Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza

"Circus" redirects here. For the Circus music track, see Circus (music track).

Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza is a part of Distractions and Diversions, which was released on 2 September 2008. The circus is run by Balthazar Beauregard and allows players to participate in the circus by performing various activities, once a week. To enter the circus, players have to get a Circus ticket from a Ticket vendor. To exit, they just have to tear the ticket, teleport, or log out.

File:Circus location - Cooks' Guild.png

The current location of the circus.

• Current location: Varrock - north of Gertrude's house

Introduction

Circus barkers are found in each town mentioning the whereabouts of the circus. To enter the circus, players have to travel to the town mentioned and find the Ticket vendor. The Ticket vendor will provide a Circus ticket, and players are transported into the circus, where they can give three performances (five if completed The Firemaker's Curse/Some Like It Cold and six if completed both quests) in different areas of the Big Top.

The activity gives both experience points (XP) and circus-themed rewards. Unlike other reward systems, players do not buy items. Balthazar Beauregard will reward players with a piece of a circus costume based on their performance score. The costume pieces have no use outside the circus (other than demonstrate your circus abilities to the world); however inside the circus they are believed to improve your chance of a high score and hence an even better costume. Up to 106,327.5xp can be earned weekly, for players with 99 Magic, Agility, Ranged, Firemaking, and Thieving.

There are no minimum levels to play, the XP given is excellent - at mid levels easily giving 20k-30k XP for a few minutes work. The items you need are also free, meaning you do not have to pay for arrows or runes to gain these great XP values. The activity is also completely safe.

The activity has five parts, giving XP in Magic, Ranged, Agility, Firemaking (after Firemaker's Curse), and Thieving (after Some Like It Cold). The whole activity can only be completed once per week, similar to the Tears of Guthix activity. There are 10 possible actions in Magic, Ranged and Agility while Firemaking has 12 possible actions (2 activities with 6 actions each); players can choose to undertake different actions to attempt to maximise XP earned in the performance skill or to maximise their circus score for rewards.

Logging out after starting a performance counts as ending the performance in that skill for the week, even if the player did not perform all 10 parts of the performance. Example: The player talks to the Magic assistant fairy to start the magic performance and then logs out without performing any magic. Upon logging in and returning to the circus, the player cannot resume the magic performance and will be told the performance has been completed for the week. However players can re-enter the Circus to undertake an unplayed performance.

Location

See Distractions and Diversions Locations/Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza for all possible locations.

The Big Top Bonanza circus can be found in one of twelve cities, and this changes every week. Every Wednesday (0 hour GMT), the circus will move to another city. The circus is currently in: Varrock - north of Gertrude's house. Using the World map, the location of the circus can easily be spotted. It is marked with the "Distractions/Diversions" icon ().

Entering the circus

File:BigTopCircus map.png

Map of the circus

Upon finding the location of the circus through the Circus barker, found in any bank in major towns, players have to find the Ticket vendor, and obtain a Circus ticket. Once the ticket is obtained, players are magically transported into the circus. Tear this ticket to exit the circus at any time.

Performances

To start a performance, speak to or right click the assistant fairy for that performance. For magic and ranged performances, you first start the performance and then obtain the items needed for the performance from the chest. The agility performance, however, can work the other way. If you plan on juggling, first obtain any juggling items from the agility chest and then talk to the Agility assistant fairy to start the performance.

Inside Balthazar Beauregard's Big Top Bonanza

You can do ten actions per activity per week. After you do the tenth you will be stopped and the Ringmaster will tell you your score. You have choices of what action to perform for each of your ten. There are level numbers associated with the actions - 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 99, and there are several choices of actions at each level. The level numbers are not requirements, only suggestions, however if you do not have the specified level then you can only 'barely' succeed at the action, which will score you a lower amount and reward less experience. The level 99 tricks can still occasionally be performed by someone with a much lower level and someone with a skill far in excess of what is suggested can still occasionally fail. The numbers only indicate the likelihood of success.

