Post by Rama on Nov 26, 2012 0:14:13 GMT
Posted by
Sakatsu
General
1 week ago
The Evolution of Combat Handbook
The Evolution of Combat is upon us, and there have been a multitude of changes made to the way combat works. It can be very daunting for those who know nothing about it, and even for those who know almost everything about it! It will take some time to adjust, but this guide is here to make that transition a lot smoother.
I. Initial Changes
II. Life Points
III. The Equipment Screen
IV. Dual-Wielding
V. The Hotbar and Sheathing
VI. Combat Levels
VII. Special Attacks/Abilities and Adrenaline
VIII. Momentum
IX. Monster Weaknesses
X. Ranged Ammunition
You can also watch RuneShark’s EoC guide here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfizs6js-UY&list=UUAQ7oD3HESnCU4479-gJb0Q&index=2&feature=plcp
I. Initial Changes
There are a lot of changes to the way combat works, and as stated before, I will be going in depth to each of these, and hopefully the way the EoC works is made clearer.
Changes:
- Life Points
- The Equipment Screen
- Dual-Wielding
- The Hotbar
- Special Attacks/Abilities
II. Life Points
Right now, our maximum Life Points are based off our Constitution level x 10, with the addition of things like Torva, Virtus, Pernix, Rocktails, Saradomin Brews, and Bonfires to boost our maximum LP temporarily or while the items are being worn.
This has changed. Our base LP has increased by 4 (so you now gain 40 LP per Constitution level instead of the previous 10), and armor now increases our LP. Not just Nex gear, mind you, but ALL our gear, all the way from measly Bronze helms to mighty Primal platebodies.
When you first log into the EoC, you’ll notice that your LP is flashing, signifying that it’s low. To sum up the technical reasons, it’s because the game doesn’t know that we have new LP. Anyway, to fix this, either eat some food or walk into a bank. All banks now replenish your LP to full, so if you tried the EoC at the start of the beta and found that you had to eat half an inventory of Shark just to get back to full LP after switching armor, fear no more! You can also use banks as a hotspot to heal during Slayer tasks.
III. The Equipment Screen
In the Live Game, our equipment stats are split up like this:
Attack Bonuses
Stab:
Slash:
Crush:
Magic:
Ranged:
Defence Bonuses
Stab:
Slash:
Crush:
Magic:
Ranged:
Summoning:
Absorb Melee:
Absorb Magic:
Absorb Ranged:
Other Bonuses
Strength:
Ranged Strength:
Prayer:
Magic Damage:
(Hefty list, I know)
In the beta, our stats are split up into
Damage:
Accuracy:
Armor:
Life Bonus:
And then we have some Combat Triangle modifiers which are being worked on. If the Star system in the beta confuses you, don’t worry, it will be fixed before the live release and will be replaced with a number system.
IV. Dual-Wielding
Probably one of the coolest changes to combat with the EoC is the introduction of the dual-wielding system. You can now equip certain weapons in the shield slot to use as an offensive weapon (similar to Defenders from the Warrior’s Guild, but better, stronger, and far cooler). Now, what does this mean for you other than looking pretty awesome? Well…
For one, you can’t just use any item in your offhand slot. Again, due to technical limitations, you need to buy/make/find the offhand version of a weapon in order to dual-wield. So don’t go out and buy multiple of the same weapon in anticipation for dual-wielding, as you’ll be out of luck.
Second, dual-wielding increases your DPS by 50%. What does that mean? (This also applies to using 2-handed weaponry) Using a 1-handed mainhand weapon like your normal Chaotic Rapier will deal 100% of your normal damage. When using a mainhand weapon AND an offhand weapon, your damage is increased to 150%, with the offhand weapon dealing that extra 50% (in the case of claws, a special case, each claw deals 75% of the normal weapon damage). In the case of Magic, though, your spell-casting speed is increased, but your damage is decreased to 75% to keep Magic from being overpowered. I mentioned 2-handed weapons, so I better explain them. They work in the same way dual-wielding weapons does! 2-handed weapons deal 150% of the normal damage that you would’ve dealt if it were a 1-handed weapon with the same stats.
