The Tip.It Times


Issue 7199gp

A Dragon in hand is stronger than one in the sky

Written by and edited by Mdeoxys & jp7725

It has been a while since Dragon Weapons were introduced. We're winding back to eight years ago when RuneScape Membership was unleashed, and a whole plethora of updates gave us, amongst other things, the Longsword and Battle Axe. A lot has changed since then, hasn't it? Back then the Longsword was the most powerful weapon out there, and the KO weapon of choice, with the Battle Axe boosting your Strength level just before the battle. Almost exactly two years later it was succeeded by the Dragon Dagger (added to the same shop as the Longsword), which is still considered a good weapon.

Along the way a lot of specialty Dragon Weapons have been released. The Halberd is excellent for safe-spotting and has somewhat removed the need Magic or Range. The Scimitar is, especially for those who cannot afford a Saradomin Sword, ideal for training Strength. Finally the Hatchet and Pickaxe are for non-combat uses, and rendered their Rune counterparts practically useless. Most of these items are still quite popular because of the specialty.

Others have simply been outclassed by newer versions. Take the Two-Hander as an example; it is completely inferior to the Godswords in both stats and special attack, and if you're looking for speed instead, you'll have your eyes fixed on the Saradomin Sword. The Spear, while still poison-able is not making as big a dent as the Zamorak Spear can. It is quite obvious that the GWD has killed off at least part of the Dragon Weapon market.

Currently though, the Dragon Claws are at the top of the chart. Like the Dagger, it is not the weapon stats but its special attack that make it the preferred choice. So much so, that complaints about the Claws being overpowered and those from the time the Dagger was released, are eerily similar.

But we have a few things in store still. At the time I write this article, we have confirmation that the Warhammer and the Crossbow are in development, and naturally we are curious how we would be able to get such weapons, and of course about their capabilities. Would the special attack of the Dragon Xbow activate the enchantment of your bolt perhaps? Even if the special attack of the Crossbow turns out to be lame, the stats of this one-handed weapon alone would put the Rangers firmly back in the triangle.

But at this point I noticed a little incontinuity. By all reason and logic, the Dragon Warhammer should be dropped by something related to the Fremenniks or the Dwarves at Keldagrim. Now, we've already been given the Pickaxe from the Dwarves and the Hatchet from something Fremennik-related. And although it wouldn't be the first time that two Dragon weapons come from one Quest, I do have one question.

Why do the Dagannoth Kings drop a Hatchet? If anything, they should drop the Warhammer, and the Hatchet should come from something related to Woodcutting (Elder Evil Tree perhaps?). The same thing could be said about the Pickaxe and Mining. Then again, it could also be said for the Scimitar to be dropped by some creature in the Kharidian Desert, but Jagex gave monkeys some curved swords and it all makes sense again.

I'm personally looking forward to the Dragon Shortsword (or, and pun intended, Sword for short). The Roman Empire was built on the combat capabilities of the Gladius Hispaniensis (Spanish Shortsword). Fast stabbing attacks would mean you could inflict the fatal cuts without needing much room to wield it. On top of that it was very light, meaning your training would not need to focus on strength, and could instead be devoted to technique. If you want to see it in action, it features quite prominently in the new "Spartacus" series (although in more slashing then stabbing style).

The stats of the Dragon Shortsword can very easily be determined if one compares the Rune Sword to the Rune Claws and extrapolates using the Dragon Claws. But as with almost all Dragon Weapons, the special attack will make the difference whether it becomes a popular weapon or not. Something along the lines of ignoring your opponents Stab defence when the spec is activated would sound plausible, wouldn't it?

The last one on my list is not as spectacular, as I expect the Hasta to be a one-handed Dragon Spear. I doubt we'll see anything resembling what we saw in the movie "300", but who knows. Perhaps we will get an option to actually throw it at people? Thrown objects have been severely neglected, but would it really be the first time for the Dragon version of a weapon to save the entire class from being a total failure?


Do you have any thoughts or comments about this week's articles? Want to discuss these articles with your fellow RuneScapers? We invite you to discuss them in this forum topic.


Author:

Will you use Menaphos to train your skills?



Report Ad