Zodiac symbols
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| Released | 29 March 2004 (Update) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Members | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Quest | No | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Various locations of wizardry | ||||||||||||||||||
| Options | None | ||||||||||||||||||
| Examine | A constellation. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Advanced data | |||||||||||||||||||
| Object ID | 2205 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Link | MOID | ||||||||||||||||||
Zodiac symbols are used somewhat rarely as decorative ground‑scatter. They are primarily used in places where magical‑looking incantations are likely to occur, in areas of wizardry and necromancy.
History
These symbols were originally designed to be used as decoration at the Observatory in 2003. At the end of the Observatory Quest, players look through a telescope and see one of twelve constellations, referencing the real-life analogues by name (Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, etc.). These sceneries together make up "A map of the twelve signs of the zodiac", as stated in the examine text in RuneScape Classic.
In Classic, this "map of the zodiac" existed only as unused scenery in the game cache. They were possibly excluded from being placed down due to the technical limitation in Classic that all scenery was able to be right-clicked and examined. It may have been considered too much "in the way" if laid on the floor. However, RuneScape 2 was under development at the same time that Observatory Quest was being designed for Classic. All quests in 2003 were simultaneously developed in both games, and so it was likely during the pre-beta phase of RuneScape 2 development that these symbols were added to the floor, in early 2003.
Also on release of RuneScape 2, several of these symbols were added at the top of the Sorcerer's Tower, but out of context of astrology and mysticism, with no apparent reference to the twelve constellations of the zodiac. Here, symbols were chosen and arranged apparently based on just their appearance. The symbol of Aries appears four times, at various rotations, out-of-context as just a funny looking swirl, and not apparent as the head of a ram.
As part of a graphical rework on 24 July 2007, all these symbols were removed from the renovated observatory. Some still remained at the Sorcerer's Tower though, and all of them remained available in the game's active assets, included in caches.
Modernly, within the lifespan of Old School RuneScape, the unused symbols seem to have been sometimes found and put back into use again. For example, in 2016, the constellation of Cancer was included in the Desert Island map of Last Man Standing. In 2019, the unused constellations of Taurus and Gemini were placed during the Hosidius Rework, near the Lesser Demon upstairs one of the houses. In 2020, the unused constellations of Leo and Sagittarius were added in the Ferox Enclave, on the upper floor of the Last Man Standing building. The constellations of Virgo and Scorpio are the only ones that remain unused.