Trimmed Completionist Cape

[Saradomin_Mage]

Not really.

 

After I drew the cape of Dahmaroc earlier this year, my thoughts turned to completing the tasks and side goals I had thought of pursuing long before the aim of a Completionist came to my mind. I sought to complete goals that I discarded previously in my haste to obtain the Completionist Cape, so returning to these in a sense brought me back to when I treated the game as a past time and not a cape chase.

 

Not in chronological order:

 

4,000 Chompies[hide]

 

This goal had been on my mind since 2008. After the advent of restricted trade, I remember managing to buy 3rd age range legs off the Grand Exchange. Much of my growth in terms of monetary wealth occurred during this phase, and I remember eventually working my way to full 3rd age range. And then I thought, wouldn't it be neat now to go and do something spectacular: Obtain 99 Ranged, 99 HP, and the Expert Dragon Archer hat all in one chompy kill. I got to work, taking some time to kill a few chompies and work my way to the second 5-feather hat.

 

And then things changed. I got caught up in skilling with the wealth I had obtained, working on them instead of setting aside time for a non-XP goal. And then one day in 2010, I found myself with 99 HP. Late last year, I earned 99 Ranged with the zeal I collected from hunting Hybrid legs. All that time, I hadn't added a single notch to my ogre bow, and the dream I had of two 99s and an instantly recognisable hat vanished.

 

I remembered this goal that first came into the game in 2004, and I picked up my ranged gear to see it to completion. It wasn't as spectacular as it could have been, but it was well worth finishing.

 

[/hide]

 

Champion's Challenge[hide]

 

I remember excitedly logging in after the release day of Champion's Challenge. The RSOF was covered in speculation as to which monsters dropped the champion scrolls, with some people posting the strangest of beasts, such as jellies, nechryael or aberrant spectres (though this last one actually happened!).

 

Eventually after determining a few correct entries, I headed down to Edgeville dungeon and started killing skeletons and giants. I felt like I killed them for hours with my dragon scimitar, but I obviously underestimated their rarity and didn't know the size of the task before me.

 

On the third day of killing Skeletons, it happened. A bone-white parchment dropped to the floor, marking the beginning of the ascent of a new Champion.

 

A few days later I was lucky enough to obtain the Giant scroll, also from Edgeville dungeon. Much later, in the frenzy of a treasure trail update, I found myself killing goblins for clues, and finding a challenge from the Goblin Champion among their remains. The opening of Tarn's Lair much later saw me killing the zombies within for random drops, and the coincidental finding of another challenge scroll.

 

Time passed, and I found myself no longer killing random monsters for their champion scrolls. The release of new champions got me down to the Chaos Tunnels to chin mummies for a few random levels, but the search didn't prove fruitful. The many tasks of Aberrant Spectres beneath Pollnivneach also turned up dry.

 

With the modification of monster levels this year, I found myself back in the Ancient Pyramid slaying mummies for effigies. As luck would have it, a champion scroll was found in the salted wrappings, and it renewed my interest in the hunt to become Champion of Champions.

 

 

[/hide]

 

Champion's Tackle Box[hide]

 

I remember playing Fish Flingers with great vigour on its release, quickly getting used to combo hunting and 4 medal games. Because of the timing and structure of the games, I found myself working towards the Beginner's Tackle Box to be able to check schedules of games on the go. After buying it, I thought that it'd be nice to work my way up to the Champion's Box, which promised a healthy dose of XP along the way. Unfortunately, I decided quickly that it'd be too much hassle to have to schedule in Flinger games along with my routines of farming runs and dailies, and this goal was quickly discarded.

 

The re-structuring of the game finally brought it back to my attention, and returning to it felt like a homecoming of sorts.

