Soul Wars

Soul Wars (abbreviated as SW) is a members-only minigame that was released on 10 February 2009. Similar to Castle Wars, it is a team-based minigame that lasts twenty minutes per game and can be played on any world. In Soul Wars, the two opposing teams compete against each other to gather soul fragments and offer them to the Soul Obelisk in order to defeat each others' Avatars, using a combination of combat and Slayer skills. Please note that this is a "Safe" mini-game. If you die, you will keep your items. Players will respawn in a graveyard that is controlled by their team and can rejoin combat after 15 seconds. Hitpoints, Prayer points, Summoning points, and run energy are restored at the end of each game.



Introduction
''Far to the west, upon an island long isolated from the rest of RuneScape, two great creatures vie for control of a powerful obelisk but without any clear victor. Recently, a curious man upon a strange pilgrimage found the island and, for his own obscure purposes, has opened the field of battle to any who wish to pit their mettle against the smaller creatures of the island, other adventurers, or even the mighty avatars themselves...''

Location
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To get to the Soul Wars minigame, one must enter the Soul Wars portal in Edgeville. It is located south-west of the bank and west of the abandoned mausoleum. The portal looks similar to the Pest Control portal. After going through the portal, the player will arrive at the Nomad's camp, where players can exchange Zeal points for rewards, learn how to play Soul Wars, or join a team to play Soul Wars.

Getting there

 * Glory amulet - Teleports outside Edgeville bank.
 * Combat bracelet - Teleports to the Monastery near Edgeville.
 * Canoe - Canoe from Lumbridge, Champions' Guild or Barbarian Village.
 * Edgeville Home Teleport - The Home Teleport from the Ancients spellbook will take a player just outside Edgeville bank.
 * Skull sceptre - Teleports a player inside Barbarian Village, just south of Edgeville, via the "Invoke" option.
 * Fairy ring - Code D-K-R gets the player to the other side of the river, it is a 15-second walk from there.

Requirements
Soul Wars does not require any levels or quests in order to be played. Players should note the following things, however:


 * They will need to battle other people and monsters; high Combat levels are recommended.
 * Many parts of the minigame require high Slayer levels; a decent Slayer level is recommended.
 * Players will be under attack by other players and NPCs; a decent Defence level is recommended.
 * This is a combat-based minigame, it would be a good idea to have at least level 43 Prayer for Protect from Melee. It could also be useful to have Redemption activated when one is about to die.

Objective
The objective of Soul Wars is to defeat the opponent's avatar as many times as they are able to within 20 minutes. The avatars begin each battle with a Slayer requirement of 100, making them impervious to everyone. (Note that the Capes of Accomplishment, Wild pie and Slayer's Respite cannot be brought to the battlefield.)

In order to reduce their Slayer requirement, players will have to kill some of the smaller Slayer creatures to gather soul fragments and offer them to the Soul Obelisk, which can only be done if the team controls it.

Recommended items
Note: Players are unable to take capes, food or non-combat items into any part of the minigame besides the central lobby.

Because this is a combat-based minigame, players should consider bringing the following:
 * The best armour that the player has and can wear. Players may consider bringing multiple sets, one with a high melee defence, another with a high mage defence, ect.
 * The best weapon that the player has and can use. Players again may want to bring a selection of weapons, some melee, some ranged, ect.
 * Players should note that runes and Ranged ammunition used during game by range and magic weapons will not be returned to the player at the end of the game.
 * A Summoning familiar, if the player has the ability to summon one that could assist him or her in combat.

Items available during the game
Players will be able to obtain the following items during the game:
 * Bandages
 * Barricades
 * Explosive potion

Portals
When players first arrive on the island, they will encounter the Nomad and his imp familiar, Zimberfizz. Nomad will offer players a tour of the battlefield along with a short explanation, or a book that explains fighting in the Soul Wars.

When players feel they are ready to battle, enter one of the portals to the south of Nomad. The blue portal will align the player with the Avatar of Creation, the red portal will align the player with the Avatar of Destruction, and the green portal will attach the player to the team with the fewest players.

