I decided to make this topic because to me, discussion of 'legendary' runescapers is always an interesting topic.

 

Before I go any further, I would like to ask that posts target only RS2 players. I have nothing against RS classic, but the majority of people that play rs now did not play classic enough to know who the famous players were. However, feel free to include any RS2 "icon" in your discussion.

 

I can't really think of a way to organize this better than to make a list so here it goes.

Here is my top 5 list, which I may expand to a top 10 later. I've added some explanation next to each name for why I consider each person to be influential or iconic. Also, sorry for the multiple names on 3 and 4. I didn't think giving the rank to one of those people would be fair.

 

1. Zezima-for the first few years I can remember playing runescape, Zezima was undoubtedly the man. He was on top of the highscores, and everyone knew his name. If he were found skilling in a certain world, people would tell their friends just so they could have a chance to take a screenshot of him, or catch him saying something. He was the only player I can remember that drew hoardes of followers everywhere he went. His private chat on video, which was (and may still be) on youtube is incredible, with the messages coming in so quickly and in such volume that it actually makes him lag. For the first few years of RS2 (and possibly classic, I unfortunately did not play then) Zezima was the king.

 

2. Zarfot-Having had the privilege of knowing Zarfot for several years, I can say with confidence that he epitomized and perhaps helped create the new direction that RS took in the last couple of years. The unparalleled expert on efficiency took old methods for training skills and combined them with his intricate knowledge of game mechanics to produce exceptional training methods that maximized exp output for time input. His RC, slayer, and thieving guides as well as his youtube channel helped educate thousands of people on how to train most effectively. He truly revolutionized the way people looked at training, and because of that, he became very famous in the last year or two. While his methods may be seen as involving much effort by many, they constitute the training style that the vast majority of high ranked players employ today. He created a whole new community of like minded players which ultimately became the basis for competitive RSers.

 

3. N0valyfe-Though not quite the legend that Zezima was, N0valyfe was certainly an icon in the early days of RS2. Though he started later than his counterpart, and did not play the game for very long, N0valyfe epitomized one of the first 'power skillers'. The speed at which he progressed through the highscores was unmatched for a long while. I still remember the day he shocked RS and passed Zezima in overall exp. In doing so, not only did he dethrone the king, but he proved that rank 1 was not a given, and that with enough work, achieving anything was possible. But in a humble act, N0valyfe quit shortly thereafter, allowing Zezima to reclaim his crown, in a sense conquering early RS2, but stepping down after doing so.

 

4. I Kasoy I/I Mahatma I/Elvemage/Kids ranqe/-Though I admittedly am not much of a pker, these four players collectively added a whole new aspect to Runescape through their unique pking styles and numerous pk videos. I apologize if I am omitting some of the earlier pk vid makers, but from what I can remember from 2004-2007, these were the big 4 names. Together, they formed the basis of all of the different kinds of pking that could be done and were the focal point of the pking community. Though their names may not be as recognizable as some of the above, what they did for the game and the game's association with youtube (which is a critical aspect nowadays) is constantly evident.

 

5. Sparc Mac/Nightmarerh/Tehnoobshow-The most iconic vid makers of today, these players are insanely popular and easily more recognizable than the top ranked players of today among the general public. Collectively, they head the Runescape-Youtube community of today, and thus, have much power through their influence over a large amount of players. Though there are numerous other popular runescape youtubers, these three are probably the most popular, and thus the most influential.

 

6. Gertjaars-Though he, like many of the other top ranking players, has since moved on from the game, Gertjaars was once one of the few players to hold both the rank 1 overall as well as the most exp overall crown. Even after quitting, his clan chat was filled with people for many months. But as quickly as Gert emerged into the spotlight, he left it, and thus he will likely see no climb in my top 10 influential players list in years to come.

