Quotes taken directly from Runescape.com

10 January 2007 - Players' Gallery and QuestHelp

It's that time again, and the journals and magazines devoted to the art of RuneScape are all a-quiver at the thought of what there may be. Postie Pete has gathered the finest art in the many kingdoms of RuneScape together and presents them in the latest Players' Gallery.

There is also a new batch of QuestHelps arriving to aid you in your heroic endeavours. Now you will be able to get all the help you need with Mourning's End Part I, Mourning's Ends Part II, Troll Romance, Troll Stronghold and One Small Favour.

Contact!

Deep within the Kharidian Desert, south of Shantay Pass, unrest is growing within the cities of Menaphos and Sophanem. With the threat of the Devourer still lurking in the shadows, the High Priest of Icthlarin has deemed it time to make contact with the citizens of Sophanem who had fled to Menaphos in the face of the recent plague. Thus far his attempts have proved futile, however, as Menaphos remains wary of the contagion and refuses to comply.

Perhaps all is not lost, though! Perhaps some brave soul will step up to this challenge and help out the High Priest! They will need to be well versed in the ways of the desert lands, having survived Icthlarin's Little Helper as well as Gertrude's Cat and Prince Ali Rescue. Adventurers with a desire to help should brave the desert as far as Sophanem and seek out the High Priest in the shade of the temple found in the south-west of that city.

Be prepared for what an ancient dungeon full of dangerous high-level creatures might throw at you. Rumour has it that certain sturdy inhabitants of this town have recently vanished during attempts to make contact with those over the river, so folk afraid of physical danger should probably steer well clear of this mission. Especially likely to come to a sticky end are those who rush in blindly and unprepared, though the careful and nimble explorer might find that success comes relatively easily. Those who prove themselves in this task can expect not only generous Thieving and Combat experience, but a new weapon that will prove most potent against Kalphites and other, as yet mysterious, foes. These rewards will come from both the High Priest and more unexpected sources; will you be among the first to experience them?

Make sure to pack your lantern, tinderbox, food, and plenty of guts, though maybe not your life savings. You'll need them for one of the most dangerous places in RuneScape!

(No, honestly, we really mean that.)

In other news...

Fans of Barbarian Assault will be glad to hear that we've fixed a number of bugs in that popular minigame, including the issue whereby players' side-interfaces occasionally disappeared and the problem with the Horn of Glory interface getting closed. On a lighter note, the egg launchers have had their mechanisms adjusted so that they should no longer shoot innocent-looking pet cats.

If you're waiting to be recruited for a game of Barbarian Assault, please note that you'll now need to turn on the ACCEPT AID option if you wish to receive recruitment offers. This option is controlled by the button on the left of the Run/Walk toggle.

The animations of the defender weapons have been adjusted to fix the problem where players appeared to stop walking for a moment if they got hit while wielding a defender.

The effect of the Flames of Zamorak spell is to temporarily reduce its victim's magic level. This was not working against players who'd boosted their magic levels (such as by drinking a potion). We have now fixed the spell to make it drain its victim's magic level, even if that level had been boosted. A corresponding bug has been fixed with the Claws of Guthix.

The new Blaze RX v1.0 RC3 has been released.

New users can simply download and install Blaze RX from
here or from the RuneHQ download section. Existing users should make sure to follow the instructions given in the inbuilt news system in the client.

This release version was intended to be the final v1.0 but due to the recent rules update, we have Blaze RX v1.0 RC3 instead. Note that, all versions before v1.0 RC3 are now illegal and should not be used!

The main focus of this version is to comply with the new Jagex Terms and thus making Blaze RX fully legal again. I am happy to say that I have succeeded in this and Blaze RX no longer breaks any of the RuneScape rules. For a full list of changes, see the latest news post after installing the client.

If you have any queries, please use the Blaze RX Forums which can be found here.

Jet Blazer (Samurai5911)

We are proud to announce that our online RuneScape client is now back in compliance with Jagex' rules and is ready for use. Please note that the minimum supported resolution to use the client is now 1152x864; this was a necessary change with the new layout. We have also added some new features in the update as well.