Only one game can be played at any one time per world, but in theory every single player on that world could be taking part. Games last twenty minutes, with a minimum three minute waiting period in between, so players may have to wait for the previous game to end before they can get in. If players are keen to join in, however, they may enter a portal, and once per minute new soldiers will be added to the battle provided the number of players on each team remains equal.

Battlefield
The battlefield is divided up into three main areas:
 * Avatar of Creation's Base
 * Players on the blue team will begin here. None of the locations in this area can be captured by the red team.
 * Avatar of Destruction's Base
 * Players on the red team will begin here. None of the locations in this area can be captured by the blue team.
 * Main Battlefield
 * There are a number of locations here, the most important of which are the Soul Obelisk and the two graveyards.
 * These can be captured by having a greater number of your own team within their bounds for a short period of time.
 * Jellies and pyrefiends can also be found wandering in the ruins around the battlefield.

Base
The base is composed of three main features:


 * The avatars
 * Avatar of Creation (level 525)
 * Avatar of Destruction (level 525)
 * The avatar cannot leave its enclosure, but the enemies can enter it to attack the avatar.
 * Supply area
 * The supply area contains bandages (which may be used to heal), barricades and explosives. See "Supply areas" below.
 * Graveyards (East Graveyard and West Graveyard)
 * The graveyard is the location where players will be resurrected when they die. See "Graveyards" for more information about this.

The avatars


In order to kill the opponents' avatar, players must first weaken it to enable as many of the teammates to fight it. As noted above, this is done by killing the jellies (2 shards per kill) and pyrefiends (1 shard per kill) around the main battlefield and offering the resulting soul fragments to the Soul Obelisk. The more fragments that are offered, the lower the Slayer requirement will be to kill the avatar. This is stated in the "Avatar Level" entry in the top-right of the window. Players should note that they can offer shards to the Soul Obelisk only if their team controls it.

Players may attempt to restore the avatar's Slayer requirement by burying the bones of the defeated foes while in a graveyard controlled by the team. Each time this is done, there is a chance that the avatar's Slayer requirement will rise up 1 level.

Both Avatar of Creation and Avatar of Destruction have a Combat level of 525 and should not be underestimated. It is reported that Enchanted Ruby bolts are very effective against the avatars, hitting over 180 Hitpoints. Protect from Melee prayer is also helpful.

Note that Summoning familiars are unable to harm the avatars, but are useful for killing off the smaller Slayer creatures and opposing players.

Death and graveyards


Dying during the game will result in being temporarily transformed into a Ghost. This state lasts for 15 seconds, after which time the player may participate in the game again.

If a player puts on the equipment stats interface, they will stay a ghost until closing the interface, when they will change back. This only works if the player waits the seconds before going back, so it can't be used to quickly play again.

When players are killed in Soul Wars (either by one of the creatures of the battlefield, or by another player), Nomad will protect the player from the hunger of the Soul Obelisk and ensure that they are resurrected in the graveyard closest to where they died, provided that the team controls it.

For a few moments, the player will be a purely spectral form and unable to interact with anything, but they will soon be restored to the usual state, along with any equipment they were carrying, with the exception of bones and soul fragments.

Because the two graveyards in the main battlefield can be captured, they are especially valuable resources for getting access to the smaller Slayer monsters, the Soul Obelisk and the opponents' base.

Supply areas
The base's supply area contains bandages, barricades and explosive potions, all of which are useful for ensuring the battle favours a particular team.

Players cannot trade in Soul Wars, but they may use bandages on their teammates to heal some of their lost Hitpoints. Equally, players may use bandages on themselves for the same benefit. Players can carry as many bandages as they have inventory space. They also restore run energy which helps the player get around the battlefield.

Along with the bandages, players will discover that the base contains a table full of barricades. Players can only carry one barricade at a time, and the team may only have ten barricades set up at once. They may set up a barricade in many places to hinder the opponents by simply clicking it in the inventory. If a barricade is blocking a path, players may attack it or use explosives to remove the obstacle.

Explosive potions can be used on the enemies' barricades to destroy them in a single blast. Players can carry as many explosive potions as they have inventory space.

It should be noted that each of the tables [Excluding the barricade table] has a "take-x" option, allowing players to quickly take a certain amount of items.

