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Trion outlines RIFT's Empyreal Assault patch, F2P offerings
Trion has published a preview web page for RIFT's Empyreal Assault update. If that name doesn't mean anything to you, how about update 2.3? Still no? OK, it's the free-to-play patch. Happy now? The patch also features Dendrome, a new zone boasting "lush jungles and windswept dunes." Let's see, what else does 2.3 have for you? It looks as if there's new open-world raid bosses, a new Chronicle called Queen's Gambit, a Sliver called Grim Awakening, and more. You can read all about it at the official RIFT website. Don't forget to check out the F2P page while you're at it, and mark your calendar for the June 12th launch date.
RIFT F2P weekend extended forever times infinity
This last weekend saw RIFT account holders get their very own free weekend in preparation for the June 12th launch of the game as a converted free-to-play title. But Trion has decided to sweeten the pot a bit by extending the free weekend until that launch date. RIFT's 2.3 patch, entitled Empyreal Assault, will still launch on June 12th, but current account owners won't have to pay a dime anymore. If you're gearing up for the F2P conversion, be sure to check out our previous coverage for more information. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Gain a clearer understanding of RIFT's new REX
Is your forehead scrunched up in that cute little way you sometimes have when you're trying to understand a topic that's running circles around you? You might be trying to get a grip on RIFT's upcoming free-to-play REX (RIFT exchange) mechanic. A new official dev article seeks to enlighten us all by laying out what REX does, how it's attained, and how it can be spent. In short, REX is a middle-man currency that is purchased with real money and can then be converted into item store credits (although, as the post states, it's a better deal to directly buy the credits). The twist here is that before it's converted to credits, REX can be sold to other players on the auction house. This effectively gives players with in-game money ways to obtain store credits and players with excess real money ways to inflate their in-game piggy banks. The post also explains the much simpler topic of gifting store items to other players. You probably have it figured out just by reading the previous sentence. Finally, last night we told you about RIFT's promo this weekend. According to a tweet this afternoon, that promo is live early -- in fact, RIFT is freely playable for former subbers right now.
Own a copy of RIFT, play for free for a weekend
So you bought RIFT, and you played it for a while, and then you stopped. Now you're not playing RIFT. But now you also know the game is going free-to-play in June, and so you could jump back in. But you don't know if you want to, you've lost track of the patches... you're just not sure. What you really need is a chance to jump back in the game for a few days and see whether the game still holds some magic for you. Lo and behold, it's just been announced that RIFT will open the doors to everyone who owns the game from May 30th until June 3rd. If you've left the game but used to play, this will be a chance to drop back in and see if you want to kick off your play again after all. If you don't own the game... well, you'll have your chance soon enough.
One Shots: Home sweet home
It's easy to forget that in all of these game worlds that we're adventuring through, some people allegedly live and work in these lands! Even in the very, very scary places! Reader Xexanos found this run-down house in a dark corner of The Secret World and found himself entranced by the mystery of it. "I stumbled upon this place during my exploration of the Shadowy Forest (the name really tells you everything)," he said. "I wonder what the history behind this is." I had just found that last week myself and was wondering that too. If any lore experts want to fill us in, please do so, otherwise head past the jump and check out all of the other great reader screenshots we have in store for you this week!
RIFT removes currency-boosting effects for raids
Trion Worlds Lead Game Designer Bill Fisher has announced that RIFT won't be allowing raiders to use item store tokens to boost ultra-rare currency gains. In a forum thread titled RIFT is officially pay-to-win, Fisher addressed the concern over the upcoming item shop's impact in the raiding game. The specific beef was with item store tokens that offered a substantial boost to all currency gained in the game over a period of time. Trion has since nerfed the token's potency (from 100% currency bonus to 80%) as well as removed the ability to gain extra Frozen Eclipse Stones from it. Fisher explained that he decided to remove the token effect because he felt it was crossing the line of what is and is not acceptable from a cash shop. "I don't want you to have the perception that to take part in that section of the game you are going to be forced into buying something," Fisher wrote. "RIFT doesn't win the race by trying to be exploitative of any given group -- yes, it has to make money to continue getting updates, and I know everyone out there understands that."
RIFT introduces loyalty rewards program for dedicated players
RIFT is introducing an innovative new program that allows players to get items for free when they spend money or money-substitutes on other items! The new rewards program will give players Loyalty points as those players purchase or spend credits, subscribe as a Patron, or consume REX (RIFT's tradable currency that can be purchased for real-world money). Since REX is tradable between players, a particularly thrifty player could accrue loyalty points without ever spending a real-world dime in RIFT's store. Current and former subscribers will be awarded some Loyalty points based on how long they have been subscribed. Players will be able to use Loyalty to unlock exclusive costumes, the ability to change target icons, and unique dimensions. This is all part of RIFT's free-to-play initiative and will be going live on June 12th with RIFT 2.3: Empyreal Assault.