Oblivion590

Quotes taken directly from Runescape.com

4 January 2007 - Barbarian Assault

Deep below the Barbarian Outpost a new menace twitches and pulsates with anger, preparing wave after wave of shrieking, monstrous pummeling at the barbarians' expense... or is it some kind of strange training regime? Can these creatures have been put here on purpose? What are these strange mutants and why have they been caged beneath the earth?

Behold the Penance! The barbarians believe these vile creatures were spawned by the mighty gods to allow the people of RuneScape to show their allegiance through combat. A gargantuan arena has been built below the Barbarian Outpost for you to prove your worth, so head to the area and talk to Captain Cain.

Take up the challenge in this long-awaited minigame. As part of a team, choose which role you want to play against the deadly threat. You could be an attacker and hack your way through waves of slimy flesh, or become a defender, setting up traps and luring the monsters to a grisly death. Those of you who enjoy a fast pace of life could be a collector, sorting out the ammunition for the fierce launchers and unleashing havoc on the Penance below. The last role is that of the trusty healer - using poisonous substances against the Penance and ensuring your own team stays alive!

This is a team-based game, so the greatest rewards are for those willing to work together. Use barbarian horns to shout to your team and climb up to the mighty 'Horn of Glory' to let everyone hear your orders. You can choose to play with your friends and wander into one of the team rooms, or if you go to the quickstart room we will find a group of adventurers for you.

Working through the waves of monsters, you can level up your ability in the roles and improve your value as a fighter against the Penance. Other great rewards are available, including many items to be won - both new and old. These include a new armour set with multiple uses, gloves of lightness and many of your favourite rewards from other areas of the game, including dragon equipment.

Before starting you will be treated to a training tutorial, so you'll be ready to put your best tactics into play. This is also a safe minigame, with lots of expendable equipment (such as runes and arrows) provided for free.

So how about it? Anyone can show their penance, but it takes a real hero to help a barbarian assault!

Scientific Breakthrough Announced!

Ava's lab work has triumphed once more as her chicken knowledge expands. Users of the rewards from the Animal Magnetism quest will now notice that their devices now aid automatically in the recovery of fired missiles. This functionality operates for all arrow types commonly in use. Effects cannot, however, be guaranteed where obstacles lie between the wearer of the device and the fired arrows. All existing devices have had this enhancement fitted automatically; just equip your backpack, and your chicken will be ready to serve.

(In other words, the chicken will now retrieve most of the ammunition that would have otherwise dropped on the ground while you're ranging, but it can't do this if there's something in the way.)

It should also be noted that stocks of convenient scavenging materials in RuneScape are rather depleted. As a result, the arrow generation function of these devices has slowed considerably. Users should not be alarmed by this change which is due to natural effects beyond Ava's control.

In other news...

The games necklace has been updated to teleport players to the Barbarian Outpost as well as the Burthorpe Games Room.

Convenient right-click options have been added to the Magic Carpets and Gnome Gliders.

A bug has been fixed that was allowing players to cast Lunar spells on friends in non-multiway-combat areas of the Wilderness.

Now that the Christmas festivities have passed, the Gublinch cave has been sealed, the Karamjan snow has melted and Shantay Claws has sailed away to a distant land to learn more sea shanties; apparently the normal Karamjan climate doesn't suit werewolves. Players who'd rescued the childernapped childerkins (don't ask) and claimed their reward hat and tree will still have those items. Replacements may be obtained at any time from Diango in Draynor Village.

On a side note, Jagex has again allowed the use of third party Runescape clients, if they follow the new rules and regulations, so we will work to get BlazeRX and the Web World Switcher up as fast as possible.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quote taken directly from Runescape.com

3 January 2007 - Rule 7 and Rule 9 Updated (again!)

Following yesterday's update to Rule 7 and Rule 9, we have tweaked them both a bit more - to take into account some constructive feedback and thoughts we've had on the matter. Thanks to the people who have been helping us get these right rather than just ranting at us! Particularly our thanks to Strider. We believe the latest revision of our rules is still just as good at protecting our users, which is very important to us, but is also less restrictive (which is also important to us!). Please take the time to re-read both rules and make sure you fully understand them. Thanks.

