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RIFT: Storm Legion launch guide
It's a huge day for Telarans, as Storm Legion cracks the realm of RIFT wide open with a truly massive expansion. Trion Worlds is rolling out a slew of new content for fantasy adventurers to enjoy, including a new player housing system called Dimensions, two sizable continents, four additional souls, and more. We have been covering the development of Storm Legion since its announcement this past May and have assembled all of the interviews, livestreams, columns, concept art, screenshots, and news in one handy launch guide to help you get the best start in this next phase of RIFT. Have fun and let us know what you think about the expansion!
RIFT unveils Return to Telara promotion
It's time once again for the Ascended of Telara to answer the call-to-arms with yet another Return to RIFT promotion to celebrate the imminent launch of the game's first expansion, Storm Legion. From now until Sunday, November 11th, Trion Worlds is inviting new and returning players to jump into the game for five days of free gameplay leading up to Storm Legion's launch. During this free play time, players will be able to "go hands-on with sweeping Soul changes and dive into a pivotal World Event that shatters the peace on one continent... and opens the gates to two more." It certainly sounds as if Trion has an exciting experience in store for players, whether they're returning veterans or green recruits, so if you want to get in on the excitement, just head on over to the RIFT official site for all the details.
RIFT's Storm Legion beta open to all Trion account holders
The time for RIFT's Storm Legion expansion is almost upon us. The expansion goes live for keeps on the 13th of November, but if that's too long to wait, you're in luck! The latest and greatest beta test is open to all Trion account holders. We're guessing you're probably one of those if you're interested in the RIFT expansion. The open beta test runs from 1:00 p.m. EDT on Friday the 2nd until 11:00 a.m. EST on Wednesday the 7th. All of the expansion's seven dungeons are available for testing, as are all the leveling zones and a battle with Crucia herself. Full details (and a link to download the beta client) can be found on the official beta page. What are you waiting for, hero?
Enter at Your Own Rift: Weathering the tempest
The countdown is on like Donkey Kong, yo, although not as gorilla-y and barrel-y. With two weeks to go until Storm Legion thunders down on our heads like the big awesome expansion that we wanted, RIFT is positively buzzing with anticipation. Over the past week or so, Trion Worlds triggered the world event that will lead us into the expansion's content, and I've been on the ground doing all manner of responsible journalistic research with aplomb. That is to say, I've been running around in circles yelling, "GUYZ! WHERE IS QUEST-GIVEY PERSON?" to my guildies, taking loads of screenshots to test the storage capacity of my hard drive, and occasionally trolling general chat by inviting people to my "personal dimension." It's what I do best. While it's not quite over -- as of the time of this writing, it's just moved into phase three of four -- Tempest Rising is unique in RIFT's canon of world events. It's the first and only one that's served as a direct prologue to the single biggest content addition to the game, and it has to be spot-on with introducing the lore and conflict coming to the world. How's it going so far? Let's take a look.
Trion releases RIFT's new Storm Legion dungeon to pre-order customers
Storm Legion pre-order customers can take an early crack at some of the content slated for next month's RIFT expansion as of today. Trion says that its newly released Exodus of the Storm Queen dungeon sets up the main storyline for the expansion, and the instance will remain open to level-capped players who pre-order all the way through Storm Legion's November 13th release date. Exodus of the Storm Queen is a five-player affair that features the usual boss fights, monsters, and epic loot as well as the chance to see Crucia escape from her icy prison. [Source: Trion press release]
Trion reveals RIFT's new Defiler soul
Ready for another RIFT soul reveal? Trion's happy to oblige by way of the Defiler. "The Defiler terrifies and impresses with a repertoire of life-warping desecrations and ghastly heals. A medium for the energies of death, the Defiler can absorb and redirect allies' pain into potent afflictions, twisting friend and foe alike to fit any purpose," Trion says. The class is a pretty good damage dealer, too, and Trion has included a bit of lore to go along with the class description and screenshots on its Storm Legion website. [Thanks to Brad for the tip!]
RIFT's Storm Legion open beta begins November 2nd
Want an early look at RIFT's Storm Legion expansion? First you should read our hands-on preview. After that, you might want to consider jumping on board for the open beta test that begins November 2nd and ends on November 7th. Trion has issued a press release noting the time frame and procedure for taking part in the expansion's final test phase. You'll need to create a beta account and download the client. You can either create a new character or transfer your live server avatars to the beta environment. The testing concludes on November 5th, and Storm Legion releases on November 13th. [Source: Trion press release]
Enter at Your Own Rift: Enjoying the finer points of Storm Legion
For the past two weeks, I've been sitting through panel after panel, keynote after keynote, and the constant message was about what the future of MMOs will look like. The big buzzwords from GDC Online and SOE Live were things like mobile gaming, user-generated content, emergent gameplay, and e-sports, but sometimes, it's the little things that make for a great MMO. I'm still cutting my teeth on RIFT's Storm Legion, but there are several things that already get me excited about the expansion. We've heard a lot about the big things coming to the game, but in this week's Enter at Your Own Rift, I'd like to talk about a few of the little things that will make this a well-received expansion.
