Legacy Mode entered open beta on Monday, and so far it's gone down a storm.
Along with a very positive response from those of you who've taken part - particularly from the PKing community - we've also got a ton of useful feedback.
Today, we've released a large batch of updates to the beta, based on your comments and gameplay, and we've got more updates planned before we're ready to launch.
While we’ve got fixes and refinements to make, the beta shows our vision for what Legacy Mode will be, and you can decide whether you want to see Legacy Mode added to the live game.
From Monday - if you’re a free player with an accounts created before January 2013, or a RuneScape member - you’ll be able to vote on whether Legacy is something you would like for the live game.
Be sure to log in and give it a go this weekend, if you haven't already!
Read on for full details.
Today's Update
We've brought in a big batch of changes, based on your feedback. These can be tried out in the beta now:
- There is now a Legacy-only beta world: 211.
- Monster aggression has been turned off. We'll look at alternatives in the future.
- Wilderness combat levels will display in the 126+12 format. This is experimental, so we'll certainly need your feedback.
- Recent armour tier changes have been reverted. Note that we'll continue to monitor this.
- Chatbox transparency can now be customised in Legacy Mode.
- A number of bugs have been fixed:
- The granite maul special can no longer be stacked for a series of rapid uses.
- Special attacks are no longer delayed until after the next auto-attack.
- The Dungeoneering ending interface now fits on-screen in fixed Legacy Mode.
- Special attack energy now regenerates correctly.
- Improved Excalibur's passive heal function has been removed.
- Private chat is no longer duplicated in main chat in Legacy Mode.
- Eating food no longer drains special attack energy in Legacy Mode.
- The dragon battleaxe special attack now boosts Strength, as it should.
- Potions can now be drunk below their Herblore requirements by boosting the stat.
- Certain combinations of gear no longer give excessive defensive bonuses in all styles.
- The Strength and Shared XP buttons have returned to their rightful places in the Combat Style interface.
- Timing of special attack animations is now corrected.
For a full list of bug fixes, and to keep track of known and fixed issues in the Legacy Mode beta, visit the forums.
Still to Come
While today’s updated beta version has a bunch of fixes and improvements, there’s still more we intend to get done before Legacy Mode is ready for a full launch:
- Create alternate set of old icons for Prayers & Curses for Legacy.
- EoC prayer and curse icons will be improved - particularly Soul Split's.
- Fix any remaining bugs, including:
- Lag experienced when switching armour and weapons.
- Delayed hit marks.
- Unreliable auto-retaliate in Legacy.
- Adrenaline potions not always returning special attack energy.
We will also be introducing more of the old style combat animations for Legacy players, with some additions for launch and then even more over time.
In the future, we may make Legacy-style interfaces available to EoC players too, as a selectable option in EoC Mode. However, this requires further investigation.
Regrettably, there are a few points from your feedback that we won't be able to cover. We've investigated and deliberated on the following, and have determined that they're either not viable or not in line with what we feel is best for combat overall:
- 100% protection prayers
- Pre-EoC stats on gear.
- The old Quest Log side interface.
- The removal of summoning and high-level potions from Wilderness.
Get Ready to Vote
From Monday 23rd June, a poll will be run, asking whether Legacy Mode should be added into the live game.
Free players with accounts created before January 2013 and all RuneScape members will be able to vote. Note that you'll have to do so from within the game - this poll won't be available on the website.
Remember that we still need your feedback - on Legacy, and the global combat changes. Log into the beta and try out the latest changes, then head to the forums to have your say.
Live Q&A
Mod Dean and Mod Pi will be on the RuneScape Twitch channel – today, from 4pm BST – answering all your questions on the Legacy Mode Beta.
There are several ways to get your questions answered live on air:
- Post your questions in advance over on the official live stream forum thread.
- Send in your questions on Twitter using the hashtag #RSLive.
- Join us on Twitch once the stream kicks off, and post your question in the chat.
This is Legacy Mode
Our aspirations for Legacy Mode are to provide a solution for people who struggle with EoC, and find a way to bring back the old combat gameplay in a way which doesn’t affect those who enjoy the new system. We want to create something which feels familiar - something players old and new can jump into and play.
At this stage, we're fixing bugs and making final tweaks, but the Legacy Mode in the beta now is representative of what we’ve set out to achieve. As such, that is what you'll be voting for on Monday.
Of course, like everything in RuneScape, the system will evolve as we add more of your requested features in the longer term, but the core is now in place. Now, it's time to decide.
Take the time to play it this weekend, give it a try if you haven’t already and jump back into the Wildy!
The RuneScape Team