The Daily Grind: Are you still excited to try RIFT's free-to-play option?
If you'd missed it, RIFT recently announced that the game will go free-to-play on June 12th. Obviously, the hope is to bring in a variety of new players, but the circumstances surrounding the announcement can result in a bit of whiplash when deciding whether or not to count yourself among those getting into the game. On the one hand, RIFT is making humble promises about the item shop... but on the other hand, the development team also promised the game would never go free-to-play. Trion Worlds did just get hit by layoffs, but it's been said those layoffs don't affect RIFT's staff. It's long had consistent updates, but those updates have dropped off sharply this year. Is trying the game out a good idea? A bad one? Today, we ask our readers to decide. Carefully weighing all the evidence, are you still excited to try RIFT's free-to-play option? Or do you think you'll be giving it a pass? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
RIFT gives a sneak peek at F2P item shop
What will RIFT's free-to-play version look like? While we won't get to see it in action until the game makes the transition on June 12th, Trion Worlds has posted a screenshot of the new item store and some of its offerings for players to peruse. The store screenshot includes a preview pane of a character wearing a fancy outfit and a top hat, as well as a list of several items. These include 30-day patron pass, faction changing scroll, character rename scroll, rename guild scroll, transfiguration bauble, rune unsocketing apparatus, and planar essence removal device. Later on in the thread, the studio posted a picture of a different cosmetic outfit being worn by a female character. To "ensure a successful transition," Trion has sent out surveys to all current subscribers about the free-to-play switch.
RIFT goes free-to-play, promises 'no tricks, no traps'
Trion Worlds has just announced that fantasy MMO RIFT will be headed free-to-play on June 12th. Though former studio reps were once adamant that the game would remain a subscription MMO, the team has apparently decided it can better compete in a F2P world by being F2P. The hybrid model will include an optional sub with fully free content like dungeons and questing; consumables, cosmetics, and even gear will make up the cash shop. We asked Creative Director Bill Fisher to explain the whys and wherefores of this decision. Check out our interview after the jump! [Updated: The official site has also posted a handy chart to show you what you're getting at different tiers.]
Defiance bugs invade RIFT
Adventurers of Telara, you've kind of got a good news/bad news situation taking place here. The bad news is that RIFT is getting invaded, which was already the case. The worse news is that it's now being invaded by the Hellbugs from Defiance, which usually require a great deal of automatic weapons fire to be put down. The good news is that if you can somehow manage to overcome the distinct lack of any firearms and put down the invasion, you can keep a Hellbug around to ride! Wait, that might still be bad news. Yes, Trion Worlds is kicking off a cross-promotional event with new fire rifts that give players a chance at Defiance-related rewards, most notably the chance to pick up a Hellbug mount. The event is open to all players, even if you're just trying out the game's Lite version. No word on how long the event will last, but it's probably best to assume that it won't be forever -- which is also sort of a good news/bad news situation, unless you wanted to see the game overrun by Hellbugs.
RIFT invites players to move into a new dimension
Budding interior (and exterior) decorators, get out your throw pillows: RIFT has added a brand-new dimension to the game today. Moonshade Pools was chosen by players to be the next housing plot in the game, and features cascading pools with a far-out view. It costs 300 platinum to purchase and starts out with space for 250 items with the option to increase to 1000. The team will be livestreaming a couple of player-created Moonshade dimensions tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. EDT if you need inspiration for your own masterpiece.
One Shots: Soggy beginnings
Dungeons and Dragons Online newcomers and veterans alike are quite familiar with the waterlogged Sahuagin and all of their wacky antics. Basically think "level 1 mermaids from hell" and you're right with the rest of us. It's a good thing that the game doesn't have smell-o-vision because the tutorial would be reeking of a fishery, that's all I'm saying. Reader Sharvis photographed his initial journey through the game and delivered this familiar image of an odd cellar. "Oh great, the Wavecrest Tavern's basement has flooded," he writes. "And who let the Sahuagin in? They're making everything look tacky again!" We'll get the sump pump working while you check out the rest of today's player-submitted screenshots!
