Game Review: Run, Escape From Runescape!

*The player in the featured image is None other than the Legendary Runescape Youtuber Fatwrecked who passed away in the year 2008. He made this game a funner place to be, so I begin this review by saluting him.

A link to FatWrecked’s (Ash Miller) biography.. it was authored by his parents…

One Puddle Too Many

When I first began playing Runescape in 2008, things were dramatically different. For one, character creation had far fewer options! My cousin who went by the name Rauen Vik guided me through the tutorial which at the time took place in Tutorial Island. I remember how proud I was to kill my first level 2 giant rat. Yes, it’s not something one forgets. After learning the ropes I was teleported to Lumbridge where my real journey would begin.

Being a resourceful player the first task I set out to do was craft my very own armor. I bought a copy of the map from the general store and found my way to the Lumbridge swamps where the mine was situated.

There I mined copper and tin ore and smelt them into copper bars so as to forge bronze. I know what you’re thinking ‘what a total noob’, but hey in my defence, I was one proud noob! Man, I’ll never forget what it felt like to equip the bronze scimitar which I had made all by myself :’)

Next on my list was cow killing time. Not only was it a good way for a noob to level up in combat, but also a reasonable source of food. The cows dropped beef which could then be cooked after chopping down a tree, and starting a fire.

Shortly after, Vik joined me and proceeded to give me a full iron set. Clad in Iron plate mail, I followed him and with his assistance finished the restless ghost quest.

The best part of Runescape is that while leveling up skills may get repetitive, all the mini games offer a more interesting way to gain levels. Furthermore, I have often skilled and read e-books at the same time. The trick to is to have a keen ear. For example when cooking, as soon as the sound of roasting lobster fades away, I use the menu to repeat the action and continue reading.

A must see for any Runescape player was Tehnoobshow’s Runescape God’s Exposed series featuring the three main gods of Gielinor. Saradomin (Good guy), Zamorak (Bad guy), and Guthix (Neutral Guy).

Gunthorian may not have been a god but he was by far the most entertaining character of the series.

I was fortunate enough to have my account hacked several times which meant that I got a chance to do all the different tutorials over the years.

Learning the ropes was the second in the long line of tutorials Runescape would have… and while it did not lack in action, for some reason or the other, I always felt that tutorial island was where it all should begin.

Unstable foundations soon became the successor to the former tutorial and featured how to get rid of foes without having to directly engage them in combat.

Troll Warzone became the latest tutorial after the introduction of RS3 and Evolution of Combat. This was far more interactive that the previous tutorials and had good CGI to boot. Also, for the first time in history, the town of Taverly had been opened to Free Players! It was truly a historic moment.

The most interesting tutorial till date was the one recently unveiled by JaGex(Java gaming experts owners of Runescape)

It was set in Ashdale a completely new town. The boss of the tutorial happened to be one tough cookie to beat..but I managed to do it without any food… my trick? I pray flashed! 🙂 it means click on the prayer button just at the right time in order to avoid taking any damage and conserving prayer points simultaneously. Prayer functions as both as an offensive and defensive tool in Runescape and can come in handy during most boss battles.

So why did I mention all these different tutorials?

I just wanted to show you how dynamic of a game Runescape is. It never sits around. The tutorials keep changing so it can adapt to the current style of play.

Runescape has branched out into three different games now:

There is Darkscape the dystopian version of Gielinor. (Player vs. Player)

Old school Runescape for those who like to live in the past and create a brand new future.

And RS3 for the ones who are fond of all the changes Jagex have brought to the game. 

In the past Runescape Classic mode was open for paying members but I regret to inform you that the 2002 version of the game has been closed down for good. 

Here are a few reasons to play Runescape as a free player:

Runescape USED to be the number 1 FREE MMORPG.

F2p is like a trial run. It’s better to give it a shot before seriously considering getting membership.

Runescape Wiki

Use the Runescape wiki to get to know the lay of the land.

Grand Exchange Prices

The link above shall give you a general estimate of prices in the Runescape Economy. If you are the type of player who has solid merchanting skills, open your world map and head off to varrock where you will find the grand exchange. The rest you can figure out through intuition and dumb luck.

What to stay away from

As I mentioned earlier I lost several of my accounts. Scamming has long since trickled away and what few drops remain are hidden in the shadows, however, it can’t hurt to know what to look out for.

Fortunately for you, Jagex introduced the Jagex Account Guardian and Phone Pin code which should under most circumstances keep your account secure. With these measures in place, you won’t have to worry about being hacked.

One of the things that will stay with you long after you’ve quit Runescape is the music. Trust me, the sound tracks are excellent, and as you explore Gielinor more and more soundtracks will unlock. If you get 300 you unlock an air guitar emote \m/

Before I forget, there are holiday events on occasions such as Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and Halloween, so be sure to tune in during those festive times. Holiday quests last for a whole week and are more fun than normal everyday quests.

One major improvement from past iterations of the game is that Jagex killed off bots using its bot killer technology. Their method was pure genius. They recruited a bot maker for their J-mod team and got the former bot maker to figure out a way to get rid of bots. xD ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ 😉

The lore is immersive. Recently Jagex allowed the gods to directly interfere in the affairs of man and they have been much more active. Two battles have already taken place, one in Lumbridge and the other in Falador. The players can directly alter history through their actions. Zamorak has ceded defeat to Saradomin but at no great cost while Bandos lost his life at the hands of armadyl. Guthix was slayed by Sliske who ascended into Godhood.

For those truly interested in the Lore, T.S Church has authored a few novels which can be bought on Amazon.

Moreover, by introducing bonds into the game, they found a way to get rid of Real World Trading (trading in-game gp for real money)… in the past people would pay 10 million Runescape Gold coins to get membership for a month, now they can directly buy a bond from the Grand Exchange in place of 9 million coins and get membership. This acts as a cash sink and keeps the currency deflated.

Lastly, Runescape features tens of mini-games, my personal favorite being clan wars and fist of guthix. A great way to make friends is by playing mini-games, before you know it, you’d have formed your own clan.

If I had to give it a rating…

7/10..

I feel like Jagex are trying to cater to too many people at once…

If you start playing now, know that you don’t have to deal with the goblin yelps and his squeal of fortune since players like me lobbied to have him removed… there was a whole forum movement to get rid of the mascot of Micro Transactions…

not to worry, since then Jagex has become more mature and smoother when it comes to MTs ingame.

I hate to say this, but seeing yelps all beaten up makes me grin. That goblin gave me nightmares.

Runescape never ends, so it might be time for you to begin.