What I want from skill reworks in RUNESCAPE - Skilling

With Farming and Herblore getting a level boost on the 25th, I thought it would be good to go through the rest of the skills and detail what I want from a rework or level increase, as well as the master skillcape perk. The article ended up being longer than I expected, so I’m breaking this into skilling and combat. First up, skilling!

Agility – I’d like to see a new way to train besides running around in circles. Obstacle courses, competitive tracks, something. Skillcape perk: Infinite run energy.

Construction – Oh boy, this one is big. More rooms in the house, of course, but being able to move rooms around without having to destroy everything inside it would be nice (much like the Aquarium bathysphere). Having a way to train it outside of the house would make the crystal saw more relevant for getting golden rocks. Skillcape perk: Teleport to your PoH portal.

Cooking – New foods, of course, but maybe making advanced bait for Fishing? Skillcape perk: Chance to make a double portion; stacks with modified sous chef’s toque.

Crafting – Make fishing lures, non-combat clothes (weight-reducing, perhaps), hunter traps, and other useful items. Skillcape perk: Chance to speed up crafting process.

Divination – I’d like a buff to the experience gained from colonies; even at higher levels, it’s maxed out at around 200k experience an hour on bought cursed energy or 83k on luminous wisps. Skillcape perk: Cost of transmuting is reduced by 10%.

Firemaking – I’d like to see Firemaking become relevant. It has combat relevance with the hit point boost, skilling relevance with incense, Smithing relevance with the boost to heat, but beyond that it’s…pretty useless. Skillcape perk: Lighting incense automatically grants the maximum strength.

Fishing – Well, it’s…fishing. Adding lures to increase catch rates would be nice, and adding advanced bait to certain higher leveled fish would be interesting (see Crafting and Cooking). Skillcape perk: 50% chance to bank a catch.

Fletching – Fletching increase means more weapons, but what I want? A 2h crossbow with a shield (like a shieldbow), and a tier 70 nondegradable bow or crossbow that doesn’t require ammo (as melee and magic have one), though that might run into Invention or monster drops. Skillcape perk: Fletching arrow shafts sometimes produces feathered shafts, or bows into strung bows.

Hunter – One thing I’ve noticed is that we have tracking, netting, trapping, bare-handed catching, and now big game hunting, but where’s the classic bow hunting? Adding this in while removing some of the lesser-used methods (ferrets, anyone?) will spice up the skill nicely. Skillcape perk: Traps are baited and smoked instantly.

Mining – It would be awkward for there to be 21 additional levels with no new ore, but given the rework this past January (That recently? It feels like it’s been around forever.) they just might have to do that. Higher damage, better criticals, more of the same, I suppose. Skillcape perk: Chance to save stone spirits.

Runecrafting – More making multiple runes. This could tie into Magic, meaning new runes. That would require a total rebalancing of the current runecrafting system, but eh. Skillcape perk: Pouches do not degrade (except the giant pouch).

Smithing – See Mining. I’d also like to see repeatable, buyable rewards at the Artisan’s Workshop, more than just the luminite injector. Skillcape perk: Heat is lost 10% slower.

Thieving – One interesting idea I had is that the higher levels of Thieving means it takes longer for the big game hunter creatures to catch you, because sneaky. Skillcape perk: You can no longer be stunned while pickpocketing.

Woodcutting – Yay! New trees! Oh joy. More than just that, I’d like to see the little-used canoe system extended to other rivers. The Salve and the Dougne could use it, as the desert already has the carpet system. Skillcape perk: Chance to get multiple logs, banking the extra; no xp gained.

Join me next week when I cover the combat skills and what I want from a recapping or rework! Have a good whatever!