Dual-wielding isn’t limited to things like double Chaotic Rapiers or double Chaotic Crossbows, this applies to cross-class combinations. If you want, you can use a Chaotic Rapier in your mainhand with a crossbow in your offhand, meaning you deal damage from 2 different ends of the Combat Triangle. You can also mix it up by throwing in some Magic spells, meaning all three forms of combat in a single fight! This makes hybridding a lot easier for those of you interested in that form of combat.
V. The Hotbar and Sheathing
If you’ve been in the EoC for a while, you’ll notice a hotbar, and wonder what it does. Well, think of it like a shortcut menu for all the things you would normally do. Want to have your prayers activate or deactivate with a single button-press? Now you can! Same goes for food and potions too, as well as spells! Probably the most important, though, is you can drag abilities onto the bar (I’ll get onto Abilities in a second).
Unfortunately, because keys are bound to the hotbar, you’re going to need to press Enter before you can type (however, responding to PMs using the Tab button works, just the same as before, so no worries there!). It does take some getting used to, but after a while it becomes second nature. I’ve grown so used to it, I often accidently hit enter before typing in the live game and I’m greeted with the Quick Chat menu!
If you don’t like the Hotbar, you can click the little button on the top right of it to minimize it so it’s out of the way. When the bar is minimized, you don’t need to press Enter before you chat, so you can ‘Scape just like before!
While we’re on the subject of this minimize bar, if you right click it (or hit * on your Number Pad) you can toggle sheathing your weapons. This is totally aesthetic, and changes only your idle position (stance out of combat) and whether your Total Level or your Combat Level is shown. Whenever you’re in combat and/or have your weapons unsheathed, your Combat Level will show, otherwise your Total Level is what other players see by your name.
VI. Combat Levels
Speaking of Combat levels, they’re now calculated differently than before. In the Live Game, our level span goes from 3-138 (126 if you’re F2P). In the EoC, it goes from 4-200. Now, how exactly is this level calculated? It’s actually quite simple!
The official formula released by Jagex is: X + [Defense Level] + 2
Where X = the highest skill out of Attack, Strength, Magic, Ranged, or Summoning.
For example: I have 99 Magic and 85 Defense
99 Magic + 85 Defense + 2 = 186 Combat!
Another change that has come about is the change of combat levels on monsters. Unlike before, where monsters could be as high leveled as over 2000, while we’re a measly 138 (or lower, for those of us not maxed), monsters now follow the same level formula. However, unlike players, their combat capabilities can exceed 99, so for monsters like the Corporeal Beast, he’s level 210 (if memory serves). So if you go to GWD and see a random level 126 Goblin running about, don’t freak out; just remember that his stats are going to be around the 60s range (126-2 = 124, 124/2 = 61 (for those who care)).
VII. Special Attacks/Abilities and Adrenaline
Alright, here’s the big one! Abilities are what will be the most defining factor of the EoC. Dual-Wielding is cool and all, but with abilities, they wouldn’t be nearly as cool or threatening.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room right now: Special Attacks are gone. History. Kaput. Bye-bye. They no longer exist in the EoC. They have instead been replaced with Abilities and Adrenaline. Abilities are the replacements of the special attacks themselves and Adrenaline is the replacement of the special attack energy. The two systems work similarly, except you produce your Adrenaline yourself and you’ll be using abilities a lot more frequently.
So, time to explain abilities!
