Jagex has announced today that RuneScape’s Legacy Mode will go live on Monday, July 14th. Legacy mode, as voted on by players, reverts RuneScape back to the combat system that existed prior to the introduction of Evolution of Combat. Abilities are removed, the old interface has been reintroduced, several systems have been reverted back, and more.
Legacy mode is optional with Evolution of Combat still available for those who prefer it. There are several changes coming that will affect all players, including the recalculating of player combat levels back to the old maximum of 138 (currently 200), as well as the reintroduction of weapon-specific special attacks and a change to how strength stats affect combat.
Evolution of Combat was introduced to RuneScape on November 20th, 2012. A massive undertaking and equally dramatic shift in gameplay for the eleven year old MMO, Evolution of Combat introduced abilities, a hotbar, dual wielding, new equipment, and altered how creatures in the world needed to be fought. New items were introduced and many spells and other items were removed entirely or rendered useless by changes to how the game balanced combat. As one might expect when a game implements such a radical change, an indeterminate number of players up and quit.
Nearly two years have passed and Jagex has slowly working to bring those players back. Old School RuneScape was introduced at the end of February, a snapshot version of RuneScape culled from 2007, long before the introduction of features such as the Evolution of Combat, Grand Exchange auction house, or microtransactions. To move even further, Jagex announced that further content on Old School would be sourced directly from the community and put up to a vote before it would be implemented.
On the RuneScape 3 front, Jagex implemented a combat mode called “momentum” which was meant to replace abilities in regular encounters with monsters, by boosting offensive and defensive stats. Revolution was later added that is similar to momentum, however this mode automatically activates abilities, allowing the player to play somewhat like they did prior to Evolution of Combat.
The latest update to bring back players from pre-Evolution of Combat is Legacy Mode, but Legacy does more than simply automate a player’s combat. Legacy Mode was voted in with an 81% (200 thousand votes) majority. The mode reintroduces the old user interface and completely removes the abilities for people who choose it (unlike Revolution/Momentum which automates or ignores abilities). For all players, the maximum combat level has been reconfigured to its old cap of 138 (as opposed to 200), and weapon-specific special attacks are being reintroduced. Damage output and experience rates are supposed to be lower on Legacy Mode, but “near optimum” in comparison according to Jagex.
A few people have emailed me asking if I think that Jagex will remove Evolution of Combat altogether, and my prediction is to wait and see on legacy mode. 81% of the community wanted legacy mode introduced, and that doesn’t count those who quit due to Evolution of Combat and didn’t vote. I think what Jagex will do is iterate on legacy mode to become just as viable as using abilities and, should the time ever come where not enough people are using Evolution of Combat to justify the resources spent on updating both systems, it might be removed entirely.
For right now, however, Jagex wants to appeal to both crowds.
Fundamentally changing an MMO’s combat system post-launch is a daunting and risky task. As much as there is the opportunity to bring in new customers and reinvigorate the old, a game also stands to alienate its existing user base. Like it or not, people are generally averse to change, especially when it comes in one lump sum and after the previous system had been in place for so long. RuneScape’s Evolution of Combat radically changed the way players engage in combat, and not everyone was happy about the increased demand for attention.
Since its launch, Jagex has been rolling back certain features and making accommodations to appease fans of the older system. The Momentum ability was introduced and automates much of the new combat system without requiring a whole lot more input from the player than the old system asked for. Old School servers brought back RuneScape as it was in 2007 and then subsequently updated in a different direction to the main game. Momentum is useful for most aspects aside from the powerful bosses, but continues to be tweaked over time.
In a recent news post, Jagex revealed that the weapon-specific specials would be reintroduced as abilities to bring back value to weapons that had lost value since the update. This week Jagex added a new poll asking players if they would like to see a legacy mode, bringing back the old combat system and interface. The legacy mode would not replace Evolution of Combat, the two would exist side by side.
Turning on Legacy Mode will change your gameplay to be like the old combat system, circa 2012. This includes things like special attacks, no action bar, no abilities and type-to-chat. It will have the old interface layout, with combat info and buttons around the mini map, with the old side-panels in the lower right, plus an option for the old fixed-window interface layout.
At the time that this article is published, the legacy poll leans heavily toward implementation. The goal is to have both versions working on the same servers with players able to fight each other between modes, but not everything is set in stone. Should legacy mode be voted in, which is all but confirmed based on the poll results so far, players will have the opportunity to beta test the feature and tweak it to their enjoyment.
Jagex, for their part, has said that legacy mode is a way for them to open up their game to a wider base, including those who quit due to Evolution of Combat. The company stands by its previous statement that Evolution of Combat is not up for vote and players will not be given the option to remove it entirely.
A news post has appeared on the RuneScape website detailing large updates coming to the game’s Evolution of Combat system. Currently in beta testing, the updates include adding weapon-specific special attacks back into the game as abilities. Also on the table is a function to queue abilities, action bar setups, quickly change loadouts, as well as multiple smaller changes.
These are some of the larger features we’re working on, but there are plenty of smaller improvements coming up too. With these changes, we hope Evolution of Combat will be more appealing to all types of players, adding more depth for experts, while making it more accessible to those just starting out. But that’ll be for you to decide.
Players interested in testing out the upcoming changes and giving their feedback can log in to the RuneScape beta servers, which you can find on the main website. The combat beta does not affect your progress in the live game.
