Runescape 3: New Prestige System Announced

I might be slow, but I'm working on it

Have you read about the new Prestige Hi-score system?  I just finished reading Mod Jack's dev blog, and find the concept troubling.

The new Prestige system will let you re-set any 99-level skill back to 0, and level up all over again.  Each time you do so, the exp requirement for the next 99 goes higher.  So, 26 million the second time, 39m the second time, and so on.  The more total skills you've reset, and the more times you've reset each skill, determines how you rank.

This is supposed to level the playing field, make lower-level training and supplies useful again, and give everybody a chance to shine in the high scores over and beyond the 200M maximum exp goal that has always been the ultimate until now.

This goes into effect sometime in November.  I have some serious qualms about it.  I play for fun, and worked hard for my 99's, and for the rank that comes with them.  Currently, I'm working hard to finish Dungeoneering and Divination.  My overall game rank is 5,371.  

I don't work specifically toward game rank, but there's a certain pride in having reached that level.  Prestige threatens to de-value that.  It doesn't usually bother me when a skill or an item is devalued, even if it affects something that took so much work.  But this time, it's not that easy.  For one thing, getting rank in the game will now be something you work towards specifically.  I prefer rank that simply reflects my dedication to the overall game.  If it becomes something that you have to focus on deliberately, to be honest I'll probably ignore it.  But it'll be a sad thing to lose my position in the numbers game.

The old rank system will still exist, and you have the choice to continue using it.  But in the ultra-competitive game Runescape has become, it will probably become passe.  What I'm afraid of is that this will totally destroy my own rank.  And if I fear this, it's probably safe to assume many other people will wonder, too.  On the other hand, for those super-competitive maxed players, maybe this could be a good thing.

I do know it took far... far... far too long to get each 99 the first time.  No way am I going to repeat it when there's so much more content to explore.  I still haven't beaten the Queen Black Dragon.  Or the Fight Kiln.  Or the Dominion Tower.  There are so many things to do, and they've all been waiting until I max my last two skills.

To all those who look forward to the new Prestige System, I truly hope you enjoy it.  No hard feelings.  But for me, I'm dreading it.  Guess we'll find out when it gets here.