Of course, having said all that we should remind everyone that downloading third party RuneScape programs is potentially extremely dangerous and still not at all recommended. Please be aware that there are programs out there which claim to be a cool RuneScape add-on, but actually install a keylogger on your computer and steal your password! You should also be aware that there are such programs around that won't necessarily be spotted by your anti-virus software. Scanning downloads is, of course, a very good idea but it still doesn't 100% eliminate the risk.

Quote taken directly from Runescape.com

2 January 2007 - Rule 7 and Rule 9 Updated

We have updated Rule 7 and Rule 9 to clarify some long standing grey areas, and to cover some recent threats. Please take the time to re-read both rules and make sure you fully understand them.

The reason for this update is both to clarify some very frequently asked questions, and also to help address recent threats which have been harming our players. In particular we have extended rule 7 to make it clear that it DOES now include third party RuneScape clients/world switchers.

We have done this for two main reasons: a) The sheer number of users losing their account/password to programs which pretend to be one thing but actually steal their password; b) Problems with some of these programs including extremely unsafe chat channels where large amounts of scamming go on, and users encourage each other to try to break the rules.

When RuneScape fansites are distributing programs which are then used to discuss breaking the rules or result in their own users being scammed, it's clear that our rules need revision! We don't want to be unnecessarily restrictive, but we obviously also have to balance that with protecting our users. We've thought long and hard about this, and hence this update.

Update 2-Jan-07 - 17:21 GMT

Further to that I just want to clarify a few extra things:

1) We're absolutely NOT going to ban people who used such world-switchers historically. That would be completely unfair given we've only just mentioned this! We will of course give everyone plenty of chance to read and understand the rule, and get rid of such programs first.

2) It's only RuneScape specific add-on programs we're talking about here. You can of course still use things like msn/aim whilst playing. Just bear in mind that if you do so it's entirely at your own risk, and we won't be be able to help with abuse/scamming. (so we don't recommend it at all, but it's ultimately up to you)

3) We're also looking at adding an official 'group chat' system into the game ASAP for clans and other groups of players to use.

What does this mean for RuneHQ? In accordance to the new Runescape rules, we will have to remove BlazeRX from our downloads section as well as the web-based client from the tools section. We are terribly sorry about this.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~ and Oblivion590

Quote taken directly from Runescape.com

1 January 2007 - Behind the Scenes - January

Deep below the Barbarian Outpost, the locals are putting the finishing touches to their brand new training area. They've been working hard to provide a new and exciting way for recruits to test their skills in a variety of different disciplines, far different from anything they had experienced before. Aren't we all lucky that they want us to join in, too! Beginning this exciting year, we will bring you... Barbarian Assault.

This minigame, which will focus on combat and teamwork, will have 4 main "classes" of player. If you're feeling aggressive, you'll be able to take on the role of the attacker, standing at the front against waves of twisted and brutal abominations while listening out for instructions from your team mates. In fact, without co-operation you really won't get far, since each of the classes requires the help of another to do their job properly. Will you be the healer and keep your buddies alive? Will you opt to lay traps and trails leading the enemy to a spiky fate? Will you collect the loot or operate the mighty cannons that loom over the arena? Will you defend your fellow adventurers' backs? For those who dare face the deadly Penance, access will be given to this beautiful new minigame and its unique list of rewards.

Also this month we will bring you two new quests at completely opposite ends of the map. In Contact you'll be quickly wrapped up in a tale of forgotten curses, long disputes and a rather nasty dungeon housing savage traps, horrific beasties and death. Care should certainly be taken before attempting to help the people of Sophanem... if you want to survive this high level combat quest.

You'll also notice some changes to the way our interfaces and menus look in the game, making them easier to use and generally improving your playing experience, such as removing the scroll bar from the magic interface.

In our second quest this month, Larry the zoo-keeper will need your help. He, like the rest of the adventuring community, knows there's something not quite right about those shifty, beak twitching, fish guzzling penguins. He, too, has seen them plotting behind closed doors - always watching, forever watching... But nobody will believe him. He's close to losing his job, but that really isn't what he's worried about, since there won't be a job if humanity falls beneath their evil flippers. No, stop laughing, this is serious stuff! You'll be adventuring north, beyond Miscellania and into the Lunar Sea, building secret bird hides and trying to find out the secrets behind the Cold War. A new Agility course and some of the funniest animations we have seen will await those who dare challenge the might of these feathered fiends.

