Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

6 November 2006 - Enlightened Journey

Auguste the monk is one of the more interesting brothers on Entrana, but the locals don't always like the idea of his "air-brained" schemes. This time he's been working on a plan to lift his spirits to new heights...

In this new quest, you'll be invited to use your skills to help Brother Auguste reach his dreams (and earn you some experience on the way). Unlock a new costume and a brand new transport system, providing you're talented enough to tackle a unique-looking puzzle.

Pack light and travel to the south-west corner of Entrana to meet with Auguste for a thrill-seeking journey across the globe. Keep your eyes open for all sorts of interesting sights on this Enlightened Journey.

Once you have helped Auguste prove his theories, you will have the opportunity to help him expand his enterprise all over RuneScape, so long as you have the talent and the materials to get you there...

In other news...

A new farming patch has been added to the Gnome Stronghold for growing trees. It's west of the agility course, near the bank. Like the other four tree patches, this one has an obliging gardener willing to look after your saplings in exchange for a little payment, and also a handy Leprechaun to keep hold of your tools.

When you switch weapons after you've been autocasting spells with a staff, your combat style will now attempt to stay on the last melee combat mode you selected rather than always defaulting to the Defensive mode.

The demon butler has been updated to match the other demons.

The special attack of the rune throwing axe will no longer "steal" other people's random event monsters from combat, causing them to attack you.

Runecrafting pouches have always automatically emptied themselves when you drop them on the ground. We have now added a warning message to ask if you're sure you wish to drop them.

Trimmed wizard hats have been updated to match the change that was made to the untrimmed versions a couple of weeks ago.

The trimmed Cape of Achievement for Woodcutting had a bug where it would change its colour to match your character's leggings. This has now been fixed.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

2 November 2006 - New Payment Option - US PayBySMS/Text

We are pleased to announce the launch of payment by SMS/Text Message in the United States!

This service is in addition to the existing Pay by Phone option and allows a quick and easy way to get our optional "members game" for those without a credit card.

Payment by SMS/Text Message in the United States costs $9.99 for one month of membership. The higher cost of this payment method covers the additional costs we incur running the convenience of this service. Please note: Our other existing payment methods are still the same price as before. e.g. subscription via credit-card in the US is still only USD$5.00 a month.

Also please note that boost, T-mobile and Verizon Mobile Phone Companies do not currently support the PaybySMS option in the United States.

All US customers who wish to subscribe using PayBySMS/Text can now do so by clicking the 'Start a new subscription' link from our front page. For more information about Payment by SMS/Text message, please click here.

We are constantly looking to make our PayByPhone and PayBySMS/Text Message payment option available for more countries. If these payment options are not yet available in your country, be sure to check the latest news and announcements regularly.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

1 November 2006 - Behind the Scenes - November

Welcome to November's Behind the Scenes article!

First to be released this month, we have Enlightened Journey. Rumours from Entrana suggest that one of the monks has an even greater desire to rise to the heavens than the others. In fact, his desire is so great that he is planning to make a hot air balloon! An experiment like that will need the expert help of an adventurer, so later this month don't be surprised if you get invited to join Auguste on a trip across the world.

Watch out for trouble from the locals and a unique puzzle to tax your brain. For those who can keep their heads above the clouds, a rather nice reward awaits...

We're also updating the website with a plethora of new area guides! About 20 new guides in total will be launched including the Void Knight Outpost, Brimhaven dungeon, Isafdar and the TzHaar City. Along with this we will also be launching a new set of wallpapers, another popular gallery page (for which the Postie is eternally grateful) and, of course, a new set of readers' letters.

After that little lot, we'll be giving you something we know all our members will be happy about: More bank space! We will be adding another three rows to the bank so you can store even more - erm - stuff! Hopefully, many of you are also using the new costume room (released last month) to store your costumes in, so you'll find you've got even more room to keep all of your gear.

Now, we know what you're thinking: "What on RuneScape can I do with all that new bank space?"

Well, how about we release lots of new equipment and objects for you to store, and perhaps even use with a shiny new skill? Yes, towards the end of the month we will be releasing the Hunter skill.

This new addition to the RuneScape skill list gives the player the opportunity to track, net, trap and generally scare the fur right off a brand new range of creatures! Hundreds of new objects and large areas of the map will now be opened up to you to explore and lay in wait for these pesky varmints. Rewards range from brand new weapons and armour all the way to your own imp in a box.

Speaking of imps, they are due to go "under the knife" this month, along with spiders and sheep. These three beasties have somehow barged their way to the front of the queue and will be receiving the full treatment from the Makeover Mage and his (or her) team of surgeons. Naturally, this means all of the spiders will be getting a new look, so be prepared for some rather scary legs to be creeping round a forest / jungle / ice plateau / cavern near you.