Abilities are split up into 3 different categories:
Basic
Threshold
Ultimate
All of these abilities have some effect on your Adrenaline. Basic abilities produce around 7%-8% of a full Adrenaline bar, and are used for extra damage, special effects, all that jazz. Threshold abilities can only be used once you reach 50% Adrenaline, but are powerful, and thus consume 15% of your Adrenaline, so use them wisely. Finally, we have Ultimate abilities, which require (and then consume) 100% of your Adrenaline bar. These effects (for the most part) are extremely powerful, and can be the defining factor in a fight. However, because Thresholds are just as useful, and also require a certain amount of Adrenaline, it may be best to hold back your Ultimate ability until it’s greatly needed.
Because Special Attacks are gone, things like the Ring of Vigour, Inspiration Aura, and Special Restore potions have had their uses changed to now affect Adrenaline.
VIII. Momentum
Not everyone enjoys doing Slayer tasks while pressing 1-2-5-3-8 repeatedly just to kill monsters. Some prefer a more relaxed approach, and like to chat with friends and clan-mates while Slaying. Well, your answer has come in the form of the Momentum ability.
Momentum is a Constitution Ultimate ability that buffs up the damage of your auto attacks for 20 minutes, but prohibits the use of other abilities. If you use any other ability while Momentum is up, Momentum will expire.
Momentum is an Ultimate ability, and thus requires 100% Adrenaline, meaning you have to use some abilities to get it up that high. The best advice I can give to those who don’t like abilities is use ONLY Basic abilities, as these are the primary sources of Adrenaline. Once you get 100%, you’re done with abilities for 20 minutes, after which just repeat the process.
It should be noted that while the kill speed when using Momentum is higher than when not, it is much faster and much more efficient to use abilities to kill creatures. Thus, the tradeoff is less power for less attention required or more power for more attention required. It is also recommended to NEVER use Momentum when fighting bosses or other players, as you will most likely need to use abilities at short notice, making Momentum a waste of an Ultimate.
IX. Monster Weaknesses
In the EoC, the Combat Triangle is in full force, and all monsters are now assigned a weakness to a specific side of the combat triangle, as well as a specific weapon-style weakness.
For example:
Waterfiends are now weak to bolt ammunition. Because bolts are a ranged weapon, Waterfiends are also weak to ranged combat in general, and while you’ll do just fine, using bolts will be significantly faster than using arrows or thrown weaponry. It should be noted that following specific weaknesses is NOT required to kill an enemy, but it is heavily encouraged as your kill speed, and thus your exp/hr is increased significantly.
In PvP combat, nobody is weak to certain styles, but just sides of the Combat Triangle as a whole. Someone in Magic armor will be weak to Ranged attacks, and will take the same damage whether you’re using arrows, bolts, or thrown weaponry of the same strength.
X. Ranger Ammunition
This is a tough subject, simply because it’s so hard to do testing on. Basically, you not only need a Range level to wield certain weapons like bows and crossbows, you also need a Range level to use certain ammunition AND you need a weapon of the same required Range level.
For example:
Adamant crossbow requires level 40 Range
Adamant bolts require level 40 Range
Runite bolts require level 50 Range
Even if you have 50 Range, you cannot use an Adamant crossbow to fire Runite bolts.
Now here comes the tricky part: gem-tipped and enchanted bolts
Each “tier” of bolt has two possible gems that can be added to it, a “high level” and a “low level” gem. Ranged ammunition requires a Range level to use and a same/higher leveled Ranged weapon to fire it with. Adding the “low level” gem to a bolt increases its level requirement by 10, and the “high level” by 20. Enchanting these bolts increases the level requirement by a further 10.
For example:
Runite bolts require level 50 Range
Dragonstone-tipped runite bolts require level 60 Range
Onyx-tipped runite bolts require level 70 Range
Enchanted dragonstone-tipped bolts require level 70 Range
Enchanted onyx-tipped runite bolts require level 80 Range
This means that only crossbows that have a requirement of 60, 70, or 80 respectively can fire these bolts. The only one we have right now that can fire all of these is the Chaotic crossbow.