Happy days are here! November 20th has come and gone, and left us with a little early Christmas present. Over on the browser side, Jagex has finally unleashed the Evolution of Combat. After five months of strenuous beta testing, the update went live on servers Tuesday to some mixed but mostly positive reactions by the community. Along with the new ability bar (and abilities), Evolution of Combat overhauls the combat formula, changing the way everything from weapons, armor, and NPCs work. Players are now able to dual wield weapons as well.
Over on the Sony Online front, Planetside 2 is live and running. Players are fighting on three factions over three continents in an endless tug of war over territory control. You can download Planetside 2 on Steam for easier access, the game is free to play with a cash shop and optional subscription. Planetside 2 brings three factions and thousands of players together to fight in massive, multi-hour battles over large portions of land and resources. The game does require a decent computer to play, so make sure you check out the requirements if your rig is dated.
Finally, RaiderZ has launched today (the 21st). I have a review coming soon, but to sum it up: RaiderZ is a lot like a free to play version of TERA, with a few alterations to flavor thrown in the mix. A free to play game with a cash shop, RaiderZ emphasizes on action-based combat, where you’ll have to be active in dodging your opponent’s attacks and coming back with your own. The game is supported by a cash shop and published by Perfect World Entertainment.
RuneScape’s Evolution of Combat has been in beta for five months, and is about to turn the eleven year old MMO on its head. While Jagex has made some small tweaks over the years to their combat system, the company announced earlier this year that they would be going back and completely overhauling how players fight monsters and each other. The new system trades in weapon-specific special attacks for a more familiar approach, gaining adrenaline during combat and using level-specific abilities. Just about every aspect of RuneScape’s combat system is being changed in this update.
When the update does go live, players will see immediately see a number of changes, from alterations to the game’s combat-level system to a dramatic shift in how the game calculates maximum HP. Instead of clicking and waiting, combat is being made more entertaining with the addition of hotbars, allowing for quick access to combat abilities, potions, and food via simple presses of the keyboard. Off-hand versions of weapons will allow for another brand new feature: dual wielding. Finally, every single NPC in the game has been altered to follow the new combat rules, including specific strengths and weaknesses, balancing the monster’s level to its power, and more.
Note: This is a beta preview. All details are subject to change before the update goes live.
If I had one word to describe the RuneScape combat upgrade, it would be overwhelming. I don’t even know where to start with this preview, so buckle yourself in and let’s get rolling. RuneScape’s combat system has, for the most part, remained unchanged since RuneScape 2 launched in 2004. Updates over the years have attempted to bring in changes, from set effects, special attacks, and most recently absorption and health boosts, but these have been minor and unsubstantial in the overall scheme of things. Over the years, much of the older equipment has become outdated, obsolete, and as a result: Unused. So with the Evolution of Combat update, Jagex is overhauling both player equipment, abilities, and mobs to bring RuneScape’s combat system into 2012.
The combat level system has been reworked to sport a level cap of 200 over the current 138. Likewise, the mobs you find around the world have been given the same treatment, altering their combat level to more accurately portray their power. The combat level change comes with a drawback, however, as creatures that are far lower level than you (30+) will give reduced experience, or no experience at all. Thankfully this experience reduction does not transfer to slayer tasks.
Health is now wildly different than it was under the old system. HP has been exponentially increased to the point where, at later levels, your health can extend well over ten thousand. Your maximum health is now determined by a combination of constitution level, the health boost of the armor you are wearing, and any other temporary boosts offered through in-game activities. To reflect this change, food has also had a drastic makeover to dynamically alter its healing properties based on your constitution level. To keep the system balanced, however, lower level players will find that high level food scales down to offer a more appropriate healing for their level.
If you have any familiarity with MMOs, the new RuneScape system should come as a very familiar game. Abilities are activated by pressing their corresponding buttons or clicking on the ability bar/book, and encompass everything from instant damage, damage over time, area of effect, etc. The defense abilities, for instance, are dedicated to preventing and offsetting damage, while the constitution book is more based in recovering health. Regardless of your choice of combat style (Melee, Ranged, Magic), just about the same options are available for the picking, while defensive abilities are more universal.
New Vs Old
I’m going to use the word overwhelming again to describe coming into this new update as a decently high level player. If you have ever played an MMO beta that allowed you to create a max-level character, you’ll know the feeling. Rather than enjoying the smooth ride that would have been leveling up, I instead found myself spending well over an hour comparing stats, weapon requirements, effects, etc. Perhaps it would have been better to start anew, but I had neither the time nor patience to endure RuneScape’s long grind to level.
Right now, the Evolution of Combat has a lot of work ahead of it. Currently combat is far too heavily reliant on the use of the ability bar, a change which the community has not reacted positively to. In response, Jagex has promised that future updates to the beta will put less focus on button mashing the ability bar. Additionally, a new feature which lowers the experience gained for creatures much lower level than the player’s current combat level is being tweaked, and possibly removed in a future update.
Assuming you aren’t already in the beta, I’ve thrown together a quick video showcasing some of the new combat abilities in the Evolution of Combat beta. If you are a current member, you can beta test the Evolution of Combat update by logging in on the appropriate weekend. Otherwise, if you were sent a beta invitation by Jagex, you can log in regardless of the weekend events.
I will have a full written preview in the next couple of days.
MMO Fallout 