Yesterday, we used Skyppe and Prime talked to his parents for a couple of hours. It really makes it seem like they live just a few miles away when we can just talk without concern about a telephone bill of any kind! The calls are usually even better than using a phone – clear and crisp. Not only that, using a microphone and the speakers lets us both listen and talk or leave the room or just play Runescape while talking. It’s great!

Today, I just kept at whatever I could while it was at 1.1 xp. I didn’t have enough charms for another level but I whittled off another 350k to the next level. I did some Farming, Herblore, and a little bit of Runecrafting to get the statue pieces plus the slight amount of bonus xp. Just this and that for as much xp as possible. Of course, when the assist time came around, I did 30k Construction. I need to get Runecrafting up one so I can assist 91 and 93. Not many people request 91 Runecrafting.

I hope everyone got a chance to take advantage of the Bonus XP Weekend while they could.

I watched a few Ghost Whisperer episodes so I know the people on the show when we go to that show in October. That is bound to be really interesting!

Added note – later in the day: XP Bonus Time seems to be going beyond the announced cut off time which would have been 6pm for us in Wisconsin, US. – shrugs. Enjoy it while it lasts everyone………….. It looks like they gave us an additional day?

Now that I’m getting closer to 96 Summoning, I guess the pack Yak is my next big goal! If only it wasn’t so stinking expensive. I did a look see about shards turned in to Borog or selling on GE – most are better off being traded.

If you can make and use the Super Anti-fire potions, you can use a Saradomin Godsword on metal dragons. I had set up to do some Slayer when I got back to the game because I figured that the xp weekend was going to be over by then. This was just an experiment to see if that super anti-fire protects you fully – and it does. Use the special to restore some prayer (and hitpoints), use protect/deflect from melee, and keep that super anti going – wowowowow! I went through my iron dragon assignment super fast using almost none of my prayer pots! (Was like doing blues for me!) Also got lots of charms and an effigy!!!

Slayer Level 98 is getting closer with only 325k left to go!

All in all – this has been a fun weekend! I’ve gotten a few levels in the first couple of days! One level closer to Yaks packs, too – my next Summoning goal. Prime has blown it for me by calculating if I can get to level 138 just on Summoning levels alone…. NO! Even if I got to 99 Summoning, I’d still need a Prayer level……….. Tisk!

First Construction…………………..
Got Level 95!!! Will be able to do bigger assists!
Over 900k to the next level!

Hunter……………………….
Working on it after just one level of Construction because I just got tooo bored.

Right after the level, I got a message in red saying – “Well done! You’ve reached the total level 2400 milestone!” Since I’m so close to an Agility level, I’ll just zip over to the Gnome Stronghold and get that one to add to the skill total!

748k to the next level – shrugs……….

Next Day:

Summoning………..

820k to the next level……… sigh…….. The Summoning Charms by Color Chart to the left really helped keep me focused!

There was an odd glitch in the timer but in our favor this time. People were telling me that their xp went back up after a certain time passed. I don’t know because I was doing Construction and watching video on the right side of my screen. Otherwise, Construction would have been way toooooo boring for me.

Last but not least, and actually the best…..
Happy Birthday Primefalcon, my adorable rl husband!
I love you, Babe!

For Prime’s birthday, we decided to just spend the day around the castle……….

Just take it easy and enjoy the day…..

We’re going to have Prime’s fav meal………..

Then just chill and maybe watch a movie or something……….

Of course, our day wouldn’t be complete without some Runescape!

Happy Birthday Prime!

Most of the things I need to gather are sitting in the bank but I want to get some more abyssal and obsidian charms, plus more Unicorn horns.

I have been whittling logs into long bows for the final piece of my statue to go into that collection bag. It’s so easy to use that bag, too!

Talk about a whole lot of xp all at once! Blew me off my feet! Oof!!!!

131,274 xp!!!! Well worth the effort!

Good luck everyone!!!! It’s almost 2 am here now and I need some sleep before the big weekend!

I’ll have to go make a whole lot more planks to be able to get at least one level though. I am planning on enough to do a complete whole level plus a bit, hoping to actually double it with the bonus xp to get two levels. Besides, if I can get at least one level, I’ll be able to do 95 Construction assists without any tea! It will save a nice amount of gp as a bonus! If I get tired of all three choices, I’ll go fish. If the barehanded butterflies qualify for the bonus xp, I might go there first. Shrugs…… and my perennial least liked – Runecrafting – might be on my list of things to do during the bonus time!

