Sliske's Endgame

Sliske's Endgame is the finale to the Sliske quest series, released on 19 December 2016. It involves the culmination of Sliske's plan, reaching as far back as the Battle of Lumbridge. Sliske calls an end to his game and tallies up the scores, inviting those who killed a god - Vorago by slaying Tuska, Armadyl by slaying Bandos, Seren by slaying Mah, Death or Icthlarin depending who kills Gielinor during Nomad's Elegy, or have proven themselves worthy through victory in battles - to an event that is big and noticeable. Sakirth is not listed on the God Scoreboard, however the death of V is well noted as seen as a mask with his symbol lays on the floor near the scoreboard with the other slain gods.

Sliske's Endgame will be replayable, but only the first playthrough's outcome will be canon. The events in the quest will reflect the player's choices, in replays the player will be able to make different choices to see how they would have affected the quest's conclusion. Replays were not immediately possible upon the quest's release.

On 17 December 2016, an eclipse appeared followed by messages from the gods Armadyl, Saradomin and Zamorak. Armadyl appeared atop his tower south of Falador, Saradomin appeared in the White Knights' Castle and Zamorak appeared in the Black Knights' Fortress. Zilyana also appeared atop the White Knights' Castle, watching Armadyl, while Padomenes appeared in the courtyard training some crusaders.

Gathering the Party
To start the quest, speak to Relomia in Draynor Village. She will tell you that Sliske's endgame is near, and ask you to invite all the gods to the grand finale. They can be found in the following locations:

* You may find Sliske inside Vorago's cave during the search for the gods.
 * Zamorak: Black Knight's Fortress (near the altar). You will need a set of black armour, a fortress guard's armour or the Dagon'hai robes. The Skull of Remembrance and Dulcin armour cosmetic override can be used instead. Alternatively, you can find him in his hideout by using the Communication device.
 * Saradomin: White Knight castle (next to the altar)
 * Armadyl: On the top of his tower during World Event 2, near the clan camp south of Falador.
 * Death and Icthlarin: Inside Death's office north of Draynor
 * Seren and Zaros: Within the Tower of Voices in Prifddinas

Choices that could affect outcome of the game: Once everyone has been invited, return to Draynor and talk toRelomia. She will tell you to prepare for a possible fight and will tell you to meet her outside at the Heart's encampment. This is the outer encampment, not the ones inside.
 * You can declare support for one of the factions (Zamorak, Saradomin, Seren, Armadyl or yourself)
 * You can declare your opposition to one of the factions (Zamorak, Saradomin or Armadyl)
 * You can choose to tell Armadyl about Zaros' wrongdoings
 * You can tell Seren to trust or distrust Zaros

The Assembled Party
Once you are geared up, speak to Relomia at the Heart encampment. All of the other participants will appear and argue before Sliske arrives. He reveals that he has invited the dragonkin since they killed the god V. Brassica Prime and Marimbo will both leave, as they have no interest in the stone. Sliske will then reveal that he created a "World Guardian" from Nomad, and that it will count as a kill for your god if you defeat him. Nomad does not use any special attacks and is very straight forward to defeat. Once he is defeated, Sliske will send the party members into his big labyrinth.

You are presented with more choices here:
 * You can choose to trust Kerapac or not
 * You must pick the faction you support, this time for real: yourself, Armadyl, Saradomin, Seren, Zamorak, Zaros, The Godless, Icthlarin, Death, Sliske, the Dragonkin or no one.
 * If you attempt to side with no one, Sliske will dismiss your decision for being boring, and thus ask you again to pick a faction to support.

Overview
The labyrinth can take very long to complete, so make sure you have enough time to complete it. If you leave the labyrinth through the exit portal or lobbying, speak to Relomia again, who will drop you off at your previous location inside.

The labyrinth is actually two labyrinths that must be completed in order, the first labyrinth ends with a big swirly portal, whilst the second and final labyrinth ends with a set of stairs. In both labyrinths, you are travelling from the southwestern room to the northeastern room. Each labyrinth has 4 sections (2x2) each consisting of 8x8 rooms. Only the rooms in the section you are currently in are visible on the map, the other sections become visible when you enter the purple door that leads you to another section.