RIFT celebrates the arrival of Moonshade dimensions
The development team behind RIFT is pretty happy with the new dimension being added to the game next week. In fact, they're so happy that they're kicking off a mini-celebration for players to get in on the dimensional decoration game. They're also giving a pair of ferns to any player who subscribes to the game's email newsletter, allowing you to make your dimension just a little bit prettier. (It's a big place, and there are only two ferns.) The first celebratory event is being held tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. EDT -- a Dimensional Thunderdome, where three teams compete to see who can make the most lovely dimension possible. At the same time on 4/19, the developers will be holding a special tour of two different takes on the new dimension, showing players just how much you can do with the region. So if you're ready to forge a new landscape to your will, just wait a little while longer.
The Perfect Ten: Cutest creatures
I vividly remember a conversation I had with my then-girlfriend's parents back in 1996 about the potential of this growing "internet" phenomenon. With my limited understanding, I made it sound downright noble, a Library of Congress available at the fingertips of the average Joe or Jane. What I really should have said that it would be a tool for the distribution of pornography, nerd rage, and cute animal pictures. I have no idea how big the cute animal picture industry is, but there have got to be millions of aspiring photographers daily who prod little baby critters with encouragement sticks in the hopes of eliciting a few "awws" out of strangers. Even when the serious business of MMOs came a-calling, cuteness infested fantasy lands near and far. Whenever I see something absurdly cute in an MMO, I always smile because I know that somewhere, some uber-elite, way-too-serious player is developing facial tics from being in the same game world as it. So twitch away, as here are 10 of the cutest critters as seen in-game!
Trion shutting down RIFT in Korea
It's been nearly a year since Trion took RIFT overseas, and now it appears that the fantasy title's foray into the Korean market is over. Despite a significant free-to-play conversion last winter, the game will close its doors on April 25th. MMO Culture reports that despite positive word-of-mouth in the Korean gaming press, RIFT couldn't overcome stiff competition from Blade & Soul and Diablo III. The site also says that refunds will be processed beginning on April 17th while the game's cash shop will cease operations on March 28th. [Thanks Dengar!]
Brand-new souls are in the works for RIFT
New souls may not be that far away for RIFT. Rift Junkies has called attention to a dev post in the game's official forums that states that brand-new souls and other class features are being worked on. For full context, Daglar the Dev was responding to a complaint that devs weren't paying attention to player feedback. After stating that the issue was about the many demands on dev's time rather than being willfully ignorant of feedback, Daglar followed up with this gem: "I hate talking about things that are not close to being ready, but Kervik and Aillion are pretty busy working on brand-new souls and other class related features for the future right now." While "the future" is a pretty indefinite term, this is exciting news for folks hoping for new souls to experiment with.
RIFT celebrates its second anniversary with a freebie weekend and sale
There's nothing quite like a birthday to put a studio in the mood to give things away. Really, if more people thought like that, the world might be a happier place for everyone. If you've been looking for a chance to get into RIFT, however, your world can be a happier place right now. Starting today and running 'til the 25th, folks can return to Telara for free to celebrate the second anniversary and check out the Carnival of the Ascended. Of course, you can't return to a place you've never been, so what's a newbie to do? Trion hasn't forgotten you: Until the 25th, RIFT's standard and infinity editions are on 25% sale.
RIFT guild creates Star Wars tableau
No, this isn't Star Wars Galaxies revived from the dead. It's actually one of many screenshots of a Star Wars-themed guild dimension in RIFT, painstakingly created for visitors to enjoy. We've seen plenty of creative examples of player housing in RIFT since Storm Legion added the feature, but this may take the cake. The dimension, which exists on the EU server of Icewatch, includes an Ewok village with AT-ST, a Dewback, an X-Wing, an AT-AT vs. landspeeder, the Millennium Falcon, a Star Destroyer, and even a little Yoda cave. The detail and ingenuity that's gone into this is impressive... most impressive. The bar has been raised for housing design. Your move, other players.
Take over DUST 514's planets one piece at a time
DUST 514 doesn't just interact with EVE Online by being set in the same universe. Taking control of territory and planetary surfaces has always been part of the design goals behind the shooter, reminiscent of the interstellar control offered by the older game, and the latest development blog examines how players will go about taking over a planet. It all starts by taking control of a district on a temperate planet, with each habitable world in the game universe harboring anywhere between five and 24 individual districts. Controlling a district gives you access to military clones, the backbone of your economy and defense force. You can also use the clones to expand into new territory or sell excess stock. Of course, your facilities are vulnerable during clone production, offering rival corporations a chance to swoop in and take control... possibly with the aid of a tactical orbital strike courtesy of allies in starships. It's a multifaceted system that promises to give players plenty of reasons to conduct negotiations solely via sharp bits of metal.