After your 10 tricks, the Ringmaster will tell you your score. There are separate numbers for your Circus performance score and the XP you earned. The XP Total window also tells you as your XP increases, since the XP reward is earned per action. However, your Circus score is more difficult to understand because all the factors that influence it are not clear, and there are many theories how to maximise it. What is clear is that one of the factors is how "entertaining" you are. You can be more entertaining by the costume you wear, performing emotes between tricks, not repeating the same trick several times in succession, following the audience requests, etc. It has been rumoured that wearing the tasks items may improve your score (ex: Wearing an explorers ring while the circus is in Lumbridge.) This has not yet been confirmed.

The XP scored is not continuously variable - you can score only full points for success, according to the tables below. You score zero XP for failing. However, when you successfully perform a trick above your level, you "barely succeed" rather than succeed. The experience earned for barely succeeding the trick is that associated with 40 levels below your current level (including boosts). For example, someone with level 76 Agility doing a backflip gets 830 experience. Stat-boosting potions do not affect whether you succeed or barely succeed.

Unlike the circus score, you only score XP once for each level.

Magic performance: Spell Casting

The Magic assistant fairy will give a quick guide on what players should do for the Magic performance. The Magic chest contains a selection of spell tablets, which can be used to cast spells such as levitate, alchemy, teleport, and elemental on creatures and objects. There are three spots from which you perform your spells, one with five possible levitation objects, one with 5 "Cast" objects (elemental spell) (both are difficulty 10 to 50), and one with five objects that you can either teleport or alchemise (difficulty 60 to 99).

Magic equipment

File:Circus, Stool Alchemy.gif

A stool getting alchemised.

File:Circuspell.png

The "Elemental spell".

You need to select Magical tablets which used to cast spells. You can select as many tablets as you like, but you can only do ten tricks maximum, and any left unused are lost when you exit the Circus.

Image	Type
	Teleport spell
	Levitation spell
	Alchemy spell
	Elemental spell

Levitation

Item	Level	Experience
Rat	10	970
Cat	20	2,055
Bowl	30	2,059
Penguin	40	2,133
Ork	50	2,206

Assuming that a player succeeds in all five actions, they would gain 9,423 Magic experience.

Elemental

Item	Level	Experience
Book	10	970
Tree stump	20	2,055
Helm	30	2,059
Shield	40	2,133
Armour	50	2,206

Assuming that a player succeeds in all five actions, they would gain 9,423 Magic experience.

Alchemy/Teleport

Item	Level	Experience
Armour	60	2,647
Stool	70	2,794
Dumb-bells	80	3,088
Assistant	90*	3,525
Anvil	99	3,529

Assuming that a player succeeds in all five actions, they would gain 15,583 Magic experience.

Ranged performance

A player throwing knives at a target.

The Ranged assistant fairy will explain the details of the Ranged performance. She will elaborate on the Ranged equipment used, and how to perform the tricks. Using equipment such as knives, throwing axes, and a bow and arrows from the Ranged chest, players can fire at the targets.

There are 2 targets: a fixed booth and a rotating target. The player takes 10 shots in total, 5 at each target. The booth may be shot at with any of the three ammunition types at any time, while the rotating target becomes limited to the first ammunition type that is used on it. For each target, players stand on one of the 10 spots, depending on the level of difficulty, with the highest level being the furthest from the target.

Ranged equipment

The ranged chest contains:

• Performance bow (take one bow and multiple arrows)
• Performance knife
• Performance throwing axe
• Performance arrow

You must equip the items before you can perform the tricks. You should take at least 10 items (not including a bow) - you lose any unused items at the end of the performance. You must equip the item before attempting a "throw".

Ranged Target XP

The rotating target at the ranged activity

The target.

