Blood Moon Rises Rewards

Two themes have come up here: long-term game health and the feeling that a weapon with this kind of visual presence should see more time out in play.

For the latter, we understand that reaction. When something looks this distinctive, it’s natural to want to see it in your hand.

With that said, the kisten’s identity as a crush-focused Special Attack weapon is intentional. From a balance and long-term progression standpoint, that’s where we believe the design sits most comfortably, and we'd like to explain our reasoning here.

Making the kisten viable as a main-hand can feel like a middle ground. The challenge is that, in practice, the two roles compete with each other.

If we increase its baseline stats so it could perform as a regular main-hand weapon, the Special Attack would need to be reduced to avoid it overtaking other special attack weapons (such as Claws or the Voidwaker) in too many situations.

That trade-off risks landing us in a troubling middle ground:

• •A Special Attack that no longer competes at the level players expect.
• •A main-hand that’s usable, but not especially compelling.

We don’t think either outcome would feel particularly satisfying here.

There’s also a longer-term consideration at play.

The kisten’s Special Attack relies on percentage-based scaling. That scaling is what allows it to remain relevant as players gain more melee strength from future gear upgrades. Weapons like Dragon Claws age well because they amplify your total stats. If we shift the kisten toward higher base stats and weaker scaling, it becomes more dependent on its own base numbers. As additional melee strength enters the game over time, that kind of design is more likely to fall behind. We would be trading short-term versatility for longer-term irrelevance.

Moving it fully into the crush main-hand space also has wider implications. It overlaps more directly with existing items and narrows the room we have to explore more meaningful crush progression in future updates. We prefer to give that space the attention it deserves rather than trying to address it partially here.

For those reasons, we feel the healthiest place for the kisten is as a clear, powerful, situational Special Attack weapon with a defined purpose.

Visual impact and mechanical role don’t always have to align one-to-one. Old School already has several iconic weapons that are brought out for specific moments rather than constant use. In many cases, that contrast is what makes them feel impactful.

As always, though, we'll leave this one in your hands and let the poll determine whether the kisten enters the game in this form. We’re very grateful for the discussion, and we’ll be watching the results closely.

A few of you have said the Leechfin Sandwich feels unusual, or that it’s harder to immediately picture where you’d use it. That’s understandable - it doesn’t behave like traditional food, and it isn’t trying to here.

When written out in full, with references to delays and conditional healing, it can look more involved than it actually plays out in practice. The interaction itself is actually much simpler than it may first appear: you eat, and if you land your next hit within the window, you receive the additional heal. It’s different, but it isn’t designed to be mentally taxing or fiddly to use.

The Leechfin Sandwich also isn’t designed to replace combo eating or act as a panic button. It’s aimed at situations where you’re already comfortable in a fight and looking to stretch trips a little further through steady, controlled play. The conditional second heal is what gives it that identity. Without that trigger, it would either become a straight stat upgrade over existing food or lose the space it occupies entirely. The trade-off is deliberate: stronger sustain over time, in exchange for commitment.

We also recognise that it won’t suit every player or every encounter, and that’s okay. It’s not intended to replace existing foods here, but rather to sit alongside them as another option.

Another valid concern we’ve seen raised is the potential frustration of hitting a zero after eating. We've ran the math on this one, and we feel the average value remains consistent over time. Even at roughly 75% accuracy, the likelihood of failing to land a single successful hit 4 times within the 20 tick window is well below 1%. It’s not risk-free, but it also isn’t intended to feel punishing when used in the scenarios it’s designed for. If that changes or the reality of that doesn't quite line up, it's something we can make adjustments for.

From a broader design perspective, Leechfin allows us to explore more specialised food in the future, too; if every new food must behave identically, that design space closes out quickly.

Leechfin is a niche tool, and if that niche doesn’t appeal to you, nothing changes about how you approach PvM. If it does, we hope it adds something interesting to your loadout!

We also saw some thoughtful points around the wording of 'minimum hit' in the Seeker Arrow design.

