Behind the Scenes - July 2014

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We're almost ready to launch Legacy Mode, but in the meantime, brush up on your boss slaying skills and deal with your arachnophobia. Araxxor and level 90 two-handers await!

Legacy Mode

Free players and members

We're into the last few weeks of development on Legacy Mode, following several big patches to the beta and your overwhelming 80% vote in the recent poll for the feature.

Your feedback has been fantastic, and we have been implementing the last few changes -including adding the old animations and combat stance - and fixing the final bugs. Expect a launch later in July.

Legacy is a selectable mode that brings back the traditional no-abilities RuneScape combat that many players miss, plus the old-style interfaces from before EoC.

Crucially, it means that traditional combat fans can have all of these things while playing the latest combat content, alongside those who prefer the newer style of EoC.

Along with Legacy Mode come a bunch of global improvements that affect all combat players, regardless of their preferred mode: an updated level 138 combat formula, special attacks and loads of balancing changes. We’ve been working with you on the beta servers to get as near as possible to the game you want.

If you're one of the thousands who like using EoC, carry on! That experience won’t have changed, and we think you'll enjoy the extra options offered by the brutal special attacks.

If you are one those who have returned to try out Legacy, we have videos, a gear guide and loads more information to help you catch up - coming soon. Welcome home!

Araxxor's Lair

Members only

In Morytania, vampyres are scared of only two things: adventuring heroes like you, and Araxxor: an arachnid horror from the darkest of nightmares.

Araxxor
Later this month, Araxxor will join the ranks of our epic boss monsters. Designed to be fought by one or two players, he's capable of changing his entire strategy and attack styles in each battle you fight, growing in power as you do.

This allows you to define your own challenge levels and experience the fight differently as you grow in confidence.

Deal with light and dark areas, acid, poison, fire, stone, webs, gut-wrenching explosions, and a bunch of new mechanics we’d like to keep hidden until launch day.

Overall, his entire den of creepy minions can vary every few days, revealing different routes to be explored. You'll need to mix up your tactics if you want a taste of the precious rewards. The difficulty grows if you bring a buddy, but drops are assigned individually, so you'll each get your share of the loot.

And what loot it is! With unique pets and a drop table even more generous than the Queen Black Dragon's, you can gain access to brand-new level 90 two-handed weapons, one for each combat class. Each one is built from the rare parts of the lair's evil inhabitant.

With disturbing sounds, a fascinating environment and my personal favourite boss graphics of all time, this one’s going to be amazing. We look forward to hearing your live-streamed screams of terror echoing around the globe.

Finally, the Ninja Team are adding in-game timers for boss fights, alongside the release of the Araxxor fight. This is just the first taste of some really cool content we've got coming for boss killers in August.

Twitch Integration

Free players and members

Talking of streaming, we're launching our Twitch integration project this month too. Accessible via the Community tab, the new Twitch page will allow you to simply enter your Twitch log-in details, pick a stream name and start streaming your game to millions of potential viewers!

It’s a fantastic way of getting into streaming for the first time and can also be used to find other RS Twitch users.

Royal Rhinos

Members only

In partnership with our friends from the United for Wildlife charity and the Royal Foundation, you’ll be able to visit conservationists in Burthorpe to answer questions about the real-world fate of the rhino.

Get some answers right and you’ll be able to adopt an in-game rhino, with the most knowledgeable of you earning the rare black rhino.

For the first month, these pets will impart an XP boost for all skills, and even act like beasts of burden before becoming a cosmetic-only pet at the end of the month. Watch out for rhino-themed community meet-ups, too!

Hiscores, Solomon's Store and More

And we're not finished there! How about trying one of our new community-voted seasonal hiscores - taking on the undead to compete for the Crown of Legends?

In fact, the Crown of Legends will be available to all players who have reached rank 1 on any of our previous seasonal hiscores.

There’s a new-look lobby coming out; we're updating the display name system and freeing up more names from dormant accounts; and the Adventurer's Log is getting a much-needed lick of paint. There are improvements almost everywhere you look this month.

Solomon’s also getting in on the community action, showcasing our first player-designed pet, Void Knight-themed retro armour and improved flexibility with the Keepsake boxes, allowing up to 20 items to be stored, and allowing you to store multiple items of the same type.

Have fun!

Mod Mark and the RuneScape Team