Assault

Assault, (released 29 June 2012) is RuneScape's latest skill available to members. It features two islands, Killgroin and (humorously named) Newbhaven, accessible at levels 1 and 50 respectively. The main aim of the skill is to raid (or assault) the residence of certain criminals, all wanted for different crimes, which are what the rewards of a certain raid is based on: for example, a criminal wanted for counterfeiting will reward coins.

The skill can be started by speaking to Field Marshal Opendoor, at the Gendarmerie General Command centre in Witchaven. To start the skill, players need to complete a quest named "Backup!," which will feature an introduction and a "test raid" on a criminal residence. Similar to Dungeoneering, players can raid criminal hideouts in a party of five. Further information and help, along with the Ring of Elitance (similar to the Ring of Kinship, it forms raiding parties), can be received by speaking to the Sheriff, in the Command Centre. Every two levels of Assault gained will unlock one new criminal hideout which you can raid.

Assault is one of the slowest skills to train. Unlike Dungeoneering, raids can only be started by going to the Command Centre and selecting a "Wanted poster" from the wall for the criminal who's hideout you want to raid. However, after you have successfully raided and looted a criminal hideout, the wanted poster for the same criminal hideout will not appear again until a certain amount of time after your last raid. Therefore, it is much more efficient training if you raid a lower level hideout that you have already raided, rather then waiting for the last raid to become available again.

After the "boss" of a raid (usually the criminal) is arrested, players can access the "vault" which contains the reward for that raid. The loot value will go down while the raid progresses, (shown in the bottom left as "Loot left: x%), where the x% is 100% going down over time), promoting quick raids to get the best of the loot. Low level criminals will usually be wanted for less serious crimes. Therefore, the rewards will be less valuable. Higher level criminals will be wanted for Counterfeiting, which will reward coins, and murder, which will reward weapons and high-level bones. All raids will receive a cash reward, specified on the raid's wanted poster. The current minimum to be ranked on the Hiscores (at approximately rank 453,500) is level 30. Currently, 1,299 players have achieved level 99 in Assault.

Please note Assault is a dangerous activity. If you die during a raid, you will die a normal death. A gravestone will not appear. Players can demand compensation after death from Field Marshal Opendoor, to receive 1/2 of the wealth you were carrying when you died, rounded down.

While assaulting hideouts, it is possible to gain access to a new spellbook (Sixth Age assault spells), a new prayer book (Sixth Age protection prayers), and access to two new armour sets. The Titanium armour set, which is also available to free-players (although only obtainable by members) wearable at 50 Defence, and Sixth Age armour, which is wearable at 90 Defence and 80 Assault, for members only. More profitable rewards do exist. Loot is usually formed of normal items, plus a few exclusive items, such as Dwarf bones, which sells quite high in the GE due to its rarity and gives good Prayer xp when buried.

Starting off
Before a player can start raiding, players must speak to Field Marshal Opendoor and start the quest "Backup!" which will provide players basic knowledge of how to perform a raid. After returning back to the command centre, players will have achieved level 3 Assault and a Ballistic vest, which is the most junior of Bombardment Armour available. Players can officially start raids.

Criminal hideouts
Hideouts which the player has to raid get more and more challenging as the player advances in level. Assault is a very logistic skill, i.e players can scale walls to avoid guards, and they can take shortcuts around guards and take them from behind. (See raiding tactics for more details.) The guards may be killed, which will award the same Assault xp as arresting them. Arresting the guards is much more recommended as you will receive a bonus at the end of a raid (Custody bonus).

Forming a party
Parties are usually formed outside the Command Centre, near the wanted posters. A player who wishes to form a party with the Ring of Elitance usually shouts something in the format of "Raiding [criminal name], lvl [level needed] size [size of party] party!". Players can also add other information such as a combat level requirement.

Parties are formed with the Ring of Elitance. It has very similar mechanics to the Ring of Kinship.

Please note that, as wanted posters take time to respawn, there is nothing to stop a player who has completed a raid to go and join a different party whose leader can do that raid again. When a party has completed a raid, all the players in that party will have to wait for the respawn time.

Wanted posters
As said before, the only way a raid can be started is by selecting a wanted poster from the wall of the Command Centre. Posters for criminals on Killgroin are pinned on the south wall, on both sides of the door. Higher level posters for Newbhaven are pinned on the west wall. These are where parties advertise. Only the party leader can start a raid by clicking on a wanted poster. Posters, as said before, have a certain respawn time before they are available again after a raid (i.e. if a player has just raided the hideour of Coal Salt then the wanted poster for Coal Salt will only be available after a certain amount of time).

Wanted posters look like pieces of paper hung on the wall, however right clicking on them will allow players to see who's wanted poster it is. Jonny Lesh's poster will be named "Jonny Lesh wanted poster" and full details, reward and crime can be find out by clicking on the poster.

Raids
Main article: Assault/Raids

Special moves
Members can purchase "units" from the Sheriff which can help assist the killing of guards. Before starting a raid, players must buy some handcuffs for 3gp. Not doing do will trigger the message, "you do not have any handcuffs."

Unique rewards
Loot from raids can sometimes consist of rewards available entirely through the Assault skill.

Cape of Accomplishment
You can buy the skillcape for 99,000 coins from the Nelson at the Coast Guard Command base once you reach 99 Assault.