To clarify, Seeker Arrows do not modify the damage roll distribution in the same way as the Osmumten’s Fang or Dark Bow (bh) do. Instead, they apply a floor after damage has already been rolled. Here’s how they work:

• •Accuracy is rolled as normal.
• •If the accuracy roll fails, the hit is 0.
• •If the accuracy roll succeeds, damage is rolled normally.
• •If that damage is below 3, it is raised to 3.

This approach is intentional, as it gives us more control over how the minimum hit interacts with percentage-based damage boosts in high-end gear setups. This is especially relevant in situations where armour options like Masori and Void are already closely competing in certain encounters. We’ll also be taking a pass over existing in-game terminology to ensure 'minimum hit' is described clearly and consistently.

Finally, we really appreciate the time many of you have taken to share your thoughts. Even when opinions differ, these conversations are what drive us to take a step back, evaluate, and look after the long-term health of our game.

The polls for the Blood Moon Rises rewards will open later today, and as always, the final decision will rest with you.

Thank you for being part of the conversation.

Vampyrium might be a land of blood, bark, and bad decisions… but the rewards are meant to make the trip worth it.

Now that the Winter Summit Overview polls have wrapped up, we’re taking a dedicated look at the rewards coming alongside The Blood Moon Rises, including the Maggot King drops and rewards tied to Vampyrium’s skilling activities.

So far, feedback has been largely positive, and most of what you saw in the isn’t changing. However, since rewards tend to generate the most discussion, we wanted to give them their own space and recap everything clearly ahead of the polls.

Let’s talk treasure.

Before we dive into this one, a quick note on the name.

Many of you pointed out that this weapon looks far more like a flail than a bludgeon, and you were right! Crimson Bludgeon was a development name that we didn’t intend to be final, and we’re now referring to it as the Crimson kisten - named after the medieval Kiścień.

While the real-world weapon looks a bit different to our fantasy version, the name fits neatly with some of the historical inspirations we’re drawing from for early Vampyre society.

This name may still change as development continues, but we feel it better reflects the weapon you’re actually wielding.

The Crimson kisten is a rare drop designed to fill a niche Old School doesn’t currently serve particularly well. A crush-focused Special Attack weapon that rewards accuracy and target choice. If you’re looking for something that outright replaces Dragon Claws or the Voidwaker everywhere, this isn’t it. If you’re fighting something that genuinely hates being crushed, that’s where the kisten comes into its own.

There was feedback around the kisten’s reliability in its intended matchups. Based on that, we’ve made a small adjustment to its accuracy without changing its overall role or pushing it into raid-reward territory:

• •Crush accuracy increased by +23 (now +80 total)

With a focus on Crush accuracy, the Crimson kisten is designed to support its Special Attack, Brutal Swing.

Costing 50% spec energy, this manoeuvre rewards accuracy with escalating damage.

When activated, the attack makes four separate accuracy rolls in a single hit. Each successful roll increases the attack’s damage, allowing players to push for devastating results against appropriate targets.

• •If at least one roll succeeds, the attack deals 70-110% of your maximum hit.
• •Each additional successful roll increases both the minimum and maximum hit by 20%.

In practice, the damage scales as follows:

• •1 successful roll: 70-110%
• •2 successful rolls: 90-130%
• •3 successful rolls: 110-150%
• •4 successful rolls: 130-170%

This scaling creates a clear relationship between crush weakness and damage output. Against targets like Nightmare, Vet’ion, or Araxxor, you’re far more likely to land multiple successful rolls and push into the higher damage ranges. Against enemies where Crush isn’t ideal, the Special Attack still works, just without the same ceiling.

To keep things in check against very low-Defence targets, there’s a small cap in place. When all four accuracy rolls succeed, the kisten’s maximum hit is reduced by 1. This mirrors how Dragon Claws calculate their own damage cap (2 x max hit - 1), ensuring the Crimson kisten doesn’t outperform Claws against 0-defence targets.

The result is a weapon with a clear, powerful niche: devastating where Crush matters, without invalidating existing special attack options elsewhere.