Edited by Sakatsu, 6 days ago at 2:32 am
Sakatsu
General
1 week ago
The Evolution of Combat Handbook
The Evolution of Combat is upon us, and there have been a multitude of changes made to the way combat works. It can be very daunting for those who know nothing about it, and even for those who know almost everything about it! It will take some time to adjust, but this guide is here to make that transition a lot smoother.
I. Initial Changes
II. Life Points
III. The Equipment Screen
IV. Dual-Wielding
V. The Hotbar and Sheathing
VI. Combat Levels
VII. Special Attacks/Abilities and Adrenaline
VIII. Momentum
IX. Monster Weaknesses
X. Ranged Ammunition
You can also watch RuneShark’s EoC guide here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfizs6js-UY&list=UUAQ7oD3HESnCU4479-gJb0Q&index=2&feature=plcp
I. Initial Changes
There are a lot of changes to the way combat works, and as stated before, I will be going in depth to each of these, and hopefully the way the EoC works is made clearer.
Changes:
- Life Points
- The Equipment Screen
- Dual-Wielding
- The Hotbar
- Special Attacks/Abilities
II. Life Points
Right now, our maximum Life Points are based off our Constitution level x 10, with the addition of things like Torva, Virtus, Pernix, Rocktails, Saradomin Brews, and Bonfires to boost our maximum LP temporarily or while the items are being worn.
This has changed. Our base LP has increased by 4 (so you now gain 40 LP per Constitution level instead of the previous 10), and armor now increases our LP. Not just Nex gear, mind you, but ALL our gear, all the way from measly Bronze helms to mighty Primal platebodies.
When you first log into the EoC, you’ll notice that your LP is flashing, signifying that it’s low. To sum up the technical reasons, it’s because the game doesn’t know that we have new LP. Anyway, to fix this, either eat some food or walk into a bank. All banks now replenish your LP to full, so if you tried the EoC at the start of the beta and found that you had to eat half an inventory of Shark just to get back to full LP after switching armor, fear no more! You can also use banks as a hotspot to heal during Slayer tasks.
III. The Equipment Screen
In the Live Game, our equipment stats are split up like this:
Attack Bonuses
Stab:
Slash:
Crush:
Magic:
Ranged:
Defence Bonuses
Stab:
Slash:
Crush:
Magic:
Ranged:
Summoning:
Absorb Melee:
Absorb Magic:
Absorb Ranged:
Other Bonuses
Strength:
Ranged Strength:
Prayer:
Magic Damage:
(Hefty list, I know)
In the beta, our stats are split up into
Damage:
Accuracy:
Armor:
Life Bonus:
And then we have some Combat Triangle modifiers which are being worked on. If the Star system in the beta confuses you, don’t worry, it will be fixed before the live release and will be replaced with a number system.
IV. Dual-Wielding
Probably one of the coolest changes to combat with the EoC is the introduction of the dual-wielding system. You can now equip certain weapons in the shield slot to use as an offensive weapon (similar to Defenders from the Warrior’s Guild, but better, stronger, and far cooler). Now, what does this mean for you other than looking pretty awesome? Well…
For one, you can’t just use any item in your offhand slot. Again, due to technical limitations, you need to buy/make/find the offhand version of a weapon in order to dual-wield. So don’t go out and buy multiple of the same weapon in anticipation for dual-wielding, as you’ll be out of luck.
Second, dual-wielding increases your DPS by 50%. What does that mean? (This also applies to using 2-handed weaponry) Using a 1-handed mainhand weapon like your normal Chaotic Rapier will deal 100% of your normal damage. When using a mainhand weapon AND an offhand weapon, your damage is increased to 150%, with the offhand weapon dealing that extra 50% (in the case of claws, a special case, each claw deals 75% of the normal weapon damage). In the case of Magic, though, your spell-casting speed is increased, but your damage is decreased to 75% to keep Magic from being overpowered. I mentioned 2-handed weapons, so I better explain them. They work in the same way dual-wielding weapons does! 2-handed weapons deal 150% of the normal damage that you would’ve dealt if it were a 1-handed weapon with the same stats.
