Invention

Invention is a skill currently planned to be released in January 2016 and will be Runescape's 27th skill as well as the first Elite skill requiring level 80 Divination, Crafting and Smithing. If the user does not have the requirements the skill will be grayed out.

The skill is focused on the disassembly of items, the discovery of properties, the building of devices, the leveling of items, and the adding of perks to items. All Alchable items will be able to be disassembled.

At the start players will be able to choose a tech-tree; more tech-trees will be unlockable later in the skill. Each tech-tree will have its own distinct benefits and items.

After the release, players will be able to break down items into components. During RuneFest 2015 it was mentioned that all items would be able to be broken down, but that higher level items would result in more rare components, while easily obtainable items would result in junk components. Some specific components will be obtainable only from specific items however. The obtained disassembled components will be stored in a separate inventory to prevent massive usage of bank space.

As the player progresses the skill, they will also be able to unlock various perks which can then be placed on Augmentable items, assuming the player has the required items to do so. Each perk will add an advantage or disadvantage to the augmented item. Additionally, some of these items will be able to be leveled up. Augmented items will be untradeable.

Machines built during the skill will allow players to gather resources over time, although at a slower rate than obtaining them manually. Managing the machines will be comparable to the Managing Miscellania Minigame.

The maximum level will be level 120, similar to the Dungeoneering skill making it the second skill to have a level cap higher than 99. The experience-per-level relationship will however be different than current skills; it is intended to be slower to level at lower levels, in order to give it an experience more suitable for experienced players.

Invention will be released in batches, similar to how the Dungeoneering skill was released. The first batch which is planned for January 2016 is supposed to launch with content for levels 1 to 99 while a second batch will contain content for levels 100 to 120.

History
Invention, announced at RuneFest 2013, is set to be RuneScape ' s 27th skill released in January 2016. At RuneFest 2014, however, it was mentioned that Invention could possibly be scrapped as a skill, and instead be integrated into other existing skills. During March 2015, Invention was confirmed to soon be integrated in many skills instead of being a standalone skill, possibly with its own ranking highscores table. On 2 June 2015, Invention was again confirmed to be planned as a skill in a Twitch Q&A stream, but was referred to as an elite skill. This was confirmed in the official podcast of 11 June 2015. The mechanics will work in the same way as other skills whereby gaining levels subsequently increases one's total level. Many aspects are yet to be confirmed surrounding skill-related content.

With this skill, players will be able to upgrade weapons and skilling tools. It will also be possible to create contraptions, as well as lightning and soul weapons. Players will also be able to combine weapons that they already own.

Contraptions will be the artisan equivalent to divine locations. They will consume resources, producing new items in the process, such as turning logs into planks and herbs into explosives and other utilities. Mod Mark also stated that this skill would have effects on not only other NPCs, but also in future quests.

Augmentable items
During Runefest 2015 it was stated that because Invention is aimed at high level players they would only allow higher level equipment to be augmentable in order to prevent dead content. As a result it was stated that it would only include tier 70+ weapons, armour and tools, as well as fishing rods and some joke weapons.

All augmentable items can be levelled up as soon as a perk is placed on the item. Levelling up allows the player to put more perks in to the item as well as reducing the degrade change when using power packs. According to Runefest 2015 it is estimated that approximately 20 percent of the experience gained in Invention will be from augmenting items, powering them up and using them.

Augmentable armour and weaponry will allow up to 4 perks to be added and tools "a couple". Each perk will have 3 different tiers. Though perks of the same type will not stack, this should not be an issue due to there being over 120 perks.

During RuneFest 2015 it was revealed that Invention would allow for perks to be added to items. During this RuneFest a total of 187 perks were shown in a presentation slide. Also see Invention/Perks.

Experience-level relationship
It was mentioned that the xp-level curve would be different for invention. The reason behind this was that the skill was an elite skill which is meant for higher level players. The choice for elite skills was that Jagex did not want to create more dead content for low levels.