We know there’s a real appetite for stronger main-hand crush weapons, and that feedback hasn’t gone unnoticed.

For the Crimson kisten, our focus has been on delivering a distinct Special Attack weapon with a clear role. While it could have been pushed in other directions, we felt it was better to let this reward shine where it’s meant to, rather than trying to cover too much ground at once.

We’d rather give main-hand crush progression the attention it deserves in a future update, where it can be explored properly, on its own terms. It’s a space with plenty of interest, and one we expect to explore at some point in the future.

Before we dive into the details on the next two rewards, we’ve taken a pass over the combined impact of Vampyrium’s Ranged rewards landing together.

Rather than looking at each upgrade in isolation, we’ve made a small targeted adjustment across both items to reduce the combined power increase.

You’ll see these changes reflected in the sections below, but in short, we've reduced the accuracy of both Seeker Arrows and Necklace of Pursuit (Rupture) to +20.

As with the Crimson kisten, we’ve also made a small naming adjustment.

Many of you correctly pointed out that the Necklace of Pursuit (originally a development placeholder) clashed with an existing low-level piece of jewellery - the Ring of Pursuit. Rather than sticking with that, we took the opportunity to align this upgrade more closely with the naming style of the other Zenyte progressions.

We didn't have a pattern in mind when naming the previous upgrades, but looking back now, we like the idea that they represent a response to the original item's name using deliberately unusual, emotionally charged words.

• •Torture led to Rancour.
• •Torment led to Confliction.

With the Necklace of Anguish as the base item, we liked the idea of the upgrade representing a breaking point, something finally snapping under pressure.

The two names we’re currently considering are:

• •Necklace of Rupture - clearer and more immediately readable, while still fitting the theme.
• •Necklace of Paroxysm - harsher and stranger, leaning more heavily into the existing naming style.

At the moment, we’re leaning towards Rupture. However, we’re open to feedback that follows the same pattern and tone as the existing upgrades, rather than names chosen in isolation.

While Ranged has seen improvements across several equipment slots in recent years, the necklace slot itself has stayed largely unchanged for a long time, making this the next stage of progression for players already using an Anguish.

We've made a couple of small targeted tweaks to the Necklace of Rupture:

• •Hitpoints requirement increased to 90, matching the Amulet of Rancour.
• •Ranged accuracy set to +20.

We hope these adjustments help target concerns around Zerker and 1 Defence builds, while still bringing the Necklace of Rupture in line with other endgame jewellery.

The Necklace of Rupture provides:

• •+20 Ranged Accuracy.
• •+8 Ranged Strength.
• •+3 Prayer bonus.

As a new best-in-slot Ranged necklace, it offers a clear and meaningful upgrade wherever standard Ranged combat is used, surpassing all existing options without adding extra complexity.

The creation process mirrors that of the Amulet of Rancour, with one additional refinement step designed to keep Crafting relevant without adding unnecessary friction.

The process is as follows:

• •Obtain an untradeable Alpha Venator Tooth from the Maggot King boss.
• •Etch the tooth with 84 Crafting, creating a tradeable Etched Alpha Venator Tooth.
• •Combine with a Necklace of Anguish (84 crafting required).

This additional crafting step preserves the importance of high Crafting levels while avoiding the need to sacrifice extra Zenyte jewellery simply to trade or store the item - a pain point we’ve seen raised with similar rewards in the past.

As part of this, we’re also interested in hearing whether players would like similar functionality applied to existing items like the Araxyte Fang and Amulet of Rancour.

We’ve seen a lot of discussion around how the Necklace of Rupture fits into the wider Ranged ecosystem, especially alongside Seeker Arrows and powerful weapons like the Twisted Bow.

A recurring theme in that feedback is concern about Ranged continuing to gain ground, and how that might feel in encounters where other styles already play an important role.

While this update does increase Ranged power, it does so primarily through meaningful progression in a slot that’s been largely unchanged for a long time. The Necklace of Rupture isn’t intended to completely redefine encounter metas on its own or remove the need to think carefully about which styles and weapons you bring to different pieces of content.