Trion releases new RIFT Storm Legion concept art
Trion has released another round of Storm Legion concept art. The latest update features four bodacious beasts that you'll face when RIFT's expansion lands on November 13th. First up is a Shade Giant, followed by Animator Cahail, an Empyrean Arbalest, and an Architect. This last is an elemental servitor recruited by Crucia from across the cosmos. Trion says that Architects "are much sought after for their martial prowess and technical skill." Have a look at the new images in our Storm Legion gallery below. %Gallery-161264%
Previewing RIFT: Storm Legion's Dimensions and dungeons
We're less than a month from the release of RIFT's first official expansion, Storm Legion. The content add-on promises to dramatically expand on RIFT's existing universe, both in terms of mechanics and story and in terms of the raw size of the game world. With beta in full force and the NDA officially lifted, we hopped on the Storm Legion test server to catch a glimpse of what's on the way for dedicated RIFT fans. What we discovered was a massive expansion packed with potential and more than enough new content to keep even the most hardcore of RIFT players busy for a while to come. Here's what you need to know.
RIFT drops Storm Legion NDA, livecasts player housing tour
As RIFT enters its second beta weekend for Storm Legion, the team at Trion Worlds announced that the NDA for the expansion is now lifted. In addition to all of this craziness, the devs took players on a livestream tour of the new player housing system. In the livestream, the dimensions of Granite Falls Inn, Faen's Retreat and Dormant Core were shown off. Players are able to have multiple dimensions, with the first two available for free. At the launch of Storm Legion, there will be 250 objects included in the system with more to come. Dimensions can be set to either private or public, with the latter being able to hold up to 200 people at once. Public dimensions have a rating system, may be joined randomly, and can have the option to allow visitors to add their own creations as well. You can watch the full dimensions video after the jump, and stay tuned for Massively's hands on with the beta!
RIFT Update 1.11 overhauls classes for Storm Legion
RIFT is gearing up for next month's expansion, and Update 1.11 is the first step into that bold new world of Storm Legion. The update, which landed on servers yesterday, makes major changes to classes and game systems in order to get everything in line with the expansion. Most classes have received a wide variety of changes to skills and soul trees, necessitating a reset for many builds. There are so many changes, in fact, that Trion Worlds had to list each of the callings' patch notes in separate forum threads. While players can't spend more than 51 points in any soul, they can now see the additional skills that will come with the expansion. Planar attunement is now shared between characters and has been simplified somewhat. Trion's also loosened restrictions on the wardrobe, allowing players to use clothing from any class for their cosmetic outfits. A world event called Tempest Rising and the unlocking of the Exodus of the Storm Queen dungeon for expansion pre-orders will be triggered in upcoming weeks.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Analysing Storm Legion's new souls
I still can't wrap my head around just how many metric tons of content are coming with RIFT: Storm Legion. It's an expansion that looks to put other expansions to shame by sheer size alone. Epeen competitions notwithstanding, any one of these major features would usually be good enough for a full expansion elsewhere. Take the new souls, for example. Storm Legion is adding four of them, one for each archetype. That's not just four additional classes but a hefty amount of additional combinations, since RIFT builds allow for three souls at a time. So each archetype is going from 56 unique soul combinations to a whopping 84. I can only imagine how much of a headache 336 different soul combinations are to balance, but fortunately I don't have to worry about it from my end. Instead, I want to take a look at the revealed new souls and speculate as to how they'll fit in with the game come next month.
Get a glimpse of RIFT's Storm Legion in new video and Dimensions livestream
If you've wanted to get a good look at Storm Legion, you're in luck! With only one month left until RIFT's upcoming expansion launch, Trion Worlds is indulging fan curiosity with both a new video and a livestream. The video, however, is not just some brief sneak peak! For over 32 minutes, players are treated to a tour of new areas, questing, combat, and even a housing demonstration. The expansion more than triples the size of the world, and devs have filled that huge expanse with 11 new zones, seven new dungeons, three new raids, a new sliver, a new chronicle, new conquest maps, a new capitol city, and more. If the video doesn't answer all of your questions about the new housing system (which resembles world-building more than housing), be sure to check out the special livestream preview of the Dimensions system on Friday, October 19th at 5:30 p.m. EDT on RIFT's Twitch channel. [Source: Trion press release] [Thanks to everyone for the tips!]