We will also be releasing more updates to our popular Knowledge Base, providing another Area Guide to help with your exploring, updating more of the QuestHelp system and releasing another Players' Gallery and Postbag from the Hedge.

The cold, dark tunnels of the Haunted Mine hold more secrets than first meets the eye, especially for Tarn, a professor of all things living... yet dead. He has been buried in his work for far too long and, later this month, you'll have a chance to explore exactly what he has been working on. This update will be coupled with our next batch of NPC improvements (and accompanying wallpapers); making all the skeletons and zombies considerably more flesh-crawlingly menacing.

Happy 2007. It's going to be an exciting year...

Yet another new calculator has arrived on the site. The Rogue Trader Solver has been released just in time for the holidays!

Oblivion590

The TzHaar City Guide has been completely rewritten. Thanks to tullyswmr529 and everyone else that helped.

The Mos Le'Harmless Map has been remade. Thank you Mediwarrior1 and Andro_Girl.

Apart from that we now also have a Pirates' Cove Map thanks to Carduel and Alk12.

- Alk12 - and ~Fireball0236

Quote taken directly from Runescape.com

20 December 2006 - A Christmas Reminder

As the festive season quickly approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that purchasing in-game items or RuneScape gold for real money is completely against the rules and strongly discouraged.

For the safety of players' accounts, it is very important that well-meaning parents who may think that this would be a nice Christmas present, are aware that any accounts involved run a very high risk of being banned. As such, please do not accept or give away any gift of this kind.

To help spread that Christmas joy, try to find a more suitable present; something that says 'Merry Christmas' in a way that no amount of gold pieces or rune armour could ever compare!

If you would like more information on Rule 12: Real World Trading, please see the RuneScape Rules of Conduct.

We would also like to reassure players that we have a very safe way of detecting this (by tracking back to known real-world traders). We DONT just look for unbalanced trades! So there is no need to worry about being banned unfairly. We are extremely cautious to avoid that, and are aware people often lend each other items, etc...

Quote taken directly from Runescape.com

19 December 2006 - Fake websites

We're seeing a growing number of people in our game and on our forums advertising scam websites which are designed to steal your RuneScape password.

These websites generally offer you something amazing, such as a sneak preview of a forthcoming RuneScape update, thus tempting you into giving away your password in your excitement. Even if the website itself doesn't ask you to enter your RuneScape password, it might install malicious software on your computer that would steal your password the next time you type it.

In particular, we'd like to make it very clear that websites promoting sequels or spinoffs relating to our games are fake. Similarly, websites offering RuneScape benefits or the chance to become a moderator are fake. None of these websites should be trusted.

Think about it for a moment: If we had made something new and fun, we wouldn't hide it on a different website. We'd tell you all about it right here on www.runescape.com, like we did when we were working on RuneScape 2. So if you've found something that claims to be from us, but it's not mentioned on www.runescape.com or www.jagex.com then it is fake! We don't run secret websites.

If you see someone advertising a scam website in our game or forums, don't panic. You're safe so long as you don't visit the website. You can, however, help us by reporting them immediately, and we can take swift action to have their website removed by our Investigation Team.

If this happens in the game, please use the Report Abuse button at the bottom of your screen, selecting Rule 11: Advertising / website.

If the website is being advertised on our forums, please report it in the Forum Emergencies thread in the General forum, stating the thread's Quick-Find Code and the username of the player advertising the website. But don't post a copy of the website's address in the Forums Emergencies thread; that would help the scammers!

Thank you for your support.

Happy holidays!

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

18 December 2006 - Christmas Update!

Bob's bell rings, are you listening?

In the land, rune is glistening -

A beautiful sight,

we're happy tonight,

walking in a RuneScape wonderland.

When it snows, ain't it thrilling?

Find the kids, if you're willing -

A pressie for me, and plant a new tree,

walking in a RuneScape wonderland.

