Spectacular Summer Skill-Off!

What's up, thrillseekers? This week we've got a veritable Morrisane's cave full of exciting updates, from a sneak preview of tomorrow's Weapon Diversity and Bank betas to the long-awaited return of the Mahjarrat Aura. Plus, there's something sinister - uh, I mean, something spectacular - going on at the Lumbridge Crater!

Spectacular Summer Skill Off

It's summer, it's spectacular, so let's have a skill off!

... a what now?!

The Spectacular Summer Skill off is RuneScape's hottest new game show, where you - yes YOU - will decide which skill is the audience's favourite!

Six different skills have been nominated:

• Agility
  
• Dungeoneering
  
• Hunter
  
• Runecrafting
  
• Herblore
  
• Cooking

While you're busy with your usual tasks around the world and participating in the skilling games in the Lumbridge Crater, you'll be gathering skill tokens which can be used at a Skilling Booth at the Skill-Off-Event.

You'll get some additional XP when you hand in your tokens - remember, your tokens are your vote, so be sure to hand in your tokens at the Skilling Booth for your favourite skill! The least popular skill trained during the day is ELIMINATED, but the remaining skills will get their base XP rates increased by 10% for every day they stay in the competition.

Morn, your "charming" and "perfectly normal" host, is a "nice" guy, so he'll still allow you to train at the eliminated booths, with a couple of caveats. You won't be able to hand in skill tokens at an eliminated Skilling Booth, but while training there you'll still get the increased XP rates from before it was eliminated. To really take advantage of the event, we recommend handing in your tokens as soon as possible - if you don't, your chosen skill might be bumped out of the competition!

There's a 10% XP buff in the crater area, so don't forget to bring your portables!

Which skill will be crowned the SKILL OFF CHAMPION? And more importantly... what's in it for you?

We're glad you asked. Alongside an assortment of mystery boxes, you can unlock the following prizes:

• Behind door number one, it's the SNACK YAK! Yep - it's a yak covered in food.

• Behind door number two - the Blightreaver 2H Sword Override! There's something sinister about this sword. Perhaps there's more to it than meets the eye?

Weapon Diversity and Bank Improvements Beta

Here's a heads up: tomorrow we'll be launching betas for not one, but TWO pieces of upcoming content!

You're already familiar with the Weapon Diversity beta, but proper combat enthusiasts will be thrilled to learn that we're adding more weapon types to the mix. Here's a sneak preview of some of the new effects that will feature in the beta tomorrow:

• Hasta - allows two-handed weapon abilities while equipped.
  
• Javelin - hits all targets between the player and the target.
  
• Staff - means your ultimate abilities can no longer miss, and you gain +5% accuracy for 20 seconds after you use an ultimate.

The Bank Placeholders and Improvements beta is a very different beast: far from the excitement of the battlefield, we'll be asking you about your thoughts on bank tabs, placeholders, and a host of other miscellaneous improvements.

For information on how to join the betas and submit your feedback, please read tomorrow's dedicated beta post.

Mahjarrat Aura obtainable

As of today, the Mahjarrat aura will be obtainable by all players - including Ironmen!

As stated in the previous announcement blog, players will be able to purchase the Mahjarrat aura for 1,000 Reaper points from Death's Store. No Reaper points? No worries! The Mahjarrat aura is also on sale for 3 RuneScape Bonds via the bonds interface.

It should also go without saying that if you signed up for Premier Club in 2016, the Mahjarrat aura is already unlocked on your account and available to use.

Umbral Chest Package

From 12:00 UTC on July 25th to 12:00 UTC on August 22nd, anyone who buys the 450 Treasure Hunter key package will also get a free Umbral Chest. Each chest contains a guaranteed purple prize.

Furthermore, we've made some changes to the purple prizes available: the lucky Barrows equipment pieces have been removed, and the sunglasses and gold cane cosmetic items have been added. We've also added some extra coin prizes!

