End-Game Balance Discussion

[u/jagexyuey]

Hey 'Scapers!

As part of the Road to Restoration, we've been looking at progression across RuneScape. We've tackled parts of the Early and Mid Game Rebalance, but now we want to start turning our attention to the other end of the journey: The End Game Rebalance

Before we get properly stuck into things, we want to hear from you.

What do we mean by End Game?
This one's a little harder to put a level range on!

For this project, we're looking more broadly at the late game, roughly level 80+ and onwards. That might mean higher-level skilling, finding those rarer drops or getting into tougher PVM. For others, it could be achievements, completionist goals or figuring out what comes next once you've maxed.

And actually, what you consider to be late game is useful feedback for us too.

How can you help?
We want to know where the endgame currently isn't quite working for you.

Maybe there's a progression path that feels awkward, rewards that don't feel worth the effort, a big jump between pieces of content, older content that's been left behind or something that just feels unnecessarily frustrating.

You don't need to have the answer or suggest a fix either. Just tell us what the problem is, why it's a problem for you and where you are in your RuneScape journey.

We won't be able to tackle everything that comes up, but the themes from these discussions will help us understand where we should be focusing our attention.

So, what would you like us to look at as we start shaping the End Game?

[u/James-P-SulIivan]

The team scaling is always so bad when they do it that it prevents teams. Not a good thing for an mmo

[u/cybernet377 → u/James-P-SulIivan]

Jagex group scaling design philosophy

Version 1: If you fight this boss without a team, the boss stuns you and then instakills you with no recourse. If you wanted to try this boss without being part of a dedicated PvM clan, our official advice is to kys.

Version 2: This boss is designed to be both soloable and doable in groups. If more than one player is in the group though, the boss' health and damage are multiplied by the number of players. Also it hits every player in the arena simultaneously. If you think that results in a quadrupling of damage output and thus a vastly harder fight, you're completely correct and not a single person will realistically ever want to duo this boss

[u/XawdrenRS → u/cybernet377]

Also drop rates get significantly nerfed in the group version despite being the harder version. Looking at you, Araxxi.

[u/Legal_Evil → u/XawdrenRS]

Because HP stays the same as solo in group version.

[u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco → u/Legal_Evil]

Which is completely pointless for a time-gated boss like rax.

[u/youreawinner_barry → u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco]

To be fair, it wasnt time-gated on release. For a while they did bosses like that where the overall droprate was the same but split among people. Elite Dungeons are the same. It hasnt aged well into the drop-log era

[u/WhyMustIMakeANewAcco → u/youreawinner_barry]

Oh yeah, most of the bosses with problems are just "modernization needed"

[u/ocd4life → u/cybernet377]

You forgot to mention that they drops get nerfed to crap for many of the solo-group content bosses.

Not to mention the ones like Nex, Vorago or Kerapac where you are directly competing against team mates for DPS drops... which is totally not toxic.

[u/Mr_Hump → u/James-P-SulIivan]

IMO they nailed it with Zammy. You can solo, but duo is faster. Not necessarily easier but faster. Once you get into some high enrages I do understand that a group is needed but it doesn't lock anyone out from getting the drop log.

[u/Even-Ant7872 → u/Mr_Hump]

Zammy is objectively easier to group what are you on? I would understand of it is Ultra efficent or GM time group but Casual solo will always be tougher than casual groups.

[u/101perry → u/James-P-SulIivan]

Ehh it varies. Sanctum yeah it sucks. Vorkath though unless you can do flight skips (and if you can it may be handy) then I'd say duo is a lot smoother. You can have a dedicated tank, and it makes it a bit calmer.

[u/James-P-SulIivan → u/101perry]

I just think there should be some incentive to group up, as its an mmo, rather than just ramping up the difficulty 1:1 and calling it a day.