Tutorial Island

From the RuneScape Wiki, the wiki for all things RuneScape

The RuneScape feature in this page/section no longer exists due to an update by Jagex.

For a guide for new players, see Lumbridge Beginner guide.

Tutorial Island is a small isolated landmass south-west of Lumbridge.

Tutorial Island was a location where new players were guided through the basics of playing RuneScape. It was released in the update of 24 September 2002^[1], and until the July 2008 update, all new players had to have completed the tutorial before they could leave. During the July 2008 Behind the Scenes update, Jagex replaced Tutorial Island with a new tutorial, Learning the Ropes, that takes place in Lumbridge, involving a three-headed dragon and a White Knight named Sir Vant. Players that created accounts before this update but never completed the tutorial still remain in Tutorial Island. Learning the Ropes was then taken out of the game to be reconstructed, and Tutorial Island was put back into the game as a temporary tutorial until the new one was finished. Learning the Ropes has since been re-released during the Advisors and Objectives update as Unstable Foundations (17 September 2009). Tutorial Island is still remains on the landmass of Gielinor, though it is inaccessible.

Players are shown the basics of training all free-to-play skills except for Crafting and Runecrafting. There were many icons on the minimap to show new players what they meant.

Tutorial Island never taught any pay-to-play skills, and there is no such equivalent for new members to learn them (although this has been requested on the forums).

When players finished the tutorial, they may leave the island by activating their Home Teleport spell. This does not trigger the 30 minute-long wait to use it again. After that, they could never return.

[edit] Starting the tutorial

A player customises their character.

Before they began the tutorial, players had to first customise their character. To do this, they had a simplified version of the interface later used in Learning the Ropes. There was no close-up of the head, or mouse settings. There were also fewer options to choose from. The default look was always the same: bald head, moustache and beard, green shirt and pants. The default look was what made bots so easy to recognise. After the player clicked, "Accept," they would be told to talk to the RuneScape guide. Note: It is recommended to train every skill learned to level 3, so you can get a head start on the game, and some skills are much easier to train in Tutorial Island; i.e: Giant Rats there can't kill you, and rocks, furnaces, and anvils are all in the same room.

[edit] The Basics

The RuneScape Guide was the first non-player character that new players encountered.

The RuneScape guide was the first non-player character players ever met (replaced by Sir Vant). Players learned how to:

• Move the camera
• Learn that it is usually better to keep the minimap positioned so that the top is north; players should only rotate the view if they need to see around an obstruction or to try to spy on potential threats or targets, and tend to waste time going in the wrong direction if they forget
• Talk to non-player characters
• Use the RuneScape website
• Open doors

[edit] Woodcutting, Firemaking and Fishing

The Survival Expert teaches players enough skills to become self-sufficient for basic food.

The Survival Expert gave players basics for Woodcutting, Firemaking and Fishing. She taught players how to view and use items in their inventory, cut wood, light a fire, fish, cook, and view their current skill levels.

Players were expected to cut and burn at least one lot of logs, although if they wished, they can repeat until both Woodcutting and Firemaking reach level 3. The player gained experience in Woodcutting, Firemaking, and Fishing faster on Tutorial Island.

Players were expected to fish and cook successfully at least one portion of shrimps.

[edit] Cooking

The Master Chef teaches more sophisticated Cooking techniques, including the use of a range.

The Master Chef teaches players the finer points of Cooking; in this case, making bread.

The Master Chef also instructs players in controlling the game music and in running using their menu option.

Remember that players can also run to a position, by holding the CTRL key as they click - use the minimap to click on, or they will not run far enough if trying to escape. If players click again, even without holding CTRL, they will continue running unless they have already stopped.

[edit] Quests

The Quest Guide teaches the basics about quests and how to find them.

The Quest guide covers using the quest menu, and what quests are about.

[edit] Mining and Smithing

The Tutorial Island underground area.

The Mining Instructor teaches both Mining and Smithing.

The Mining instructor teaches players the basics of:

• Prospecting rocks, although once players can identify them visually, they do not need to prospect at all.
• Mining (players can only mine copper ore and tin ore)
• Smelting ore (players can only make bronze bars)
• Smithing items (only bronze daggers in Tutorial Island)

The dungeon in which players learn Mining and Smithing is one of the best areas to train these skills, due to the rocks' proximity to the furnace and the anvil. This area can only be accessed once, so taking the opportunity to progress to level 3 here is worthwhile. However, players will have to mine a little more to get Smithing up to 3.