Dual-wielding isn’t limited to things like double Chaotic Rapiers or double Chaotic Crossbows, this applies to cross-class combinations. If you want, you can use a Chaotic Rapier in your mainhand with a crossbow in your offhand, meaning you deal damage from 2 different ends of the Combat Triangle. You can also mix it up by throwing in some Magic spells, meaning all three forms of combat in a single fight! This makes hybridding a lot easier for those of you interested in that form of combat.
V. The Hotbar and Sheathing
If you’ve been in the EoC for a while, you’ll notice a hotbar, and wonder what it does. Well, think of it like a shortcut menu for all the things you would normally do. Want to have your prayers activate or deactivate with a single button-press? Now you can! Same goes for food and potions too, as well as spells! Probably the most important, though, is you can drag abilities onto the bar (I’ll get onto Abilities in a second).
Unfortunately, because keys are bound to the hotbar, you’re going to need to press Enter before you can type (however, responding to PMs using the Tab button works, just the same as before, so no worries there!). It does take some getting used to, but after a while it becomes second nature. I’ve grown so used to it, I often accidently hit enter before typing in the live game and I’m greeted with the Quick Chat menu!
If you don’t like the Hotbar, you can click the little button on the top right of it to minimize it so it’s out of the way. When the bar is minimized, you don’t need to press Enter before you chat, so you can ‘Scape just like before!
While we’re on the subject of this minimize bar, if you right click it (or hit * on your Number Pad) you can toggle sheathing your weapons. This is totally aesthetic, and changes only your idle position (stance out of combat) and whether your Total Level or your Combat Level is shown. Whenever you’re in combat and/or have your weapons unsheathed, your Combat Level will show, otherwise your Total Level is what other players see by your name.
VI. Combat Levels
Speaking of Combat levels, they’re now calculated differently than before. In the Live Game, our level span goes from 3-138 (126 if you’re F2P). In the EoC, it goes from 4-200. Now, how exactly is this level calculated? It’s actually quite simple!
The official formula released by Jagex is: X + [Defense Level] + 2
Where X = the highest skill out of Attack, Strength, Magic, Ranged, or Summoning.
For example: I have 99 Magic and 85 Defense
99 Magic + 85 Defense + 2 = 186 Combat!
Another change that has come about is the change of combat levels on monsters. Unlike before, where monsters could be as high leveled as over 2000, while we’re a measly 138 (or lower, for those of us not maxed), monsters now follow the same level formula. However, unlike players, their combat capabilities can exceed 99, so for monsters like the Corporeal Beast, he’s level 210 (if memory serves). So if you go to GWD and see a random level 126 Goblin running about, don’t freak out; just remember that his stats are going to be around the 60s range (126-2 = 124, 124/2 = 61 (for those who care)).
VII. Special Attacks/Abilities and Adrenaline
Alright, here’s the big one! Abilities are what will be the most defining factor of the EoC. Dual-Wielding is cool and all, but with abilities, they wouldn’t be nearly as cool or threatening.
Let’s get the elephant out of the room right now: Special Attacks are gone. History. Kaput. Bye-bye. They no longer exist in the EoC. They have instead been replaced with Abilities and Adrenaline. Abilities are the replacements of the special attacks themselves and Adrenaline is the replacement of the special attack energy. The two systems work similarly, except you produce your Adrenaline yourself and you’ll be using abilities a lot more frequently.
So, time to explain abilities!
