Developer Blog: Theater of Blood (2023)

Developer Blog: The Theater of BloodThe purpose of this blog is to provide as much detail as possible before the in-game poll goes live to allow for player feedback. While there are plenty of details to be found, we purposely don't say much about what the theater play will be like in Blood and the surrounding areas, because we don't want to spoil the surprise!“The Theater of Blood was created with one goal in mind: to amuse Lady Verzik. She ordered her followers to accept this challenge in hopes of seeing as many willing citizens of Meiyerditch or wandering warriors perish as possible.Do you have what it takes to beat the Theater of Blood? Are you the hero Myreque needs?It's show time.

changelog[3/20/18] - All changes as stated inthis news itemhad been added. In summary, they are as follows:

• The Infernal Defender is changed to the Avernic Defender.
• Avernic's defender stats have been slightly increased, making his accuracy and defense stats +3 higher than originally suggested.
• Sanguinesti Staff cost per spell reduced to 3 blood runes instead of 4.
• The healing effect of the Sanguinesti staff increased to 1/6 per cast instead of 1/8.
• Sanguinesti's staff has been changed to have an extra max hit above the swamp's trident.
• Increased Ghrazi Rapier's Sting bonus to +94 and Melee Strength to +89.
• Removed the damage reduction effect of Judge's Armor in PvP situations.
• The Vampyrium Vambraces are now standalone items and do not require Ranger gauntlets.
• Vitur Scythe attack rate increased to 5 from 7.
• Increased the Vitur's Charged Scythe Slash bonus to +110.

[3/20/18] - Added more details on how to handle the Avernic Defender in PvP scenarios. [3/20/18] - Changes made to the Judgment Prayer. The 10% melee accuracy now also applies to melee power.[20/03/18] - Added more details on how the damage reduction effect of the Justiciar armor works when combined with similar items such as the Elysian Spirit Shield. [20/03/18 ] - The number of completions required for the upper levels of the Sinhaza Shroud has been reduced.We aim for the poll to take place live in game on 20/03/2018 at 16:00 GMT.

Theater of Blood

East of Gielinor, in the Sanguinesti region, is Ver Sinhaza. Once the home of Queen Efaritay, it is now ruled by Verzik Vitur, head of the Vitur family and one of the few true vampires on Gielinor. For thousands of years, Lady Verzik commands an army of vampires, using them not only to do her bidding, but also to provide her with on-demand entertainment. It didn't take long for this to get tired, so she instructed her minions to create a gauntlet filled with some of the strongest warriors, creations, creatures, and puzzles. Today we call this the theater of blood.

The WIP images above show part of the interior of the Theater of Blood.

When the vampires lived on their homeworld of Vampyrium, they were close enough to the apex predator. However, there was one species that even vampires feared: the Yarasa. These large flying predators are visually impaired. That doesn't make them any less dangerous, though, as they have a keen sense of smell and sound. Her ability to attack in unpredictable ways makes her a deadly foe to the vampires as it renders their immunity useless. Although the Yarasa are already a mortal foe, none are more dangerous than their king, Xarpus. When the vampires united among the eight tribes, they hunted down and defeated most of the Yarasa, driving them to extermination. However, they were unable to defeat Xarpus and he survived their hunt until they finally left Vampyrium many years later. It is not known how they did it, but eventually the vampires brought Xarpus to Gielinor. They caught him in the theater. There he now fights anyone who intrudes, desperate for escape and revenge against the vampires.

Xarpus is one of several bosses in the Theater of Blood. This image is in progress and subject to change.

The citizens of Meiyerditch often go to the theater to fight the various experiments and horrors it contains and to entertain the vampires. To encourage them, the vampires promise them freedom if they survive. With the help of the Myreque, it's up to you to complete all of its challenges and emerge victorious.