We do have some things planned for the weekend but our fav thing to do is Runescape. Primefalcon and I met on the game so it would be a sentimental choice any way.

Those new little noses we have are interesting – aren’t they? Was kind of surprised to see it on another player because I thought Jagex meant their own non-player characters would have more definition on their faces.

A little side info about a rl event coming up….. My brother, CycleCyco, got tickets to a Ghost Hunters show that is coming to Milwaukee on Oct. 16th! We are going to a taping of the show in the renovated Pabst Mansion! I’m really looking forward to it! Considering how much paranormal stuff I grew up with and continue to experience, the show itself is just a bit tame for me. Who knows what might manifest once we’re there……… Actually, I have no real idea what they are going to do because all the shows are on the road or in people’s suspected haunted houses.

This week the penguins are not too bad. Only one wildy and nooooooo Elf lands or Desert. I must say that I am not too crazy about sloshing all over Mort Myre Swamp though – but using the Fairy Ring co-ords sure made that one fast this week!

Soooooooooo here we goooooooooo……

Week 105 : Aug. 31st to Sept. 6th
1.) Wilderness – Lev. 120 near Bandit camp – Rock – 2 pts
2.) Castle Wars – East wall by the bank – Bush – 1 pt
3.) Lunar Isle – Wandering south of wharf – Rock – 2 pts
4.) Ape Atoll – Downstairs near the tele point – Bush – 2 pts
5.) Brimhaven – North of Horseshoe mine – Bush – 1 pt
6.) Neitiznot – Near town bank – Rock – 2 pts
7.) Draynor – In the Manor, ground floor NW – Crate – 1 pt
8.) Digsite – In the workers area, near altar entrance – Rock – 1 pt
9.) Mort Myre – BKR, then go south – Bush – 2 pts
10.) Observatory – South of West Ardougne – Crate – 1 pt
11.) Jim Bear – North Ardougne Well – 1 pt
You must have completed the Hunt for Red Raktuber quest to spot the bear.

Added reminder:
You get 2 points for some of the penguins only after you have completed the Cold War Quest.

I am definitely saving my Penguin Points, at least until after the Bonus weekend. You never know what you might be close to and wish you had just a few more points!

I ran past Raemonde, Primefalcon’s mom, before seeing her say hi………. dang it. By the time I looked for her, I had no idea when she talked to me. Sorry MUM!!!!! So, see you guys, I am racing around, trying to find the penguins and writing here. I try to hurry as best I can. Again – sorry Mum! Love Ya!!!

While at Digsite, I upped my prayer to 109 from 95 so it’s a good time to use that altar if you can.

Added note for Farming xp for Bonus weekend – I was talking to Steelerscody and had remembered one thing I used to get a lot of xp with all the time. Poison berries….. Plant all your berry allotments in Poison Berries and save the health checks for bonus time. Without bonus time, each gives over 1k xp from health check to replant – so each would give you way over 2k each right away! It takes about 150 minutes to grow them so you could do them 3 or 4 times – unless you are going to log out a lot during the higher xp time. BTW – A Wolpertinger doubles your harvest and xp when picking berries all the time. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make or use one until just recently – way after 99 Farming!

(Logging out between plantings would not be the most effective use of your bonus xp during the weekend! Unless………… you had to leave anyway – raised eyebrow. So replant just before you leave.)

Pick and gather whatever you can without using the GE! The prices are going through the Ape Atoll! (I’ve been gathering willow branches from the three willow trees I have planted just for those. Meanie that I am, I’ve also been killing Unicorns every ding dang chance I get – and I hate it!)

Note about SwiftKit – they seem to have had a hacker or something so be careful if you use it. DO NOT click the links that are showing in the ad spot………. I am not even using it. Swiftkit doesn’t have a wine app so I can’t investigate from my Ubuntu partition. I miss it but it’s been freezing my computer when I shut down lately and I suspect whatever happened there today/yesterday has something to do with it! (added note – it was fixed the next morning so it’s ok to use now. The message to click was very obviously inappropriate!)

