Defender of Varrock - Overview (2024)

A chilling prophesy foretells the destruction of Varrock. Will ancient knowledge hold the key to securing the town?

Long ago, one man wielding a magic shield stood against the undead armies of the Mahjarrat. His name was Arrav, and he was strong and noble, but the fates had spoken: his downfall at the hands of the evil necromancer Zemouregal was inevitable. In one last desperate act to save his people, Arrav flung the shield towards the town now known as Varrock, protecting it from further harm. In that very moment, Zemouregal struck him down. Standing over the fatally wounded hero, Zemouregal made a promise:

Now, there is fear in the air. Whispers of the dead rising. Could this be the time of the prophesied return?

It’s time to take up the call and investigate as we revisit Defender of Varrock!

We'll be continuing the Mahjarrat story with this classic quest, backported from the 2008 original with a little Old School flourish! While much of the quest will remain the same as you remember, there will be a few new additions to bring it up to modern OS standards. We don’t want to give too much away, but whether you remember the original or are stepping into it for the first time, get ready to meet new NPCs, face familiar foes and encounter a more challenging zombie type!

Oh, and if you remember the original quest and are sweating at the thought of a trip to the Wilderness, worry no longer! You’ll now begin the quest at the Jolly Boar Inn in Varrock, so you won’t need to brave the terrors of the Wildy at all.

That doesn't mean you won't need to be prepared, of course. Here’s a list of the requirements we’re anticipating:

You’ll encounter a new, higher level zombie type during this quest, which you can continue fighting once the quest is over. Like in the original, the base where you encounter them is multicombat, and the zombies are really packed in there, giving you the chance to unleash some very satisfying multi-target attacks!

The Armoured Zombies will also have the chance of dropping a rare new weapon: The Zombie Axe. As players level up, most find themselves using a Dragon Scimitar once they reach 60 attack, before moving on to a whip once they reach 70. We want the The Zombie Axe to fill the gap between the two. Once it's unlocked, you'll likely want to use it over the Scimitar in many situations, though the higher attack speed of the Scimitar will mean it will still have plenty of uses. As a battle axe, it will be good for crush and slash attacks, but won't have a stab option. For extra insight, here are the stats we’re proposing:

Ok, here’s where we hand it over to you! We've got a couple of poll questions for you to cast your vote on. Let us know what you think...

You can also discuss this update on the 2007Scape subreddit, the community-led OSRS Discord or the Steam forums. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.

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