Next week's update is absolutely massive - but there's one feature so colossal that it just didn't fit. Find out more about that in the Game News tab, peruse the Patch Notes for some funky fixes and changes, or slide on over to the Community tab to find out how you can peel back the wrapping on next week's holiday update.
Right, grab your best gear - we're going in!
Game News
The star of this week's show is Raksha, the Shadow Colossus of Orthen. He's a big mean monster absolutely oozing with shadow anima - so to help you prepare, here's everything you need to know.
New Boss: Raksha, the Shadow Colossus of Orthen
You already know some of the history of Orthen. The creation of the varanusaurs, the downfall of the dragonkin race, the secret of shadow anima... now it's time to put it all together, and awaken the ancient terror lurking deep in the ruins.
Adventurers who reckon they're able to contain Raksha's immense power will find themselves rolling in rewards, but beware - our latest solo and duo boss sits somewhere between Araxxor and Telos in terms of difficulty, so you'll need to come prepared.
Getting Started
How to Start
- Speak to Laniakea in the ruins to the south-east to set out on a miniquest that'll lead you right to Raksha's lair.
Requirements
- Access to Anachronia
- RuneScape membership
- We also recommend a Combat level of 120, and at least tier 80 gear
Rewards
If you're tough enough to take on the shadow colossus and survive, you'll find numerous rewards waiting for you - including tier 80 boots for all combat styles and a mini Raksha to call your own.
Raksha also has the chance to drop three abilities, two of which are upgrades to existing actions.
Greater Chain
Greater Chain is an upgrade for the Chain ability. It'll hit the primary target and two secondary targets within a six square radius for 20-100% ability damage. Plus, 50% of the next Magic hit against the primary target within six seconds will also be dealt to both secondary targets.
One last thing - Greater Chain also stacks with the Caroming perk, so if you're a skilled Inventor you'll basically be an unstoppable killing machine. Enjoy!
Greater Ricochet
Greater Ricochet is an upgrade for the Ricochet ability. Just like Greater Chain, it'll hit your primary target and two nearby secondary targets for 20-100% ability damage, and it stacks with the Caroming perk.
Here's the big difference: for each secondary target the ability doesn't find, your primary target will take an additional hit for 10-50% ability damage. So if you're taking on a tough beastie on its lonesome, this is the ability you'll want to bring along.
Divert
Divert is a brand-new ability that requires 48 Defence and an equipped shield to use. When active, the next attack dealt to you within six seconds will convert the damage you would have taken to adrenaline, letting you wind up your next move that much faster.
Divert has a 30 second cooldown which it shares with Resonance.
Even if you don't luck out right away, Raksha has loads of great basic drops - so he's well worth taking on, if you've got the skill.
Title Diversity
Titles that had a unique option based on your character's gender can now be used regardless of which character model you're currently using.
To change your title to one of these new, exciting options, head to the Title screen under the Customisations interface.
RuneScape Merch
Still stuck for ideas this Christmas? We've got some new additions in the store for you to think about, with free shipping as well as free mystery keyring offers!
First up there's a kickass Dragon Mail tee. It's subtle, but undeniably RuneScapey - so it's perfect for sneaking into Christmas card photos.
Don't forget - these three super-luxe deskmat designs are still in stock and on sale! They'll not only make your desk look stylish, they'll also neatly cover up all the crumbs from the mince pies you've been munching.
Spend over £30/$50 and get a free mystery keyring, spend over £80/$100 and get free shipping.
See all these wondrous gifts, along with loads of other RuneScape goodies, in the Official Merch Store. See you there!
Prime Gaming
Time's running out to get 7 Days of Membership free from our friends at Prime Gaming! The current offer ends on December 15th, so head here and link your accounts today.
For more information, check out the Prime Gaming FAQ.
Patch Notes
Quests
Improvements
- The instructions given in the Lord of Vampyrium Quest Journal upon retrieving the pendant from the Icyene Graveyard have been clarified.
Fixes
- Sera no longer vanishes after entering the cave during The Firemaker's Curse.
- The fade out transition that plays while viewing Xenia's memory during Nomad's Elegy no longer loops infinitely after pressing 'Continue'.
- The music track 'On the Wings of Air' will no longer be erroneously unlocked when completing an Agility course during Stolen Hearts.