 

[/hide]

 

Mobilising Armies[hide]

 

In 2009 I played this up to 120 Rank, slowly aiming to get the imbued rings and the Lord Marshall title. The problem was that there wasn't a Lord Marshall title, so when I got back to Mobilising Armies this year and started suiciding for the first time, I was in for a real disappointment. For some reason I thought there was a Lord Marshall title, just as I thought that you could turn in the HAM member for extra rank. Anyway, I went to get a few more reward credits to round out the useful imbued rings, which proved to be of use in Slayer, Scroll hunting and Nexing.

 

[/hide]

 

The Sunfreet[hide]

 

On release day I eagerly headed down to wrap up the Dominion Tower achievements once more. I had finished the other tower achievements months before, so I thought this challenge would just be another quick one to tick off.

 

It turned out to be a horrible, horrible battle. On my ninth attempt that day I managed to get the Sunfreet down to less than a quarter of its hitpoints, and then all of a sudden Jagex patched the Ruby bolts special attack. I quit in a rage and killed the easy Sunfreet to vent.

 

Much later, I decided it was time to come back and put this monster in its place.

 

[/hide]

 

Dahmaroc[hide]

 

After assembling my first statue, I went out to get the rocks for a second one, only to find that the archaeologists weren't too keen on me blowing up a statue in their faces repeatedly. The realisation that I'd have to put up with 30 weeks of this, plus the fact that I had several 99's already, put me off as I went to train my lower skills instead.

 

After claiming Dahmaroc's cape, I figured that the least I could do was complete the statue of him in my house, so I set out to find his fragments for the next 24 weeks.

 

[/hide]

 

Misc. Goals[hide]

 

Because I was in the business of searching for side-game goals to complete, I turned to the list of Trimmed requirements to see what I was missing. Along the way I rummaged through Barbarian corpses for 5 hours straight, ran through deserts and jungles holding magical ice-cream, found research notes hidden deep within a cavernous temple, got the bling I'd always wanted onto my Dwarf Cannon, did my Penance beneath the Baxtorian Falls, talked to Otto to finish my Barbarian Training, and siphoned enough runic energy to keep the wizards busy for months.

 

 

 

I also made a killing off Nexing, finally obtaining the armour and bow I'd lusted after since the Ancient Prison was unsealed.

 

 

Earlier this month, I found the shadow wraps that had proven to be so elusive on my way to 99 Thieving.

 

 

Finally, after great effort in soloing many GWD bosses (and bonfiring in the Ancient Prison), I discovered all the stories told in the time of the God Wars.

 

[/hide]

 

Castle Wars[hide]

 

I genuinely thought I'd have fun playing this. With 300 tickets worth of items before the rework, I believed that I'd played a lot and that surely I'd be able to make it through the many games required to earn the cape of a Professional.

 

Games would start and I'd feel that rush of nostalgia, grabbing bandages and running into the field as fast as possible to fight the other team. No longer was I the little guy in adamant and rune armour, but now the mighty ranger in Trickster gear. After a few games of mindless killing, I decided to try my hand at flagging. I'd flagged before back in 2004, running across the bridge in my adamant platebody and rune platelegs, running up and down steps to keep away from the enemies, standing at the bandage table and desperately trying to outheal my foes.

 

This time, I grabbed my Pernix gear and thought it'd be a walk in the park. It evidently did make the rounds a lot less harsh, but the stress was amazing - you could feel your own desperation as you waited for barrages and bolas to wear off, and you could feel the weight of your team on your shoulders. Getting the flag back into your base, running through the barricades your team-mates detonated as you carried it through, felt like the greatest thing in the world.

 

Time passed in the arena, and the stress caught up with me. I fell out with the wrong flaggers as I didn't understand their systems of honour in Castle Wars, and during a particular game when I decided to kill people instead of flag, I got on the wrong side of one of those high-ranked Castle War-ers, who sent me the angriest PM I'd received in a long, long time, telling me I was better off loafing than playing like a loser.

 

So I did. At first I felt bad, and remember popping out at every opportunity to get back into the game. I'd loaf for maybe around 4 minutes before I felt like doing something, and then going down the ladder to grab bandages before heading out into the field. But as time passed, I came to accept my new lot, and sat at the corner behind the staircase with the other loafers.