 

7. Kingduffy-Though it may come as a surprise to some, the current rank 7 overall has been on the front page of the highscores for quite some time. If my memory serves correct, over 4 years in fact. Without looking up every person, I am fairly sure that he may have been the only one to do so. He also has claimed the rank 1 spot (correct me if I am wrong) on at least 1 occasion. His well rounded approach to skilling is very under appreciated by most, and I do not think it unfair to say that he has remained as loyal to the game over the years as anyone.

 

8. Durial321-The only person in the top 10 for his infamy, Durial321 was the perpetrator behind the now legendary 'Falador Massacre' on June 6th, 2006 (coincidently 6/6/06). His fame grew like wildfire although he was obviously permanently banned for exploiting a glitch allowing him to kill other players outside of the wilderness. As far as I have heard, this is the only that such a bug has ever occurred. Today, while most players may not remember his name, they almost certainly have heard of his actions.

 

9. S U O M I- Donations pls? Though he is fairly low on the list right now, I can almost guarantee that Suomi will be climbing in the months and years to come. Currently the only known player with both the goal and the playtime to achieve all 200m skills, Suomi also has a staggering lead over the competition in terms of total time left until he reaches said goal. Though his influence is as of now limited to those who know, or know of him, I fully expect his popularity and fame to skyrocket when he takes over the rank 1 overall spot in the coming years, that is, assuming people figure out how to spell his name correctly so they can add him.

 

10. Coming Soon-Need suggestions!

 

In the Hunt-This section is for players who are very close to being on this list, but aren't quite there yet. Most of these are current iconic/influential players.

 

Win All Day, Telmomarques

 

Honorable Mentions-These go out to players who would have made this list during the peak of their fame/popularity, but have been somewhat forgotten because of inactivity in the game over the years. (in no particular order):

 

Sediti0n, Yogosun, Duke Freedom, Iodio, Monkey Moejo, The Old Nite, Lilyuffie88, Thehate, Choppermad, The Old Nite, 3 Hit U, Uloveme, Cursed You, Fredmcgarry (Will add more later)

 

Thats my 2 cents. Feel free to post your thoughts on players you remember but try to stick to RS2. Maybe even make your own list!

I think your list is quite spot on, with good worthy mentions, but you should also add Cursed You in that list for probably the most well known staker. Good representatives from all aspects from merching to pking, well made :thumbsup:

That looks pretty accurate of the most well known players. Pretty good descriptions too. Glad to see you got N0valyfe in there.

Zarfot is in my opinion most responsible for where the game is now. Zezima was an icon but Zarfot has created far more impact in the game.

zarfot for me no doubt about it.

Me, because without me, Runescape would simply have.... no Me.

 

To me it's Def' Zarfot up there, but also The Old Nite. Was interesting chatting to him once years ago, before cancer got him.

 

As well as meeting Yuffie a few months ago in Draynor where we spent a good hour just chatting.

I'm betting you'll find more accounts with some form of "Zezima" in their name than you will with "Zarfot"

 

Zezima had a cult following that I doubt will ever be matched, thanks to the name change update. Back then, you could always count on two things. Membership would be $5 a month, and Zezima would be at the top of the hiscores.

none of the youtube fame players are iconic to me

I think myself, for showing Pures/Lower defence accounts could still be created with success after the combat system changes from RS1 to RS2 (only 3 dominant levels per combat, not 4).

zarfot zarfot zarfot lol

I think myself, for showing Pures/Lower defence accounts could still be created with success after the combat system changes from RS1 to RS2 (only 3 dominant levels per combat, not 4).

 

You're really voting yourself as being iconic and influential? :/

 

H A 12 D and more recently Win All Day should have mentions for staking imo. Oh and I recognise all the names you mentioned in your P.S.

 

PK'ers - Death Treath, Hiei The Pk, Maggotleader, 8 Stealth 8, Dutch Leader.

Syzygy deserves a mention as well. He's the first f2per to max and people like him motivate me to continue training in f2p as well.

 

Efficient players like Nuffbutmage and S U O M I also deserve mentions as they are really at it when they play RS.

