There's less than two weeks until Leagues II - Trailblazer begins on October 28th, so it's time to take a closer look at the core mechanics - Unlocking Areas. In this article we'll take a detailed look into all nine regions so you can start planning how you'll conquer Trailblazer!
But before we get started, we wanted to say a massive thank you for all of your Trailblazer feedback so far! The discussions you've had online and changes you've pitched have already had an impact on the team, and they've already started to implement some of your ideas. We'll continue to update the blog with any area changes up until launch.
Since this blog was first published on October 8th, you've been hard at work pointing out inconsistencies or things we've overlooked and we've been hard at work playtesting the content. With that in mind, we've made some changes. The interfaces have been updated in this blog to reflect the changes, and you can expand the section below for a thorough changelog.
Changelog By Area
MISTHALIN
In addition to the information we've given previously, the following task in the Lumbridge & Draynor diary has been auto-completed upon unlocking Misthalin:
- Purchase some Barrows gloves from the Culinaromancer's Chest.
KANDARIN
It quickly became apparent that there were two issues in Kandarin which we wanted to address for balancing purposes. We had completely overlooked the Ardougne diary, which we've now added relevant unlocks for. This had a knock-on effect that meant Kandarin had three diaries and consequently rewarded more points than we'd prefer. To address this we've decided to make the Western Provinces the only diary to require two areas to unlock (Tirannwn and Kandarin). So we've adjusted its diary unlocks accordingly.
In addition, we felt that it was too easy to acquire Piety. In order to better balance Kandarin, which was looking increasingly powerful, we've removed some of the auto-completion of quests. This means that acquiring Piety will now require both Asgarnia and Kandarin. We've also adjusted the stock of some shops to accommodate this.
The following quests are now auto-completed when unlocking Kandarin:
- Swan Song
- Garden of Tranquility
- Creature of Fenkenstrain
The following quests are no longer auto-completed when unlocking Kandarin:
- King's Ransom
- Holy Grail
- Black Knight Fortress
- Murder Mystery
- Merlin's Crystal
The following shop stock has been modified:
- Catherby and Port Khazard trader crewmembers will now stock Granite (2kg)
In addition to the information we've given previously, the following task in the Kandarin diary will be completed upon unlocking Kandarin:
- Teleport to Camelot.
Instead of the information we've given previously, the following diary tasks in the Western Provinces diary will be completed upon unlocking Kandarin:
- Complete a novice game of Pest Control.
- Teleport to Pest Control using the Minigame teleports.
- Complete an intermediate game of Pest Control.
- Complete a veteran game of Pest Control.
- Build an Isafdar painting in your POH Quest Hall.
- Equip any complete void set.
The following Ardougne diary tasks will be auto-completed upon unlocking Kandarin:
- Enter the Combat Training Camp north of West Ardougne.
- Use the Ardougne lever to teleport to the Wilderness.
- Travel to Castle Wars by Hot Air Balloon.
- Claim buckets of sand from Bert in Yanille.
- Equip an Iban's upgraded staff or upgrade an Iban's staff.
- Recharge some jewellery at the Totem pole in the Legends' Guild.
- Smith a Dragon sq shield in West Ardougne.
- Craft some death runes at the Death altar.
- Imbue a salve amulet at Nightmare Zone or equip a salve amulet(i).
- Cast Ice Barrage on another player within Castle Wars.
ASGARNIA
A lot of you had concerns about Weiss being inaccessible, so in order to resolve this we've opted to unlock some of the Troll quest series.
The following quests are now auto-completed upon unlocking Asgarnia:
- Death Plateau
- Troll Stronghold
- Eadgar's Ruse
- My Arm's Big Adventure
- The Feud
In addition to the information we've given previously, the following tasks in the Falador diary will be auto-completed upon unlocking Asgarnia:
- Recharge your Prayer in the Port Sarim church while wearing full Proselyte.
- Purchase a white 2h sword from Sir Vyvin.
We've also clarified that Mahogany Homes will be not be accessible.
MORYTANIA
The following quests are now auto-completed upon unlocking Morytania:
- Cook's Assistant
- Some Recipe for Disaster progress (enough that you can enter the dining room with the imprisoned guests)
THE FREMENNIK PROVINCES
The following quests are now auto-completed upon unlocking The Fremennik Provinces:
- Family Crest
- Ghosts Ahoy
- Mountain Daughter
KHARIDIAN DESERT
In addition to the information we've given previously, the following tasks in the Desert diary will be auto-completed upon unlocking the Desert:
- Refill your waterskins in the Desert using Lunar spells.