 

We'd get griefed a lot, with people coming in to barrage us, chin us, kill us with rapiers, mauls, goliath gloves, and so forth. Our own team members would sometimes come upstairs during a losing match, and lambast us for being utterly useless. I tried to imagine myself as one of those level 50s, and I could feel their disappointment and anger as I looked at myself.

 

The stress grew - I tried to pick up flagging again but it was useless; I'd barely make it through sometimes, even with my Nex gear. I'd take combat roles on some other games instead, or defended with barricades and a spear in others, but in the end I just couldn't get back into the game and I'd go back upstairs to loaf.

 

I woke up to the realisation one day that I'd ruined Castle Wars for myself - I was no longer playing the game I once enjoyed; I was cape hunting once again. I was spending my time on RuneScape sitting around and not even playing the game. Enough was enough.

 

I did have my fun for what it was worth -

 

 

[hide](in this match Blue made a quick score at 18 min; I managed to get one of their flags at 15 min, only to see their flagger running past me carrying our standard, turning the score to 2-1 at 12 min. I kept running, but their defence proved to be harsh as they covered us in bolas and barrages. At the 7 min mark, one of the other flaggers on the other team managed to equalise for 2-2. Finally, on my run at the 2 min mark, I managed to get their flag out the back door, and for the first time successfully deployed a barricade at the door to completely shut down all the barragers on my tail. My heart pounded as I made my way across the stones, across the field, and into my Castle; I turned the score to 2-3 and pulled off the win for our team.)[/hide]

 

- and in future I will return to Castle Wars - but it won't be as the guy who sits around behind the staircases; I'll be out on the field carrying a bow or my enemy's flag. Perhaps for now this is the end of my chance at a Trimmed Completionist Cape, but perhaps in future that may change.[/hide]

[Vezon Dash]

[bleep] Castle Wars... No, really. That game is so outdated for the high powered weapons and armor we have today.

[SwreeTak]

Well, you have almost done the first 20% of those castle wars games. It's according to me an awesome achievement. I am trying to reach my first 100 and that seems impossible to me. You should simply ignore what others says in the arena. Just run for the flag or kill those noobs on the other teams. That's what I do and for my first 80 games it have went very well. Castle wars is intended to be fun. 5k matches of it is however way too much. Jagex really should lower it to something like 2k. But since that will probably not happen for quite some time, have fun while in the game and see those who send you those angry PMs for what they really are: Fun-killers. Play the game as you want to.

And finally: Good luck on comp cape (t).

[Zaaps1]

in due time, im sure youll find yourself with that cape on your back and chronicles of fun behind it! i think its good you aren't letting blind pursuit of the achievement dominate you. thats the way to be.

[Aten]

Good stories :( you're a good writer!

 

c u back at CW soon maybe :P

 

asian pride tho :> keep on rocking m8

[Vigilantiee]

Good luck with your goal!

[tintin113]

Awesome read, Gwyn! Incredible achievements, really sad to hear that those Castle Wars elitists got you down, I hope you can return to claim the cape that should be yours someday soon! Maybe just play occasionally for fun while doing other side-goals :)

[ThePerfectg]

nice (: getting closer and closer! so am i (: i just finished my statue (: kind of

http://puu.sh/1PFdi ;D and in 7 days i'll have an overall list of things left (:

 

http://puu.sh/1PFHY

[Scary Crayon]

[bleep] Castle Wars... No, really. That game is so outdated for the high powered weapons and armor we have today.

 

THIS! Castle wars needs to be updated massively. Can see it coming in 2013 tbh. Castle Wars is as much a part of Runescape as any quest/skill is for me

[Cerri]

Absolutely. They've brought it back into the spotlight by making it part of the trim requirements, and in terms of the sheer amount of time that one will need to spend on it. Rather than force people to not play as they would like (your experiences here are a prime example) they should bring it up to speed so that it really jives with our new gear levels and EoC combat. The end result would likely be far more enjoyable.