PK trip
A PK trip or PKing trip (short for Player Killing trip) is a PvP based event where a clan enters the Wilderness in search of other players to kill, so as to claim the players' risked items and make as much profit as possible. The PK trip is the oldest clan event in RuneScape, and a staple event in WG.
Contents
History
PK trips were originally known as raids in WG, though the name was changed to the more common "PK trip" in 2017 to avoid confusion with PvM raids in Old-School RuneScape.
The term "Raid" originated from the clan's early alliance with The Sabres in 2003, whose PK trips were known as "patrols". This stemmed from TS's ARPK policy - they considered themselves to be patrolling the Wilderness, similar to a police force hunting PKers. His Lordship coined the term "raid" based on this premise, contrary to the popular belief that the term originated in the multiplayer online game World of Warcraft.
The earliest raids took place all throughout the Wilderness. In previous eras WG was known to have daily raids, though this was reduced to three per week around 2010. Raids catered for the three major timezones: America, Europe and Australasia - though the "Aussie Raid" was eventually removed due to decreasing popularity. After the changes to PvP combat in 2007, raids were known to have been hosted in the free-for-all Clan Wars arena in RS2. During the PvP and Bounty Worlds era around 2010, the clan would PK between the Bounty Hunter bank and Clan Wars arena in the Wilderness, and occasionally visit Falador on the PvP worlds. Following the re-release of the old Wilderness mechanics in 2011, the clan's raids were generally limited to the Forinthry Dungeon.
With the release of Old-School RuneScape, clan PKing has returned to the Wilderness. Trips are mainly held in the Revenant Caves due to the significant amount of activity compared to the rest of the area, but WG has been known to visit other PvM hotspots such as the Wilderness bosses Venenatis, Vet'ion and Callisto.
Requirements
A combat level of 100+ is advised to PK. For a standard PK trip, members are expected to bring at least two styles, in one of the following combinations:
- Melee & Range with a Dragon Spear (90+ Ranged and a multi attack option such as chinchompas recommended)
- Melee, Range & Teleblock/Entangle ("TBs", 85+ Magic required)
- Melee, Range & Ice Burst/Barrage ("Freezes/Tribrid", 82+ Magic & Ancient Magicks Spellboock required, 94+ recommended)
As wide a range of styles is ideal, but the clan aims for at least 2 "freezers", as well as 2 or more "TBers" in lower Wilderness and the Revenant Caves. There are no specific requirements for gear, though members are asked to bring reasonably good equipment in case of a PKRI. A single high-value item (+1) is a common addition, which can be:
- Abyssal Tentacle, Zamorak Godsword, or Elder Maul (melee).
- Heavy Ballista, Dragon Crossbow, or Armadyl Crossbow (ranged).
- Staff of Light (TBs).
- Toxic Staff of the Dead (freezes).
Other options may be considered; however members are warned about the dangers of bringing expensive items such as Armadyl Godswords or Dragon Claws, at the risk of losing them if smited by an enemy. While bringing some less-expensive gear such as Xerican robes is usually acceptable, using extremely cheap items (such as adamant armour) and one-iteming are considered dishonourable and not allowed.
WG no longer hosts gear checks, though members are suggested to have at least 5 sets banked at all times, and their bank organised appropriately to facilitate quick and easy returning in the event of a PKRI.
Basic Format
PKing trips are held on average three times per week, and last between half an hour and 2 hours, possibly more - depending on the turnout and level of activity. They may be either planned days in advance, or held spontaneously if there is enough activity and demand. Trips usually start in the evening for EST members (nighttime for GMT). Trips are no longer mandatory to attend, though it is strongly recommended.
A trip will be announced via Discord, and attendees are expected to join a PvP voice channel so they may listen to the trip leader's calls. While a microphone to talk is strongly recommended, it is not required. PKing is almost always held in P2P (due to the significantly higher chance of action), and in multi-combat zones. The event involves the clan massing at a designated location (the host's choice), before going PKing in any combination of the following areas:
- Revenant Caves (most frequently).
