RuneScape has been alive and kicking since 2001, and it’s still going strong today, thanks to the modernized MMORPG and its classic iteration. Jagex isn’t yet done with its fan-favorite MMO, though. They want more, they want bigger and better. As such, the RuneScape Road to Restoration initiative aims to overhaul combat, modernize the game, and introduce new players to the fun!
The goal?
Modernize the three original combat styles in RuneScape: Melee, Ranged, and Magic. Jagex intends to make each more intuitive and easier to learn.
For the past three months, RuneScape has endured multiple Combat Modernization betas, in which the community provided useful feedback to the MMORPG developer, resulting in tens of abilities being corrected, tweaked, and refined.
Now? Players can expect plenty from RuneScape’s Road to Restoration:
- New Look for User Interface: Completed at the end of January, RuneScape’s UI has been refined to improve visibility, polish key menus and icons, and make it more intuitive to read and navigate.
- Early Game Rebalancing: Released in mid-February, this update aimed to improve the first hours in the game, including skills rebalancing, including for hunting, thieving, farming, and herblore. Several early quests, including Cook’s Assistant and Sheep Shearer, have also been tweaked to improve player experience.
- DailyScape: A forthcoming update set for March will see the removal of much of the ‘DailyScape’ daily activities, which had been identified through community feedback as being chore-like, put pressure on players to log in every day, and offered disproportionately higher rewards than the game’s core content.
- Environment Refreshes: Focusing on the surface world of Gielinor, this work focuses on bringing a sense of unity to the in-game environment, making sure that every area feels quintessentially RuneScape.
- Player Avatar: Player characters are getting the biggest visual overhaul in over a decade with the two-part release of the Player Avatar Update. This has been one of the most requested updates over the years, and the launches in spring and autumn will see significant modernising of characters, increasing both their fidelity and detail.
- RuneMetrics Pro for Free: RuneMetrics, an in-game tool which allows players to track and analyse their XP and wealth gains, will become free for all RuneScape Members this Spring.