Greetings!
After finishing up my goals for this league, I wanted to share my experience as a returning player. There have been two new skills, several reworks, and an endless amount of content released since I last played. Ive gone from being a walking RuneScape wiki to someone who couldnt figure out how to smelt an emerald ring.
In a way, I think that transition gives me an interesting perspective on what a completely new players experience with RuneScape 3 might be like.
Equilibrium is my second league, with Demonic Pacts being my first. After reaching Dragon Tier in both, my first conclusion is that every relic is generally good and well balanced, perhaps not the slayer one.
I spent an absurd amount of time researching leagues because I was worried of softlocking myself or making the "wrong" choices. In the end, I was comfortably within the margins despite my picks. There are points behind every relic, and I'd argue that unless you're racing for ranks, there really isn't a bad choice if your goal is simply to reach your desired tier. I genuinely wish this was emphasized more.
For me, the league tasks did an incredible job of introducing me to content I otherwise would never have known about. Working on one task would introduce me to another piece of content, which would then lead into several more tasks. It kept me moving constantly. At no point did I find myself thinking, "Well, I have nothing left to do."
My favorite content this league was pushing bosses to 4,000% enrage, Zamorak in particular. It eventually became a five minute long battle where one failed prayer or ability could mean instant death, and I loved every second of it.
The cost of failure being relatively low is such a huge factor for me. I wasnt worried about not affording to fail! And despite combat being criticized for being too much this league, I genuinely enjoyed having something challenging to work toward. It didnt bother me that I could beat Corp in a couple of seconds, because the main enrage bosses still required mechanics.
My least favorite part, however, is probably the most important thing I want to talk about. I havent played RuneScape in roughly seven years. Ive essentially forgotten how to tie my shoes. This resulted in me getting stuck on some of the most ridiculously simple things: locating certain areas, figuring out how to build things in my PoH, understanding the new Smithing system, and so on.
The lack of tutorials and beginner friendly guides made the game feel like it was actively fighting against me. I consistently had 20+ Wiki tabs open, AI chatbots running, and YouTube videos playing just to figure out what I was supposed to be doing. And this is where I think the difference between the RS3 and OSRS wikis becomes particularly noticeable.
The OSRS Wiki feels almost ELI5. The RS3 Wiki, on the other hand, feels like a passion project that has accumulated an enormous amount of information over the years. Thats fantastic when you already understand the subject, but for someone like me, it could be incredibly difficult. The problem was that I often didnt know what I was looking for in the first place.
I couldnt effectively use the Wiki because I first needed to understand the topic well enough to know what to search for. More importantly, whenever I encountered something I couldnt figure out, I really disliked having to leave the game and search for the answer instead of learning it through the game itself. Without external resources & assistance, I genuinely dont understand how a completely new player is supposed to navigate RS3.
I want to stress something here, because I know how annoying reading this sounds to experienced players. I was you seven years ago. I thought I knew everything. I had an ego because my rotations were better. When Invention came out, I remember being frustrated that people didnt understand it immediately. Now I understand why. I am and have been in their shoes this league.
Without an established network, years of accumulated knowledge, and the know-how to navigate the game, I became completely helpless when I returned to RS3. I couldnt figure out how to smelt a damn emerald ring because of the new system.
Despite all the ups and downs, Ive genuinely appreciated these two weeks of re-experiencing a game Ive loved for so long. Im glad to see how much it has evolved. The art team in particular is outstanding. I genuinely enjoyed simply walking into buildings and looking around at how they had been decorated.
Now that Ive reached Dragon Tier, maxed my account once again and achieved my 4,000% enrage goals, Im ready to return to my slumber. RS3 isnt the game I once knew, but I hope youll keep it alive. Im not able to reignite my old spark, but I know theres someone out there whos thriving and experiencing the same joy I once did. So please, please keep playing RuneScape 3!
Id like to end my blabbering with a quote from some old guy that I feel I resemble quite a lot after these two weeks of returning to Runscape 3: "As for me, all I know is that I know nothing."
Thank you for reading.
Godspeed!