[edit] Melee and Ranged

Vannaka teaches new players the basics of combat, except magic combat.

The combat instructor, Vannaka (also a Slayer Master), discusses the different types of combat. Pures should pay attention, as they can make their first bit of character tweaking here.

Players are given a bronze sword and wooden shield, and only at this stage are they allowed to enter the rat cage. Players cannot die here, so food is not required.

The minimum requirement is to kill one rat, using any combat style you prefer, while the maximum is to train each style to the maximum level of 3, while gaining no hitpoints - the essence of a pure character being able to maximise their strike while keeping their combat level low. If players choose to progress any skill here, they will be reminded of their next action, but can still carry on.

[edit] Accurate

Trains players' Attack skill, governing the type of metal they can wield and their chance of hitting. Since players can train this to 8 on the Varrock dummies later, also without Hitpoints, it is not important to progress this here.

[edit] Aggressive

Trains their Strength skill, increasing the potential damage of a successful hit. Since there is no other way to train this without also getting Hitpoints experience, (excepting member's methods of magical wheat and barbarian fishing) this is valuable for a melee pure.

[edit] Defensive

Trains players' Defence skill, reducing the chance of being hit by attacks and allowing players to wear higher level armour.

Since Defence adds to combat level but not players' strike, pures often do without Defence altogether, although a "steel pure" would have level five Defence and wear full steel armour - not excessively expensive to lose and a fair bit better than iron armour, in return for being one combat level higher, while some almost wholly ditch the no defence idea and get rune armour and a Fremennik helmet.

[edit] Ranged combat

The instructor gives players a shortbow and 50 bronze arrows, and will give more arrows for free if they run out. The free ammunition makes it worthwhile training Ranged to level 3.

When players leave the cage before learning ranged attacks, they cannot re-enter. Some players who had previous accounts would drop the arrows and then claim more. Once they had something like 1000 or more arrows they would move on and bank it, meaning once they finished the tutorial they had arrows to sell for money or trade with thier main.

[edit] Banking

Financial advisor.

The Financial Advisor instructs players in using RuneScape's banks, and in some possible ways to make money. He suggests three options for making money; killing monsters, completing quests, and levelling skills in fishing, mining, etc...

Generally, both cash and items can be withdrawn from any branch, not just the one they were deposited at. Any items deposited into the bank on Tutorial Island is placed into the player's inventory once they leave the island.

[edit] Prayer

Brother Brace.

Brother Brace instructs players in Prayer, although if they choose the path of a pure, they may choose not to acquire any, as Prayer also contributes to combat level. The effects of high-level Prayers can be devastating in combat, but the low to mid-level prayers are mostly useful for melee combat.

Brother Brace also instructs players in using the Friends List and the Ignore List and in general conduct. However, he only briefly mentions the clan chat in passing, without going into any detail.

There is an organ upstairs which can be played. However, as of 6 November 2008, the organ couldn't be reached as the doors to the room with the staircase are non-objects (players can't open them or even examine them - it was effectively one big wall across).   This caused some accounts left inside to be completely trapped. At some point before Tutorial Island was shut down, the doors were once again placed, allowing any trapped accounts still left on the island.

[edit] Magic

Magic Instructor.

The Magic Instructor introduces players to their spell list and spell casting, though practical magic combat will require players to use a magical staff and set an attack spell for it.

Note: as of September update Magic Staffs are no-longer required to use auto-cast.

The Magic Instructor gives five air runes and five mind runes. If players drop them and talk to the instructor again, he will give more runes. Repeating this to obtain 30 of each rune (collecting 5 previously dropped sets) enables level 3 Magic to be reached.

Players use the runes to cast Wind Strike against the chickens.

[edit] Leaving the island

Players standing near Lumbridge Guide.

The magic instructor will now instruct you to give your Home Teleport spell a try, which will teleport you to Lumbridge - players cannot take any extra items with them and any standard items that they banked will be back in their inventory. Players are now standing next to the Lumbridge Guide.

[edit] Music

The following music tracks are used on Tutorial Island:

• Newbie Melody - the island's surface.
• Scape Cave - island dungeon

Note: If a player had started playing before sounds were added in RuneScape 2, "Newbie Melody" is automatically unlocked.