Players may also use the other team's supply area as well, which helps if there is a need to restock before fighting the avatar. This feature may be changed by Jagex in the near future, similar to what was done with the bandage table in Castle Wars.

In-game information
To help players keep track of all of the useful information, there is a display in the top-right corner of the screen.


 * West Graveyard (left) - which team controls the graveyard (none, red, or blue)
 * Soul Obelisk (centre) - which team controls the obelisk (none, red, or blue)
 * East Graveyard (right) - which team controls the graveyard (none, red, or blue)
 * Avatar deaths - The number of times the avatar has been killed.
 * Avatar level - The current Slayer level of the avatar. Starts at 100.
 * Avatar health - The current health (Hitpoints) of the avatar. 100% is 1000 Hitpoints.
 * Time left - The time left for the game to finish. Each game lasts 20 minutes.

Winning the game
Whichever team defeats their opponents' avatar the greatest number of times will be declared the victor, any other result will be declared a draw.

The most effective strategy to win the game is to simply take control of the Soul Obelisk. The opposing team will be unable to offer shards to the obelisk, and therefore the controlling team is free to lower the level of the enemy avatar. However, this requires many high-leveled players guarding the obelisk because the other team will probably attempt to take it.

Leaving the game
Should players wish to leave the game they will not receive any Zeal points. Unlike Castle Wars, however, players will not be able to join a game until the current game has ended. This ensures that players on the losing team cannot swap teams to receive more points.

Rewards
Players will receive a number of Zeal points based on their performance in the game: Players may trade these in with the Nomad for a variety of rewards such as experience, charms, and other items. Players can store a maximum of 50,000 Zeal points. (This is equivalent to playing and winning over 16000 games at 23 minutes per game cycle, which is equal to just over 266 days of continuous gameplay)
 * 3 points for a victory
 * 2 for a draw
 * 1 for a defeat

Experience
Players can claim experience in combat-related skills:
 * Attack
 * Strength
 * Defence
 * Hitpoints
 * Ranged
 * Magic
 * Prayer
 * Slayer

One zeal point is worth a set amount of experience depending on the level in that skill. For Hitpoints, Attack, Strength, and Defence the formula is: $$floor(lvl^2/600)*525$$; for Ranged and Magic the formula is: $$floor(lvl^2/600)*480$$; and for Prayer the formula is: $$floor(lvl^2/600)*270$$. Please note that the amount of experience gained at specific levels for slayer is under investigation at the moment; please see the talk page for more information or to contribute.

Using 100 zeal points at a time grants you 10% bonus experience.

Charms
Players can choose to use their points to purchase charms. Gold, Green, Crimson, and Blue charms are available; the number of charms a player receives depends on their Combat skill levels. Charms cannot be obtained if the player has a Combat level of 9 or lower.

A specific amount of zeal points is exchanged for a specific amount of charms. Please note that the amount of charms recieved at specific combat levels is currently under investigation, please see the talk page for more information or to contribute.
 * {| class="wikitable"

! Image !! Charm !! Zeal points
 * [[Image:Gold charm.gif]] || Gold Charm || 4
 * [[Image:Green charm.gif]] || Green Charm || 5
 * [[Image:Crimson charm.gif]] || Crimson Charm || 12
 * [[Image:Blue charm.gif]] || Blue Charm || 30
 * }
 * [[Image:Crimson charm.gif]] || Crimson Charm || 12
 * [[Image:Blue charm.gif]] || Blue Charm || 30
 * }
 * }

Other


Most options here are for new Slayer pets, resurrected from remains brought along during the game. If players bring a stuffed or unstuffed trophy, Nomad will then supply the player with a pet of that type.