As I said in my comments to Maj Xavier, I feel sad that I don’t have that Smithing goal any more. I’ve noticed a sort of let down feeling after getting a level 99 before. I asked Primefalcon if he has, too, and he said he knew exactly what I meant. I don’t know why I feel deflated over this but I am. I sort of waver a bit once I’ve gotten to the end of the road so to speak….. but the internet highway has no beginning or end so I’ll just get over it and get my goal set on something else. I usually do some statue piece gathering when I am in this weird undecided mood. So off I go to fill those last spots in the collection bag………..

I carry that bag whenever I am not doing Slayer assignments. I am holding back until I get the all the pieces before turning them in – talk about a lot of xp! What’s really nice about the collection bag is that each piece tells you what they are and you can see which ones you need without drawing one out to look at it.

The one thing I don’t want to do is Runecrafting …….. and that will probably be the one I’ll have to force myself to do a lot of. Unless………… If I get one more level, I will be able to assist 91 and 93 rc effigies………. then the xp would build quicker! When I tried to do 91 rc assist yesterday after getting that Smithing level, no one needed it. I finally found someone who needed 93 construction and then did a 97 Smithing. (One more level and I’ll be able to do 95 Construction assists.) Today I’ll try to be patient and wait for rc assists. But I love helping with those really hard to find ones – so I might do other 97s as my seconds every day.

The only 97 effigy assists I can’t do are for Runecrafting and Construction. It’s been great to do a whole effy from beginning to Dragonkin lamp! Now – if only I could get another effigy! I use Assist Clan to offer assists – it is perfect for getting together with people fast. BTW – for Construction, drinking the highest level tea gives 3 levels and since Prime has that highest level kitchen shelf that you make the tea with, I go to his house and drink some of his tea for 97 Construction when I need it for an effy.

I did one 91 Runecrafting and one 93 Construction assist today so helped two skills nicely.

If anyone out there knows a good way to make some extra money online, leave a comment for me – ok? The MarlaineMarie on eHow is growing but I’d like other places to write for – especially fiction! (Yes – to those who have asked…. the sketch on eHow is a self-portrait…)

I am going for the Smithing level – that’s it. I have three weeks of Penguin Points to use and 3k+ gold ore in the bank. Well…………. I just used the Penguin Points (48) and got 117,600 xp on Smithing!!!! I think I’ll just go smith gold and get that last 48k!
Down to 25k……….
Under 10k……….
Got it!!!!!!!!

I forgot about the big fireworks display they show you when you get a 99! Notice the very rare screenie of the fireworks in canister form!!!

Oh and Primefalcon has lost his challenge made on June 1, 2008 (was duly noted and saved on the day of the challenge)………… He said he’d get 99 Smithing before me. I said – no way! Not only that, I’ll get my 99 Mining before you get 99 Smithing as well. Raised eyebrow – I have won the challenge! (Primefalcon is grumble mumbling about not believing I actually wrote that down. Hehehehehe!) Remember, I did not work on Smithing exclusively so don’t think it took that longgggggggggg to get those levels!

I have been also working on Slayer – had 227 Dark Beasts as my assignment that I am almost done with. It’s only 375k away from Level 98 now.

Agility is still about 300k to a level. Fishing is over a mil to go – sigh…………. Thieving is 950k to a level.

Primefalcon and I just did Tears of Guthix. I got over 10k xp with 172 tears. That is absolutely wonderful!!!! But………….. Prime got 199 tears – a new record between the both of us!!!!! 11940xp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats Prime! Wowow! He got it all on Dungeoneering – as I did!

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Jagex now puts Tears on whatever your lowest skill is, even if you have only level one. I know one person who is level 50 in Dungeoneering without ever working on it. I also know someone else who is over level 55 in Dungeoneering who never even went in for a look! I don’t really know why Jagex is allowing this now. It sure would have been nice to get Summoning that way. I had two big lamps from a quest that I had to save until my Summoning was up level 35…. Shrugs………. On the official page, it no longer mentions a minimum level needed to apply the Tears so …… ? Guess that is the way it is now.

Another thing that is very odd to me is the way we have to report glitches in the game….. We go to the Help menu to submit a bug. Once you are there, the process is soooooooooo long and involved, even I’ve just closed the window before I finished! Yet Jagex bans people for not reporting bugs. This is just not fair at all! If Jagex wants us to quickly report bugs, they need to make it a whole lot easier for us to do it. I have a great deal of patience, in general, but that bug report bugs me!