More broadly, we don’t see balance as something static. As the game evolves, different combat styles will naturally move forward at different times. Our aim isn’t perfect parity in every situation, but ensuring no single style becomes the obvious choice everywhere, and that meaningful choices remain part of high-level play.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on how the Necklace of Rupture performs, particularly alongside other Vampyrium rewards. If performance on release doesn’t align with our expectations, we’re open to revisiting it with data in hand.

Seeker Arrows sit at the heart of Vampyrium’s skilling rewards, offering a way to make Ranged combat feel more dependable without invalidating existing ammunition stocks.

Rather than introducing a brand-new arrow tier, they act as an upgrade layer, enhancing the arrows you’re already using rather than competing with them.

Along with the adjustments already made to the Necklace of Rupture, we’re making one small tweak to Seeker Arrows to gently taper the overall power increase:

• •Ranged accuracy set to +20

When applied, Seeker Arrows provide:

• •+20 Ranged Accuracy.
• •A minimum hit of 3, raising your minimum damage from 1 to 3.

The added accuracy helps hits land more reliably, while the minimum hit reduces the frequency of very low rolls. The aim here is consistency, particularly over longer fights where Ranged damage can otherwise feel quite swingy.

At a top level, the process looks like this:

• •Harvest Bloodwood sap from Bloodwood Trees.
• •Optionally multiply your sap using materials obtained through Vampyrium PvM.
• •Treat logs with sap, and then fletch them into Seeker Arrow Shafts - applying any Arrowtips you like.
• •Higher-tier logs (such as Redwoods) will yield more shafts - helping boost their value as a late-game resource.
• •Alternatively, apply the sap to existing arrows to convert them at the same rate as standard logs - allowing you to upgrade your current ammunition without starting from scratch.
• •You'd also be able to apply sap to Arrow Shafts - at the same rate as standard logs.

Taken together, these systems are designed so that Seeker Arrows can be obtained naturally and quickly through general play in Vampyrium.

Seeker Arrows are compatible with any standard arrow types, including Rune, Amethyst, and Dragon arrows, but remain incompatible with poison.

We saw some questions around how the minimum hit interacts with damage modifiers and multi-hit weapons.

• •The minimum hit is applied after all damage modifiers.
• •Your damage is rolled and calculated as normal, and only then raised to 3 if it would have been lower.

For the Venator Bow, the minimum hit applies evenly across all bounces. This is intentional and represents a meaningful improvement in situations where the Venator Bow already sees regular use.

We expect to see Seeker Arrows increase Ranged damage output in a variety of situations.

However, they are not intended to replace existing weapons or redefine the current landscape of ranged. Instead, they sit alongside the Ranged toolkit as an additional option, with their impact concentrated in scenarios where arrows are already used.

As with the Necklace of Rupture, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how Seeker Arrows perform once they’re in players’ hands. If their impact goes further than expected, we’ll be open to revisiting things as needed.

Not everything in Vampyrium is meant to be comfortable, and that includes its food!

The Leechfin Sandwich is a new, niche healing option created from Leechfin caught in Vampyrium’s scarlet rivers. It’s designed to sit somewhere between traditional hard food and Saradomin brews, offering powerful healing in specific situations without replacing either.

This isn’t a food you’ll want to eat everywhere, and that’s very much intentional.

The Leechfin Sandwich is built around commitment and timing.

Rather than offering a large immediate heal, it rewards players who plan around its delayed healing effect and are willing to stay in melee combat long enough to trigger its full benefit.

The aim is to create a food that feels distinct, situational, and worth thinking about, rather than another universal option you default to.

When eaten, the Leechfin Sandwich:

• •Heals 16 HP immediately.
• •Increases your next attack delay by 2 ticks (similar to a Karambwan).
• •Sets your next eat delay to 9 ticks.
• •Causes your next successful melee hit to heal an additional 16 HP.

That second heal must be triggered within 12 seconds. If you don’t land a successful melee hit in that window, the additional healing is lost. The effect doesn’t stack, and the sandwich can’t be used as combo food.