 * {| class="wikitable"

! Image !! Trophy !! Pet !! Zeal points
 * [[Image:Crawling hand detail.png|30px]] || Crawling hand || Creeping hand || 5
 * [[Image:Minitrice detail.png|30px]] || Cockatrice head || Minitrice || 25
 * [[Image:Baby Basilisk detail.png|30px]] || Basilisk head || Baby basilisk || 40
 * [[Image:Baby kurask detail.png|30px]] || Kurask head || Baby kurask || 70
 * [[Image:Abyssal minion detail.png|30px]] || Abyssal demon head || Abyssal minion || 85
 * }
 * [[Image:Baby kurask detail.png|30px]] || Kurask head || Baby kurask || 70
 * [[Image:Abyssal minion detail.png|30px]] || Abyssal demon head || Abyssal minion || 85
 * }
 * [[Image:Abyssal minion detail.png|30px]] || Abyssal demon head || Abyssal minion || 85
 * }


 * The amount of points each summoning pet costs is equal to the Slayer level required to kill the respective Slayer creature.
 * Note: If players have a mounted head in their player-owned house, they CANNOT remove the mounted head and salvage it to turn into a pet. If they remove a mounted head, they will not receive it back in any form.

Gamble!


The Gamble! option will reward players with a random item. Below is an unconfirmed list of possible rewards from the "Gamble!" feature. The rewards are related to either Prayer or Summoning skills. Due to the fact that the Gamble rewards were not listed in any official form at the time of release, there were widespread rumors of players receiving valuable items such as Amulets of fury, Dragon platebody, Abyssal whips, and Elysian spirit shields. These rumors were later debunked by Jagex staff.


 * Babydragon bones (23) - Value: 0
 * Wyvern bones (16-23) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Wolf Bones (39) - Value: 0
 * Dagannoth hide (5) - Value: 0
 * Big bones (60) - Value: 0
 * Marigolds (6-8) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Larupia fur (4-12) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Bones (209-290) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Dragon bones (11) - Value: 0
 * Coins (20,000-100,000) - Value: 20,000 to 100,000
 * Unicorn horn (22) - Value: 0
 * Kyatt fur (4-9) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Vampire dust (19-28) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Evil turnip (7) - Value: 0
 * Carved evil turnip (7) - Value: 0
 * Thin snail (20 raw and noted) - Value: 0
 * Proboscis (12) - Value: 0
 * Desert goat horn (6 noted) - Value: 0
 * Dagannoth bones (3-5 noted) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Ogre coffin key (42 noted) - Value: 0
 * Red Flowers (9 noted) - Value: 0
 * Green dragonhide (10 noted) - Value: 0
 * Potato cactus (18-19 noted) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Bagged plant 1 (20 noted) - Value: 0
 * Graahk fur (5-21) - Value: 0 to 0
 * Snake hide (10 noted) - Value: 0

Music
Music tracks unlocked:


 * Soul Wars
 * The Waiting Game

Rumors



 * Players have been seen selling spades for extremely high prices, as there has been mass confusion at the Nomad's camp. Some players believe valuable items can be found by digging the graves. Please note that you cannot get items by digging the graves, it is simply a hoax.

Trivia

 * Summoning is the only combat-related skill in which players cannot receive experience as a reward in Soul Wars. However, players may exchange Zeal points for charms for use in Summoning.
 * If players try to do an emote or trade in the arena, it will be stated either: "This is a battleground, not a circus." or "This is a battleground, not a marketplace." This could be a reference to the play Les Misérables in which the main character Jean Valjean makes a comment that this is a Factory and not a Circus. This could also refer to Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza, the circus of RuneScape.
 * If players try to alchemize an object they will get the message, "This isn't the Mage Training Arena, you know."
 * The rectangular graveyard boxes and ghost wait time is a reference to the ghost villains of the classic arcade game Pac-man.
 * The way you capture the obelisk and graveyards works in a similar way to capturing command posts in the Star Wars: Battlefront or the Battlefield game series.
 * The capture method is also used in Armies of Gielinor, a FunOrb game based on RuneScape.
 * A long time ago, there was a land mass west of Port Tyras which was removed from the RuneScape world map. This is where Soul Wars is now located.
 * The jellies and pyrefiends count toward a player's slayer task.
 * The Avatar Of Destruction is very similar to General Graardor, as its Melee attack has the same animations that General Graardor uses in his Ranged attack.
 * When you go to bury a bone here, you can only do so at your controlled graveyard, also there is no drop selection for the bones, just destroy.
 * Burying bones in your graveyard has a chance of raising your avatar's required slayer level by one, and it will restore your prayer level considerably.