total penguins spotted that week.
Community
In this week’s Community Tab we’ve got more Steam screenshots, some scary spiders, and your chance to meet Mod Bolton and learn about becoming a content creator!
Livestreams
J-Mod Livestreams
Tuesday November 3rd | 17:00 Game Time | Leads Q&A
Join the upper crust for an anything goes round of questions and answers. Aching to know what our favourite biscuits are? Wondering what’s coming up in RuneScape? Ask away!
Featured Streamer
Our featured streamer this week is Liddles, who’ll be getting up to some Double XP LIVE shenanigans from 00:00 Game Time – that’s dead on the midnight reset – this Saturday November 7th. Join in the fun on her Twitch channel!
Creative Corner
Steam Screenshots
If you haven’t tried RuneScape on Steam yet, perhaps these super screenies will convince you. Here's some of this week's top screenshots!
by MrZiiGGY
by Julia_
by GS| 3000gt420
Featured Artwork
Araxxi - The Next Generation by Suizzy
Yikes! Suizzy’s perfectly captured the terror of Araxxi’s lair, here, and to be honest that’s all we can say about this piece, because we’re currently having to peek at it from behind a cushion. I-is it time for the next section yet?
Featured Video
Orthen Dig Site - Full Guide
Well, we won’t be going back underground any time soon, but if you’re more intrepid than we are, take a look at our fantastic Orthen Dig Site Guide! It’s got everything you need to know about our newest dig site. https://www.youtube.com/embed/LzrfivUP-Qk
Community
Content Creator Clueoff!
Between November 2nd and November 8th, 30 or so of our content creators are going head to head to open around 100 hard Clue Scrolls - and it's all going to be streamed live on their channels! Who will be blessed by fortune, and who will be walking away with a chunk of rune salvage? To find out, look for RuneScape streamers on Twitch with 'Clueoff' in the stream title. Tune in and wish 'em luck!
Featured Forum Thread
This week our Featured Forum Thread encourages you to get into character and dip your toes into the wonderful world of RuneScape roleplay! CrocoNuts’ guide covers all the basics, from finding an in-game roleplay to using mystical symbols to speak Elven!
This week’s Pink Skirts Event is a Nex – Angel of Death boss mass! Join Nobleartisan, Geneawac and Alright Clan as they take on Zaros’ general in the depths of the God Wars Dungeon. Meet at the Ancient Prison on World 68 this Tuesday, November 3rd from 01:00 – 01:59 Game Time. Don’t forget your keys!
This Week In RuneScape & Halloween Event - 26/10/20
Welcome, ghouls and ghosts, to an extra-spooky edition of This Week in RuneScape! In our bag of treats this week we’ve got a Ninja Strike, a Community Tab full of ways to welcome our new friends from the other side (Steam), and, of course, the Halloween Event!
Game News
In this week’s news, the Ninjas have been busily making quality of life changes to Slayer while Death and friends plan for a spooktacular Halloween event. Let’s take a look!
Halloween Event
The nights are getting colder… the darkness is closing in… and this year, Death is determined to get ahead of whatever catastrophically creepy happening fate has planned!
Head on down to Draynor Manor to help Death, Famine, Pestilence and Muncher ensure that this Halloween goes off without a hitch. After completing their tasks, you can help them out a little more each day until Sunday November 8th.
This year’s cosmetic rewards include Death’s Hood, Death’s Ceremonial Scythe, and the ability to take Muncher for walkies all over Gielinor.
Oh, and you might notice that the grounds of Draynor Manor are looking more ghoulish than ever this year! We’ve also spruced up Death’s Office, should you find yourself passing through.
The Halloween event kicks off today, on October 26th, and will last until November 8th. Don’t forget your costume!
Ninja Strike 13 - Slayer Quality of Life
This week the Ninja Team have sharpened their kunai and made improvements across the game that will make Slayer better than ever before.
Area Loot Interface
Here’s the big news: the Area Loot interface can now be opened even when just one item is on the ground. This was one of the most-requested changes in the Dojo, so we hope you enjoy it! You can toggle the option on and off in the Loot System settings.
Personal Slayer Dungeon
Next up, the Personal Slayer Dungeon has been given its own interface to make moving monsters easier. To access it, you’ll need to pay 1,000 Slayer points and then check out the Slayer Master’s Ouija Board in the Sunken Pyramid.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to move monsters about pretty much as you please – although you won’t be able to squish big monsters into the smaller chamber.
