Meanwhile on Runescape
While boggling over the shiny graphics of the NXT Runescape client on open beta weekend, I did finally polish off the last Crafting level and two Divination levels to unlock Invention. I'd heard some, uh, interesting things about Runescape's first "elite" skill, and I wanted to try it.
I'm pleased in the snarkiest of ways to report that those rumors are true and Invention is... poorly implemented.
The idea, or at least as it was shilled to the player base, was to redistribute gold through the game economy and dispose of low-value items: wealthy high-level players capable of Invention would buy up the low-tier items low-level players craft in bulk to level their skills, and disassemble them to produce parts they could use to augment their own equipment. That concept falls apart completely when *high-tier items produce a better yield of parts*. So instead, the high-level players are crafting, buying, and selling high-tier items specifically to disassemble for Invention parts, and the low-level players are still stuck.
Equally frustrating, IMO, is the scarcity of components, though apparently there's a way to recycle my augmentors instead of just building new ones for everything I want to augment.
Lastly: why are only super rare high-tier items augmentable, instead of things that the players create and use??? Wouldn't it be more logical to make the craftable items augmentable? I can augment a LIVE SALAMANDER, but not an adamant sword? That said, there's something fun about carrying a salamander that horks burning tar at my enemies. It might be a good weapon of choice until I can work my way to an Ascension or Royal crossbow.
So, here are some tips for my fellow inventors:
- High-tier potions are one of the few reliable sources I've found for Enhancing components. I'm actually looking at redirecting labor from mahogany production on Etceteria into herb production on Miscellania, since I don't need Construction supplies at the moment.
- Manufacturing skills. Got metal? Smith it into things and disassemble them. That huge honkin' pile of maple logs from Miscellania? Fletch into shieldbows and disassemble. Daily sand allotment from "Hand in the Sand"? Melt it into glass items and disassemble.
- Remind me to give y'all a quick tutorial on scavenging enemy drops in Slayer dungeons. Scavenging Waterfiends in the Ancient Cavern has been a good source for armor, glass items, and noted mithril ore and bars. Scavenging Rorarii in the Monastary of Ascension, if you can get there, yields mithril armor, adamant longswords, runite crossbow limbs, and noted gold ore, coal, and maple logs.
- Actual, proper Slayer enemy drops. Loot that I didn't pick up before (gemstones, mithril and adamant armor, etc.) are now things I can just pick up and shred between battles.
- Rare components? Generally not worth it. Most of them just give the same perks you can already get from the right combination of common or uncommon components, and require disassembling really valuable items (Ascension components only come from Sirenic armor or Ascension crossbows and give... Enlightened and Glow Worm!? LOL NOPE). The only unique perk for a rare component I've seen so far is Brassican, which adds cabbages to your inventory at random. Fun, but not outstandingly useful. That said, Black equipment isn't overly hard to come by, and Knightly components yield the Taunting perk, which could be useful for raiding bosses or Slayer tasks (all nearby enemies in combat target you).
I'm pleased in the snarkiest of ways to report that those rumors are true and Invention is... poorly implemented.
The idea, or at least as it was shilled to the player base, was to redistribute gold through the game economy and dispose of low-value items: wealthy high-level players capable of Invention would buy up the low-tier items low-level players craft in bulk to level their skills, and disassemble them to produce parts they could use to augment their own equipment. That concept falls apart completely when *high-tier items produce a better yield of parts*. So instead, the high-level players are crafting, buying, and selling high-tier items specifically to disassemble for Invention parts, and the low-level players are still stuck.
Equally frustrating, IMO, is the scarcity of components, though apparently there's a way to recycle my augmentors instead of just building new ones for everything I want to augment.
Lastly: why are only super rare high-tier items augmentable, instead of things that the players create and use??? Wouldn't it be more logical to make the craftable items augmentable? I can augment a LIVE SALAMANDER, but not an adamant sword? That said, there's something fun about carrying a salamander that horks burning tar at my enemies. It might be a good weapon of choice until I can work my way to an Ascension or Royal crossbow.
So, here are some tips for my fellow inventors:
- High-tier potions are one of the few reliable sources I've found for Enhancing components. I'm actually looking at redirecting labor from mahogany production on Etceteria into herb production on Miscellania, since I don't need Construction supplies at the moment.
- Manufacturing skills. Got metal? Smith it into things and disassemble them. That huge honkin' pile of maple logs from Miscellania? Fletch into shieldbows and disassemble. Daily sand allotment from "Hand in the Sand"? Melt it into glass items and disassemble.
- Remind me to give y'all a quick tutorial on scavenging enemy drops in Slayer dungeons. Scavenging Waterfiends in the Ancient Cavern has been a good source for armor, glass items, and noted mithril ore and bars. Scavenging Rorarii in the Monastary of Ascension, if you can get there, yields mithril armor, adamant longswords, runite crossbow limbs, and noted gold ore, coal, and maple logs.
- Actual, proper Slayer enemy drops. Loot that I didn't pick up before (gemstones, mithril and adamant armor, etc.) are now things I can just pick up and shred between battles.
- Rare components? Generally not worth it. Most of them just give the same perks you can already get from the right combination of common or uncommon components, and require disassembling really valuable items (Ascension components only come from Sirenic armor or Ascension crossbows and give... Enlightened and Glow Worm!? LOL NOPE). The only unique perk for a rare component I've seen so far is Brassican, which adds cabbages to your inventory at random. Fun, but not outstandingly useful. That said, Black equipment isn't overly hard to come by, and Knightly components yield the Taunting perk, which could be useful for raiding bosses or Slayer tasks (all nearby enemies in combat target you).