And finally this month, we release our second quest: Eagles' Peak. This exciting update is focused around the Hunter skill again, inviting the player to learn more about the mysterious disappearance of one of Ardougne Zoo's freelance specimen hunters. After promising them the delivery of a rare ferret the poor chap set out to the far western reaches, somewhere between the Piscatoris Fishing Colony and the Tree Gnome Stronghold. Something strange must have happened to him, though, as he has been missing for days! Will you be able to use your new-found skills to track him down?

Don't forget: The Halloween update will be taken down on the 13th of November, so don't delay - get your pumpkin hats today!

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

30 October 2006 - Halloween Event - for ALL players!

The time is here once again; the evenings are drawing in, the pumpkins have been carved, and RuneScape is once more filled with seasonal spookiness!

Halloween this year brings problems for Diango in his workshop in the form of enough poltergeists to fill a gnomeball stadium. The evil tree that seems to keep eating passers-by in the middle of the room is also cause for some concern.

Rewards to be had for combating this spectral and... err... woody threat include a full Halloween costume and a Jack o'Lantern helmet. It doesn't matter if you are a member or not, as all of the prizes are available to both members and non-members. For those of you who were not here last year, the 'Scared' emote is also back, but try not to get too frightened!

After the event is done, you'll find that Diango's new holiday item recovery system will also make getting your bobble hats back for winter a lot simpler. It will also cover the recovery of almost all of the holiday event items that you would have to otherwise go looking all over the place for.

Speak to Diango by his stall in Draynor to start this year's Halloween event.
Don't forget to check the Knowledge Base for more information.

In other news...

If you've got a Bank PIN, you will now be asked to enter it before removing items from your house's costume room, in much the same way that you enter it before removing items from your RuneScape bank account.
If you haven't got a Bank PIN and you'd like to set one, visit your local branch of the Bank of RuneScape and speak to the bankers today!

We'd like to remind you all once again that the Bank PIN is NOT a substitute for other forms of account security, and players still need to make sure no-one finds out their passwords. Visit our Knowledge Base to learn about keeping your account secure.

30 October 2006 - Postbag from the Hedge

It's October, and Postie Pete has been hopping around the world again collecting replies to your questions! This month we look at why rats run widdershins, ask chaos dwarves how they remain so cool, and finally we get that long-awaited reply from the Wise Old Man!

Click here to see what they have to say for themselves.

The East Lumbridge Swamp Mine Map, West Lumbridge Swamp Mine Map, and the High Wilderness Mine Map have been added to the site. Thanks to Alk12 for the first two maps and Meowmix686 for the last.

A new and updated version of the Elemental Workshop Map has also been uploaded. Thanks to Alk12 and everyone that helped with it.

And last but not least, a new Crafting Guild Guide has been added to the site, thanks to Jakesterwars and everyone that helped.

~Fireball0236

Blaze RX v1.0 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is here. This will probably be the very last version before a full stable version is released. This is a RC version which means it's likely to have a few undetermined bugs but don't worry, there are no severe bugs. Please don't expect a perfectly smooth experience. Report any bugs as usual though so they can be fixed.



Existing users, make sure you uninstall the old version before you download this one. Yes uninstall! Do not just install this version over the previous one. You won't have to uninstall for each and every update. This particular version has undergrone too many changes and the directory structure has changed.



You can either try running the updater (File >> Check for client updates) if you are an existing user or download it from the RuneHQ Downloads area (under Tools >> Downloads). If for any reason the updater fails, simply download from the site.



So what's new? Obviously, I fixed a lot of bugs which were reported. I been listening to your feedbacks and suggestions and I have added and modified some features accordingly. My sincere thanks to all who took their time to get back to me.



For a list of major changes, you can refer to the Blaze RX news after installing Blaze RX.



There are still some abstract bugs to be fixed which 95% users will never notice because they are occuring in some particular systems under specific conditions. It's hard for me to track down such errors. The screenshot hotkey bug has still not been addressed, it's proving to be more trickier than I thought. I apologize for that. It will be fixed in the next version.



Now enough of my blabbering, enjoy the new version and keep sending in those e-mails.



Samurai5911

The quest guide for My Arm's Big Adventure has been added to the site! Thanks Watsermetjou and everyone who helped with it!

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

23 October 2006 - Would you like to see My Arm?

Trolls have never been renowned as farmers. But Burntmeat the troll cook has heard a rumour that humans are able to grow goutweed, and he's keen to give it a try. In the kitchen of the Troll Stronghold, Burntmeat is hoping for a kind adventurer to teach his assistant this skill.

If you've done Eadgar's Ruse and The Feud, come back to the Troll Stronghold and meet My Arm, Burntmeat's exasperating young assistant. With My Arm by your side, prepare for a memorable voyage to sunny Karamja as you discover exactly how stupid a troll can be! This bizarre quest features jungle villagers, seafarers, dung and trolls aplenty.