In addition, monsters with variants will now consistently spawn as those variants in the Personal Slayer Dungeon.
Nex
You can now sacrifice a set of Ancient Ceremonial Robes, 10 million coins and a frozen key to Ashuelot Reis to unlock the ability to access the Nex lobby without the usual item requirements. No more juggling presets!
Boss Respawn Speeds
Lastly, the game will now remember which respawn speed option you selected last when fighting the relevant bosses.
Kerapac Track
It’s your last chance to get your hands on Thok’s Hand-me-downs, the Mechanayak, and loads of other amazing rewards from the Kerapac Track!
On November 2nd, the gates to the Kerapac Track will close, so get in quick if you want to complete those last few tasks.
Action Bars
A couple of weeks ago we spoke about how we’d like to provide the Action Bars from Solomon’s General Store for free to all players. We know that having four extra Action Bars is helpful and as part of our ongoing commitment to making sure we're providing value in the right places, we decided to make them free forever.
You’ll find your new Bars waiting for you when you next log in after today’s update. Accordingly, all Action Bars have been removed from Solomon’s General Store.
Patch Notes
Looking for the nitty-gritty details of this week’s Ninja Strike? Then you’ve come to the right place!
Ninja Strike 13
Personal Slayer Dungeon
Slayer Masters will now teach the ability to use the Slayer Master’s Ouija Board for 1,000 Slayer Points.
Using the Slayer Master’s Ouija Board within the Sunken Pyramid will allow you to customise the placement of creatures in your Personal Slayer Dungeon.
Creatures can be freely moved between slots, but large monsters cannot be placed in the small chamber.
Monsters with multiple variants will now consistently spawn as those variants when newly placed in the Personal Slayer Dungeon.
This includes bears, blue dragons, cave crawlers, banshees, crawling hands, infernal mages, aberrant spectres, kurasks, desert lizards, zygomites, suqah, spiritual warriors, rangers and mages, jadinkos and tormented demons.
Monsters placed prior to today’s update will continue to spawn as random variants.
Bossing
You may now unlock the ability to access Nex without the usual item requirements from Ashuelot Reis.
This costs one set of Ancient Ceremonial Robes, 10 million coins and a frozen key.
Doing so will award an Achievement.
Entering a boss instance without a selectable Respawn Speed, such as Rise of the Six or the Queen Black Dragon, will no longer overwrite the Respawn Speed setting for other boss instances.
Looting
An option has been added to the Item Drops - > Loot System menu which will allow players to collect loot via the Loot Inventory when only a single item is on the floor (This feature was previously available on mobile devices but not the PC client).
The naming and descriptions of the Looting options have been adjusted for clarity following the above changes.
Other
‘The Eyes of Glouphrie’ now appears after ‘The Grand Tree’ in the Timeline sort, in line with quest requirements.
‘The Curse of Zaros’, ‘General’s Shadow’ and ‘Hopespear’s Will’ now appear after ‘Desert Treasure’ in the Timeline sort, because all three require a Ring of Visibility.
The ‘Nadir’ Fremennik Saga now appears after ‘Ritual of the Mahjarrat’ in the Timeline sort, in line with recommended completion order.
The weighting of the Pathfinder category in the Timeline sort has been adjusted to give slightly greater prominence to area and reworked quests, to reduce travel when following this sequence.
The list of Sort options in the Quest Journal has been alphabetised.
Resolved an issue where meeting all the conditions for Zaida’s chat options meant that one was inaccessible.
Orthen
Improvements
Sharrigan will now hint at how to unlock the Bait and Switch Relic.
Artefacts from ‘Desperate Measures’ will no longer appear when screening soil.
Anachronia resource packs can now be banked, including the one received as a reward from Orthen Collections.
The Restoration interface now shows dragonkin artefacts in level order rather than alphabetically.
The Spirit Attraction Potion now works with Menaphos carpet dust and manifested knowledge.
The Holy Aggroverload can now be crafted with a Holy Overload, an Aggression Potion, and spider venom.
Fixes
The Moksha Device clickbox will no longer reappear when completing a puzzle in the Fragmented Memories mystery.
The Osseus buff will no longer be lost when logging in or out while in the new dig sites.
Other
Improvements
MTX emotes can now be purchased directly from the Emotes interface.