RIFT expands beta in second weekend event
The beta for RIFT: Storm Legion continues to grow as it heads into its second beta weekend event. The new beta event starts on Friday the 19th at 1:00 p.m. EDT and includes the zones of City Core, Eastern Holdings, and Seratos. Beta participants will also be able to get their hands on two of the expansion's new features: Dimensions and Hunt Rifts. You can guarantee a spot in the beta by pre-ordering. Better do it fast if you have a hankering because the second beta weekend will come to an end on October 24th at 11:00 a.m., at which point the countdown clock will commence for the third event. In the meantime, RIFTers are invited to check out the evolution of the game's questing system through a Hungry Man-sized livestream after the jump!
RIFT dimensions video asks, 'What will you create?' [Updated]
We don't know about you, but the folks here at Massively are downright salivating over the upcoming flexible housing system in RIFT: Storm Legion known as dimensions. With little over a month to go before the expansion, Trion Worlds is highlighting its answer to player housing with a visually stunning video. In the video, houses are made and destroyed in a matter of seconds, showing how many options are available to creative players who piece together elements to make something greater. In addition to houses, the video shows a longboat and tree fort being built, all with dynamic lighting and complete customization. Check it out after the break and let us know what you think! [Update: RIFT's Storm Legion Beta 2 will run from Friday, October 19 at 10 a.m. PDT through Wednesday, October 24 at 8 a.m. PDT]
Enter at Your Own Rift: Expansion anxiety
I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting a big kick out of the little ad banner videos that RIFT is using to promote the Storm Legion expansion. The sight of a mini Scott and Russ flipping signs with promises to generic forum posts is a neat little marketing ploy. Even though I never click ad banners, and even though I'm getting the expansion, I still clicked on them just to see the video and the gameplay. It's like RIFT's version of Dumbledore smiling back through the Daily Prophet. There's a lot I'm looking forward to in Storm Legion, but at the same time, I'm apprehensive about the changes that tend to come with the launch of any expansion. The world of Telara is changing, and Crucia is only part of that. In this week's Enter at Your Own Rift we'll look at some of the changes that MMO expansions normally bring and see how they might affect RIFT.
Trion details RIFT's 1.11 update, invites veterans back for free
RIFT's 1.1 patch is lurking just around the bend. It's a good thing, too, because the update known as Tempest Rising is the lead-in to the Storm Legion expansion, which is slated for the not-too-distant future (November 13th to be exact). There's no date on 1.11 yet other than "soon," but Trion has helpfully listed the key features on the official RIFT website. Chief among them are the Tempest Rising world event, early access to the Exodus of the Storm Queen dungeon (provided you pre-ordered Storm Legion), and an overhauled soul system and accompanying reset. Finally, former RIFT subscribers can return for free between November 7th and November 11th.
RIFT reveals the Tactician, master of flamethrowers
RIFT has been updated with new areas and content since launch, but the upcoming Storm Legion expansion is set to seriously kick things up a notch. As if tripling the size of the game world weren't enough, the expansion will raise the level cap and add a new technology-based soul to each of the game's core classes. The battle-mage style Harbinger soul was revealed at Gamescom 2012 in August, followed by the Tempest, and data from the test server hinted that the remaining pair might be named Defiler and Tactician. Last night Trion Worlds confirmed our suspicions by revealing the new Rogue Tactician soul to livestream viewers. The Tactician uses a magical weapon that's part flamethrower and part fire extinguisher, able to deal incredible area-effect elemental damage to enemies but actually heal allies. Players using the soul can also place small devices called Cores on the ground to provide area-effect healing, buffs, and additional damage. The flamethrower-like weapon is directionally aimed and can be channelled while the player is moving, so clever positioning is required to get the most out of this unique soul.
Enter at Your Own Rift: Six things I learned about leveling via instant adventures
With a few weeks to blow before Storm Legion arrives to give us a wealth of new content to explore, I decided to roll up an alt in RIFT and see just how far I could get him in the meantime. The character is a mage, and the Harbinger soul looks wicked awesome, so I figured, why not? I wasn't that interested in going back through all of the quests and zones, however. I've done them, explored them, and made peace with them, and I knew that chugging back through all of those quests would drive me nuts (and take too long!). So instead, I figured I might as well try a new tactic: I resolved to just use instant adventures augmented by dungeon runs for the entirety of my leveling experience. It's a huge plus in RIFT's favor that this is an actual option, and I quite enjoy IAs anyway, so that choice felt right. Over the past week of doing this, I've learned a few interesting lessons about chugging through IAs as a character's sole source of XP, loot, and advancement. For anyone who might be following this path, I'd like to share those lessons.