Slayer is getting closer to a level now – 427k. Smithing is reallllly getting close now……… under 225k!!!!

Ohhhhhh my gosh! I had 7 Mithril Dragons as my assignment and just after my last kill with my last bit of food gone, I got an Elite clue scroll!!!!!!!!!!! Here’s a pic – the little thing on the bottom definitely shows the symbol that shows the clue is not a normal scroll! Oh it’s a scan clue! Sooooooo off I go to try to figure this out!

It tells you where it is in general……..

As you get closer, it tells you how many paces away you are from it and shows you on the game and the mini-map.

You need a shovel and the clue for these scan clues.

So I got a Dragon Slide Puzzle….

The next step was on Neitiznot, near the Yak pen.
Next in Wildy……………
Many many scan clues – I lost track.
Also the Bandos Slider Puzzle……….. sigh……………
This clue is taking me to almost every corner of Runescape!
Then I got a Spinning Compass clue………..

If it’s spinning, you are not on the right level so to up a ladder or down into a dungeon. Once you are on the right level, it will stop spinning and point in one direction. You’ll have to track it down. Mine ended up just North of OO’ Glog. It ended up being another new slider puzzle – the light green dragon …………..
Then back to Keldagrim, again……..

I stopped in Keldagrim after a clue step so I could mine some addy and gold…….. can’t pass up ore – raised eyebrow. No rune came up but I did get a couple rune ore in wildy when the Scan clue took me to the Ice Spiders.

After the second trip to Keldagrim and who knows how many steps – I got the casket. Now, I’m sort of reluctant to open it. I’d hate to find nothing interesting in there after sooooooooo many steps and do much time doing the clue!

But here goes: Wait a minute – it was a casket but it holds a Celtic Cross – not the end of the clue!

It took forever and I logged off for the night. I started working in it again this afternoon and solved it but had to log off to reboot my computer. When I got back on, it was no longer solved!!!!!!!!!!! I am seriously ticked off!

I did get the reward after solving the Celtic Knot…..

In terms of gp – 548k is the GE price for everything – medium price. The problem is in the amount of time I spent chasing around and doing allllll those push tile puzzles and the Celtic Knot – I could have made more GP doing slayer assignments and getting xp toward a level!!!! Nobody wants those arrows. I have gotten 2 or 3 snapdragon seeds doing one assignment that also dropped charms to use for more xp later. Super stat restore is no longer that much better than regular prayer pots since I usually am not having a problem with stats. Besides super prayer pots made with Wyvern bones are much better anyway than even the Super Stat Restore.

I might even have gotten my 99 Smithing level by now considering I have a whole lot of gold in the bank that I sure wouldn’t waste on the Bonus XP Weekend since the Goldsmithing Gauntlets will not give any bonus while you use them over the weekend.

This change will definitely help me keep track of my assist time so when it gets way into the wee hours, it will be my own dang fault……….hehehehe………… oh wait – I’d rather blame someone else. (Not really….) It was getting to me when people were checking my time and asking for assists because they could see I could. Now – Jagex………. could you let saps like me do extra assists just to assist people? Probably not – I just realized there are a lot of people who demand payment for it because I see them even in the Assist Clan chat room asking for gp to do assists. They get kicked in that chat room because one of the rules is no payment. Assist Clan also encourages people to try to do two assists if they can. I can do a 95 assist for 25k and then a 97 assist but only get an additional 5k to make it to 30k a day. If I did the 97 first, I get the 30k – sure – but I can’t help anyone else then.

Another great new tool, from a previous update, is the Collection Bag! It is so much more fun to save up all the pieces and wait to hand them in all at once. I haven’t handed it in since getting it so I don’t know how long it’s been since I finished the last statue. (Hint to Jagex….timer for statue, too?) It’s terrific to store them away without it taking all those bank spaces!

Thessalia in Varrock and Yrsa in Rellekka have new clothing options so you might find a great new outfit.

