Old School RuneScape adds sequel to classic 2005 Desert Treasure quest
What secrets does the desert hold?
Yesterday saw the release of Desert Treasure 2 - The Fallen Empire in Old School RuneScape - the MMO's first Grandmaster quest since 2019.
A sequel to the classic Desert Treasure quest released back in 2005, Desert Treasure 2 - The Fallen Empire sends players back to the depths of the Kharidian Desert to explore a vault connected to the fallen Zarosian empire where they'll once again get caught in the plans of the mysterious Mahjarrat.
As many RuneScape players will know, the lore in Old School RuneScape frequently deviates from the stories told in its modern counterpart due to its being created from an August 2007 archive. This means any quests released after this date, King's Ransom being the last, are not present in Old School RuneScape, allowing the developers to not only craft stories unique to Old School, but to take the ones which overlap in a different direction.
The Mahjarrat series is one of these overlapping storylines, yet, unlike RuneScape 3 where they have been major characters for over 10 years - thanks to quests like While Guthix Sleeps and Ritual of the Mahjarrat - these lich-like beings have been absent until this year. Secrets of the North, released back in January, was the first Mahjarrat-focused quest released in Old School RuneScape, but Desert Treasure 2 - the Fallen Empire should hopefully properly introduce players to Old School's take on these characters and bring them to the forefront of its storytelling.
Outside of lore implications, Desert Treasure 2 - The Fallen Empire promises to give any good adventurer a lengthy, very difficult, challenge. Being a Grandmaster quest - the highest level of difficulty a quest can have - you need to have met a number of level requirements and completed a long list of quests before you can even start it.
Once your new journey has begun, you'll eventually have to face four new powerful bosses who are ready to put your combat skills to the test. So grab your best equipment and make sure to include a good amount of summer pies or manta rays in your inventory (lobsters aren't going to be much help this time), because you're going to need them.
The battles are worth the bloodshed though, with each boss being capable of dropping a new component called a Vestige, which, when combined with an Icon for a Fremennik Ring, can be used to create one of four new rings. The boosts these new rings offer to either your melee, magic or range stats out strip the Fremennik Rings, but it may take you a while to get a Vestige... Though the official Old School RuneScape Twitter has promised that they do, in fact, drop.
The bosses may also drop an item you can use to upgrade the Ancient Sceptre, along with components for creating the Soulreaper Axe, and completing Desert Treasure 2 - The Fallen Empire will reward you with the Ring of Shadows, which offers some offensive stat boosts of its own.
Old School RuneScape is available on PC and Mac, including via Steam, with a mobile version for iOS and Android.