Free-to-play newbies will have the following tracks unlocked after completing Tutorial Island and appearing in Lumbridge, even though the previous events have passed or it is a members related event.

• Ground Scape
• Harmony (Lumbridge)
• HomeScape
• Newbie Melody
• Scape Cave
• Scape Hunter
• Scape Main
• Scape Original
• Scape Santa
• Scape Scared
• Scape Summon

[edit] Trivia

Tutorial Island is surrounded by Unknown.

• If you go to the edges of the map (the very North, East, South, and West parts of the island), you will see that Tutorial Island is surrounded by a giant Unknown space.
• You can see part of Tutorial Island from the Wizards' Tower. Of course, since the real Tutorial Island is surrounded by unknown space, the piece of the island visible from the Wizards' Tower is just a doppleganger.
• There was a Wilderness Guide on Tutorial Island before RuneScape 2 was installed. His purpose was to warn players about player-killing in the Wilderness (as his name suggests).
• The maximum level any skill can be trained to on Tutorial Island is 3. If a player attempts to train that skill any further, a message appears, which says, "You have done enough of this."
• When Tutorial Island returned, and somebody tried to cast home teleport mid tutorial, they would still get a message about Sir Vant. Soon after (6 November 2008) the message was changed to inform you that "You can't cast this spell until after you've finished the Tutorial."
• On 27 October 2008, long after the island was removed as the tutorial, the new tutorial was under renovation, so all new accounts were created on the island.
• Vannaka is holding a Steel two-handed sword and a Dragon sq shield at the same time.
• If you tried to climb a ladder or staircase aside from entering and exiting the mines, you would get an error message saying either the ubiquitous "Nothing Interesting happens", or "You are not supposed to go there."
• On 1 November 2008, Tutorial Island was given a full graphics makeover due to the massive amounts of problems with the newer tutorial, thus making tutorial island a semi permanent tutorial at the time.
• The Magic Instructor used to teleport the player to Lumbridge. Before this, new players would be taken on a boat. Finally, the player used the Lumbridge Home Teleport spell instead.
• There used to be a glitch on Tutorial Island. You could die by being attacked by a giant rat while firemaking. If you died on Tutorial Island, you would arrive on Lumbridge with all the items a newcomer would have. A video of the glitch exists here.[1]
• Before a major re-haul of the island's interface, the chat box was covered up by the players instructions. However, if the player typed something and pressed enter, they would be able to talk regardless of the entry box not being visible.
• It was impossible to die on Tutorial Island. If you had only 1 hitpoint left, a monster would only hit 0s on you.

A strange glitch when looking at the quest journal during learning the ropes (Tutorial Island version).

After reverting to the old Tutorial Island, the Lumbridge Home Teleport message is messed up.

• You could not talk on Tutorial island, or trade with other players. If you tried to trade with another player, it would say something like "You cannot do this yet, try again later." It was possible to trade at one point in the past, however.
• If you added someone to your Friends List on Tutorial Island, a message would appear, saying the last text that you have seen, excluding things said by NPCs.
• The survival tutor appeared to be wearing a cape of legends.
• Although it was possible to keep getting certain items from the tutors (like Bronze arrows using the 'dropping and picking up' technique), when you advanced to Lumbridge you would only have the items you were supposed to get and not the extras.
• The logs from the trees on the island were not tradeable.
• There was a number of oak trees around the island, although you could only go up to level 3 Woodcutting, and the oaks require level 15 woodcutting.
• At the end of the tutorial, the Magic Tutor said he would take down the magical barriers around the island. But the constant flow of new players would make it impossible for him to ever put the barriers back up.
• When you first logged into a new character, if you immediately logged back out before creating your character you would see them with the "default" look.
• You always burned the first shrimp you try to cook, during the Survival Expert part.
• On 7th of November Tutorial Island got a graphic update (some of the Tutors got new outfits).
• It is possible to have an account on tutorial island after it was "Re-removed" as long as the account was made before the update.
• During the end of it's existence it was impossible to teleport off of tutorial island. (only in some spots)

A glitch where the player is on the island after it was "removed" and the objective panel mentioning a dragon. Even though no dragon exists on the isle.

[edit] See also

• Lumbridge Beginner guide

[edit] References

The message players received when not moving fast enough through the tutorial.