- Shallow Wilderness (outside the Corporeal Beast cave, at the Chaos Altar).
- Mid-level Wilderness (Venenatis, Vet'ion).
- Deep Wilderness (Callisto, New Gate/Glory Hill, Annakarl, Lava Maze).
- Members' Wilderness (Rogue's Keep, Chaos Elemental, Scorpia).
The clan will generally hop worlds at a location to try and find targets such as PvMers and solo PKers. The old ARPK policy no longer applies, and any non-PKers with a decent risk (including glory runners and players doing the Mage Arena 2 miniquest) are considered fair game. Occasionally the clan will run into a small team or clan, resulting in a PKRI.
PK trips generally last 1-2 hours, though this is largely dependant on the level of activity and the success of the trip. If there are many other, more powerful clans out which pose a significant threat, the trip is likely to end early - whereas if significant profit is being made, the trip may continue for three hours or more. In the past, special 24-hour PK trips have been held on rare occasions. For all PK trips, members are permitted to join and leave at any time.
Members are welcome to take screenshots of trips, specifically of high-value kills, and share them in Discord for the trip's recap. Producing videos is also welcome, though the leadership should be consulted if Discord audio is to be recorded and included with the footage.
Special Trips
Aside from the standard trip, there are several variations on how a PKing trip can be hosted.
Ballista Trip
A Ballista Trip is a trip where all or almost all members bring a Heavy Ballista and gear with high range bonuses, with the intention of dealing a large and high amount of damage to targets very quickly. This setup is generally ineffective when fighting other clans and large groups of players, but works well against PvMers, solo PKers, and small teams. One or two TBers may also be required. A variant of this type of trip is the Dark Bow Trip, where players utilise the Dark Bow's special attack instead, though this has fallen out of favour in recent years.
Mace Trip
A Mace Trip involves the clan using Ancient Maces to try and lower a target's prayer level, so that they become smited and lose any valuable items (+1s) which they would normally protect, such as Godswords. Mace trips generally involve avoiding any large groups of hostile enemies - instead focusing on skulled PvMers and solo or small groups of PKers. Only one kill can be gained at a time before all of the clan must bank and set themselves up again - however, the potential for profit is much greater than a standard PK trip, and hundreds of millions of coins can be made in a single night.
It should be noted that WG does not engage in skull-tricking, as this is considered dishonourable.
Megaraid
An historical type of PK trip was the Megaraid, which was considered one of the most important types of events hosted by the clan. All members were required to sign up on the Forums and attend unless they were occupied in real life. Megaraids often had extensive preparation (a week or more). While the actual happenings of a Megaraid were the same as a standard PK trip, they usually had a far better turnout and thus an increased level of success. PKRIs were not uncommon on Megaraids. In previous years, one of the three recurring weekly PK trips would be chosen to be a Megaraid, though they were eventually hosted far less often to preserve the effects. As of 2020, it has been several years since the last Megaraid.
Rewards
When a kill is obtained, the person who dealt the most damage and got the drop is in charge of the loot from that kill. Generally they should pick up the valuable weapons/armour/resources and bank them as soon as convenient. It is common to bring a looting bag, but banking is recommended when the value reaches 500,000 to 1,000,000 coins. They should also try and leave any supplies (food and potions) on the ground, so that clanmates may use them to replenish their own inventories without having to bank.
If the clan engages in a PKRI, looting is not permitted for the duration of the fight except to replenish inventory stock when necessary. However, exceptions can be made in the case of a member getting a significantly-high value drop such as a Godsword from a kill - in this case they may immediately leave to bank the item, re-stock if needed, and should return to the fight promptly.
With the exception of during PKRIs, all members are expected to make a reasonable profit from loot on a PK trip. Members are not required to split items, though it is strongly advised, particularly in cases where if an item is split, each member would receive at least 500k. It is also recommended to share drops with the TBers due to their significant disadvantage in terms of gaining kills, but still providing an essential service. Generally, the TBers should be given a cash split or other reasonable share of the loot (such as the Bracelets of Etherium that other members collect) once the trip has concluded.