If you can survive all that and help My Arm grow his own goutweed, you'll earn yourself a nice xp reward, plus a little something to help you get more out of the Farming skill.

But watch out for an encounter with the biggest bird ever seen in RuneScape...

A note about the Quest Point Cape:

Now that we've just released a new quest, all the players who'd got the new QP cape or hood will find that they've no longer got the right to wear these items since they haven't got all the available quest points. If you were wearing the QP cape or hood when you logged off before the update, the items will try to take themselves off you when you log back in.

If there was not sufficient space in your inventory or bank for the items to appear, you will be able to retrieve them from the Wise Old Man of Draynor Village free of charge. You will be able to wear them again as soon as you have the maximum possible number of quest points.

In other news...

The new Fletching cape is now available from Hickton in Catherby rather than the Ranging Guild. This allows players with level 99 fletching to buy the cape even if they have never gained access to the Guild.

If you have completed Darkness of Hallowvale and One Small Favour, you can now save an extra bankspace by storing the Meiyerditch short-cut key on your keyring.

Players who have completed the Rag and Bone Man quest, but who have not yet found all the bones on the wish-list, will now see a little yellow asterisk (*) on their quest list to remind them that they still have more work to do if they want to earn all the quest points available from the Odd Old Man.

Many people have requested that costumes stored in their houses' costume rooms should be protected in some way by the Bank PIN system. Although we have not yet made this change, we are working on it, and it should be released in the near future.

In the meantime, we'd like to remind you all that the Bank PIN is NOT a substitute for other forms of account security, and players still need to make sure no-one finds out their passwords. Visit our Knowledge Base to learn about keeping your account secure.

We now have a Comprehensive King Dagannoth Guide ready for use!

Thanks to Iamthersgod, Watsermetjou, and Halk_5 for making this wondeful guide!

- Alk12 -

The RuneHQ Browser Bar has been upgraded yet again to version 3.1. This time, however, there is also an Internet Explorer version available. Please note: The Mozilla Firefox version was coded by hand, but the Internet Explorer version was coded using Conduit.

You can download the Mozilla Firefox one HERE.

You can download the Internet Explorer one HERE.

Additionally, Oblivion590 and Downstrike have finished RuneHQ's first Web World Switcher! To use it, click on "World Switcher" under Tools to the left. For more information, go HERE.

If you have any problems or comments regarding this world switcher, please use the new Support forum.

~ [Im4eversmart] ~

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

18 October 2006 - Capes of Achievement... and Goats!

Are you one of the hottest firemakers? Craftier than a clockwork cat? Bit of a wiz at wizardry? Try out our new Capes of Achievement today!

Experts across RuneScape are now selling these stylish new additions to your wardrobe... but watch out! Only players who have reached level 99 of a specific skill or completed all of the quests will have the right to wear the latest in-game fashion and gain access to a funky new emote to show off their new cape!

Each cape comes with a matching hood, and if you've mastered more than one skill, a trimmed model will highlight your talent. So whatever skills your achievements lie in, you can show off your dedication with these elite new items. For those of you who still wonder about reaching level 100 ... there's a sneaky boost to your stat on each cape, temporarily giving you the effects of that unattainable century!

To find out where you can buy one, wander over to the Knowledge Base article.

This week also sees the release of a tough, new breed of animals. Herds of Desert Goats can now be found wandering around the Kharidian - um - Desert. Now there's a surprise!

Intrepid explorers who go hunting for these bleating beasts will find that they can collect goat horns, which, when powdered and mixed with Harralander, can make a new Combat potion. This magical (level 36) elixir combines the properties of a basic Attack Potion and Strength potion, so it's a handy addition to your inventory when heading into difficult combat situations.

Warning: Goats and the desert effect can be bad for your health!

Player-Owned House Costume Room

Do you love to collect different outfits for your character but have trouble finding room for them all in your bank? Is your local banker buried under a heap of lederhosen and frog masks? Your problems are solved!

From now on, if you have level 42 Construction, you can add a costume room to your house. Chests, wardrobes and cape racks in this room can be used to store many of the ensembles you can acquire around RuneScape, including:

• Treasure trail reward costumes


• Random event reward costumes


• Minigame reward costumes (such as Castle Wars armour)


• Quest reward costumes (such as Temple Knight armour)


• Recent holiday event rewards - you will find that the room automatically stores any holiday event reward you are entitled to!


• Plus, of course, the new Capes of Achievement!

Naturally, bigger, higher quality pieces of furniture in this room can store more stuff.

Please consult the Knowledge Base article for the complete list of storable costumes.

In other news...