Theater of blood: the basics

The Theater of Blood is a linear progression raid challenge set in the Sanguinesti region, east of Meiyerditch, that emphasizes the need for teamwork. The theater can be reached by boat north of Port Phasmatys for a small fee. You can also walk there, but that is quite a long journey and not something we would recommend. No skills are required in the theater and all rooms are generated in the same order every time you enter. You have a few chances to get a small amount of loot and supplies during the heist, but your success will depend a lot on the equipment and supplies you take with you, as well as how well you can work together as a group. The maximum group size allowed in the theater is 5 people and is adjusted for group sizes of 3-5 players. There are multiple challenge rooms with hard to beat monsters, bosses and puzzles that eventually lead to a final epic boss challenge unlike anything you've seen in Old School RuneScape.

A new lobbying system is being implemented for the Theater of Blood, allowing players to form groups of up to 5 players.

The Theater of Blood will have a unique extinguishing system. If you die in a challenge room, you as an individual must sit out the rest of the room while your team advances. Once the room is complete, you can rejoin your party for the rest of the heist. If there is a "full wipe" where, for example, the whole team dies, the raid has completely failed and you have to start over. A failed heist is not considered safe and all lost items end up in the tombstone system, like Torfinn's, with a gold fee to recover. While a single death during a challenge room won't end the heist,every death in the theater of bloodcauses a hardcore Ironman to lose its status and become a regular Ironman. The number of kills decreases the player's chance of getting a unique reward, which is only given after killing the boss of the heist. All other bosses offer a small reward during the raid as compensation for your time, but have no chance of uniques.

A touch of hope

For years the Myreque have resisted the rule of the Drakan. For many, they are a glimmer of hope in an otherwise miserable existence. Recently, catastrophe has struck the Myreque, with many members met with terrible ends at the hands of Vanstrom Klause, the Drakan's ruthless henchman. But even though the Myreque are in their darkest hour, there is still hope. Thanks to a recent discovery in the laboratories deep beneath Meiyerditch, the Myreque may have finally found a way to battle the vampires. That's exactly what they'll be doing in the latest installment in the Myreque questline:A touch of hope.

A Taste of Hope will be a brand new quest for veteran players who have completed Darkness of Hallowvale. Players who manage to complete this quest will be rewarded with the following:

Theater of Blood Rewards

The Theater of Blood looks set to be the next big challenge for Old School RuneScape, offering an unparalleled gameplay experience in the game. With something as challenging and exciting as this, you can be sure to be well rewarded. All of the rewards listed below, except the potions and the Judgment Prayer, are availableTests in tournament worlds go live on March 8for all members. As with previous versions, you have the freedom to choose your own stats and have a wide variety of gear to choose from in addition to the new items detailed on this blog. However, things will be a little different than usualTravel anywhere in Gielinor. There's no content locked to these worlds, meaning you'll have ample opportunity to fully test each item before requesting it. We've also made things a bit more useful for testing purposes, like adding teleport tabs to the supply crate and the ability to give yourself a new slayer task for free with any slayer master by right-clicking on it and doing Quest. select (Cancel Quests still cost points, so be sure to right-click and select Quest to avoid being charged. All rewards are subject to change and we plan to keep these tournament worlds open as long as necessary .Your feedback is invaluable to usPlease let us know what you thinkforum report, which is also linked at the bottom of the blog, Reddit (/r/2007landschapIn/r/oldschoolers) InOn Twitteruse#TheaterVanBloed.Vials of blood and new potionsVampires have long believed that there is great power in blood. A belief that has only increased with recent experiments in hemalchemistry. These flasks contain modified blood that increases the power of potions and can be used to charge up new weapons from the Theater of Blood. When we first discussed introducing the following potions, we wanted them to lower your HP by 10 doses at a time. After some internal consideration of the potion effects and boosts, we concluded that this was not necessary. While the potions can save you some stash space, you'll probably need to consume additional food to make up for the HP loss. We believe the potion bonuses don't warrant this, but we'll consider it if changes are needed.Bastionstam:This single potion increases both range and defense levels by the same amount as using a range potion and a super defense potion. To mix this potion you need 80 Herblore and the following ingredients: Flask of Blood, Cadantine and Zamorak Wine. Completing the whole potion will give you 155 Herblore experience.