Trader Vic’s XP conversion rate for Herblore is now the same for both level 99 and level 120.
The model for royal dragonhide boots is no longer the same as the one for black dragonhide boots.
Attempting to use the Friends List to join a friend on Lunar Isle when you have the requirements to get there will no longer dump you in Fremennik Province.
The Fremennik Slayer Dungeon no longer contains force-walk tiles or tiles that prevent you from stepping on them.
The Quest Journal and World Map summary that appears when accepting Troll Warzone quests when the Guidance System is enabled now displays the intended text and icons.
The Steam log in now includes a link to a Support Article for linked accounts.
Mr Mordaut will no longer give the player ‘Desperate Measures’ dialogue if they have not started the quest.
Fixes
Text that appears when converting Bonds to RuneCoins has been updated.
Fixed a graphical issue with NPC men’s chatheads.
Your character will no longer climb the stairs sideways in the house beside the Courthouse in Seers’ Village.
Freecam has been blocked in Conquest.
An issue with Archaeology XP from Guthixian butterflies and Tears of Guthix has been resolved.
Arc Journal tabs now display correctly.
The Sandwich Lady Court Case now contains the correct dialogue options.
Unfinished potions that can be finished into multiple other potions will now default to the last mixed potion.
Objects will no longer float around the ship in a cutscene during ‘My Arm’s Big Adventure’.
Fixed an issue where a door opened before Osman and the guards walked into a room.
God Statue and Strange Rock Statue interfaces no longer interfere with the size of the chat window when opened.
It’s no longer possible to see through the Armadyl Warpriest body when performing animations.
The Crab Hat no longer fixes the camera to the ground.
Fixed a disconnect issue that occurred when watering the dying roses during ‘Perils of Ice Mountain’.
Fence posts in Draynor Village are no longer transparent.
Using a 3-dose Super RuneCrafting Potion on a potion of the same dose no longer opens the Powerburst Potions interface.
The Rainbow Umbrella now displays correctly on ‘Min’ Graphics Settings.
The ankle area of the player character model is no longer darker than the rest of the leg while wearing Retro Shoes.
Removed a force walk tile in Burthorpe.
Community
Hello, and welcome to the Community Tab! If it’s your first time here, you’re in for a treat – we’ve got a truly terrifying Halloween livestream, a selection of Steamy screenshots, and a big ol’ welcome for all our new players.
Livestreams
J-Mod Livestreams
Tuesday October 27th | 17:00 Game Time | Orthen Art and Audio Showcase
Take a sneak peek behind the scenes to see how the Audio and Art Teams brought our newest dig site to life!
Wednesday October 28st | 17:00 Game Time | Halloween Let's Play
Don your spookiest attire and join Mod Poerkie as he tries to survive this year’s Halloween Event live on stream! If you’re too scared to take on the festivities alone, then this is the place to be.
Steam Showcase
Our Steam launch last week was a great success! It’s been wonderful to see so many new faces exploring the world of RuneScape – and it’s even more exciting that they’ve taken these amazing screenshots to document their journey!
Screenshot Gallery
by ✓Sugui✗
‘A new world for me ...’ by spookfield
‘Ashdale by Night’ by Umami
Creative Corner
‘My Character’ by Goodyz
This week’s featured artwork was painted on mobile, of all places! We love seeing player characters brought to life, especially when they’re wearing such cool gear. Great job, Goodyz!
Why You Should Play RuneScape 3 on Steam
https://www.youtube.com/embed/QmL5_2FRQAc Having trouble convincing your mates to join the adventure? Well then, save yourself the hassle and direct them to Silenced’s fantastic video showcasing all the great reasons to play RuneScape on Steam.
Community
Featured Forum Thread
This week’s Featured Forum Thread is a call to ‘Welcome our new players!’ Thank you, CasualSloth, for being a fine example of the warm and welcoming RuneScape community.
If you’re new to the game, why not pop in and say hi? Our Official Forums are a great place to make new friends, get advice about the game, and find a clan to share the adventure.
This week’s Pink Skirts Event is also perfect for newbies – it’s a Town Square Q&A! Come along and meet the Pink Skirts, find out more about what they do, and see how you can get involved.
The event will be hosted by Princess Rae and will take place on Saturday October 31st at Varrock West Bank, World 3, from 23:00 – 23:59 Game Time. Watch out for ghosts!
For more information about this event, check out the Pink Skirts page here.