Since your only viable option to finding your way in this maze is by using the map, it is a good idea to increase the size of your minimap to give you a much better overview.

A common tip in the labyrinth is to look for large rooms in your map, aligned with glowing barriers ingame and find your way there, where you will either get a cutscene or have a puzzle to complete. The cutscenes have little impact on the quest, but the puzzles do. When you complete the puzzle, doors or new paths will open further down the path that were previously blocked or empty.

Maps
Be sure to follow the cyan lines on the first solution, they lead to puzzle and cutscene rooms off the main map that must be completed to progress along the map later. Go back to the green path once the puzzle is done.

Puzzles
There are several puzzles you can encounter:
 * Spotlight - an empty room with a bright spotlight. When you step into the spotlight, the screen will gradually darken into shadow. Stay in the spotlight until the bar is filled.
 * Sliske icon - A room with four light makers and a big shadow on the ground. Find the solution by right-clicking the table, and turn the markers to make the same shadow.
 * Cryptics - A solution panel can be talked to figure out the solution to how the masks can be placed. The puzzles are fairly simple, and you should not have any trouble solving them. (if you're missing any masks, kill the nearby wights for their drop).
 * In one of the icon rooms a light wisp can be found floating around. Harvest it and use the wisp's energy to empower the light maker.

Encounters with the other participants
Choices given in the labyrinth do not affect the maze itself, but may affect later outcomes and future quests. Choices include:
 * You can choose to take Icthlarin, (who has regressed to a dog-like state) with you or not
 * You can recommend Zaros negotiate with Sliske or try to kill him
 * You can tell Death that Icthlarin is fine or not so fine
 * Death can tell you about the fate of one of the gods (Zaros, Seren, Saradomin, Armadyl, Icthlarin or Zamorak), who are temporarily rendered mortal during the endgame.
 * You can choose to help Saradomin or Zamorak in a fight between their knights.
 * You can pick a side in an argument between Zamorak and Seren.
 * You will be asked by Seren what you think is responsible for taking away the gods powers in the labyrinth (Guthix, the World Guardian, Anima Mundi, the Stone of Jas or the Sword of Edicts). The Stone of Jas is correct.
 * Armadyl will ask to speak with Seren about something beyond the endgame; Seren will express concern that, as time of essence, now is not the time to talk. You can ask Armadyl to listen to Seren, or Seren to listen to Armadyl.
 * You can encourage Seren and Saradomin to talk in private or not. When they talk, Seren will ask Saradomin to withdraw from the endgame, and you can encourage Saradomin to withdraw or to continue.

Once you reach the end of the second labyrinth, climb up the set of staircases.

Reaching the Stone
At the top of the staircase, you will be met by another god, with whom you will race to the Stone of Jas. The race works the same way regardless of who you're racing. The one who reaches the Stone of Jas first will be declared the victor of Sliske's endgame. You may race against Armadyl, Saradomin, or Zamorak, based on how well you and each of them perform in the labyrinth. You are most likely to race against Armadyl, who had the highest score on Sliske's scoreboard, and thus started the endgame with an advantage; you are least likely to race against Zamorak, who had the lowest score on Sliske's scoreboard, and thus started the endgame with a disadvantage.

Sliske will give you a "headstart" of sorts, binding the opponent for a short time. Make your way towards the Stone of Jas; it does not matter who reaches it first. If you want to win, click on the "Delay" switches along the way, before your opponent passes them, to slow down your opponent; the "Delay" switches temporarily summon Sliske's apparitions to block the god's path.

Once the Stone is reached, Sliske arrives, and a victor is declared. If you are the victor, you can state what you plan to do with the Stone of Jas. In all cases, you will be given a chance to react to the end result. Zaros and Seren will then teleport inside, to Sliske's great surprise, revealing that their power is greater than Sliske's in his attempt to kick them out. What happens at this point will depend upon your choices during the quest as well as in previous quests.

