For those of you who don't know him, Syzygy is the #1 F2P player. All of his F2P skill stats are 99 except for runecrafting (93), prayer (96) and crafting (96). He is a 44 year old database analyst who lives in Canada. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with him.
Tip.It: When did you first find out that you were the top F2Per?
Syzygy: I'd seen the thread that existed on Tip.It way back that listed the top 100 F2P players. I thought it was pretty cool that someone took the time to organize it and then all the time to maintain it. Back then there were a number of players that I aspired to be as good as some day. I checked it out from time to time to see how others were progressing, and to see which names I recognized from having talked with people. When I noticed that mendark 9 didn't seem to be improving any more, I started to wonder if I could ever pass what he had already achieved. I just kept playing and over time I got closer and closer to the day that I finally got there.
Tip.It: How did you feel and what was your reaction?
Syzygy: Well , I didn't jump for joy or run around screaming .. lol. It was more like .. 'Neat, I did it'. As far as I was concerned it didn't really change anything. I was still who I was and everything else was still what it was. It seems other people got more excited about it than me .. lol. As far as I'm concerned it rates the same as any other goal that anyone achieves. The feeling of achievement that you get when you reach what you set out to do. And it's not just true of Runescape, it's true of everything in your life. Have goals, no matter how small and reach out to achieve them for yourself and for others.
Tip.It: What does syzygy mean?
Syzygy: Syzygy is a word from astronomy. It means the alignment of three or more objects within a gravitational system. For instance, during an eclipse the sun, moon and earth are said to be in syzygy. It's also a six-letter word with no normal vowels .. lol. I've always had a fascination with astronomy and when I heard the word I figured that would make a good name for a game character. It stuck with me.
Tip.It: Since the return of Syzygy, how do you think the community has changed?
Syzygy: The most noticeable thing that has changed in the RS community is the sheer size of it. I can remember back to a time when there were only 6 servers. There are so many more people that have taken to RS.
Tip.It: How did you find out about Runescape?
Syzygy: I originally heard about Runescape while playing another game. It was a text-based game with a chat component, and I remember overhearing someone mention a new game that they had seen that was graphical. They sounded like they really enjoyed it, so I wrote down the URL and gave it a try. I’ve never gone back to that other game.
Tip.It: Is Syzygy your only account?
Syzygy: It is now. The account that I forgot the password for is long gone now. Actually if I had never forgotten that password, Syzygy would never have existed. I like this account a lot more than the one I lost.
Tip.It: Have you always been F2P?
Syzygy: Yup. I started out in RS before they had members. When members came out, I made a decision that I would continue to play as a free player. The free game seems fine for me. It still offers plenty of challenges for me that will take a long time to achieve.
Tip.It: What are your current goals?
Syzygy: My goals now are pretty much focused on achieving the remaining levels I need to reach 1493 total. Slowly each remaining one will hopefully fall by the wayside. And I'll take a moment after each one to savor the one step closer to my personal goal. When I do reach it, I know I will set another goal. Not sure yet what that will be, but whatever it is I'll enjoy continuing to play RS and interact with the myriad of other people I come across.
Tip.It: How do you plan to get 99 crafting?
Syzygy: Recently I've been busy mining and crafting silver. I'll probably continue to do that for the next little while. Since I've always enjoyed mining and smithing, it works out good for me. I'll also make some ammies and necklaces along the way with any gems that come my way. That means mining some gold too, but that's okay .. mining is good ... lol.
Tip.It: Why have you never been member?
Syzygy: I guess cause I never saw the need. I also felt that if I moved into the version of the game that was always changing that it would in some way invalidate the work that I had already put into my account (i.e., something would come along that would make challenges easier to achieve and I would feel like I had wasted my effort.)
Tip.It: If you could become a member for one month, what would you do?
Syzygy: I’d probably start a new account to be a member and leave Syzygy as F2P. I have a number of friends that have become members over the years, and they’re always trying to persuade me to join members with them. They are always telling me about the new features that are available and all the new quests that I could do. It's inviting, but up until now I’ve still been more interested in achieving any challenges I set for myself in F2P.
Tip.It: What skill is the hardest to train?
Syzygy: I’d have to say prayer, although runecrafting is a close second. They both take a lot of time to get anywhere with. Burying big bones that give 15 exp each or making air runes that give 5 exp each take a long time to add up to the millions of exp needed for the higher levels.
Tip.It: Do you buy your own big bones and ess?
Syzygy: I've bought essence at times in the past. But lately I have friends that want air runes, so I end up just trading them air runes for essence. As far as big bones are concerned, I buy them from time to time. Most of the big bones I bury though come from giants that I have killed myself.
Tip.It: Do you think F2P needs more updates?
Syzygy: I definitely think there are some updates that would be nice. If they added more bank space for F2P, I sure wouldn’t complain .. lol. But I can understand that it’s a free game, and that they had always stated that the improvements they made to the game would be for paying members. I’m okay with that.
Tip.It: What's the most challenging thing about F2P?
Syzygy: I'd say the most challenging thing about F2P is developing patience. You don't get anywhere in F2P fast. You have to be able to not allow yourself to get bored or to be dissatisifed with the pace of your progress. Time is a big factor in F2P play.
Tip.It: What is your favourite skill?
Syzygy: Smithing. It's the first skill that I ever really worked on. It was the first skill that I ever reached level 99. And I still like to smith whenever I have the opportunity. I'll smith almost any time that friends want me to if they have the materials.
Tip.It: How did it feel to get your first 99 skill?
Syzygy: It felt great. It came as the result of two years of dedication to smithing. There are probably easier skills to reach level 99 at, but smithing was one that I really wanted and I went after it first. To finally get somewhere that you wanted to achieve makes it all worthwhile.
Tip.It: What quest was the hardest one for you?
Syzygy: I don't think any of the quests were all that difficult. I did them all on Syzygy within a weekend when I was combat level 97. At lvl 97 I think I heard Elvarg whimper when I took him on .. lol. Of course I had done most of them once before on my first account. I guess I'd say the longer quests were harder .. Prince Ali's quest and the Dragon Slayer just because of how long it takes to finish them compared to others.
Tip.It: What keeps you playing?
Syzygy: Hmmm, good question .. why do I keep playing this game? Lol ... the simple answer I guess is that I enjoy it. But if I delve deeper, why do I enjoy it or what do I enjoy about it? I'd have to say that the biggest part of playing this game besides the part of doing things within the game is that it's a multi-player game. This means that you get to interact with other people. What's even nicer is that you get to interact with a whole range of other people. Different ages. Different cultures. In a way it's like experiencing the rest of the world through a small window. As world events happen you could get the perspective of ordinary people like yourself from the other side of the globe. Being able to share something like runescape with people all around the world .. it's pretty neat. :o)
SYZYGY'S Totally F2P bank
Did You Know...
... that if you are in danger of dying, you should set up your cannon? You can recover it from the dwarf cannon salesman if you die while it's set up, but if you are carrying it, 3 cannon pieces will protect over your best items including your whip!!
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