This Week In RuneScape - 19/10/20
Welcome to this week in RuneScape! It’s all kicking off on Anachronia as the Varrock Museum (and their crew of archaeologically inclined adventurers) digs into Orthen. We’ve also got the usual grab-bag of Patch Notes and the fabulous Community Corner, where you can peek behind the scenes of this week’s update.
Game News
We’re heading back to the island this week with all the details about Orthen, our latest Dig Site! In other news, we’ve got reminders about the Archaeology XP Embargo, Steam, and Prime Gaming, plus a sneaky little accessibility update from last week. Let’s get right into it, shall we?
New Archaeology Dig Site: Orthen
Ready for an island adventure? We hope so, because Archaeology’s sixth dig site, Orthen, is open today, and it’s on the most adventure-packed island of all!
Now open to keen diggers with level 90 Archaeology or better, the Orthen dig site spans the whole island of Anachronia. Within its hidden chambers you’ll discover new mysteries, powerful rewards, and long-lost dragonkin lore.
Getting Started
You can begin your journey into Orthen’s past by speaking to Mr Mordaut at the Anachronia Base Camp.
You’ll need level 90 Archaeology to start work on the first excavation spot. Completion of ‘Desperate Times’ and ‘Desperate Measures’ is not required but will be helpful for some of the later puzzles.
Relics
The dragonkin were brilliant inventors, and the ruins of Orthen are home to all kinds of bizarre and powerful objects – including the following Relics!
Evil Bob’s Catspaw
This Fishing skill relic draws on Evil Bob’s dread powers to cook fish as they are caught, with no chance to burn them. You’ll also get 50% of each fish’s base Cooking XP.
Obviously, this miracle only works on fish that have a cooked variant. Any and all Cooking XP boosters apply, including Bonus XP and Signs of the Porter. The Relic also works in Daemonheim.
Hey, you know what? We wonder what might happen if you tried to use Evil Bob’s Catspaw in ScapeRune…
Soma
The dragonkin’s top scientists were responsible for brewing up this tasty potion that allows the drinker to enter a Flow State, increasing their Archaeology Precision by +20%. What’s the downside, you ask? While in the Flow State, you’ll have no patience for sifting through random bits of dirt and rubble, so you won’t receive any soil.
Kaladanda
With Kaladanda, the legendary ‘Death Note’ in hand, all bone and ash drops from combat will be noted automatically.
Items such as the Bonecrusher, Attuned Plasmator and Prayer urns will take priority when it comes to bones and certain types of ashes. Anything left after their respective effects have triggered will be noted.
We expect that this Relic will be most helpful for training Slayer and Prayer, so bring it along if you’d like everything to go according to plan.
Rumour also has it that somewhere in Orthen lies the secret to increasing the Monolith’s power, so keep your eyes peeled!
New Potions
Soma wasn’t the only thing the dragonkin scientists were brewing up down in their laboratory – they also mastered several never-before-seen potions. For the first time in thousands of years, high-level herblorists will be able to brew the following:
Holy Aggroverload
The mother of all combat potions combines an Overload, Aggression Potion and Prayer Renewal Potion into one easy flask. Spicy!
To brew a Holy Aggroverload you’ll need 98 Herblore and one of the following sets of ingredients:
Recipe 1:
1x Aggroverload
1x Prayer Renewal Potion
1x Spider venom
Recipe 2:
1x Crystal flask
1x Overload
1x Aggression Potion
1x Prayer Renewal Potion
1x Spider venom
Summoning Renewal
Just as a Prayer Renewal Potion restores Prayer Points, the Summoning Renewal Potion will replenish your Summoning Points over a period of time.
To brew a Summoning Renewal Potion you’ll need 88 Herblore and the following ingredients:
1x Spirit Weed Potion (unfinished)
1x Tombshroom
Archaeology Potion
Now that the XP embargo’s over, you’re free to use this nifty little potion to boost your Archaeology skill by three whole levels!
To brew an Archaeology Potion you’ll need 78 Herblore and the following ingredients:
1x Avantoe Potion (unfinished)
5x Any soil
Powerburst of Opportunity
This lucky Powerburst will double the effect of Rockertunities and Archatunities for 10 seconds.
To brew one, you’ll need 103 Herblore and the following ingredients:
1x Powerburst vial
1x Primal extract
2x Dinosaur claws
1x Phasmatite ore
1x Third-age iron
Powerburst of Opportunity can also be improved!