If Zamorak wins, Zaros will invoke the demon pact that he made with Zamorak in Children of Mah, demanding the Stone of Jas from Zamorak. If Armadyl or Saradomin wins, Zaros will reveal that he has made a similar demon pact to bind them. For Armadyl, Zaros promises to protect the aviansie, in exchange for the Stone of Jas. For Saradomin, Zaros has kidnapped Saradomin's daughter, held captive with Nex, and agrees to return her safely to Saradomin, in exchange for the Stone of Jas.

If Seren is restored with the dark shard in The Light Within, she will reweave the threads of fate that bound Armadyl or Saradomin to Zaros in the demon pact, freeing them from Zaros and binding them to herself. For Armadyl, Seren agrees to fulfill Zaros's obligations to protect the aviansie. For Saradomin, Seren reveals that her agents have taken Saradomin's daughter from Nex, are keeping her safely whilst the endgame is in progress, and will return her to Saradomin afterward.

If Zaros is sabotaged in Fate of the Gods, Seren's pact stands and Armadyl or Zaros agree to fulfill their side of it. Armadyl or Saradomin agree to fulfill their end of the agreement, and Seren agrees to uphold hers. Zaros protests, saying that he needs the Stone of Jas to fulfill his plans, to which Seren responds that his plans are exactly why she must keep the Stone of Jas away from him. If Zaros is fully restored in Fate of the Gods, the outcome will vary based on other choices made in the game. In some cases, Seren's pact will still win. In other cases, Zaros will have the foresight to see what Seren does, and nullifies Seren's attempt to unbind Armadyl or Saradomin from him. Armadyl or Saradomin will feel as if nothing has happened, and Zaros's demon pact still stands.

If Seren is restored without the dark shard in The Light Within, Seren will not attempt to reweave the threads of fate that bind Armadyl or Saradomin to Zaros. Seren makes no attempt to rebind Zamorak's demon pact with Zaros. In all of these cases, Zaros's demon pact stands. Armadyl or Saradomin agree to fulfill their end of the bargain by handing over the Stone of Jas to Zaros.

If you win, Zaros warn you that he does not believe that Stone of Jas should remain in mortal hands. He demands that you hand over the stone to Zaros right away, or else he threatens that he will be forced to destroy you.

Regardless of what happens, at this point, Kerapac will suddenly appear and destroy the Stone of Jas with the Elder Mirror.

The Final Battle
Enraged, Sliske will attempt to kill you in battle. If you need to restock, change equipment or obtain a familiar, you can leave through the exit portal; simply talk to Relomia again outside the Heart encampment to return. Each wave serves as a checkpoint.

Deaths here are not safe. Upon death, your gravestone appears outside the Heart of Gielinor. Using the Nardah Teleport from the Desert amulet, the gravestone can be easily reached to reclaim items without having to pay Death.

It is recommended to read through the next 3 waves before continuing the quest, as you will constantly be under attack for an extended period of time.

Wave 1
Sliske will send standard wight footsoldiers and archers at you. Kill them to fill the bar. As the bar progresses, he will start sending imbued wight footsoldiers, who are stronger but still weak enough to kill. As you kill more wights, he will start adding unstable wight footsoldiers, who are similar to the imbued ones but explode upon death, dealing damage to anything near it. Keep killing wights until the bar fills. It is recommended to use either barrage spells to clear the crowd as fast as possible, or if using melee or range to chain as many area-of-effect abilities as you can.

Wave 2
Angered by your resistance, Sliske will summon the Barrows brothers to attack you. Due to your actions in Kindred Spirits, the brothers defect and support you. Sliske will become enraged and calls upon Nomad, Gregorovic and Linza the Disgraced. You will need to defeat all three to progress.

Nomad uses his standard auto-attacks and will also place mines around you occasionally, which you should avoid stepping on. If you step on a mine, you will take massive damage and lose all of your run energy. If Gregorovic/Linza is defeated, Nomad will occasionally release a powerful attack that deals about half of the player's total life points worth of damage[source needed], which can be completely blocked with Protect from Magic and Devotion. When Nomad is the last one remaining, he will summon several clones of himself, though you only need to defeat one to progress. Nomad has 100,000 Life Points.