Level	Experience
99	2,500
90	2,495
80	2,187.5
70	1,979
60	1,875
50	1,562.5
40	1,510.5
30	1,458.5
20	1,455
10	687.5

Assuming that a player succeeds in all ten actions, they would gain 17,710.5 Ranged experience.

Agility performance

Can you couple it?

The Tightrope interface.

For the tricks, players have to enter the Agility area changing booth to change into the Acrobat costume. After the costume change, players appear by the high wire. Here, they can talk to the Agility assistant fairy to learn more about the tricks to perform. The assistant will provide a book called Tightrope 101, which basically shows all the tightrope tricks that can be performed. This book can be discarded.

There is an Agility chest containing optional juggling equipment which can be used during the performance.

Instead of or as well as juggling, players may also opt to perform tightrope tricks (such as "Backflips", "Handstand", etc.)

Acrobat Emotes

These are the tricks players may perform:

Image	Name	Level	Experience
	Small hop	10	310
	One-leg balance	20	419
	Twirl	30	830
	Handstand	40	833
	Cartwheel	50	1,042
	Small leap	60	1,354
	No-hand cartwheel	70	1,354
	Forward roll	80	1,354
	Large leap	90	1,354
	Backflip	99	1,354
	Juggle	Varies	See next section

Assuming that a player succeeds in all ten actions, they would gain 10,204 Agility experience.

Juggling equipment

A player juggling balls.

If you want to juggle, before starting your performance, select some or all of the items used to juggle from the chest:

Image	Type	Level	Exp
	Balls	10	312
	Plates	20	419
	Eggs	30	830
	Knives	40	833
	Spades	50	1,042
	Tuna	60	1,354
	Soap	70	1,354
	Cannon balls	80	1,354
	Torches	90	1,354
	Chinchompas	99	1,354

To juggle them, click on the "Juggle" image on your circus tab and select which item you want to juggle from your inventory.

Assuming that a player succeeds in all ten actions, they would gain 10,204 Agility experience.

Firemaking peformance: Fire-breathing

This event is unlocked after The Firemaker's Curse quest. Sera will give a quick explanation if the player needs help.

Players must breathe fire by taking some coloured solution from the nearby chest and using it to breathe a fire of that colour. There are six different colours available and the player may breathe 6 fires in their performance.

A player uses Rubium solution for his firebreathing performance.

Image	Type	Level	Exp
	Salt solution	74	2,580
	Berry solution	78	2,830
	Copper solution	82	3,080
	Blurite solution	87	3,330
	Elemental solution	91	3,580
	Rubium solution	95	3,830

Assuming that a player succeeds in all six actions, they would gain 19,230 Firemaking experience.

Firemaking peformance: Flaming poi

This event is unlocked after The Firemaker's Curse quest. Emmett will give a quick explanation if the player needs help.

On starting the performance you will be given some Fire poi. Players should stand at the center of the nearby performance area, on the firemakers' symbol, in order to perform. Upon doing so, options for six poi moves will be displayed. If successful, an emote will display showing that poi move.

Players may perform 6 poi moves before the performance is ended.

A player preforming "Spinning Sera" with the fire poi.

Type	Level	Exp
Twig's Try	74	2,580
The Lazy Lina	78	2,830
Isis Spiral	82	3,080
The Flint Fling	87	3,330
Spinning Sera	91	3,580
The Big 'E'	95	3,830

Assuming that a player succeeds in all six actions, they would gain 19,230 Firemaking experience.

Thieving Performance: Magic Tricks

This event is unlocked after the quest Some Like It Cold. The player will have 10 tries to do 5 tricks:

A player performing the water tank escape trick.

Type	Level	Exp
Pretend Levitate	50	2206
Card Trick	60	2647
Flowers from Sleeves	70	2794
Rabbit from Hat	80	3088
Water Tank	90	3525
Total	N/A	14260

If all tricks are performed successfully, you should get 14,260xp. Note that there are only 5 difficulty options, but 10 actions per performance, so there is no benefit to doing all 10 actions after a successful completion of all 5 acts if your only goal is xp.

