The developers behind RuneScape have shared details regarding the upcoming addition to its gameplay: the Necromancy skill. The new skill aims to offer both a combat and non-combat leveling experience, giving players the freedom to engage with it according to their gameplay preferences.
Necromancy will be a standalone combat skill, extending up to level 120, with an introductory cap at level 20 for free-to-play users. This marks a significant update, as it’s the first new combat skill released outside the original three styles, pushing the combat level from 138 up to 152.
This skill is closely tied to an ancient and powerful antagonist, the First Necromancer. This character, recurring throughout RuneScape’s history, has emerged once again, taking a specific interest in the player. The First Necromancer has seized control of the Underworld city, Gilmore, entrapping its spirits. Players will need to navigate across the city, teaming up with familiar and new characters, mastering Necromancy to free the spirits and defeat the First Necromancer.
Designed to be accessible to all player types, Necromancy presents a great entry point for those interested in combat but may have found the current styles daunting. Alongside detailed tutorials on Necromancy abilities, an upgrade system allows players to progress through different tiers, potentially reaching tier 90 by engaging with Necromancy’s narrative story content.
For those who prefer more active combat gameplay, Necromancy rewards players for their knowledge and skill. As players level up, they gain access to more challenging encounters. Despite Necromancy’s inherent combat nature, players can still level it outside of combat, utilizing rituals, making it a versatile skill.
Community involvement played a vital role in shaping Necromancy. RuneScape sought feedback from content creators to ensure the skill meets players’ expectations. However, Necromancy’s development won’t stop at release, with the RuneScape team keen to continually refine it based on player feedback.
Necromancy introduces new equipment, weapons, incantations, and abilities, making it a unique combat style. The combat style sits outside the traditional combat triangle, meaning it’s neither weak nor strong against magic, ranged, or melee combat. Two crucial equipment pieces include the Death Guard, the main hand weapon, and the Spirit Lantern, the offhand, both of which facilitate the conjuring of underworld creatures.
Necromancy will also feature a new system called “talents”, earned through engaging in combat and performing rituals. This system allows players to unlock new abilities over time. Additionally, a new equipment upgrading method lets players continually improve their initial equipment, advancing it from level 1 up to level 90.
Narrative plays a central role in the Necromancy skill, where players work with the dead to fight against the First Necromancer. In the lifeless city of Gilmore, players will repopulate the city with the dead primarily through the use of communion rituals. The city will also offer crafting materials, which can be used to upgrade Necromancer equipment or craft reagents.
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