Other
Improvements
- The Halloween event icon has been removed from the World Map.
- Menaphite Gift rewards from Pyramid Plunder are now stackable.
Fixes
- The deed for the large dinosaur pen now has the correct description in the Farmers' Market.
- The Advent Calendar will no longer appear during the tutorial.
- The Advent Calendar banner in Treasure Hunter now correctly links to the Advent Calendar interface.
- The Tireless Blood Essence can no longer be used to gain extra adrenaline while an Adrenaline Potion cooldown is active.
- Premier Club Outfits are now correctly recoloured after being reapplied.
- The Armour of Trials message displayed when dying to the wyrd on the Paterdomus Bridge during River of Blood has been corrected.
- The timer will now show the correct time remaining when crafting multiple headless arrows while Dungeoneering.
- Fixed a bug where only 10 bolas could be fletched at one time, instead of 60.
- Pikkenmix no longer asks you to participate in Familiarisation after completing it.
- Fixed a bug where certain items couldn't be used in some areas of Liberation of Mazcab.
- Removed an incorrect voice line used in dialogue with Boric during Boric's Task III.
- The Augmented Crystal Hatchet's sheathed straps have been removed to keep it in line with other hatchet models.
- Infinity Set items (excluding tops) will now require at least 55 Defence and 50 Magic to equip.
- Having the Headbutt Mining animation equipped no longer increases the time required to mine rocky debris in Dungeoneering skill rooms.
- Players may no longer attempt to start the locked Sagas via the Saga UI.
Hotfixes
- Players can no longer kill Death. Nice try.
Community
We're gearing up for the festive season here at Jagex - and it seems that our wonderful community are doing the same! Read on for wintry scenes, chilled-out livestreams, and a Pink Skirts event you won't want to miss!
Livestreams
J-Mod Livestreams
Tuesday December 8th | 17:00 Game Time | Leads Q&A
It's the last Q&A stream of the year, so bring your very best questions, and our leads will do their level best to answer them!
Wednesday December 9th | 17:00 Game Time | Raksha Boss and Christmas Preview
We're taking on Raksha, the Shadow Colossus of Orthen, in a no-holds-barred battle - and streaming the whole lot! Hopefully we survive, or this is going to look very embarrassing in hindsight.
Plus, if you're one of those people who opens their advent calendars early and eats the lot, then you'll be pleased to hear that this livestream contains a sneak peek at next week's holiday update! Any guesses as to who might be making an appearance?
Creative Corner
Steam Screenshots
By MrZiiGGY👽
by Thainá Bloodwell
By LesYeuxPlusGrosQueLeMonde
Cracking Content
We love this moody piece from Legend Arts, entitled 'Fremennik'. What kind of legendary beast do you think this grizzled warrior is about to face down?
Glacyte's taken the amazing technicolour Courier Outfit to its natural conclusion with this fabulous set of jackets in every colour of the rainbow. Which holiday jacket is your favourite? We're rather partial to Halloween.
Community
Pink Skirts: 12 Days of Christmas
The jolly folks at the Pink Skirts are continuing their annual Christmas events tradition for RuneScape, except this year is already shaping up to be BIGGER and BETTER than ever before!
This year they're not the only ones donning their santa hats - they've teamed up with the Minigames community to bring you 12 Days of Christmas fun!
There are a whopping 54 different events to attend between December 12th and December 24th, and there may be even more yet to come!
Much like last year, you may be lucky enough to receive an Event Card, which you can exchange for in-game rewards like stars and lamps. But that's not all - the J-Mods will be joining in the fun too, along with some well-known community members.
Sharpen your swords, prepare your Thaler pouch, and keep a close eye on the in-game calendar to find out what's in store!
Pink Skirts Event
This week you can join the Pink Skirts for a few games of Barbarian Assault! If you're still working towards the 'Master of Assault' Achievement, then this might just be the push you need!
To join in the fun, meet Frostcaping and Clan Quest this Saturday, December 12th from 21:00 to 22:00 Game Time on World 66 at the Barbarian Assault lobby.
For more information, add Frostcaping to your Friends' List, or check out the Pink Skirts page.
By the by, Clan Quest hosts twice-weekly minigame events - so if you've got a favourite, be sure to check their page and see when it's in the spotlight!
The RuneScape Team