The Armadyl crossbow in February 2016, the Ghrazi rapier in November 2019 and now the Elder maul with the upcoming Chambers of Xeric, all of them are outclassed by the chaotic equipment that has been a part of the server since at least 2013 - the Chaotic crossbow is stronger than the Armadyl crossbow (although the ACB triggers bolt specials more often) and the Chaotic rapier and Chaotic maul outperform the Ghrazi rapier and Elder maul in every single way.
We have always been reluctant to nerf existing items because we didn't want to anger or disappoint those players who worked hard to get these items. It's also hard to know what the best course of action is. Being an OSRS server with some pre-eoc RS3 content presents us with some tough decisions to make.
I would like to extend my thanks to the numerous players who have participated in these discussions, and after a lot of weighing of all possible choices I believe we are ready (and way overdue) to make a final decision about these items. The basic idea is that each top tier weapon should have a proper use and there isn't simply one that is the best in every situation.
Please note that this poll is only meant to get an idea of how the community feels about these changes. It is still up to us to make the final decision, even if it is the unpopular choice, but we definitely want to take into account the community's feedback. Any input or suggestions about minor stat changes are always welcome.
The proposed changes are as follows:
Chaotic crossbow:Ranged attack: +120
→ Ranged attack: +105
Armadyl crossbow for comparison:Ranged attack: +100
1/6 chance to trigger enchanted bolt effects (versus 1/8 chance for other weapons) and a special attack that guarantees an enchanted bolt special effect and offers +100% accuracy against players (+20% accuracy against NPC's).
This change still makes the Chaotic crossbow stronger than any other crossbow, but the Armadyl crossbow offers a higher chance to trigger enchanted bolt effects and has a special attack.
Chaotic rapier:Stab attack: +94
→ Stab attack: +86
Strength: +101
→ Strength: +93
Ghrazi rapier for comparison:Stab attack: +94
Strength: +89
With this change, the Chaotic rapier still has the highest max hit but a slightly lower accuracy than the Ghrazi rapier, making it more suited against enemies with a low defence, while the Ghrazi rapier becomes better suited against enemies with a high defence.
Chaotic maul:Crush attack: +167
→ Crush attack: +123
Strength: +155 (unchanged)
Elder maul for comparison:Crush attack: +135
Strength: +147
With this change, the Chaotic maul still has the highest max hit but a slightly lower accuracy than the Elder maul, making it more suited against enemies with a low defence, while the Elder maul becomes better suited against enemies with a high defence. It also presents an interesting choice in PvP situations: a lower chance to hit more damage, or a higher chance to hit less damage?
Alternatively, but perhaps less ideally, the Chaotic crossbow, rapier and maul could become degradeable versions of the Armadyl crossbow / Ghrazi rapier / Elder maul, where we give them the exact same stats (and effects, if any) but they degrade over time. I''m personally not really in favor of this, as I do believe that having each top tier equipment being suited for one specific situation is the preferred way to go.
At present I see little reason to change the Chaotic staff or longsword, as the Kodai wand already has a higher magic attack (+28) than the Chaotic staff (+18) while both giving a +15% magic damage bonus. The Vesta's longsword is only very slightly weaker than the Chaotic longsword but compensates by having a strong special attack. I know, we may want to consider rebalancing the Statius and Vesta weapons as well, but let's leave those for another poll for now.
Please let us know what you think and if we should make any (minor) adjustments to the proposed changes.