Abilities are split up into 3 different categories:
Basic
Threshold
Ultimate
All of these abilities have some effect on your Adrenaline. Basic abilities produce around 7%-8% of a full Adrenaline bar, and are used for extra damage, special effects, all that jazz. Threshold abilities can only be used once you reach 50% Adrenaline, but are powerful, and thus consume 15% of your Adrenaline, so use them wisely. Finally, we have Ultimate abilities, which require (and then consume) 100% of your Adrenaline bar. These effects (for the most part) are extremely powerful, and can be the defining factor in a fight. However, because Thresholds are just as useful, and also require a certain amount of Adrenaline, it may be best to hold back your Ultimate ability until it’s greatly needed.
Because Special Attacks are gone, things like the Ring of Vigour, Inspiration Aura, and Special Restore potions have had their uses changed to now affect Adrenaline.
VIII. Momentum
Not everyone enjoys doing Slayer tasks while pressing 1-2-5-3-8 repeatedly just to kill monsters. Some prefer a more relaxed approach, and like to chat with friends and clan-mates while Slaying. Well, your answer has come in the form of the Momentum ability.
Momentum is a Constitution Ultimate ability that buffs up the damage of your auto attacks for 20 minutes, but prohibits the use of other abilities. If you use any other ability while Momentum is up, Momentum will expire.
Momentum is an Ultimate ability, and thus requires 100% Adrenaline, meaning you have to use some abilities to get it up that high. The best advice I can give to those who don’t like abilities is use ONLY Basic abilities, as these are the primary sources of Adrenaline. Once you get 100%, you’re done with abilities for 20 minutes, after which just repeat the process.
It should be noted that while the kill speed when using Momentum is higher than when not, it is much faster and much more efficient to use abilities to kill creatures. Thus, the tradeoff is less power for less attention required or more power for more attention required. It is also recommended to NEVER use Momentum when fighting bosses or other players, as you will most likely need to use abilities at short notice, making Momentum a waste of an Ultimate.
IX. Monster Weaknesses
In the EoC, the Combat Triangle is in full force, and all monsters are now assigned a weakness to a specific side of the combat triangle, as well as a specific weapon-style weakness.
For example:
Waterfiends are now weak to bolt ammunition. Because bolts are a ranged weapon, Waterfiends are also weak to ranged combat in general, and while you’ll do just fine, using bolts will be significantly faster than using arrows or thrown weaponry. It should be noted that following specific weaknesses is NOT required to kill an enemy, but it is heavily encouraged as your kill speed, and thus your exp/hr is increased significantly.
In PvP combat, nobody is weak to certain styles, but just sides of the Combat Triangle as a whole. Someone in Magic armor will be weak to Ranged attacks, and will take the same damage whether you’re using arrows, bolts, or thrown weaponry of the same strength.
X. Ranger Ammunition
This is a tough subject, simply because it’s so hard to do testing on. Basically, you not only need a Range level to wield certain weapons like bows and crossbows, you also need a Range level to use certain ammunition AND you need a weapon of the same required Range level.
For example:
Adamant crossbow requires level 40 Range
Adamant bolts require level 40 Range
Runite bolts require level 50 Range
Even if you have 50 Range, you cannot use an Adamant crossbow to fire Runite bolts.
Now here comes the tricky part: gem-tipped and enchanted bolts
Each “tier” of bolt has two possible gems that can be added to it, a “high level” and a “low level” gem. Ranged ammunition requires a Range level to use and a same/higher leveled Ranged weapon to fire it with. Adding the “low level” gem to a bolt increases its level requirement by 10, and the “high level” by 20. Enchanting these bolts increases the level requirement by a further 10.
For example:
Runite bolts require level 50 Range
Dragonstone-tipped runite bolts require level 60 Range
Onyx-tipped runite bolts require level 70 Range
Enchanted dragonstone-tipped bolts require level 70 Range
Enchanted onyx-tipped runite bolts require level 80 Range
This means that only crossbows that have a requirement of 60, 70, or 80 respectively can fire these bolts. The only one we have right now that can fire all of these is the Chaotic crossbow.
Edited by Sakatsu, 6 days ago at 2:32 am