Tutorial Island (Beneath Cursed Tides)


 * See also, Tutorial.

Tutorial Island was an island where new players were guided through the basics of playing RuneScape. It was released in the update of 24 September 2002, and until the July 2008 update, all new players had to have completed the tutorial before they could leave the island and begin exploring the world of Gielinor. 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 green dragon and a White Knight named Sir Vant. Players that created accounts before this were able to stay on the island if they never completed the tutorial but now are transported to the new tutorial. 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. Unstable foundations is the most recent but tutorial island may come back due to an update.

Players are shown the basics of training all free-to-play skills except for Crafting, Runecrafting and Dungeoneering. 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 did not trigger the 30 minute-long wait to use it again (before the timer was removed). After they left the Tutorial Island, they could never return.

History
Tutorial Island was released on 24 September 2002 with the news post "Tutorial island", at the same time of the release of the Waterfall Quest and the King Black Dragon. Tutorial Island was added to the World Map on 4 March 2003.

In July 2008, it was announced that the tutorial would soon no longer take place on the island, but in a quarantined Lumbridge, involving a White Knight (Sir Vant) as one of the tutors. This was done to make the tutorial seem more "quest-like and exciting". The new tutorial quest, Learning the Ropes, was released on 14 July.

On 15 September 2008, the Learning the Ropes tutorial quest was discontinued so a new tutorial could be created. Until that was finished, Tutorial Island would become the tutorial again. This lasted 1 year, until the new tutorial was released on 17 September 2009. Tutorial Island is no longer accessible. As of March 15, 2011, all existing accounts on Tutorial Island have been moved to Unstable Foundations.

Despite Tutorial Island being unusable and unvisited, one change has been made to the island after the release of the new tutorial: a building was "repaired"; however, Jagex has not given any indication that Tutorial Island will be used ever again. Tutorial Island remains on the World Map.

Starting the tutorial
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 was 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.

The Basics
The 'RuneScape guide' was the first non-player character players ever met (a role now played by Sir Vant). Players learned:
 * How to move the camera.
 * How to keep the minimap positioned so that the top is north.
 * How to talk to non-player characters.
 * How to use the RuneScape website.
 * How to open doors.

Woodcutting, Firemaking, Fishing and Cooking
The Survival Expert gave players basics for Woodcutting, Firemaking, Fishing, and Cooking (explained further by the Master Chef). 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.

Cooking
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.

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

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.

Melee 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. Therefore, this is a perfect opportunity to train their skills.

The minimum requirement is to kill one rat, using any combat style you prefer, however the player may choose to train each style to the maximum level of 3, while gaining no life points - 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.

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 would drop the arrows and then claim more. Once they had around 1000 or more arrows they would move on and bank it, meaning once they had finished the tutorial they would have arrows to sell for money or trade it to their main account.

Banking
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.

Prayer
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 to escape.

Magic
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 2010 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.

It is also possible to keep dropping them and getting more, possibly even banking them and doing it over.

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

Leaving the island
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 off the island and any standard items that they banked will be back in their inventory. Players are now standing next to the Lumbridge Sage.

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 will have the following tracks unlocked after completing Tutorial Island and appearing in Lumbridge.


 * Ground Scape
 * Harmony (Lumbridge)
 * Homescape
 * Newbie Melody
 * Scape Cave
 * Scape Hunter
 * Scape Main
 * Scape Original
 * Scape Santa
 * Scape Scared
 * Scape Summon

Trivia

 * Players could only get skills to level three on the island.
 * If the player went to the edges of the map (the very North, East, South, and West parts of the island), you would see that Tutorial Island is surrounded by a giant Unknown space. This, however, changed. Players with accounts still on the Island will see that they are no longer on a separate island, but on the actual Tutorial Island on the world map.
 * You can see part of Tutorial Island from the Wizards' Tower.
 * You can still see part of Tutorial Island from the Lumbridge Swamp, near the coal mine.
 * 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).
 * When Tutorial Island returned, if 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."
 * 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.
 * It was impossible to die on Tutorial Island. If you had only 1HP left (the tutorial island was removed before the constitution update ), a monster would only hit 0s on you.
 * You could talk on Tutorial island in 2004, but could not 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." or "Other player is busy at the moment" 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.
 * 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. At one time you could bank them but this was soon fixed.
 * There were a number of oak trees around the island, although you could only go up to level 3 Woodcutting, and the Oak 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 will always burn the first shrimp when you try to cook during the Survival Expert part.
 * It is possible to have an account on Tutorial Island after it was removed, as long as the account was made before the update.
 * Following the release of RuneScape 2 new players used to appear on the Tutorial Island located south of the Wizards' Tower, however Jagex later created a separate version surrounded by Unknown.
 * Prior to the new tutorial, Tutorial Island was the first place where newcomers will go.
 * The only way players would be on this island would be if they created a character prior to the release of Unstable Foundations and had not finished the tutorial. If a player is still in the island then the player will experience glitches for nearly anything he does, for example chopping a dead tree, levelling a skill or trying to talk to the advisor. It is possible to access the chat box, but the player is unable to speak. It is also possible to set a pin while on the island.
 * Since the release of the Orb of oculus, players can see parts of the island from the back of Wizards' Tower
 * It is not possible to rest while on the island.
 * Mod Mark has confirmed on a Q&A session that they have "cool plans for Tutorial Island" implying that it might be possible to go back to the island in the future.
 * Tutorial Island is one of the few inaccessible areas in Runescape.
 * Bunny ears were dropped on Tutorial Island.
 * If one tried to do a tutorial from the advisor button, it will say that you need to be in the starting area to do a tutorial.
 * If a player completed Tutorial Island or Learning the Ropes before it was changed to Unstable Foundations, it would show them everything they did on Tutorial Island or during Learning the Ropes, even though the quest is shown to be titled Unstable Foundations
 * No matter which tutorial you completed with a character, updated tutorials will show as complete, even if you never actually did them.
 * In the combat section of the island, where the giant rats there were standards of the ogre race, though there are no ogres on tutorial island.
 * A weird glitch caused players still left on Tutorial Island to change their name to "#Player****" (* = number). When they left this island, they are forced to log out, then log back or else they wouldn't be able to talk.
 * It is possible to complete a task on Tutorial Island, even though the task tab does not show.
 * During a hidden update in March 2011, all accounts that were on tutorial island were moved to the newer tutorial.
 * Recently, most of the player base has been pushing to bring back tutorial island, it appears as though some progress is being made.
 * A common glitch would occur that would change the hairstyle of a player to default.
 * It is often believed that the Turorial Island will return sometime soon, due to the fact that Unstable Foundations was removed with a hidden update.
 * Some older accounts may get forcibly removed from tutorial island without completion.

Gallery
Tutorial Island Tutorial Island