Spirit Attraction Potion
While active, this friendly potion will automatically pick up sprits in your general area, including Seren Spirits, Chronicles, Blessings of the Gods and Fire Spirits. Brr… spooky!
To brew a Spirit Attraction Potion you’ll need 116 Herblore and the following ingredients:
1x Primal extract
1x Enhanced Luck Potion
1x Time-worn tincture
Of course, you’ll need to find the recipes before you can start messing around with potions. Keep searching through Orthen’s ruins to find them all!
Skilling Off-Hands
Yes, you heard us right! RuneScape’s first two skilling off-hands will be bundled up as part of the Orthen update. You’ll need a hefty amount of materials and some serious skills to make them, but we think that you’ll agree that the buffs they provide are well worth the effort.
Orthen Furnace Core
Things are heating up now! This offhand item won’t just keep your hands toasty in the winter months, it’ll also give you bonuses to Smithing and Firemaking.
It’ll become available at level 102 Archaeology, and you’ll need 99 Smithing and 5 Firemaking to keep it from being too hot to handle.
Artificer's Measure
This nifty device will help you out while you’re training Crafting or Construction. It becomes available at level 102 Archaeology, but you’ll need 99 Crafting to wield it.
Repeatable Community Event
As you may remember from the announcement post, Orthen also contains a perfectly paleontological repeatable event that’ll have archaeologists of all stripes banding together to get some sweet buffs.
While excavating any of the spots in Anachronia, you’ll have the chance to find skeletal fragments, which you can contribute to the exhibit back at the Base Camp. We won’t spoil what happens when you put them all together, but rest assured, you’ll see some ROARsome rewards.
Firstly, you’ll get a 25% XP boost to all the following Anachronian activities:
Hunter
Big Game Hunter
Anachronia Butterfly Catching
Jadinko/Grenwall/Pawya/Salamander Trapping
Golden Warbler Snaring
Archaeology
Excavation
Agility
The Anachronia Agility Course
The same buff will also provide a small boost to drop rates for the following activities and items found in Anachronia:
Big Game Hunter
Slayer
Agility Course Codices
Archaeology Materials
Ready to delve into the lost city of the dragonkin? Then what are you hanging around here for? Log in and speak to Mr Mordaut at the Base Camp!
Archaeology Embargo
In case you missed it above, we just want to make sure you’re aware that the Archaeology Embargo on Bonus XP has lifted today.
Basically, that means that as of right now you can start using all kinds of XP buffs to get ahead in Archaeology. That includes Bonus XP, Vic the Trader, lamps, and everything else you can imagine!
Digsite Delve
Itching to start buffing your Archaeology gains? Then look no further than Digsite Delve, a new Treasure Hunter promotion packed with archaeological finds.
Prizes include such illustrious items as the Restored Artefact Replicator, the Dwarven Archaeology Tool and Fixate Recharge tokens – and if you're looking to top up your Bonus XP, there are plenty of supreme stars to go around too.
Digsite Delve will be the main Treasure Hunter promotion between October 20th to October 26th.
Chat Font Size Increase
This cheeky update slipped under the radar last week, but a few keen-eyed players have spotted it!
For the rest of you, here’s an official announcement: it is now possible to adjust the font size of your Chat window. To do so, head to the Gameplay Settings menu, then navigate to the Chat Customisation options.
Feel that? That’s your eyeballs taking a well-earned rest. Enjoy!
RuneScape on Steam
Don’t forget, you can now play RuneScape via Steam!
When you do so, you’ll get access to all kinds of steamy stuff, including Trading Cards, Achievements and more! Go on, connect your accounts and give it a whirl!
Oh, and remember that when you log in on any platform between now and November 14th, you’ll get a free Steam Valve goody bag to celebrate this momentous occasion in RuneScape history. Anyone with at least 100 total level who’s completed the Burthorpe Path is eligible!
Prime Gaming
Here’s another reminder: until November 10th, you can claim a Currency Pack and two Umbral Chests from our friends at Prime Gaming. Each chest contains a super-rare prize or better, so they’re well worth getting your hands on!
To do so, simply follow the instructions on this page. Enjoy your gifts!
Patch Notes
Yak Track
Living rock creatures now count towards the Kerapac Track task "Kill Monsters".
The divine simularum II harvesting now counts towards the Kerapac Track's divination objective (task 11).