Wow! There are lotssssssssssssss of choices and lots of colors. Unfortunately, when I tried some of the black colors they were dark purple, dark blue, etc., but what an amazing amount of choices! They have really put in a lot of work to design new clothes! Big clapping! Now we can all have a uniqueness about ourselves! Looks like whoever designed those things for dungeoneering went to work fixing the doldrums our topside clothes had! The choices are really interesting! Kudos to the new designer(s)!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Primefalcon gave himself a new look too – but one of his favorite looks!~! Prime Pirate!!!

This little message was kind of a surprise. I was trying to thieve a Hero in Ardy and accidentally clicked the Town Crier. Thanks – Jagex – for the nice message.

I have a lot of 99s but am still working on Smithing, Fishing, Summoning, Agility, Thieving, Slayer, Hunter, Prayer, Runecrafting and Construction. (Dungeoneering – too – of course!)

Combat bonus time – if I needed 99s in combat and needed all of them, I’d set my attack style to shared. What a great time to up alllllll the combat stats at once!!!

So – suggestions for each skill as follows but do not think these notes are the only things you can do. I am just not sure what counts or doesn’t count in some cases. I have the list that Runescape gave us on my blog post – Second Helping Bonus xp Weekend. It is a very simple list and doesn’t really specify

Ranged – Hmmmmmmmmmmm……….. I did black dragons for my range, especially when I had them as my Slayer assignment. When I did that final push to get 99 Ranged, I used range on everything I could but I noticed that the Black and Greater Demons gave pretty fast xp!

Prayer – To the point, don’t waste time burying bones during the xp weekend. Even the highest xp bonus is not as good as almost anything else you can do to give yourself a bonus. I’ve said this often in blog posts, nothing is quite as good as using the ecto altar.

Magic – If you are going to work on Magic over the XP Bonus time, have a stack of something to high alk and tons of natures with a fire/lava battlestaff equipped. I whittled away most of my last 10 magic levels just by high alking whatever I was making at the time – steel & addy plates, empowered battlestaffs (all alk for the same gp except the lavas), magic longbows, etc. Make whatever you choose yourself before the weekend and make nearly all profit while getting great xp!

Construction – I have been making those teak guild trophy or the sword displays. Plank up a ton of whatever logs you are interested in using and be sure to have gp to pay your servant to chase for your logs.

Agility – Do the fastest, easiest course you can do. Primefalcon says that the Dorgesh-Kaan agility course is – now – much faster than it was. If you can do the elite ones in Gnome Stronghold or Barbarian Outpost – definitely do those. The Ape Atoll is still a pretty fast choice, too.

Herblore – pre-make all the vials you can with an herb in them and have your seconds stocked up to match them. Then, when the time starts, mix like a maniac!

Thieving – do whatever you are most comfortable with. Use a Magpie to boost your Thieving level with scrolls if you need to. (Don’t know if it would count during the xp weekend!) Do whatever you can that is easiest with a high xp. I do White Knights in Ardougne even though I can pickpocket the Paladins and Heroes because I can do lots of them fast without getting hit. Pyramid Plunder is great but take a sip of super anti-poison before you start a round and a lock pick with food. I use the Ardougne Cloak 3 and Gloves of Silence usually but not sure if they will work during the bonus weekend.

Crafting – Any of the empowered orbbed battlestaffs high alk for the same gp – 9300 gp. Do the highest empowered orbs for the battlestaffs that you can and stock up on battlestaffs so you will have lots to put together during the bonus time. Have a ton of molten glass made so you can make either the glass orbs or the Dorgeshuun light orbs. I don’t know how well the light orbs sell but they get 70 xp per while the orbs get 52.5 xp each when you make them. The orbs need to be empowered before using them with battlestaffs but the complete xp for magic and crafting is great. The light orb is rather slow to find places to use it in. (The Bullseye lantern is only 2.5 xp more than the orbs and not really worth it.)

Fletch is pretty simple – best logs you can use and a knife – fletch. I wouldn’t bother with bowstrings during the weekend. The un-strung bows sell on the GE for some odd reason.

Slayer/Combat combo – do assignments but I would have any assignments that take a long time dismissed. As much as I enjoy doing Mith dragons, I would have them dismissed over the XP weekend. They take too long per monster and not enough extra xp on slayer.