Rewards

Your act is over. (link)

noicon

A player wearing the Acrobat costume.

The Big Top can be used to earn very substantial XP for very little time or effort. However, the XP is limited to a maximum that can be earned per week (90000 XP maximum, with typical scores for mid-level players of approximately 30,000 XP). Successful individual actions can be worth over 3,000 XP each. Players that complete Firemaker's Curse can earn free weekly firemaking experience here also.

In addition to experience received performing each trick, at the end of each performance, Balthazar Beauregard will give the player a score on how good their performance was and give them a reward in the form of a piece of costume. The reward depends on the score obtained, and the players with a score of 1,201 or higher will have the chance of obtaining the coveted Ringmaster costume. The score earned is different from the XP earned, and it is possible to earn a high score and low XP and vice-versa.

The last 50 scores obtained by players (which is different for each world) is displayed at the Circus Performance Scoreboard accessed through the Ticket vendor.

Note the strategies followed to maximise XP are totally different from those for maximising Circus score (and hence costume). See later sections for details.

Squeal of Fortune spins

On 2 April 2012, the Squeal of Fortune gained an update allowing players to receive spin tickets from participating in one of the events in the Circus. Spin tickets can only be obtained when the Circus is the designated D&D for the week.

Circus Costumes

The items that can be awarded are as follows:

Costume	Items	Score
Audience		1-500
Acrobat		501-1,000
Firemaker (After The Firemaker's Curse)		501-1,000
Clown		1,001-1,200
Ringmaster		1,201+

If you need to save bank space, costumes can be destroyed immediately after being earned - when destroyed, the circus costumes can be retrieved from Balthazar at any time. In effect, the costume(s) can be stored in the circus.

The circus reward screen

Players may be surprised that you cannot choose your reward - high-level players often get a good score but want a lesser award. To get a lesser award simply end the performance after fewer than 10 activities. A single level 99 trick seems to earn about 150 points.

Players can perform in each of the 5 areas once a week, and therefore it is possible to earn 5 pieces of costume each week.

Maximising Experience

Each unique trick during the performance (not including emotes), rewards the player with experience (XP). A total of 106,327.5XP (17,710.5 Ranged, 25,006 Magic, 10,531 Agility and 38,460 Firemaking and over 14,620 Thieving.) may be gained from the performances if all tricks are unique and successful.

Repeating any trick will not result in more XP so you need to work through different tricks. This is different from the way Circus score is earned, where players can repeatedly perform the same high-level trick to increase their score (as long as they take measures to ensure they do not become boring). Therefore players wishing to maximise their XP gain do so at the expense of their Circus score.

Furthermore, XP is only awarded for a trick once for each skill level (i.e. level 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 99). Each skill has two or more tricks that are all considered to be the same skill level. Since players maximising their XP do not need to worry about being judged "boring", it is simpler and quicker to choose only one set of equivalent tricks.

• Magic - Teleport spells and Alchemy spells offer the same skill levels. Both are on the same targets so choose one or other spell and use the single spot (though Teleport spells are recommended because they are slightly faster). Elemental spells and Levitation spells are each performed on different targets, but their skill levels are the same. Choose one type of spell and take to matching spot (though Elemental spells are recommended because they are considerably faster).
• Ranged - Both targets offer all ten skill level spots, however since only five tricks can be performed at each target, do level 10 to 50 at one, and 60 to 99 at the other - it does not matter which way round. Arrows have the highest ranged bonus so it's recommended to use these.
• Agility - Juggling tricks have the same levels and give the same XP as tightrope tricks. It is quicker to perform the Tightrope tricks, since you do not need to pause to take the all ten juggling items out of the chest.

If you fail a trick, you can repeat it until you succeed or barely succeed. Pay attention to your performance on the Tightrope, since there will not be a message if you fail (you will slip on the rope and get up again). "Barely succeed" counts as activity level completed, and you must move on to a different level.

