Introduction of Runelabs

Runelabs is the latest version of player-oriented content. Unlike Power to the Players, this allows for players to suggest ideas themselves and then those player ideas are then voted on by other players. This allows for players to be more in control of at least some of the content to be released this year.

Idea Submission and Voting

In order to submit an idea, a player needs to input a title and a small summary. Player may include a RuneScape forum link, but this is not necessary. In order for an idea to be as effective as possible, players should include a title and summary that will attract people, but still be able to thoroughly explain the concept of the idea. It should be heavily stressed that as soon as an idea is submitted, it cannot be changed or edited.

My Thoughts on Runelabs

In my opinion, Runelabs is a good idea. It enables players to submit their own ideas and then see how popular it may be with the RuneScape community. However, I do feel like it could have been better. For example, there is no way to categorize ideas, by type or by difficulty. This I believe has to be changed as there are too many ideas and thus makes it harder for people to find ideas they wish to vote for. In addition, given that Jagex is currently looking for a medium-sized idea, it will be harder to identify which ideas are medium-sized and as such, may make it more difficult for the ideas that are better to be noticed as opposed to those are just at or near the beginning. If these two category filters are implemented, I believe Runelabs can work very well.

Useful Information for Runelabs

Below can be found information about Runelabs from J-Mods:

Wednesday, 17:00-18:00 Game Time: Forum Q&A – ‘What Makes a Great Idea?’

Join Mods Osborne, Kelpie & Rascasse, who’ll answer any questions you may have: about formatting your ideas, what sort of ideas we’ll be looking for, and more!

We’ll open up the thread at 16:30 on the day for your questions, over in the RuneLabs forum.

Thursday, 17:00-18:00 Game Time: Reddit AMAA – ‘The Future of RuneLabs’

Where do we see RuneLabs going in 2015, and beyond? Mods Osborne and Kelpie will be on hand to answer your questions, and share their pearls of wisdom.

The thread will open at 16:30 UTC/Game Time on the RuneScape subreddit!

Friday, 16:00-17:00 Game Time: Tweetchat – An informal chat about RuneLabs as a whole.

Use the #RuneLabs hashtag between 16:00 and 17:00 UTC/Game Time and the team will be on-hand to answer all your questions about RuneLabs!

So if you have any ideas, be sure to submit them and if you see any good ideas, add them to your wishlist so that you can vote for them next week!

The Return of Hati & Sköll

Yesterday, Jagex added back to the game Hati and Sköll, the wolves that come to the Fremennik Province every year to devour the moon and the sun, respectively. Hati has come every January since 2011, and Sköll since 2012. The two wolves reside in the Fremennik Province for one month, so until February 19th. During the time the wolves are here, players can go to the Fremennik Province and battle them for their unique rewards which can prove beneficial to the players’ skill training.

Finding Hati

Hati, the wolf of the moon, is found south-east of Relekka. He has about 250,000 health and has a powerful special attack, but will mostly fight using regular melee and magic. It is much more beneficial to fight him in a group, given these factors in the fight against him. Once he has been defeated, he may give you a pair of Hati paws, an item that can bestow experience and bonus experience on a player’s choice of combat skill except Prayer or Summoning. He may also drop a cosmetic Hati head(mask) and cloak.

Calling Forth Sköll

Sköll, the wolf of the sun, is a bit different to his brother Hati. Unlike Hati, who is found roaming, he must be summoned by adding 120 logs of any kind to the bonfire found west of the Relekka entrance. Once summoned, he will call upon a wall of fire that surrounds him and will drop rocks onto the area around him, dealing damage to those in the area. Afterwards, he will use regular melee and magic attacks, and will occasionally summon 2-4 wolves to aid him. After being defeated, he may drop the Sköll boots, which can give players experience and bonus experience in Woodcutting or Agility, and may also drop the cosmetic Sköll amulet.

Helping Out Eir

Eir is a valkyrie located near the Fremennik Province divination colony who worries that “The End of Things” is near, especially after Guthix’s death. In order to help combat this, she needs her helmet and spear which can be found as drops from Hati and Sköll, or from harvesting an enriched sparkling wisp. You may only obtain one of these, so you will need to get a duplicate to then trade with another player to get the other item. Once Eir has been given her helmet and spear, she will reward players with experience and bonus experience in either Prayer or Divination.

So take part in this year’s battle against Hati and Sköll, and have fun!