Dungeoneering FAQ
How do I start Dungeoneering?
To start raiding a dungeon, and begin training your Dungeoneering skill level, you need to first travel to Daemonheim. There is a free ferry on the west coast of Al Kharid waiting to take you to the peninsula. Once at the castle in the centre of the peninsula, you need a ring of kinship to organise yourself into a party; this can be gained by simply talking to the dungeoneering tutor on the east side of the Daemonheim castle entrance.
With the ring of kinship and no other items in your inventory or worn inventory, you are ready to raid a dungeon. Click here for more information on forming a party.
How can I maximize my Dungeoneering XP?
The XP you receive at the end of a dungeon raid is increased and decreased by a number of factors. These factors are largely within your control, so it is well worth spending the time to find out what these factors are, in an effort to receive the optimal amount of XP.
These factors can be effectively split into two groups: those that decide the base value of XP you gain at the end of a raid, and those that modify that base value of XP by either increasing it or decreasing it. We would advise that you read the following and raid Daemonheim with them always in mind.
Dungeoneering XP Base Value:
The base value of XP you receive at the end of a floor, before it is increased or decreased by other factors, is determined by the following:
- Floor - the dungeon floor that you are raiding
- Prestige - a total derived from the number of individual floors you have raided
You are also rewarded for raiding a great variety of floors, rather than continuously raiding the same floor. This is represented by the Prestige total. To maximise this value, it is best to complete raids of as many individual floors as you can, repeating as few as possible. For more details on prestige, click here.
Modifiers of the Dungeoneering XP Base Value:
- Dungeon size - the size of the dungeon (small, medium or large) that you are raiding
- Difficulty - the number of raiders that the dungeon combat was designed for, compared to the number of raiders in your party
- Complexity - the complexity level of your dungeon
- Guide Mode - the activation of a guided path on your dungeon map
- Bonus Rooms - how many bonus rooms you have explored
- Points Mod - your skill and combat level, modified by how many creatures you left alive on a raid
- Deaths - how many times you died
The creatures within a dungeon are designed to be fought by a predetermined number of people: you and your party of 5 could be raiding a floor that has its combat scaled to 3 people, for example. This means that the dungeon will be difficult enough that 3 people could be fighting while another 2 will be performing skill tasks. To maximise your XP from this multiplier, choose a Difficulty that is equal to the number of people in your party, but be aware that this will make for quite the challenge. The party leader determines the size of the dungeon.
The greater the Complexity Level of the dungeon, the more skills and abilities that are called into question. This is a negative multiplier that ranges from 0% (for completing a dungeon at complexity level 6) to -50% (for completing a dungeon at complexity level 1). It is advised to raid on complexity level 6 whenever possible. The party leader determines a dungeon's complexity level.
Guide Mode can be activated or deactivated by the party leader on the party interface of the kinship ring. This may only be done before a raid. Once activated, a guided path appears on the dungeon map, allowing the team to see, at-a-glance, the safest and quickest path through the dungeon. Since this gives a party an advantage during a raid, a negative multiplier will be applied if Guide Mode is activated.
You will get the full Bonus Room multiplier if you explore EVERY room within the dungeon. This includes side rooms or 'bonus rooms' that do not have to be travelled through to complete the dungeon. It is often a good idea to look at the dungeon map once you have completed a boss room, and quickly scan to see if you have left any rooms uninvestigated.
A similar principle applies to the Points Mod multiplier. The size of this positive multiplier is initially determined by your combat level and skill total, but it is reduced for each creature you leave undefeated at the end of a dungeon, up to a negative multiplier of -25%! If you and your team have enough food, weapons and armour to defeat all remaining monsters at the end of a dungeon, it is often worth backtracking to kill them.
Finally, you will always start a dungeon raid with the highest possible Death multiplier. It is only when you die that the multiplier reduces, so it is advisable to stay alive if you want a high Dungeoneering XP total. The deaths of other raiders in your party are not factored into this multiplier.
What is a 'prestige total'?
Your prestige total is one of only two factors that determine the base value - the lump sum - of Dungeoneering XP you receive at the end of a raid. Other modifiers increase or decrease this base value, but their effects are small in comparison to the prestige total, which, alongside the floor you choose, can determine whether you get a small or large amount of XP. With this in mind, it is important that you maximize your prestige total before every raid.