This means that the rewards from lower levels should also be useful. It was mentioned that the new halfway to 99 level would be level 77 and not 92. The maximum virtual level for this skill will be level 150.

Discovery process
In contrast to normal skills players will not unlock abilities directly. Instead players will unlock clusters of research projects by levelling their Invention skills which can be unlocked though the discovery process.

The discovery process is the process used in order to unlock new recipes, new devices and unlocking the ability to use new components as well as improving the players disassembly ability so a player will get less junk components and more likely to get rare components. The discovery process involves using inspiration that has been gathered by playing the game as well as the use of invention items. This inspiration is then applied through a small puzzle and optimisation microgame which involves tinkering around with blueprints until the player discovers how to make a certain thing.

Inspiration can be gained from both inside and outside of the invention skill. For example using an augmented item or crafting a device might give you inspiration but so might Fishing.

The discovering should be done at Invention workbenches. Players will be able to build their own portable workbenches relatively early on in the skill, which will give players the flexibility to use invention anywhere.

Unlocking a new device or component will give a one time chunk of experience after which the player will be able to build and use it. The devices that are built use the same materials as used to build perks and augments. In general there will be a base item besides the other used materials.

Tech trees
The invention skill involves various tech trees. The first tech tree will be the Human tech tree which will be unlocked at the start of the skill. The contents of this tech tree contains roughly 20 invention levels worth of content. Once the player reaches roughly level 20 they will be given the option to specialise in either cave goblin technology or dwarven technology. In the end the player will be able to catch up on the other tech trees which ensures the player will not be locked out of any content.

The first batch will contain 3 tech trees.

Human tech tree
Relatively little is known about the Human tech tree except that it will be the default tech tree for all players starting the invention skill and that it will be using divine energy as its power source. After roughly 20 levels of invention the player will then proceed and choose between the cave goblin tech tree and the dwarven tech tree.

Cave goblin tech tree
Cave goblin tech involves the use of the high voltage power system that the cave goblins use. The cave goblin tech tree will include the Stealth module which makes your minimap dot appear as an NPC, the Dungeoneering Automapper which will fill in the Dungeoneering floor map, the Mind-controlled monkey butler which will work at the same speed as a Demon butler, and the Flash bomb which will stun one Pickpocketable NPC which will increase the success chance for pickpocketing.

Dwarf tech tree
The dwarven tech tree involves the use of coal powered devices. The dwarven tech tree will allow players to create and use a variety of items which include the Sprinkler which will keep the players allotments watered as well as protecting it from getting diseased, the Mining accumulator which can be consumed for experience and which will gain charges whenever the player fails to mine, the Book switcher which will allow the user to switch between regular Prayers and the Ancient curses, and the Mind-leeching device which will turn combat experience into skilling experience.

Guilds
With Invention comes the ability for a player to become a guild master. The player will then be able to build machines and decorations in the guild using a hotspot system similar to the one used in the Player-owned houses system. Players will be able to build various workshops including Cave goblin workshops, Dwarven workshops and Human divination workshops.

Players will also be able to employ people to work in the build workshops. The list of people who can potentially be hired includes Oldak and Professor Oddenstein.

Trivia

 * The level 90 weapons seen in the concept art are combinations of currently existing weapons in game.
 * The Magic weapon seems to be made from a Grifolic wand, Virtus wand, Seismic wand, Armadyl battlestaff, and a Mystic orb.
 * The Melee weapon seems to be made from a Drygore longsword, Dharok's greataxe, Bandos godsword, Dominion sword and Dragon dagger.
 * The Ranged weapon seems to be made from a Ascension crossbow, Karil's crossbow, Royal crossbow, Zaryte bow and a Magic shieldbow.
 * The release priority of Invention was the subject of the first Dragonstone tier Power to the Players poll in 2014. It competed against Prifddinas for a July/August 2014 release with the losing option being released later. Invention subsequently lost the poll and will therefore be released after Prifddinas.