The result is a high-impact food that shines in sustained melee scenarios where you can play around the delay, but punishes careless or reactive use.

Leechfin Sandwiches are created using:

• •Leechfin, caught through the Vampyrium Fishing activity.
• •Bread.
• •Fine Fish Offcuts.

Preparation stations will be available in familiar locations, including the Lumbridge Kitchen, Hosidius Kitchen, and the Cooks’ Guild.

These stations can be stocked with bread using bank notes, then activated with a single click to prepare Leechfin Sandwiches in bulk. The goal here is to keep the focus on planning and resource use, rather than constant inventory management.

We're also exploring ideas where there's potential to allow this to work with other food types, such as pies, but we are curious about your thoughts!

We’ve seen some questions about why the second heal requires a successful melee hit instead of simply triggering after a delay.

This requirement is intentional as it allows the Leechfin Sandwich to be positioned as a melee-focused option. This also gives us more flexibility to differentiate food effects by combat styles in the future, without every new food behaving the same way.

At the same time, we’ve intentionally tried to keep the behaviour as contained and predictable as possible. There’s no stacking, no hidden interactions, and no requirement to juggle multiple effects at once.

Vampyrium isn’t just another region of Gielinor - it’s an alien world with its own ecology, shaped by vampyric biology rather than human settlement.

That difference carries through to its drops.

Rather than relying on traditional drop tables or familiar supplies appearing out of nowhere, enemies in Vampyrium draw from a mix of existing Gielinor materials that make sense in the setting, alongside new, thematic drops unique to the region.

• •Keep drops useful and recognisable.
• •Make Vampyrium feel meaningfully different from places you’ve explored before.

Many creatures in Vampyrium will drop materials that already exist on Gielinor, shaped by the world’s alien biology, where familiar plant life is largely absent.

These include things like:

• •Jewels, such as Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds
• •Ores, including Iron, Coal, Mithril, Adamantite, and Runite
• •Fish offcuts (both regular and fine)
• •Mort Myre Mushrooms
• •Hard Leather
• •Grapes and Wines

These drops help ground Vampyrium within the wider game economy, while still fitting a land shaped by blood, decay, and scavenging rather than trade and industry.

Alongside these familiar materials, Vampyrium introduces a range of new drops unique to the world, designed to support its skilling activities, reinforce the local ecosystem, and feed directly into its rewards.

Some examples include:

• •Clotted Blood, which can be used to double a Bucket of Sap or a Blood Vial.
• •Venator fangs and teeth, used in the creation of Dragon Arrows or Darts.
• •Leechfin and Stymphike feathers, dropped in small amounts.
• •Letvek, used as bait for hunting Stymphikes.

These drops are intentionally practical rather than flashy, forming the backbone of Vampyrium’s skilling loops rather than acting as standalone rewards.

Some enemies in Vampyrium may also drop dulled weapons and jewellery - remnants of equipment that’s been corroded by the region’s hostile environment.

With 65 Crafting, dulled items can be polished to reveal their true form:

• •Dulled weapons become Mithril, Adamant, or Rune weapons of the same type.
• •Dulled jewellery becomes standard jewellery of the same type.

Polishing dulled items grants a small amount of Crafting experience and results in alchable items, offering a modest but thematically fitting reward for engaging with Vampyrium’s content.

Taken together, these drops reflect our current direction for Vampyrium’s ecosystem. They’re designed to feel cohesive within the world, support its skilling activities, and feed naturally into the rewards you’ve seen throughout this blog.

While some values, rates, and interactions may still be refined as development continues, the overall structure and intent are in place.

Our focus from here is on tuning and polishing - making sure the ecosystem feels rewarding without losing its identity as something distinctly separate from Gielinor.

Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be taking the time to look over your feedback. Once we’re confident things are in a good place, the relevant polls will open - likely within the next fortnight.

As always, thank you for taking the time to dig into the details with us!

We’ll see you beneath the Blood Moon.

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