Old-School RuneScape has announced the official release date of its much-anticipated Forestry update, set to go live on Wednesday, 28th June. This comprehensive update is expected to revolutionize the game’s woodcutting mechanics and comes in response to feedback from its dedicated player base.
In part one of the Forestry update, players will encounter new tree spawn mechanics, group cutting bonuses, the Forestry Kit, four events, and a Rewards Shop. Furthermore, the existing leaves in-game, including Normal, Oak, Willow, Maple, Yew, and Magic, will become tradeable on the Grand Exchange and have a 25% chance to drop from trees. They’ll prove beneficial for crafting Forester’s Rations, an integral part of the new update.
One crucial alteration involves changes to tree timers. Trees will now despawn on a timer that activates after the first cut and will regenerate if players stop cutting before the tree is fully chopped. Teak trees, considered some of the fastest ways to gain experience in the game, will see a reduction in their despawn time to 30 seconds, striking a balance between the gameplay experience and skill progression.
Players can also look forward to the Group Boosts mechanic. With a minimum of two players chopping the same tree, up to a maximum of ten players, each player will receive a +1 invisible bonus to Woodcutting for each person at the tree. This bonus won’t be applicable when cutting normal trees or within the Woodcutting Guild.
The new events, an integral part of the Forestry update, promise an exciting experience for players. Anytime an individual is cutting a tree with a Forestry Kit, there’s a chance for an event to spawn. Players will get an estimate of 4-5 events per hour if chopping solo, whereas a group of 10 players can expect an estimate of 7 – 9 events per hour.
One remarkable addition is the 2-Handed Axes. Acting as an upgrade to existing axes in the game, these axes will chop at the same speed with an added benefit of gaining extra experience in exchange for fewer logs. To obtain a two-handed axe, players will need to purchase the exclusive Axe Handle from the Forestry Shop and attach it to their current axe.
In addition to the above changes, considerations have been made for Ultimate Iron players. The team decided against polling whether the Freaky Forester should be able to note logs after evaluating feedback, maintaining the problem-solving aspect of the gameplay mode.
While the first part of the Forestry update comes with a slew of enhancements, Old-School RuneScape developers have also given a glimpse into the second part. The second round of Community Consultation will further refine campfires, leaf effects, tea brewing, tertiary effects, ‘Bonfire’ Training, more events, more rewards, and balancing and tweaks.