Summoning familiars just got smarter! In today's RuneScape update - as voted for by you - we've updated the behaviour of summoned beasts, made them easier to use, and given them some handy new functions.

First up, they're smarter and more helpful in a fight:

Familiars now join in as quickly as possible when you engage a target.

They will now defend you when you're attacked and not fighting back.

They will switch quickly and accurately when you change target.

If assigned a target, they will stay on it until it dies, or they are told otherwise.

Combat familiars will use special moves automatically while they fight, as long as scrolls and summoning points are available.

Familiars can store up to 500 special move scrolls for you. These will be used before any stored in your inventory. If they die in PvM or are unsummoned, any held scrolls will go to your inventory, or the ground if it's full.

The side-bar interface has been improved:

The visual style has been updated to be clearer and easier to read.

The layout has been improved, with buttons closer together for easier use.

For combat familiars, the special move button allows you to set the frequency with which they use up special move scrolls automatically.

Finally, there are a few tweaks to Summoning in general:

Beast of Burden familiars have a handy new 'give all' option.

Using a small obelisk while a damaged familiar is out will heal it to full health.

The Protect from Summoning prayer now halves damage dealt by familiars by 50% in PvP.

So call up the Spirit Realm and bring forth your favourite companions. We think you'll be pleased by what they can do.

Mod Chris L and the RuneScape Team

In Other News

You can now buy 29 and 45 days of membership using RuneScape bonds.

The Wardrobe interface has been tidied, tweaked and streamlined. Give it a whirl and see what you think.

We've performed a batch of maintenance changes to Treasure Hunter, tweaking the prizes given in order to:

Give better prizes to low-level players.



Remove certain undesirable prizes.



Manage Treasure Hunter's impact on the economy.



Ensure that when two skills can give the same prize, the amounts given are the same for each.

See the patch notes for further details of today's updates.