Battle Mage Potion:This single Potion increases both the Magic and Defense Levels by the same amount as using a Potion and a Super Defense Potion. To mix this potion you need 80 Herblore and the following ingredients: Flask of Blood, Cadantine and Potato Cactus. Completing the whole potion will give you 155 Herblore experience.

total drink:This single potion increases the attack, strength, defense, range, and magic levels by the same amount as using a super battle, range, and magic potion. To mix this potion you need 96 Herblore and the following ingredients: Super Potion, Ranged Potion, Magic Potion, Vial of Blood and Torstol. Completing the whole potion will give you 180 Herblore experience.

Power Potion:This single potion restores prayer points (7 + 25% of the prayer level) and applies a weak stamina potion that lasts 1 minute instead of 2. To mix this potion you need 88 Herblore and the following ingredients: Flask of Blood, Amylase Crystal & Ranarr. Completing the whole potion will give you 110 Herblore experience.

Super Prayer Potion:This potion would restore prayer points (7 + 25% of prayer level) and add a refresh effect that restores 6 additional prayer points for 30 seconds (at a rate of one point every 5 seconds). To mix this potion you need 91 Herblore and the following ingredients: Flask of Blood, Ranarr Grass, Snapdragon and Snape Grass. Completing the whole potion will give you 120 Herblore experience.

Avernic-VerteidigerDuring the Second Age, Avernan weapons were widely used by the Void Lord's forces. Forged by Avernian smiths in the liquid fire of Infernus, these weapons were among the most powerful of all. Today, Avernic weapons are incredibly rare, as the mysteries behind their creation have long been lost. Lady Verzik's Avernan Defender is one of the few remaining and a holdover from her time in the service of the Void Lord. The Avernic Defender is an upgraded version of the Dragon Defender and requires 70 Attack and 70 Defense to equip. Due to its age, the entire defender was destroyed, leaving only the handle. To make the Avernic Defender, you need to combine the Avernic Grip with a Dragon Defender. The Avernic Grip is tradable, but once combined with a Dragon Defender, the Avernic Defender becomes untradeable. You can take apart the Avernic Defender to retrieve the spent Dragon Defender, but the Avernic Grip will be destroyed in the process. If a player dies with the Avernic Defender below level 20 Wilderness, they become a broken Avernic Defender that can be repaired for 1,000,000 coins by using the item on Perdu. The player who gets the kill receives 1,000,000 from the defender, in addition to the normal loot dropped by their opponent. Level 20 Wilderness deaths are treated the same as any other non-tradeable item, meaning the person wearing it won't get a broken Avernic Defender back - it will be lost.

Judgment prayer scrollDuring the God Wars, Armadyl granted his followers great power so that they could defeat his enemies. Judgment was one of those many forces that have since been lost to history. However, when Armadyl left Gielinor after the God Wars, his abandoned strongholds were invaded by Lady Verzik's vampires. In one of these strongholds they found a scroll containing the hidden knowledge of Judgment. Judgment is a new overhead prayer that requires 85 prayers. It is unlocked through a tradable scroll available in the Theater of Blood. Using the prayer boostsMelee attack and strength by 10%, but lowers your own defense by 50%. While Judgment is active, 1/6 of the damage dealt by the user is removed from their prayer. Use of Judgment stacks with battle prayers like Piety, but since it's an overhead prayer it can't be used with similar prayers like Protect from Melee.

Sanguinesti staffOne of the more recent additions to Lady Verzik's collection, the Sanguinesti Staff is a powerful weapon crafted by Lord Lowerniel Drakan himself. The staff was given to Lady Verzik by Lord Lowerniel Drakan as a reward for helping her fight against the Seven Priest-Warriors. The Sanguinesti Staff is a new tradable magical weapon that requires 75 magic to use. It has the same stats as the Swamp Trident, but can deal 1 more damage. It has the added effect of 1/6 chance to heal you for 50% of the damage dealt when attacking an NPC. It is loaded with blood runes and requires 3 runes per roll. The staff is not deteriorating.