If you are to maximize your prestige total, you will need to understand what it is: your prestige total is a measure of how varied your dungeon raids have been; so, a high prestige total reflects a player who likes to raid a wide variety of floors. Prestige totals ensure that players do not repeatedly raid or 'grind' a dungeon.
The prestige total is equal to one of two things, depending on whichever is higher: the number of individual floors you have raided, or the number of individual floors you raided BEFORE you last pressed the 'Reset' button on your ring of kinship interface. We will get to the second of these - the 'reset' prestige total - in a moment, but new players to Daemonheim will not have pressed this button; therefore, they will generally have a higher value for floors they have currently raided.
Floors currently raided:
Your prestige total, if you have not pressed the reset button, is always determined by the number of different floors you have raided. If you have raided floors 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6, for example, you will have a prestige total of 5; this is because you have raided floors 1-6, but skipped floor 3, raiding a total of 5 different floors. If you have raided floor 1 twice and floor 2 three times, your prestige total will be 2, as you have only raided two different floors. Frequency of raids on one floor has no effect on the prestige total.
You receive the increased XP benefits of a prestige total once per floor. If you play a floor for a second time, your prestige total will not contribute to the XP you receive at the end of the raid. So, if I am raiding floor 11 for the first time, I will receive an amount of Dungeoneering XP based on my prestige total (which may well be 10, if I have completed every previous floor); if I then do floor 11 again, I will receive no additional XP thanks to my prestige total. NOTE - Since it can be hard keeping track of which floor you have previously raided, the floor selection interface has a number of red flags to guide you to floors that have not been explored.
Of course, you will quickly reach a point where there are no more floors to explore with your current multiplier. This is where the 'Reset' button on your party interface comes into play.
Floors raided before you pressed the 'reset' button:
The 'Reset' button, once pressed on your ring of kinship interface, will do two things: firstly, it will reset your progress in each dungeon, meaning that you will have raided 0 different dungeon floors; secondly, it will set your prestige total to a fixed total. This fixed total is equal to the number of different floors you raided before you pressed the 'Reset' button. Once again, if you raided floors 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 before pressing the 'Reset' button, you will have a fixed prestige total of 5 after pressing the button.
The value of this button soon becomes obvious: on a first run-through of the floors in Daemonheim, you would have received a prestige total of 1 on floor 2, of 2 on floor 3, etc. Pressing 'Reset' after raiding 5 individual floors will give you a fixed prestige total of 5, so you can then have a prestige total of 5 on floor 1, of 5 on floor 2, etc. This is a marked improvement over the prestige totals of 1 and 2 noted before. It is often recommended that you reset your prestige total if you have reached a point where you are rarely unlocking new floors to raid.
Comparing prestige totals:
You now know that you have two prestige totals, but which applies at the end of a dungeon? The highest of the two will always be applied at the end of the game. For example, if you have a fixed prestige total of 5, but then raid your 6th individual floor (having raided floors, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, for example), then you will have a prestige total of 6 - the higher of the two values.
Will I lose anything if I press the reset button?
Pressing the 'Reset' button has no effect on how many floors you have unlocked, the complexity levels you have unlocked, or the items you have bound or gained. The 'Reset' button simply re-calculates the multiplier you receive as a reward for completing a number of different numbered floors.
What does this item do in Daemonheim?
The items in Daemonheim are alien and very different from those you would find on the surface of RuneScape. For a list of the equipment in Daemonheim, alongside their stats and special abilities, click here.
Additional information can be gained by examining the item, or 'using' the item on the smuggler in the starting room. He can lend his expertise on any item that can be found within Daemonheim.
In almost all cases, items in Daemonheim have a 'tier'. This can be found by examining the item, or by looking at the name of the item. Tiers display the effectiveness of the item, from tier 1 (low-level and less effective) to tier 11 (high-level and very effective).
General
Do I have to raid dungeons in a party of two or more?
The dungeons of Daemonheim can be raided on your own, or in parties of up to five players. You do not have to raid with other players if you do not want to.
What can I do in Daemonheim as a free player?
Dungeoneering is available to free players as well as members, and a large proportion can be played by both. Free players and members can play all of the floors, bind the same number of items and face all of the bosses. Free players do have some limitations, however, largely because they do not have access to members' skills. So, free players cannot gain slayer rewards, and some above-ground rewards are inaccessible. Additionally, items of tier 6 and above cannot be obtained or made by free players.
Why can't I take my items into Daemonheim?