The following quest is no longer auto-completed when unlocking the KharidianDesert:
- Enakhra's Lament - but we believe this is a good thing! It's now a task to complete. More points for you to earn!
THE WILDERNESS
The following miniquest is now auto-completed when unlocking the Wilderness:
- Enter the Abyss
OTHER CHANGES
The following items have been added to the Leagues droprate modifier. The change will apply to all sources, regardless of area:
- Mist Battlestaff from Waterfiends
- Dust Battlestaff from Dust Devils
- Fedora from Crazy Archaeologist
- Blood Shards from all sources
- Black Mask from Cave Horrors
Everyone will start with access to two regions, and you'll be able to unlock three more as you progress giving you possible access to five out of the nine total areas.
You’ll start in Misthalin, as would any normal new adventurer… except, of course, this time there are some big differences.
Karamja will be unlocked by completing a tutorial. Beyond this, as you progress you'll have the option of heading to either Asgarnia, Kandarin, Morytania, The Desert, The Fremennik Provinces, Tirannwn or The Wilderness. But choose your regions carefully as you won't be able to change your mind afterwards!
You can read more about how to unlock areas in the 'Designing Leagues' section of September's Gielinor Gazette.
Starting in Misthalin
Your starting area is one familiar to all players, both old and new! It covers the entire Kingdom of Misthalin along with Fossil Island, Zanaris and the Abyss, as well as instances of underground areas contained within.
There are some restrictions, however. Access to Al-Kharid, Port Sarim, Canifis and the western exit of Barbarian Village, as well as transportation and teleportation and shortcuts, is restricted via the cunning deployment of magical barriers.
Unlocking Karamja
Throughout development we worked hard to keep areas balanced to ensure that no one unlock was more desirable than another.
An example of such balancing is Karamja. Early on, the only real rewards it offered were a way to obtain a Fire Cape, an Infernal Cape and perhaps Obsidian armour, and while the former two are prestigious items, players would almost certainly have been drawn to other items elsewhere that offered more useful PvM drops - something that would prove advantageous in the longer-term.
We didn't want to artificially inflate the number of points available in Karamja because that would have the counter effect, making it super desirable for easily obtaining points.
Ultimately the solution was to unlock it for free during the tutorial. We chose this course of action because:
- It resulted in an early lesson in area-unlocks for the player.
- The race to the first Fire/Infernal Capes will be entertaining to watch! It'll be fascinating to see which combination of other areas/Relics get players to these goals the fastest.
- Karamja also solves the Player Owned House issue by giving access to a PoH portal from the off.
Asgarnia
Asgarnia is comprised of the remainder of the free-to-play world and the opening member area, along with the island of Entrana, the Pest Control islands and Troll Country. Those looking to make their way into Catherby will be met with magical barriers preventing access to the Fishing town.
Kandarin
The land of the Gnomes, Mourners and Ogres offers players a selection of familiar content from Seers' Village to Ape Atoll. The Nightmare Zone is restricted and players can instead obtain Nightmare Zone points by purchasing them for 1 coin apiece from Dominic Onion.
Morytania
Equip your Garlic and silver if you wish to venture to Morytania. The lands east of Varrock include Mos Le'Harmless, Braindead Island, Dragontooth Island and Harmony Island. You'll also unlock full access through the Paterdomus temple.
Kharidian Desert
Don't forget your sunblock as it gets hot out in the Kharidian Desert. Unlocking this area of the map will grant you access to all parts of the desert including Pollnivneach, Sophanem, Nardah and Menaphos. Those looking to pass through Al-Kharid's gates must have unlocked this region first.
The Fremennik Provinces
The Fremennik Provinces area includes Lunar Isle and Weiss. Access to Kandarin via the bridge south of Rellekka, as will several shortcuts to bordering neighbours (unless you've unlocked them), is prevented through the use of magical barriers.
Tirannwn
Home of the Elves, explore the lands west of Ardougne when you unlock Tirannwn. This area will also grant access to the Temple of Light and the Underground Pass. Instances of areas in Tirannwn and underground spaces with an entrance in Tirannwn will also be included.
Wilderness
The Wilderness is included in its entirety, although Last Man Standing will not be accessible. You'll be able to face off against Chaos Elementals, King Black Dragons, the Corporeal Beast and gain entry to Mage Arena I & II. Crossing the Wilderness Ditch or activating the lever at the Deserted Keep will require access to whichever area is on the other side of it.
Deaths will behave differently in The Wilderness when competing in the League:
We are going to be sharing even more information over the next few weeks, so make sure you stay tuned across all our social channels, our streams and in-game.