Game modes and XP rates
The first time you log in, you pick a game mode and an XP rate on one screen. Both are permanent. Slower rates get better odds on rare drops and pets, and every ironman wears a helmet in their rate’s color.
Four XP rates
Your rate multiplies the XP you earn in every skill: 1x is the Old School rate, 50x is fifty times it. Server-wide XP events stack on top of whichever rate you pick. In exchange for the slower pace, the lower rates roll rare drops and pets at better odds.
| Rate | Rare drop chance | A 1 in 512 drop | Pet chance | A 1 in 5,000 pet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1x | ×1.2 | 1 in 427 | ×2 | 1 in 2,500 |
| 5x | ×1.12 | 1 in 457 | ×1.5 | 1 in 3,333 |
| 25x | ×1.05 | 1 in 488 | ×1.2 | 1 in 4,167 |
| 50x | ×1 | 1 in 512 | ×1 | 1 in 5,000 |
What counts as rare
Any single roll rarer than 1 in 100: an item on a drop table, or the roll that opens a sub-table. The gem table opens on a 1 in 128 roll, so everything behind it gets the boost too. Commoner rolls and guaranteed drops stay at their normal odds, so slower accounts do not flood the Grand Exchange with everyday loot.
Pets use the pet chance instead of the drop boost, never both, for boss pets and skilling pets alike. 50x plays at the standard Old School odds, never worse.
Four game modes
Any mode can take any rate. Group Ironman modes arrive once ONYX has a group system.
Regular
Trade, use the Grand Exchange and team up with anyone. Regular players have no chat icon at any rate.
Ironman
You play alone: no trading, no Grand Exchange, no Accept Aid and no picking up other players' loot. You get no combat XP on a monster someone else has already hit.
Ultimate Ironman
Every Ironman rule, plus no bank and no deposit boxes, and you keep nothing when you die. Bankers and bank booths still unnote your notes.
Hardcore Ironman
Every Ironman rule, with one life. A dangerous death makes you a regular Ironman at the same rate. Deaths in safe activities do not count.
Your helmet shows your rate
Every helmet is the Old School one in a new color: the color is your rate, and a harder mode wears a deeper shade. 50x ironmen keep the Old School helmets exactly as they are. A Hardcore Ironman who falls becomes an Ironman at the same rate, so their helmet turns the lighter shade of the same color.
The helmet sits before your name in public chat, private messages and friends lists.
| Mode | 1x Onyx purple | 5x Gold | 25x Emerald | 50x Standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ironman | ||||
| Ultimate Ironman | ||||
| Hardcore Ironman | ||||
| Regular | No icon at any rate | |||
Staff crowns
A staff crown replaces any helmet, so you can always tell who speaks for ONYX.
- Owner
- Onyx, with a glowing rune-purple gem
- Administrator
- Gold, with an onyx gem
- Moderator
- Silver, with an onyx gem
The colored helmets and staff crowns need the ONYX client. Until it is released, public chat and private messages show the standard Old School helmets.
Choosing on your first login
- The choice screen opens before anything else. You cannot walk until you finish it.
- Pick a game mode and an XP rate. The summary shows your helmet and your perks.
- Press Confirm, then answer yes to “This can never be changed. Are you sure?”
Neither choice can be changed afterwards, by rate or by mode, so pick the pace you want to play at for the long run.
Know how you want to play? Get the client and the server address.