Ghrazi-RapierOf all the Vampyrium tribes, none was more vicious than the Ghrazi. These vampires prided themselves on their fighting skills and regularly lured their prey into battle so they could show off their skills. The rapier in Lady Verzik's vault was once wielded by a terrifying Ghrazi warlord. It was given to her by her father, who owned it after the warlord challenged him to a battle he did not survive to tell the tale. The Ghrazi Blade is a new tradable thrusting weapon that requires 75 Attack to use. It is not charged and does not decompose. The attack speed of the Rapier is the same as that of the Abyssal Tentacle.

justice armourThe Justiciars were elite warriors in Saradomin's army during the God Wars. Unlike the rest of his force, the law enforcement officers operated alone, often as assassins and saboteurs. Chosen from different races, they were all chosen by Saradomin himself, who gave them great power. When the vampires invaded Hallowvale, some of the last remaining law enforcement officers fell in battle. The Justiciar armor found in Lady Verzik's vault was taken from one of these fallen warriors. The Justiciar armor is an all-new set of tradable, tank-oriented gear that requires 75 Defense to equip. Each piece of armor provides defense stats slightly higher than Torag the Corrupted's gear, plus some prayer bonus. With the full set of Justiciar armor, all damage taken is reduced by x/3000, where 'x' is your equipment's defense bonus. This is based on the type of attack being used against you. For example, if an enemy made a crush-style attack and you had a total defense bonus of 450 against crush, then 450/3000 = 15% damage reduction. this effectdoes not apply in PvP battles.If you wear the full Justiciar armor along with items with similar effects, such as: Elysian Spirit Shield, which has a 70% chance to reduce the damage taken by the player by 25%, the damage reduction effect is applied after the Elysian Spirit Shield effect. For example, if a player wearing a 40-damage Crush Attack is hit while wearing full Justiciar armor with +450 Crush Defense and an Elysian Spirit Shield and the Elysian Spirit Shield effect activated, the damage is initially reduced to 30 (25% of 40 is 30). The Justiciar armor would then gain an additional 15% damage reduction (since the attack is a crush attack and in this example the total crush defense is +450, then 450/3000 = 15% damage reduction), meaning the original hit from 40 would be reduced to 25. The Justiciar armor does not degrade and does not require a charge.

Vampyrium forearm protectorsThe Vampyrium Vambraces are among the oldest objects in Lady Verzik's tomb. They were created when vampires lived on Vampyrium. Its original purpose was to aid the vampires in their fight against the Yarasa. Vampyrium Vambraces are a new tradable item for long-range slots that require 75 range and defense to equip. They offer a slight offensive bonus compared to Barrows Gloves, albeit at the cost of some defensive stats.

Scythe by WiseOne of Lady Verzik's most prized possessions is the Vitur Scythe. This legendary weapon was once wielded by the founder of House Vitur, a vampire now worshiped as a god. Vitur's scythe is a powerful, tradable two-handed weapon. It has no special move, but can hit up to three enemies once in a 1x3 arc in front of the player. Similar to the Dragon and Crystal Halberd special attacks, each swing can also hit large creatures up to three times in the same attack. The scythe can hit up to three NPCs and up to three times. The first hit deals 100% damage, the second 50%, and the third 25%. Each attack, regardless of which enemy is your primary target, rolls independently based on your attack bonuses versus the NPC's defense bonuses. The scythe requires 75 attack power and 75 power to wield and comes in two flavors: an unloaded version and a loaded version. The non-charged version has relatively low stats, but gains extra bonuses after charging. Charging the scythe costs 1/100 of a vial of blood and 3 blood runes, which means that 100 charges will cost a full vial of blood and 300 blood runes.

Sinhaza-LeichentuchA mysterious figure stands guard in the courtyard in front of the Theater of Blood. No one knows why he is there, but he takes a great interest in everyone who enters the theater. Anyone who survives the theater can discover that this character has a peculiar gift, a shroud of unknown origin. The Sinhaza Shroud is a purely cosmetic cloak that players receive after completing the Theater of Blood. It is possible to change the appearance of the cloak after completing the Theater of Blood 100, 500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 times respectively.

We are so excited that you will be trying out the rewards in the coming weeks. In addition to discussing this developer blog on oursThey were, don't forget to use it#TheaterVanBloedAOn Twitterso we can see all your feedback!

Mods Archie, Ash, Ayiza, Curse, Ed, Ghost, Jed, John C, Kieren, Lottie, Mat K, Maz, Roq, Ry, Stone, Sween, Weath, West & WolfDas Old-School-Team