Banded is better i think and the item you are referring drops in lower guk...runnyeye has a worse version of that called black iron medallion...(3 wis/3 int no other stats)

I remember this zone being a good leveling spot in classic blue.

Casters would cast a lot lower level spells back in the day then around Luclin they got level appropriate stuff

http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20020605a.html

NPC casters should be a little bit smarter now. They will choose their spells a little more carefully.

http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20020612.html

NPCs are now bound by spell casting distance rules, meaning that an NPC's spell will no longer connect from halfway across the zone.
NPCs now have a chance to be interrupted by normal combat when casting newer spells.
NPCs that are much lower level than their target have had their potential casting damage reduced using a similar mechanic to the one that player characters' level differences use.
NPC Wizards no longer have an inherent bonus to their fire and cold based spells.
Most NPCs that had previously had their spellcasting level inflated to make up for poor spell selection have been brought back into line with their actual level.
NPCs no longer automatically get free access to rarely dropped spells, such as Garrison's Superior Sundering and Funeral Pyre of Kelador.

The funeral pyre is what I remember and actually what I used to search it haha. That shit was brutal

Yeah Borxx makes it hard to go deeper into Runnyeye at the moment, a good puller could dodge her and drag some stuff up, but it is very hazardous and one reason why that zone was never popular compared to the easy mode that is Crushbone.

Borxx is a she btw, the Queen to Xorbb's King.

Interesting. I'd assume that if we're using something from such a later era it's because the staff simply don't have full access to the code and/or information (i.e. which spells were used by which casters) in order to create an actual classic era representation of things.

It's a shame, really. I remember on live grouping in Runnyeye once or twice, but it seems like since the community has wised up to the reality of the zone, it's unlikely I'll get to revisit it properly.

I would suggest a group around lvl 20-25 or so to go to the 2nd floor. Borxx will make it hard but at least at that level he wont one shot someone.