RuneFest Merch

The Official RuneFest 2019 Tees and Hoodies are now available for pre-order! Check out the Eventbrite page to see how you can get hold of one for yourself.

This year's explosive design is inspired by the majestic volcano that can be found on both Fossil Island and the Land Out of Time. It's the perfect thing to wear while you're roaming the prehistoric jungle and excavating fossils at RuneFest- or while you're hacking through the weeds in your own back garden. We don't judge.

By popular demand, you can once again personalise your tee with your in-game name when you pre-order. Why would you do this? We have a few compelling reasons:

• Be found by your in-game friends among the massive crowds at RuneFest 2019!
  
• Own proof of your attendance at the biggest and best RuneScape Fan Event!
  
• Strangers can look you up on the hi-scores and be consumed with envy!

You will also be saving £5 on hoodies and £2 on non-personalised tees when you pre-order.

Remember, pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee that you'll get merch in your size. The XXS, XS, 2XL, and 3XL tees are only available via pre-order, and we'll only have limited stock in other sizes available to buy on the day.

If you've already bought your ticket for RuneFest 2019, an email will be sent shortly with further instructions. If you haven't bought your RuneFest ticket yet, you'll be able to add your chosen items to your order before checkout.

Pre-order closes at 24:00 GMT on Sunday, August 18th.

Premier Club Cosmetic Token

Premier club members will now be able to redeem their Premier Club cosmetic tokens for the Shadow Reef Diver outfit, which will be available after this update.

Patch Notes

Hold on, there's something left over here at the back. Oh! It's this week's patch notes, bringing you all the latest information about the changes and fixes we've made this week. Happy reading!

Twitch Prime

We've once again partnered with Twitch to bring you a whole lot of exclusive in-game rewards as part of the Twitch Prime loot! And this month, each and every one of you who's a Twitch Prime member can grab a free Umbral Pack (Umbral Waraxe, Umbral Akh and Umbral Wings). How to redeem your gains? Simple, follow the link below and make sure you follow all steps of the process:

Claim your Twitch Prime loot here.

RuneFest 2019

RuneFest 2019 will be a blast from the very distant past as visitors take a dangerous journey into The Land Out of Time. Expect dinosaurs! And carnivorous player-eating plants! As you're travelling around a real-life slice of the island you can look forward to hands-on time with new content, talks and meetups with the JMods, loads of panels, a dedicated LAN area, an art area for meeting the creative teams and of course some very big surprise announcements on the main stage. We're also bringing back skill chips!

If you're in need of tips and suggestions on everything from travel to accommodation, you can also join our dedicated Discord channel, head to the official RuneFest forum or the community-owned Facebook Group.

Summer Special

We're now in the last week for you to grab 3 months of RuneScape membership for the price of 2. Summer Special ends this Sunday August 4th!

This 3-for-2 Months Membership offer also stacks with any existing membership you already have, so you can get it even if you're already a member. And as a bonus, you will get a brand-new outfit for your troubles - the Dragonkin armour! Head over here to claim your cut-price membership!

You want more free stuff? Sure thing, we've got two words for you: Summer Sweepstakes. But be quick, the competition ends this Sunday August 4th at 23:59 UK Time.

WIN a Chillblast Desktop PC + GT Omega Racing chair + 1 Month RuneScape Membership

Competition

We're now in the very last days for you to enter the remaining competition we've launched in celebrations of The Land Out of Time: Anachronia Explorers. This is you very last chance to win one of the 10 signed RS Orchestral Collection Soundtracks we've sourced for this competition.

• How to enter? Go in-game and build the lodestone on Anachronia to automatically be entered into the prize draw. It's that simple!

Ends this Wednesday 31st at 23:59 Game time. All winners will be contacted by their in-game Inbox Message Centre - so be sure to read your messages to ensure you don't miss out.