It is still possible to fail tricks at skill level 99. Equally, even a low-level player has a chance of succeeding with the "level 99" trick. Players typically follow three possible strategies: "bottom up" - starting at level 10 and going up in order, repeating failed tricks until they succeed, "top down" - starting at level 99 and again repeating failed tricks going down in order, and "straight through" - performing one attempt at each level and then moving on the next regardless of success or failure. Low level players often use bottom up, because this maximises the number of successful tricks in the ten attempts. Any player level 65 to 70 and above are recommended to follow top down, since this means the one or two tricks they do not score will always be the lowest value ones.

When performing top down on the magic performance, stay on the higher spot until you have five successes. For ranging, you must move to your lower target after five attempts, successful or not.

Also see the "Stat-Boosting Items" section below for information on possible armour-wearing effects.

Performing Tricks Above Your Level

When performing tricks above your level, you only get the xp for an act at half that level rounded down (e.g. at level 80, the level 90 and 99 tricks only reward the same as a level 40 trick), so it is best to start at the highest skill you can perform at full xp, and work down to the tricks at the level of your half-level tricks, and then perform the tricks above your level working up, before finishing off with the remaining tricks working down to 10. (eg at level 80, the best xp you get is for tricks 80 down to 40, then 90 and 99 - which give the same xp as 40, then 30 down to 10). Repeat any trick you fail at until you succeed, ensuring that you get the highest xp available. The chance of failing a trick above your level isn't that bad, making it generally worth it to keep trying until you succeed before moving onto the very low level tricks.

Maximising Circus points

Note: The algorithm Jagex uses to calculate the Circus score is much less understood than the XP score. Therefore, there are many alternate theories how to maximise the Circus score and hence obtain a piece of high score costume.

When asked, Balthazar will give the following advice to improve your performance:

• Listen to the audience and give them what they want.
• Avoid repetition.
• Perform the more difficult tricks.
• Perform emotes between tricks - don't repeat the same ones.
• Wear crazy costumes.
• Vary your performance according to the location of the Circus and hence the audience.

Perform Difficult Tricks

To maximise your points, you should perform the level 99 trick every time (this is only recommended for players with the corresponding level at or above 70) (this is the method found best, though different audiences may prefer different acts, see locations below). To avoid repetition, perform emotes between tricks.

Give the Audience What they Want

This is usually inconsistent with always performing the highest level trick. Opinions vary, but most successful Circus players seem to recommend ignoring the audience and staying with the highest-level trick.

Avoid Repetition

To avoid repetition but at the same time do only level 99 tricks, alternate between equivalent level tricks (e.g.. between Alchemy and Teleport of the Anvil). Perform an emote before each trick.

Costumes

With regards to costumes, the Game Guide says: wearing a costume ... may increase the audience appreciation (and your rewards, of course), and the Ringmaster says: Wear crazy costumes - the crazier the better. However, the definition of 'crazy' is undefined, and there is no way to tell exactly what qualifies as a costume. It is widely accepted that wearing circus reward costumes grant you the audience appreciation - higher the costume the better. Presumably, Random Event and mini-game costumes also have an effect. There is a commonly-held theory that only complete outfits work.

However, see "Stat-Boosting Items" section below for an alternative theory on what is the best to wear.

Circus Locations

The Game Guide also states: some locations have a specific audience with specific things that entertain them, so it's a good idea to experiment and find out what sorts of things will amuse the audience you're performing for. This means that each area will respond better to certain moves, emotes, and possibly costumes. If the circus is in Seers' Village the people in the crowd are all seers, and if the circus is north of the Wizard's tower, most people in the crowd are wearing robes. In other locations the audience differences are not so clear. What this implies is unclear.

