Apple 0123 or is it Apple O123 after all?

Dan recently posted a promotional "100b+ staking video". I don't want to promote the guy who made it (my reasons below). If you really want to see it, you'll find it without much problems anyway. The video shows a few staking clips, one of them with a guy staking and loosing a full set of party hats. They call it insane staking and it is. But call it any way you want, in my opinion, there simply too much dirt related to this aspect of the game.

I don't like staking. I don't like how it emulates gambling and fosters gambling addictions in Runescape players. It also has historical ties to RWT and, of course, luring and deception are right there as well. And it's the deception aspect I want to talk about here. That guy who lost a set of party hats, his name was in the video and it was displayed as Apple 0123. He is in the highscores with mediocre combat stats: 70 Attack, 70 Strength, 81 Defense, 84 HP, 90 Ranged, 52 Prayer, 60 Magic. There was no way someone would use such account in Dueling Arena and bet anything valuable. Something was very fishy. Naturally I got curious and went searching for Apple 0123. I found him (on RSOF selling party hats and also on some rather fishy forums - surprise, duh). There was a few threads where he boasted his staking gains and they were indeed significant - not just one set of party hats, but something like ten of them. But he wasn't Apple 0123 after all - his real name was Apple O123 (aka letter "O") and he used this deception as his means to lure other players in staking big items. Apple O123 has 85 Attack, 99 Strength, 99 HP, 1 Def - figures...

Finally it all made sense, but it didn't look any less foul to me...

Top Runescape Staking Tips

I am actually against staking. In my opinion it is the closest thing to gambling we have in Runescape and it is just as addictive and devastating. So the best tip I can give you: simply don't do it...

However, if you choose to ignore my advice, here are a few recent articles with best of breed Runescape staking tips: one from the Informer and another from Runescape Bits.

Duel Arena changes and end of Staking

There is a lot of controversy about this update. Many players complain and overall frustration is in the air. However, I stay with Steve on this one. This is a GOOD update - yet another one to make the game healthier and safer. Bye-bye to nurturing gambling addiction in the game.