Facebook Companion

Our Facebook fans can now enjoy a whole new RuneScape experience: the RS Companion! Whether you want to get the best out of the Land Out of Time with some quick info, explore helpful Guides displayed in the Grand Library, never miss future announcements around RS Mobile or RuneFest 2019, grab exclusive Membership offers (even free stuff!) or need Support, the RuneScape Companion has your back!

Talk with the RuneScape Companion

The RuneScape Companion is still young and we want to make it the best experience possible with your help! Don't hesitate to share your feedback on Facebook and other channels.

LootScape

Our live streams are always a great opportunity to grab some awesome in-game prizes. And as our first adventurers set foot on Land Out of Time (or as we call it "LOoT"), we thought you'd like an update of the LootScape. Ok, roll the drums and behold... our LOoTScape!

This month, each and every RuneScape stream watched will give you a random drop from one of the following:

Guaranteed:

• 1 - 2 hunter marks
  
• 250 resources in a random Base Camp resource
  
• Guaranteed drop from Basic Drop Table (see below)
  
• View counter goes up on Orb

Chance based:

• A random skilling outfit piece (if unowned)
  
• Either Nature's Balance or Loots Cape (if unowned)

Basic Drop Table: Prismatic small fallen star, Prismatic medium fallen star, Prismatic small lamp, Prismatic medium lamp, Spirit Ruby, Spirit Diamond, Advanced Pulse Core, Spring, Silverhawk down, Medium DG Token Box, Small DG Token Box, Uncut Dragonstone, Large Cash Bag, Medium Cash Bag or Small Cash Bag.

Exciting isn't it?! So don't wait up - connect your RS account to your Twitch account and find out more here. Once that's done, have fun and watch our streams during the day for a guaranteed drop.

Live streams this week

Each week, we host developer Q&As, exclusive in-game first looks and more. And it's all live on our Twitch channel, join us! Missed a stream? Don't worry, we keep them all on our YouTube channel. Be sure to Subscribe to be the first to know.



Tuesday, July 30th - 16:00 UTC (Game Time) - General Q&A

It's been quite a while since we haven't sat back on the sofas and taken the time to answer all the questions you might have on pretty much any subject - as long as it's related to RuneScape (hum...). Well, today we're setting things right. Land Out of Time, Bank Improvements, Player Owned Farm, Weapon Diversity, RS Mobile, RuneFest,... anything that comes to mind, just ask away!

Join us for a full hour of Q&A where we will cover every single questions we've received in the last days on our social channels (Reddit, Discord, Facebook, Twitter, etc) and the ones you'll ask us directly in the live Twitch chat. Got a question? Then don't miss this stream!

LootScape will be enabled (see all details above).

Thursday, August 1st - 12:00 UTC (Game Time) - TheRSGuy Featured Stream

This week, our featured streamer is TheRSGuy. And for this special stream, he will be launching a whole new kind of series unlike anyone has ever done before on RuneScape!

This featured stream is also an opportunity to grab a LootScape! That's right, you can now receive in-game loot when you watch a RuneScape streamer. It works exactly the same way as our official streams, just watch TheRSGuy's stream on (his Twitch channel) and you'll receive the LootScape the following day.

LootScape will be enabled (see all details above).

Sunday, August 4th - 18:00 UTC (Game Time) - PvM with Mod Lee

Our resident PvM expert Mod Lee knows no fear and he's ready to take you all on another round of boss mass. From Vorago to the Kalphite King, the Corporeal Beast, the Angel of Death, if you've got a set to complete, an achievement to unlock, or simply want to hang out with friends and slay some, this is the place and time!

LootScape will be enabled (see all details above).

Pink skirts Events

Of course, adventures continue in Gielinor even when we're too busy (PKing) creating the adventures of tomorrow. Our PMods are here to welcome you in a range of PvM Boss Masses, Events and Q&As each week. Check out all the community events organised by the Pink Skirts on their official schedule here.

The RuneScape Team