Fixes
Buying clues from Zaida's reward shop while having Charos' Clue Carrier in the backpack will now place the correct amount of clues in the carrier.
Removed some left-over debug messaging when receiving broadcasts for completing clue collection logs.
As there is no benefit to composting the evil turnip farming patch, players can no longer waste compost by using it on the patch.
"Altar Explorer" achievement is no longer unlocked every time the Player completes the round of Great Orb Project.
Removed links to the Jagex Store within the redeem bonds interface whilst on mobile devices.
Community
Welcome to the Community Tab! Here, have a cupcake. This week we’re settling in for a behind-the-scenes look at Orthen, rallying for a Kalphite King boss mass, and flexing our art appreciation muscles with some fantastic art. Ready? Then let’s go!
Livestreams
J-Mod Livestreams
Tuesday October 20th | 16:00 Game Time | Orthen Let’s Play & Halloween First Look
Orthen has been released! We'll be answering your questions and giving you an introduction to RuneScape's newest digsite - and a cheeky first-look at this year's Halloween event!
Wednesday October 21st | 15:00 Game Time | Stutorials
Our tenacious time-travelling tutorial team are taking a trip to Troll Warzone this week, where they’ll be reminiscing on the creation of one of RuneScape’s most iconic tutorials. Don’t miss out!
Featured Streamer
Our featured streamers this week are Agita Sage and ChunksOfPlum! The dynamic duo will be taking part in a blindfolded PvM challenge, which sounds pretty exciting to us! They’ll also be doing some community bossing and a few clues.
Gielinor’s baldest baddies have gathered in this fantastic piece of art by Mavrick882. We’ve all had to try cutting our hair during lockdown, so the urge to just shave it all off is extremely relatable right now. Great job!
Pink Skirts Event
This week’s featured Pink Skirts event is the Kalphite King boss mass, hosted by Sharna, Nobleartisan and Philly PD (we’re pretty sure the desert is out of their jurisdiction, but what do we know?).
To join the battle, head to the Kalphite Hive on World 68 this Tuesday October 20th at 23:00. Don’t forget your rope!
Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of RuneScape - now on Steam! RuneScape is a high fantasy sandbox MMO where you can do whatever and be whoever you wish. Whether you want to slay dragons, herd sheep, cook pies or simply explore the magical world, RuneScape has an adventure for everyone.
Making it even better, RuneScape is an experience without borders, with seamless cross-platform play between Steam, the desktop client and mobile.
When playing here on Steam, you can collect 20 new achievements, 15 trading cards, 6 emoticons, 6 badges and 3 player profile backgrounds. Cor!
If you’ve played before, you can link your existing account with Steam to carry over all your progress and items, or if not you can very easily start a brand new account to take with you wherever you go.
RuneScape is a fantastic free-to-play adventure, but if you want to experience everything Gielinor has to offer, why not upgrade to membership? This gets you access to hundreds of new quests, new skills like Archaeology, Thieving and Slayer, and a vastly expanded game world.
If that’s something you’re interested in, then we’ve got great news for you – you can upgrade your account right here in Steam and get loads of exclusive cosmetics, too!
Right now there are three membership packs on offer:
RUNESCAPE STARTER PACK
This pack is perfect for first-time members:
1 Month of RuneScape Membership Access
15 Treasure Hunter Keys
Forge Goblin War Hammer
RUNESCAPE STANDARD PACK
This intermediate pack is for those who’d like to delve a little deeper into the RuneScape experience:
3 Months of RuneScape Membership Access
50 Treasure Hunter Keys
Forge Goblin Outfit
RuneScape Soundtrack: The Orchestral Collection
RUNESCAPE MAX PACK
If you’re looking for the best deal and all the best goodies, then this is the pack for you:
12 Months of RuneScape Membership Access
75 Treasure Hunter Keys
Forge Goblin outfit
Forge Goblin Mechanical Frog pet
Forge Goblin War Hammer
2 Cosmetic Tokens
50 extra Bank spaces
Extra daily Key
RuneScape Soundtrack: The Orchestral Collection
The cosmetics in these packs are a timed exclusive for launch, although they will be available through other methods at a later date.
Membership access is for the time advertised, although if you want to continue your adventure, recurring membership options are available in-game.