 

Of course, players like Zezima and Zarfot are there for their fame as well. Also, players like Woox16 who accomplished some amazing feats few have ever done.

You're really voting yourself as being iconic and influential? :/

 

H A 12 D and more recently Win All Day should have mentions for staking imo. Oh and I recognise all the names you mentioned in your P.S.

 

PK'ers - Death Treath, Hiei The Pk, Maggotleader, 8 Stealth 8, Dutch Leader.

They're not influential, they're just pkers/stakers.

 

To answer your question, yes actually, I am, I honestly don't see why not.

I think myself, for showing Pures/Lower defence accounts could still be created with success after the combat system changes from RS1 to RS2 (only 3 dominant levels per combat, not 4).

 

You are right, I certainly remember you and some of the lesser known pures (I think Urballzrmine was one?).

 

Had no idea you were still around.

 

Added you in with the 2004-2007 Pkers.

I think myself, for showing Pures/Lower defence accounts could still be created with success after the combat system changes from RS1 to RS2 (only 3 dominant levels per combat, not 4).

I have never heard of you in my entire life.

I see you more of an RS1 influence <3: <3: <3:

I think myself, for showing Pures/Lower defence accounts could still be created with success after the combat system changes from RS1 to RS2 (only 3 dominant levels per combat, not 4).

 

It didn't take long for people to realize this and they didn't need you to figure it out, that's a bit of a reach. You're still influential, not to RS2 though.

Without doubt, Zezima has to have been the biggest name on Runescape of all time, topping the leaderboards for years at a time and being generally a nice guy, along with the global fame he had. 3 hit u, you *were* big, but by NO means the biggest, hell most people have forgotten about you. (No offence ;) )

 

A big name to me, though I doubt many people have heard of him, is Renez. Check him out, 95 in every skill, he's been levelling every skill evenly for years and I really respect him for his take on the game.

Zezima and n0valyfe are the only ones on the list I recognize. Forgive my ignorance but I've never heard of the others until this thread.. :mellow:

Zargo, you're just an oldie. :P

 

I remember names like Zezima and N0valyfe as well as The Old Nite. Now that was a fun time for me. :)

 

I don't know any vid makers or pkers or what the like.

 

I do remember Duke's alternate name was Reekedofmud :thumbup:

@3 Hit U

 

After some thought, I decided against adding you in with the 04-07 pkers because, from what I remember, you were not quite the youtube sensation they were. You clearly would have made the top 10 on a "most influential/iconic pkers" thread, but I don't think I can put you on top 10 most influential/iconic players of RS2. Though I can say you did make it into my "famous players" screenshot folder back in 06 or something when I saw you at pest control =P.

You're really voting yourself as being iconic and influential? :/

 

H A 12 D and more recently Win All Day should have mentions for staking imo. Oh and I recognise all the names you mentioned in your P.S.

 

PK'ers - Death Treath, Hiei The Pk, Maggotleader, 8 Stealth 8, Dutch Leader.

They're not influential, they're just pkers/stakers.

 

To answer your question, yes actually, I am, I honestly don't see why not.

 

That's why not. You just contradicted yourself, you were also just a PK'er, but less known than the ones I've mentioned.

none of the youtube fame players are iconic to me

agreed

To be honest, no one can really match Zezima. He hasn't even been maxed for 3 years, let alone rank 1, and is still better known than the current top players. I still find it amazing how much of an influence he had on RS.

To be honest, no one can really match Zezima. He hasn't even been maxed for 3 years, let alone rank 1, and is still better known than the current top players. I still find it amazing how much of an influence he had on RS.

 

Well said, but I think the coolest thing is how, as newer players join the game, while they would be hard pressed to find Zezima on the highscores these days, his legendary status is passed on by word of mouth (er more like word of keyboard) between older players and their newer friends. This is truly unique, and I can think of no other individual whose fame and notoriety spreads in such a way.