Gregorovic will summon a healing spirit, which will heal him for 10,000 life points if it touches him. Simply attacking the spirit is enough to force it away from him; make sure you hit or the spirit will continue towards Gregorovic. If Nomad/Linza is defeated, Gregorovic will also start using his knife throw attack; watch out for the shadows on the ground to avoid unblockable damage. When Gregorovic is the last one remaining, he will be able to use his shadow clones to assist him. Each shadow clone has 3,000 life points. Gregorovic has 200,000 life points; his fight is extremely similar to that in the Heart; the only difference is that he does not hit as hard, cannot poison you, and does not use his knife trick attack. However, he will summon his shadow clones frequently, and not when he is at a set health like when he does so in the Heart, so abilities that can hit multiple targets will be vital if you want to mitigate the damage Gregorovic's shadow clones can inflict.

Linza will be able to bind you for several seconds, in addition to her set's effect of reflecting back damage. If Nomad/Gregorovic is defeated, Linza will be able to perform a defensive stance and heal for 1,500 every few ticks, in a manner similar to Araxxor's web shield. This defensive stance can be stopped if she is hit for enough damage, so use threshold and ultimate abilities if possible. If she is the last one remaining, she will unleash a large-area attack similar to Quake - simply move out of range to avoid this attack. However, be wary and have the Freedom ability ready, as she could stun you before she unleashes this attack. Linza has 150,000 Life Points.

Pick off one of the targets at a time; when you defeat them, the others will recover all their health and gain new abilities. Once all three are defeated, Sliske will personally face you. A good strategy for this fight is to take out Nomad first and then focus on Gregorovic leaving Linza for last as she deals the least amount of damage and has the least effective and extreme additional attacks when last remaining. Leaving Gregorovic for last is not recommended as his shadow clone attack occurs every few seconds which in addition to healing from his attacks can mean you dont have much time to deal damage to him.

Wave 3
Note: Sliske often drains chunks of your prayer so using 3-4+ super restore/prayer flasks is recommended!

Sliske will personally fight you himself. He has 100,000 Life Points, and attacks with magic, using the spell Shadow Blitz. Note that while Sliske is not weak to any attack style, ranged armor may be beneficial for defense against Sliske's magic attack.

Sliske also has a unique attack he uses every ~30 seconds where a shadow pit full of hands will emerge where you stand, dealing 25% of your max health as damage every few ticks. After the attack has been completed, it will take approximately 10-15 seconds for the attack to repeat. This can be avoided by moving out of the way, much like Nex shadow phase. It is recommended to use evasive and sporadic manoeuvres here as Sliske will predict which square your character will move to. He may also freeze you in place, binding you for a few seconds; use Freedom to escape if this happens. Sliske will lay five shadow pits before returning to normal attacks.

Wave 3 contains multiple parts. These pieces are listed below in order of suggested completion. Steps 2, 4, and 6 are interchangeable and may be completed in any order. Should you die or leave the arena before the checkpoint (Step 8) is reached, you must begin at Step 1 once again. A cutscene will begin where you fight Sliske with the Staff of Armadyl. You get the upper hand and impale Sliske on the staff, killing him. However, he manages to injure you with the other end of the staff as a last act. He then has the last laugh before petrifying and crumbling away as you collapse.
 * 1) Reduce Sliske to 10,000 Life Points. Sliske will teleport to the cliffside.
 * 2) Destroy the Power Source in the centre of the room (1,000 Life Points).
 * 3) Sliske heals himself to 100,000 Life Points. Reduce Sliske to 10,000 Life Points. Sliske will teleport to the cliffside.
 * 4) Enter one of the rifts. Sliske will bring you back into the arena.
 * 5) Sliske heals himself to 100,000 Life Points. Reduce Sliske to 10,000 Life Points. Sliske will teleport to the cliffside.
 * 6) Jump on the rock formation in front of Sliske to push him back into the arena.
 * 7) Sliske heals himself to 100,000 Life Points. Reduce Sliske to 10,000 Life Points.
 * 8) [Checkpoint achieved.]
 * 1) Sliske will not damage you at this step. Your character activates their World Guardian powers, and you are given unlimited Life Points, unlimited 100% adrenaline (or 100% special bar in Legacy Mode) and a 50% cooldown reduction on all abilities.
 * 2) Damage Sliske until the cutscene ensues.

