The Arc Islands

May 2016

Recently, Mod Joe from the Guardians team, which gave us the River of Blood and The Lord of Vampyrium quests, announced the next project they’re working on – The Arc Islands. This project was suggested in RuneLabs and unexpectedly defeated Menaphos and Underwater City in voting. Seeing as the previous recent projects of the Guardian team were more story-driven, they didn’t have the freedom to share details. This is not the case this time, so we can expect some more information while on the road to release.

The first–somewhat– concrete feature Mod Joe talked about was the integration of Slayer skill in the zone. There should be some Slayer creatures and ways to get Slayer XP based on specific targets. There probably won’t be any traditional Slayer master, however. Of course, this is still the earliest stage of development, many things could change.

Another theme desired by developers is Player-owned ports. Mod Joe says that The Arc should be somehow linked to them. This area is supposed to be built for high-level players, though their weaker compatriots won’t be barred from entering the area. You will need several different 90+ skills to experience everything the area has to offer. Mod Joe also promises that they will try to build on existing content so that you can recognize the area.

Another fascinating idea to come from RuneLabs concerning this content update was the proposal to create a new or closed economy in the area. Mod James and the Guardian team liked it a lot, so The Arc is very likely to be a whole new place for you. We really like this idea, for you won’t be able to splurge your character’s weight in gold to get everything you need. Everyone is expected to be equal in the beginning. This sounds like a great idea. The wealth you earn in The Arc will not go to waste; however, because you will be able to bring it all home and reinvest in your player-owned ports. You WILL NOT be able to use ports resources once you get to The Arc.

While usually, teams get three months to get content ready for players, the scope of this project convinced the top brass in Jagex to increase this deadline to six months. Keeping that in mind, the Guardian team has no wish of making players wait until October with nothing in the meanwhile, so they are planning to release one half of The Arc Islands in July, with the second half coming out in October. Seeing as the Guardian team also got the honor of making the Halloween event, it will probably take place in one of the Arc Islands.

We don’t know about you, but we certainly feel excited for this piece of content. Hopefully, July and October come quickly and we can meet you in the Islands. Knowing how time works when you are anxious for something to come, it will be a long three months.