Hunter – now this is where catching those Butterflies barehanded seemed to be good xp but when we had that last xp weekend, I wasn’t really used to the xp those little things give. Setting/checking traps, butterfly/bird/impling catching, and falconry are great for the xp weekend. If I was going to do something besides barehanded butterfly catching, I’d do the falconry because nothing is needed except the entry fee and the persistence to just work at it. You drop or bury everything and there’s no need to bank.

Mining – mine ore. Don’t do Stars because they take way too much time in between stars to find them and/or run over to the place your clan told you about if you are using a clan chat. If you can use the living caverns, that is incredible for mining. Turn off auto retaliate, wear best melee armour, and ignore the living rock creatures the best you can. Take what you need for fishing in case you get low on hit points – just go to the next floor to cook what you catch and bank as you mine the ore. Also, do the ore that is fast for you – not the ore you can just do level-wise. I can do Rune but addy is actually faster to mine, and mith is even faster.

Smithing – Smelting and smithing with no gauntlets. Do the plates of whatever metal you are smithing. They go the fastest and all the bars in each type of metal earns about the same xp per. Faster is better during the xp weekend. (And you get more gp for the plates than anything else in the list.)

Fishing – I definitely advise doing Monks if you can. Otherwise do lobsters. The two kinds of fish in the Living Caverns give a whole lot more xp per but you also get hit a lot by the living rock creatures which makes it inefficient when you are going for speed xp. Again, like wood, fish for something that’s fastest for you – not the fish you might have gotten the level to do recently.

Cooking – stock up on highest raw fish you never burn.

Firemaking – do the highest logs you can. I use Yanille bank and walk the path with the logs, even now when I am trying to get the pieces for the Varrock statue. It’s quick and easy, plus it’s usually quiet.

Woodcut – again, do the highest, fastest tree you can cut. If you just started doing yews, cut maples. If it seems the tree isn’t giving you logs, re-start cutting it. It seems to get it off the no cut sometimes. Ivies will probably be full up on every world so it might be better to stake out another type of wood to cut. I can do magics but I’d never do those for xp weekend. Yews maybe or maples.

Farming – check all your patches and allotments and have everything ready to harvest when the xp time starts. The trees are going to be unlikely to help much, except for the first health check and replant, but have all the trees and berry patches ready to harvest at that time. You probably won’t be re-planting trees more than once though. (You might be able to do the hardwood trees twice though.) The allotments can work out great if you do all the allotments first, then all the berries and nearby trees, then all the trees. Do a cactus health check and replant. By the time you finish all that, the allotments and herbs should be ready to do again – about 20 minutes in between pickings. The tree ent probably won’t help though – I do use it whenever I pick the berries, fruit trees, and night shades.

Summoning – Save it for when all xp is 1.1, if you are going to do it. It will only get 1.1 throughout the bonus weekend – no higher. Tisk.

Dungeoneering – I suppose if you have your Prestige wayyyyyyyyyy up, you could really get the xp. Personally, at level 62, I am planning to ignore this over the xp weekend. Maybe at the very last hours – shrugs……….. You will only get the xp for completing Dungeons – I think. Not for all the things you do along the way. Even if you get the things along the way, it won’t count towards Dungeoneering but will count for herblore if make potions or runecrafting when you make runes, etc.

Here are some quotes from the forums for more clarification. I’ve added a couple of the question/answers that have been posted by Jagex:

Do we get bonus dungeoneering tokens?
No. Only the XP you gain will receive a bonus. The tokens you get will be based on your unmodified XP gained.

Will my current running total on the XP button be cleared?
Nope. The button will still keep your running total. However it will go up more quickly during the event!

What about the Ourania altar?
That altar gives xp for a different way of training Runecrafting. It will still be affected by the bonus.

Will my bonus giving item stack with the multipler?
Nope. No double stacking will occur. A item that gives a bonus will not have the bonus added to by the multiplier.

Why did you change Summoning to be 1.1x only?
“The “time displacement” for summoning is a whole factor more than any other skill. The charm gathering forms a large part of the training activity. This time cannot be modified in any other way. (You can only collect charms yourself)

The uniqueness of this training activity, and the exceptionally good constructive feedback, meant that we felt it was a skill that the full bonus might not be the best way of adding to that activity.

All the other skills don’t have that “front loading” of time. That’s why we did Summoning only.

Well – that wasn’t much help really.

So, good luck to everyone on the Bonus XP Weekend!

If I find out more, I will add it here!