Snow's fallen on Karamja Volcano and there have been some strange goings on. The childerkins of Musa Point have been childernapped and some say that the gublinch are to blame! Go and see Shanty Claws, the singing werewolf sailor, in order to get the details. You can find him on the small jetty just to the north-east of the Karamja volcano. If you do well, you'll be rewarded with a free to play festive hat. Additionally, if you are a member, you will get a seasonal tree to plant in your player owned house!

In other news, the "trimmed" amulets from the new treasure trails are now appropriately marked with a (t) at the end of their object name.

The Christmas update will be removed in the first update of January. However, the rewards for it will stay in the game.

Until then, best wishes and festive cheer to all of you!

Cards, letters and area guides

The website gets a massive boost of Christmas cheer today, as we release all manner of lovely articles for your delight.

First up, you can send RuneScape-themed Christmas cards to all your friends all across the globe. These cards have been designed to be printed out, folded, signed and sent to friends and family. With three fantastic designs, there's certain to be one that fits your needs.

Postie Pete has been busily preparing himself for the season as he hops around RuneScape delivering letters and cards to everyone, and now he's had a chance to bring a few replies. Ever wondered what the graahks think about, or how Romeo got his cape? Read about all this and more in the latest Postbag from the Hedge.

Reldo has finally rounded up the last of his roving researchers and the fruits of their labour are here with the last batch of the Area Guides. Now you can travel to Morytania, the Kharidian Desert, the Feldip Hills and Tirannwn with all the knowledge you need to make it home safely.

And finally, we release a new batch of QuestHelps today. Now you can get all the help you need for Big Chompy Bird Hunting, Death Plateau, Garden of Tranquillity, Spirits of the Elid and Tears of Guthix. Remember, we're always adding quests to the QuestHelp system, so if you're stuck and we don't have it available yet, just keep checking back.

We now have a new Tree Gnome Stronghold City Guide thanks to Scorchy_Devil Thanks goes out to everyone else who helped too

-- samwilliamh --

The Animal Magnetism Quest Guide has been added to the site! Everyone thank Scorchy_Devil, Greendonkey, and everyone else who helped with it!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

12 December 2006 - Animal Magnetism

Scientists in RuneScape's lands have always been a bit insane, with heroic sorts often dragged into the researchers' mad plans. Whether it has been Oddenstein turning assistants into chickens or Fenkenstrain making monsters from the sadly departed, their plans have never had much appeal to the common man. In these modern times, however, a new breed of scientist has emerged.

Professor Oddenstein's search for a reliable assistant continued after the affair of Ernest the Chicken and has finally been successful. Enter Ava, the newest inhabitant of Draynor Manor, now a proud resident of one of Draynor's most historic homes. She shows no interest in megalomaniacal plans and scoffs at persecuting hapless minions. Her living arrangements are free of unusual furniture and she has no strange pets. In fact, all she desires is a good night's sleep. She is not, however, without some signs of eccentricity. Not only is she looking for adventurers to help sort out her house, but she claims that animal magnetism may be in some way useful when wielding a bow...

In other news...

The Cape of Legends developed a bug last week that caused it to display incorrectly if worn by a male character. Our team of highly skilled seamstresses has now restored the cape to its proper shape.

Players venturing into dark areas are now prevented from extinguishing their light sources. However this will not stop them being extinguished if something else tries to put them out, so be careful around underground rivers and giant moles!

The new dragonhide armour released with last week's new treasure trail rewards now has a level 40 defence requirement.

Players' Gallery - Christmas edition!

Postie Pete has been out gathering art again, and this time he's even managed to find a couple of seasonal Christmas pieces. The gallery is positively overflowing with cheer and merriment! Even the Wise Old Man is feeling the beginnings of a festive smile on his face.

For full appreciation of these Yuletide delights, Postie Pete has advised that you pour yourself a Guthix Rest, pull on some comfortable fancy boots and settle down to a selection that includes a comfortable dragon, the revenge of the Sandwich Lady and some comic encounters...

Don't forget to keep sending Postie Pete your artwork. He has become quite the art connoisseur these days, and has even taken to wearing a beret!

We now have a new Mage Arena Miniquest Guide! Thanks acdcfreak64 and everyone else who helped with this awesome guide.

- Chaosblade77 -