Meeting Jas
After Sliske's death, you will find yourself on a platform with Seren and Zaros. A voice speaks out, revealing itself to be the Elder god Jas. Zaros requests Jas to make him an elder god, but she refuses, so he leaves in anger; Seren will soon follow. Jas will then focus her attention on you, and ask why you killed her agent. Explain your actions to Jas, who will follow up with more questions. At the end of the conversation, she will consult the other Elder gods about life on Gielinor; if they prove themselves to be worthy, they will spare Gielinor, but if they aren't, they will destroy the planet and all life. Jas will allow you to ask her one question before she sends you back.

Questions for Jas

 * 1) Why? A: Because
 * 2) Why are we here? A: This is unknown; you should not exist.
 * 3) What are the Elder Gods? A: We are.
 * 4) What are the other Elder Artefacts? A: The Codex, The Template, The Needle, The Hammer. The rest are known.
 * 5) What do you think of...?
 * 6) Zaros? A: As a child. He is not Mah. Leave.
 * 7) Seren? A: She is nothing; she could be more. Leave.
 * 8) The other Gods? A: Harmless. Leave.
 * 9) The Dragonkin? A: Angry. Violent. An error. Leave.
 * 10) The Stone of Jas? A: It is lost. It is no longer necessary. My future. My sacrifice. Leave.

Epilogue
You will find yourself back in the encampment. Linza will approach you and apologise for her actions, and decides to stay with the Barrow brothers due to being undead. Armadyl or Seren will then approach and ask what it was like in the presence of the Elder Gods. Death and/or Icthlarin are the last to speak with you, who will commend you for stopping Sliske, although Sliske's laugh will emanate and prevent the player from telling them the truth about what they are hearing. Icthlarin will also note a strange shadow amongst the player.

Return to Relomia and either tell her the truth about Sliske. She will become grief-stricken or angry, depending on how players decide to tell her what happened, but the player will black out while Sliske's laugh emanates once more. When the player awakens, Relmoia will be strangely cheerful and gives players their rewards.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Rewards

 * 3 quest points
 * Tiny Sliske bobblehead pet
 * Five Stone-touched lamps, giving 250,000 experience each on a skill level 85 or higher.
 * A set of skilling items:
 * A Combined Catalyst fragment that resets box traps while hunting, halves the degrade rate of runecrafting pouches; and gives a chance to collect experience from dead herbs while farming in the form of shadow-infused herbs.
 * The Ring of Whispers that gives an invisible +3 bonus to gathering skills.
 * The Necklace of Shadows that stops familiars draining Summoning points after they have initially been summoned.
 * A set effect of a Manifested knowledge randomly spawning and providing bonus experience when all 3 items are worn..

Music unlocked

 * Champions of Sliske
 * Dying Light II
 * Epilogue
 * Moral Maze II
 * Sliske's Secrets

Trivia

 * After completing the quest, the Adventurer's Log reads "I finally beat Sliske and prevented the elder gods from killing everyone, for now."
 * When beginning the sequence of the gods arriving at the start of the maze, Armadyl appears using the same animation as the Aftershock perk.
 * Depending on which god the player faces, in the final race to the Stone of Jas, and who wins that race, Zaros and/or Seren may refer to other gods by other names in different languages:
 * Seren refers to Armadyl as 'plentyn diniwed', Welsh for 'innocent child'.
 * Zaros refers to Armadyl as 'Praetor Plumalis', Latin for 'feathered leader'.
 * Zaros refers to Saradomin as 'Praetor Barbatus', Latin for 'bearded leader'.
 * Zaros refers to Zamorak as 'Legatus Maximus', Latin for 'greatest general'.
 * If the player decides to let Icthlarin come with them and reaches the end of the first labyrinth first, they can decide to dismiss their own entourage, stopping Icthlarin from following them.
 * When the Barrows Brothers appear, Akrisae is mysteriously not with them. This is likely an oversight by Jagex.
 * It is worth noting that a key cutscene is missing due to time constraints. This cutscene would've been a flashback to Kindred Spirits, revealing that your player saw Sliske's plan. As well as this, Sliske was planned to be wielding the Staff of Armadyl during the final fight, instead of it appearing out of nowhere.