Emotes

Performing different emotes can boost your score. This is confirmed by the situation where you've used all of your maximum emotes for the performance; you get the message, "You've used the maximum number of emotes for this performance. They no longer count for points." Emotes are also useful to break up repetitive actions to prevent them becoming boring.

An interesting thing to note, however, is that wearing circus clothing appears to increase scores by a set quantity. For example, completing all 10 level 99 challenges with an emote in between (and at the start), while wearing 4 pieces of clothing, scores 1480. Wearing 5, however, results in 1530. This seems to suggest a piece of clothing provides 5 bonus points for every emote completed. It could also suggest that each piece of clothing gives 50 points.

Stat-boosting Items

Using stat boosting items such as Magic and Ranging potions do not help to bolster your performance. This was confirmed by Jagex in mid-December, 2009. However, this may be cleverly worded, and could mean that normal armour stats have some effect on performance. Even players who have successfully obtained high-value costume pieces (where you would expect the "crazy costume" requirement to favour circus costume or other fun costume) often recommend wearing your best magic and ranged offensive-stat armour, and re-entering the circus with no inventory and wearing all available weight-reducing equipment for the agility performance.

Glitches

When a player ends their total Circus Performance with the Agility Performance, some players will have a Spellbook Teleport (Including Runes) or a Magic tablet in their Inventory. When clicking on that certain teleport and clicking the Circus ticket multiple times, that player will appear in Acrobat clothing. Thus showing the Circus ticket in their inventory, and the Circus tent as the Worn equipment interface picture. This bug has not yet been fixed, nor can be bannable because it has no harm in bugging the game system.

There is also a glitch whereby if you run off of the Agility platform and click on the Circus ticket you can stand on the platform whilst swaying like you would if you hadn't left the platform.

There used to be a glitch in which a player could use the Give Thanks emote during the Agility Performance—which modifies the character's appearance—and the player would reappear wearing their armour, as opposed to the Acrobat clothing. You are now unable to perform the Give Thanks emote during the Agility Performance.

When performing certain emotes, such as freeze or invoke spring, the grass/ice puddles will be floating. Other emotes may cause the player to float.

It is currently possible to receive pieces of the Firemaker's outfit from the Thieving performance.

Personalities

• Ringmaster
• Magic assistant
• Ranged assistant
• Agility assistant
• Circus barkers

Music

Music track unlocked:

• Circus

Trivia

The set of rocks that mark nearly all Circus locations.

• The circus was created by Mod Nancy so she could train skills without "doing the same thing over and over" when she started playing RuneScape after a year of working at Jagex.
• Almost all possible locations for the circus are marked by a unique set of rocks, sometimes with or without examine options. Jagex used similar markers with Fairy Rings before their release.
• Every Wednesday (at any random moment from 00:00 GMT to 01:00 GMT), the circus moves to another town. However, on the week of release, the town started at Seers' Village and then moved a day later to Catherby. This allowed many people to get complete sets of any uniform based on their performance.
• Players are unable to see other players in the circus.
• If you examine the rotating target, it says "Stay on target!" which is likely a reference to Star Wars.
• The Circus barkers around RuneScape call the circus "The greatest show on RuneScape", another reference to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, also known as "The greatest show on earth".
• The circus barkers and assistants are fairies, as they were updated along with the Zanaris and fairies graphical update.
• Releasing followers is not allowed in the circus, but if the player brings a cat and uses the mouse toy, the cat comes out.
• If a player has done all but the ranged act the RuneScape toolbar will say in the D&D section, "You can now give a gnome a close shave at the ranged circus event."
• Obtaining all of the circus clothing is one of the requirements for the trimmed Completionist cape.
• When a player changes genders using the Make-over Mage and equips a circus costume, they will get the message "The piece of clothing magicaly changes" in their message box and the clothes changes to the opposite gender's equivalent costume piece.
• Despite the Agility Change Room only being at the south end of the circus, It is possible to exit the Agility area using the North or South tower, But you can only go up the south one.