The creatures and magic of Daemonheim are too dangerous to allow onto the surface of Daemonheim, so the Fremennik have set up a quarantine of sorts, disallowing any items to go into or out of the dungeons. This may seem drastic, but it does mean that you get the opportunity to make and use your own weapons, armour, food, potions and other materials.
What has this got to do with the strange power that swept over RuneScape?
The strange power that knocked players to their feet in early 2010 came from Daemonheim, or so the Fremennik believe. Their seers traced the source of the power to come from this point in the Wilderness, and they gathered dozens of warriors to explore Daemonheim's depths. Not everyone has come back, however.
Why am I waiting to get a game in an auto-grouping room?
Auto-grouping rooms attempt to organise a dungeon party every 30 seconds. If there are five or fewer people in the auto-grouping room, this is not a problem - a party will be formed of everyone in the auto-grouping room. If there are more than five people in an auto-grouping room, however, then the auto-grouping room will organise a party according to the floors that each person has unlocked, and will then group according to total skill level. If you are not chosen for a dungeoneering raid, you will be more likely to join a raid the next time round. If there are a few people remaining in an auto-grouping room, you may wish to manually form a party.
Why can't I send any more party invites?
A party leader is limited to four invites only, as each party has a maximum of five players. If you wish to remove a player who has accepted a party invite, right-click their name in your party interface (opened by left-clicking on your ring of kinship) and select 'Kick'. If you are outside of a raid, that player will be removed from your party and you can invite someone else. If you are within a raid, the 'Kick' option will be sent to a vote, and all players must vote on the subject of whether the player should be kicked out of the party or not. If there is a majority, that player is then kicked from the party.
If a player has an invite pending, and it is your last remaining invite and you want to send it to someone else, you must wait for that invite to elapse before you can send another. This will happen 30 seconds after sending the invite.
What does the 'Guide Mode' button do on my party interface?
By clicking the 'Guide Mode' button on your party interface (accessed by left-clicking the ring of kinship) you toggle guide mode on and off. When on, a path will appear on your dungeoneering map, showing the most direct path through to the final room of the dungeon. This will guide you away from any unnecessary rooms, making your path a safer and quicker one; but, it will also have an impact on the Dungeoneering XP you receive at the end of a raid. With 'Guide Mode' toggled off, there will be no critical path shown on your map and you will receiver a greater amount of XP at the end of the dungeon raid.
Why am I getting an XP penalty for having Guide Mode activated?
Guide Mode is automatically activated on your first raids on each complexity level. If you do not wish to have Guide Mode activated on these early dungeons, you should leave the dungeon and deactivate Guide Mode on the party interface of your ring of kinship.
What does 'Shared XP' do?
The party interface also offers the ability for anyone to toggle their shared XP on and off before a raid: this is done by right-clicking on the 'XP' that appears after your name on the party interface (accessed by left-clicking on the ring of kinship). Shared XP is automatically 'on' when you first start dungeoneering. When 'on', you will receive a share of the XP whenever a member of your party performs a skill or combat task that you could have done with your levels. When you perform a skill or combat task that another member of your party could perform, they will receive a share of your XP too. The performer of the task receives the greater share of the XP. Only players with shared xp 'on' can give or receive shared xp.
When shared XP is toggled off, you will NOT receive XP from the actions of other players in your raiding party. Only you will be able to generate any XP from skill tasks and combat. This is especially useful if you have skills that you wish to leave at a low level.
I have just completed a dungeon floor. Why can't I access the next dungeon floor?
Each floor has two requirements before they can be unlocked and raided. Firstly, you must have played all of the floors that precede the one you wish to access. So, if you want to access floor 19 of Daemonheim, you must have successfully raided every floor up to and including floor 18. Secondly, you must have a Dungeoneering level that is twice the number of the floor you wish to access. So, if you want to access floor 19, you must have a Dungeoneering level of at least 38.
How do I know if one item is better than another?
The majority of items in Daemonheim have a 'tier' value, which can be found in the name of the item, or by examining it. These tier values range from 1-10, with 1 being the least effective and 10 being the most effective. You can compare items using these values to determine which item is best.
Where can I find the key to this dungeon door?
Often when dungeoneering, you will come across a locked door which requires a coloured key to unlock. These will always be found in rooms that you or your party can access, so do not worry if you believe it to be in an inaccessible location. First, check your map; look for red dots that might signify the location of a key. Secondly, check the inventories of your party mates. You can do this in your party interface, by clicking on the ring of kinship and then on a player's name. This will show you the player's inventory, so you can quickly find out if another player has found it.
