Update:Combat Update - Now Live

The combat update is finally here! Today's update brings much-needed updates and tweaks to fit with the DarkScape play style. We hope you're as excited as we are!

Read on for further details:

Increased weapon diversity
This means specific weapons may be slightly better in certain situations.

Melee will find that different weapon types will behave differently.

Ranged will find that like melee different weapon types behave differently. Sharp and blunt arrows have also been added to help you min max with your bows. You can create these by choosing to modify your arrows.

Magic will find that the basic spellbooks spells will behave differently depending on their element.

Hit chance changes
We have heavily diminished the combat triangle meaning you can customise your gear to suit your play style in any way you wish. This includes Attack and Defence. We have also removed the accuracy penalty for wearing an armour type different to your weapon.

Strength
The Strength skill will now allow melee users to increase their weapons base damage over their level.

Damage reduction
Defence no longer provides base damage reduction. Instead your defence level scale your armours damage reduction up or down.

Shields
Using a shield provides more damage reduction and also counts as a set effect slot. In doing this we have also increased the weight of all shields to emphasise their bulkiness.

Set effects
We have applied set effects to each combat style. These are applied and take into account how many pieces of that style you have equipped*. Melee is classed as Defensive, Range is classed as Offensive and Magic is classed as Control. I will go into further detail below.

*This includes Head, Body, Legs, Gloves, Boots and Shield.

To complement this, hybrid armour no longer suffers an armour penalty

Melee - Defensive
Bound time reduction: Reduces the amount of time you are bound for. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Increased damage reduction: Reduces the amount of damage you take. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Increase prayer reduction: Increases the amount of time taken for your prayer to reduce, this is based on wearing at least 2 or 3 pieces of melee armour with 3 pieces being 50% more effective.

Passive reflect: Wearing at least 5 pieces of melee armour will allow you to passively reflect incoming damage on to your opponent. This is based on your average level of your melee armour.

Range - Offensive
Damage penetration: You will pierce through your opponent’s damage reduction. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Life leech: You will steal a small portion of your opponent’s life points. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Increased special regeneration: Your special attack bar will regenerate quicker based on wearing at least 2 or 3 pieces of ranged armour with 3 pieces being twice as effective.

Stacking damage buff: Every time you damage your opponent when wearing at least 5 pieces of ranged armour will gain a stacking damage buff. This is capped at 7 and is based on the average level of your armour.

Magic - Control
Damage increase on bound target: When your opponent is bound you deal extra damage. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Increase damage reduction: Like melee, the amount of damage you take is reduced but it is only half as effective as melees bonus. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

Increase debuffs: Debuff spells such as Enfeeble, Stagger and Vulnerability will be increased this is based on wearing at least 2 or 3 pieces of magic armour with 3 pieces being twice as effective. This is based on the average level of your magic armour.

Longer binds: When wearing at least 5 pieces of magic armour and your opponent is bound, they will be bound for longer. Each piece of armour will contribute to this, each pieces contribution is scaled by the armours level.

In Other News

 * Bank guards have been graphically updated to make them more obvious and imposing.
 * Numbing roots have been made a lot more useful. Freeing you from all binds and making you immune for 15 seconds after consuming you will be unable to consume another for 1 minute.
 * Dragon spear will no longer skull the wrong player.
 * Fixed the fire breath animation on chromatic dragon.
 * A date error with troll invasion has been resolved.
 * Fixed a typo with burning barricades.
 * You can no longer stall players entering your player owned house.
 * Message of the day will no longer mention three banks.
 * Rise from the Ashes scroll will no longer skull the wrong player.
 * The Watchtower is now correctly classed as a mid-risk.
 * It is no longer possible to purchase the slayer toolbelt updates as items could not be put on the toolbelt regardless.
 * When used with swamp tar, guam, marrentil, tarromin and harralander will now produce ammo at a ratio of 1:1.
 * Low and High-threat grand exchanges are now no-familiar zones.

Enjoy!
Have fun getting to grips with DarkScape's new combat system. Let us know what you think!