Eager to learn more about the world of RuneScape? Look no further:
Combat! Yes, the glorious art of bashing monsters and hunting demons is part of any good high-fantasy world, and RuneScape is no different. In our last This Is RuneScape blog, it’s high time to dive into the various Combat arts you can master and how they fit in to your adventures across the world of Gielinor.
Master of Many
There’s three primary styles of Combat to get to grips with in RuneScape – Melee, Ranged and Magic. Each has associated Skills to level that increase your power through new abilities, spells, access to higher level gear and plenty more.
There are no classes in RuneScape, so you can be a master of any Combat style you like at any time. And you’ll need to be! As you venture across Gielinor, there’s a vast array of creatures, humans, dragons and demons that all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so being versatile with your Combat is often key to success.
But fret not, fair adventurer - equipment will help make your raw capabilities even more lethal. As you level up key skills (like Attack for Melee or Defence for Armor), you’ll be able to equip better protection and weapons that will even the odds against increasingly grizzly foes.
Skilling Matters
On top of power-boosting gear, other Skills in your repertoire will also feed into your Combat lethality!
Supporting skills Prayer and Summoning will offer the most direct assistance. Prayer allows you to channel godly blessings that enhance your abilities, while Summoning let’s you… well, summon... creatures into battle, whether that’s a damage-dealer like the Ripper Demon or a giant War Tortoise that can carry extra supplies!
As with the general philosophy of Skilling in RuneScape, many of the other abilities will also give you a helping hand in your quest for Combat prowess. And that goes far beyond simply crafting your own armour and weapons (although that is super cool).
Herblore is a great example. Your knowledge of potions can translate to success in battle, allowing you to craft concoctions that can both protect you or boost your capabilities. Pass the Weapon Poison +++!
Fight Your Way
As you grow more powerful, action bars and hotkeys will become a core part of your Combat routine, Eventually you'll develop a whole host of abilities at your finger-tips – but not necessarily all of the time.
The default Combat mode is what we call Revolution, which selects some of your powers to automatically activate on your behalf, reducing the manual labour of brawling and allowing you to focus on when to activate more impactful abilities like Ultimates.
As you reach the biggest Combat challenges in the game (more on those in a bit), or simply if you want more control, Manual mode places every single one of your battle manoeuvres under your command. It’s the most intensive, but also the most optimisable, way to deal some juicy damage.
If you prefer to keep things simple, there’s also Legacy Combat mode. This harkens back to the days of RuneScape yore when only a simple click was needed to start attacking, leaving you to focus just on consumables and weapon special attacks. While you won’t be able to take on the game’s biggest Combat challenges this way, you can enjoy this approach for the vast majority of the game.
In the end, it’s about doing Combat your way!
Reasons To Fight
While there's nothing like some mindless Slaying, we know there's plenty of you out there that need a purpose beyond simple monster-bashing. So good news - there’s plenty of reasons!
For the questing types, you’ll need to enhance your powers to take on some of the toughest quests in the game and face down some climactic battles that will test your Combat skillset.
For the less quest-orientated, the aptly named Slayer skill tasks you with travelling the land to hunt down certain types of monsters. Kill enough to complete your task, and in turn you'll gain access to more lucrative beasties for money making and material drops!
There's also Dungeoneering, which has you venturing through the floors of ever-deepening dungeons. And you start empty handed! All your Skills come into play in order to craft whatever you're able to with items you find on your run, but Combat is the core of the experience if you want to take on the toughest floors available.
And then there's the pinnacle PvM content to tackle, from epic solo bosses through to a whole menagerie of challenging group encounters. You name it, we have it. If you are someone who yearns for glory and the best rewards the game has to offer, this is for you - whether you use those drops to make money or to arm yourself to the teeth. RuneScape's Clan System is a great way to find like minded adventurers to take on these mighty challenges, but you can also use the Grouping feature to find like-minded combatants willing to take on the toughest Gielinor has to offer.
And finally, for the brave and the bold, there’s PvP in the legendary Wilderness. Those who dare to venture into the depths of this special PvP enabled area can face off against other players, but be warned, though - almost everything you are holding or have equipped is on the line. You can reap massive rewards in the Wildy, but you can also lose it all. Sound like your jam? We salute you!
That’s it for our This Is RuneScape! series. We hope you feel ready for launch on October 14th – and if you’d like to know more details about anything you’ve read so far, hop on over to the RuneScape Wiki for some fantastic guides that’ll get you nice and prepared for your first steps in Gielinor.