As always, we've been working hard behind the scenes to fix glitches in the game. This week, among many other minor bugfixes, watch out for the following changes:

• Higher-level slayers may be pleased to hear that Duradel, the Slayer Master of Shilo Village, has finally restored Nechryael to his list of assignments.


• Giant rats, bats and bears have had their models and animations upgraded.


• Ever since the update to the combat interfaces, your attack style would be reset to Accurate mode if you switched weapons to a magic staff. This will no longer happen unless there is no appropriate attack style available on the staff to match your previous mode.

~Fireball0236

The RuneHQ staff have been investigating the RS weight system.

Based on this extensive research, we have come to a conversion table posted here.

You can now submit the weight of RS items using this table.

Use this topic for your weight submissions.

A separate entry has been added to the item submission template to fit the required information for new items.

Please do note that to access these topics you are required to have an account on our Forums!

-Carduel-

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

11 October 2006 - Players' Gallery and Wallpapers

For the past two months Postie Pete has been struggling to our gates with sackfuls of your fantastic artwork. Sculptures, paintings and etchings have been flooding in at a rate that has made even Pete sweat. He has collected together some of those that made him go "oooh", "aaah" or even made him chuckle a little. These fantastic creations are now available for viewing within the Players' Gallery.

The high-standard of work has made us want to return the favour, so we have cleaned our brushes, paid Aggie for a few vials of dye and made some of our own. So, available for download to your desktop, are six sparkling wallpapers for your viewing pleasure.

Will you dare go eyeballs to eyeball with the dreaded 'penance healers', who posed for this wallpaper between training for one of next year's updates, Barbarian Assault? Will you choose to marvel at the revised look of the rats, bears and elementals with our concept art? Or will you be sipping at a Blurberry Special in the gnome restaurant? The choice is yours.

In other news...

The far-flung areas of RuneScape have allowed our writers in to explore for another batch of Area Guides. We have been mapping the dungeons, tasting the cuisine and chatting to various characters to give a comprehensive guide of what to expect in such treacherous areas as Waterbirth Island, the Falador Mole Lair and the Cave Goblin Mines.

Following the teleportation jewellery changes of last week, we have made another clutch of items usable while they are worn. The following can now be used with a simple right-click on the item and choosing the Operate option: the blessed silver sickle, the progress hat from the Mage Training Area, Prayer books, the Amulet of Catspeak, rubber chickens and the Nature Amulet.

There has also been a slight name change to the magic staff reward received from the White Knights. It is now called a 'white magic staff'.

.-Brenden-.

Quotations taken directly from Runescape.com

11 October 2006 - Players' Gallery and Wallpapers

For the past two months Postie Pete has been struggling to our gates with sackfuls of your fantastic artwork. Sculptures, paintings and etchings have been flooding in at a rate that has made even Pete sweat. He has collected together some of those that made him go "oooh", "aaah" or even made him chuckle a little. These fantastic creations are now available for viewing within the Players' Gallery.

The high-standard of work has made us want to return the favour, so we have cleaned our brushes, paid Aggie for a few vials of dye and made some of our own. So, available for download to your desktop, are six sparkling wallpapers for your viewing pleasure.

Will you dare go eyeballs to eyeball with the dreaded 'penance healers', who posed for this wallpaper between training for one of next year's updates, Barbarian Assault? Will you choose to marvel at the revised look of the rats, bears and elementals with our concept art? Or will you be sipping at a Blurberry Special in the gnome restaurant? The choice is yours.

In other news...

The far-flung areas of RuneScape have allowed our writers in to explore for another batch of Area Guides. We have been mapping the dungeons, tasting the cuisine and chatting to various characters to give a comprehensive guide of what to expect in such treacherous areas as Waterbirth Island, the Falador Mole Lair and the Cave Goblin Mines.

Following the teleportation jewellery changes of last week, we have made another clutch of items usable while they are worn. The following can now be used with a simple right-click on the item and choosing the Operate option: the blessed silver sickle, the progress hat from the Mage Training Area, Prayer books, the Amulet of Catspeak, rubber chickens and the Nature Amulet.

There has also been a slight name change to the magic staff reward received from the White Knights. It is now called a 'white magic staff'.

.-Brenden-.

Say hello to the new improved Canifis Map. Thanks to maxpax444 and all those involved for this great map.

Capo6969 and Alk12 have teamed together to give us the improved Al Kharid Mining Map.

-|- DRAVAN -|-

The party has come and gone, we hope you had a good time. For more details, please see this post. World 60 filled up 5 hours prior to the event, so we ended up splitting the drop into four worlds: 56, 60, 77, and 92. The house party was held on world 92.

Apart from the Dutch F2P Quest Guides, we now also have the Swedish F2P Quest Guides ready for use!

A huge thanks goes to Achmed 90 and Andro_Girl for translating all the English F2P Quest Guides into Swedish!

- Alk12 -