What happens if a member of my party logs out or is disconnected?
If you log out or disconnect, you will be put in the 'ready room' on the upper floor of the Daemonheim castle. When you log back in, simply use the ring of kinship, select 'Rejoin Party' and type in the name of one of your team mates. You'll then be able to continue the dungeon with your original party, providing they are all still raiding!
If I play solo and get disconnected, will I need to start the dungeon again?
Unfortunately, yes. Dungeons have a habit of moving around when no-one is looking; you need to have a 'party' in the dungeon in order to rejoin it.
It is worth noting that, if you had progressed through at least 50% of the dungeon, you may get some experience reimbursed to you (but it will be considerably less than if you actually finished the dungeon).
What if the person who logs out has one of the keys?
If a player leaves the dungeon early through any means, the content of their inventory is dropped on the floor (excluding bound items). This ensures that keys and other critical items remain available for the rest of the party.
Why can't anyone in my party open this skill door?
There are two ways this can happen:
1. Members of your party have logged out or left the dungeon. If you feel that some people in your dungeon are likely to log out, set your difficulty to 1. This means that all skill tasks will be able to be completed by the lowest level member of your party.
2. The door is to a bonus room that you do not have to open in order to complete the dungeon. You might have to use a potion to boost your skill stats to these levels. Remember that you do not have to enter these rooms, but they do add to your Dungeoneering XP at the end of a raid.
This dungeon is too hard! How can I make it easier?
There are a number of ways of making a dungeon easier, although there is a good chance that each of these will lessen the amount of XP you receive after a completed floor:
- Complete an earlier floor. The deeper you go in Daemonheim, the more difficult the creatures you face.
- Decrease the complexity level. A lower complexity means fewer things to think about, and more items given to you at the start of a raid.
- Lower the difficulty. It may seem obvious, but dungeons that are aimed for one or two people are much easier to complete than those aimed for three or four.
- Turn guide mode on. This puts a path on to your dungeon map, showing you the quickest route through the dungeon.
Why am I losing my items after a dungeon raid?
Once you have completed a dungeon raid, your items are removed from you in case they are contaminated by the dark magicks of Daemonheim. You must start afresh with each dungeon raid, finding or making these items again.
At the end of each raid, you have the opportunity to 'bind' at least one item. This is done by right-clicking on an item in your inventory and selecting 'Bind'. Once bound, an item remains in your inventory for each raid you attempt, until you right-click it and select 'Destroy'.
What does binding do?
Before you exit a floor by travelling down the ladder in the boss room, it is worth 'binding' items in your inventory. By binding an item, you carry it over to the next dungeon. This is useful as you will not keep ANY items from one raid to another. So, if you have a particularly potent tier 10 item that you do not wish to lose, it is worth binding it.
To bind a weapon or piece of armour, right-click it in your inventory and select 'Bind' (stacks of runes and arrows can also be bound, and you will only keep 125 of the chosen item). At level 1 Dungeoneering you can bind one item per dungeon; at level 50 Dungeoneering you can bind two items; at level 100 you can bind three items; and at level 120 you can bind four items. Bound arrows or runes do not count towards this total.
How can I recharge my dungeoneering reward items?
Gravite and chaotic equipment depend on charges to be effective, and will lose charge when they are used in combat. Once no charges remain on your weapon or armour, you will need to visit the reward trader in the camp south of Daemonheim castle. He will, for a fee, recharge your item.
Why is Dungeoneering so slow to level up?
Going through the lower complexity dungeons can raise your XP slowly; with small dungeons, guide mode on and very little exploration available, the XP can be quite low. Once you are out of the initial forced complexity floors, you can focus on the things that will get you the most XP. These include larger dungeons, bigger parties, higher difficulty settings and more bonus room exploration.
Don't forget that your XP per hour is very much affected by your familiarity with the content. As you start to discover your role in the party, puzzle room strategy and boss mechanics, you'll find that your XP rate increases.
Where can I get my dungeoneering rewards?
Your dungeoneering tokens are smuggled out of the dungeon and taken to the rewards trader, who can exchange them for items to be used in the wide world of RuneScape. To find him, travel south from the entrance of Daemonheim, and down a set of stairs. On the west side of these stairs is the reward trader, cowering and shaking on the floor.
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