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Enter at Your Own Rift: Looking back at RIFT's first year
As I ran around smacking loot piñatas (finally, someone acknowledges these things for what they are), I wondered how on earth RIFT's first year went by so fast. The Carnival of the Ascended is just around the corner, and on March 1st, the game officially celebrates its first birthday. In just one year, RIFT has seen seven game updates, a handful of world events, and all sorts of new additions and improvements to the world of Telara. Rather than being a straight-up retrospective, this week's Enter at Your Own Rift is looking back on the first year with a Justin-style list of highlights and even a glimpse of what's coming in 1.8.
RIFT's Ashes of History update goes live
RIFT players, clear your calendars -- you've got a new content patch to explore! Today, RIFT's update 1.5, Ashes of History, is live across all servers. Trion Worlds' latest update for RIFT includes a number of features geared toward players of all types: soloers (the Chronicles dungeon system), level 50s (planar attunement), danger junkies (master mode dungeons), and PvPers (a brand-new warfront). A fresh and exciting world event is also on the way following the patch's release, although Trion has yet to specify a date for the event's start. You can catch up on all of Massively's coverage of Ashes of History by watching the launch trailer, reading up on the features list, and learning about the veteran rewards for loyal players. Trion also posted the full patch notes on the site for your perusal.
This RIFT 1.5 update trailer is approved for all audiences
RIFT's 1.5 update is barreling down the road at us, and woe to the unprepared who will not leap but be squashed beneath its weight. Also, we think that a giant monkey is throwing it whilst guarding a captured princess. In any event, RIFT's fifth major content update looks to be a game-changer in several ways, adding alternative advancement (planar attunement), master-level dungeons, and veteran rewards to the faithful. To celebrate this week's release of Ashes of History, Trion Worlds has put together an impressive trailer full of angels, demons, and the words "Trion Worlds presents" for our viewing pleasure. One interesting detail to note is the apparent addition of a giant spider mount, which will undoubtedly play favorably in the arachnophobic market. You can view the two-minute trailer after the jump! [Thanks to Ren54 for the tip!]
PAX 2011: RIFT sifts through the Ashes of History
PAX has come and gone, but the good news keeps pouring out. Over the weekend, RIFT fan site Rift Junkies got the opportunity to grill Trion's Simon Ffinch and Hal Hanlin about the show itself and the upcoming 1.5 patch. Generally, the devs were pleased to see the crowds pack around Trion's booth, especially since playable stations were always full. They noted that many current RIFT players came to log into their accounts and show off the game to newcomers. Patch 1.5 was a major focus of the interview, and Ffinch and Hanlin said that casual players should rejoice at its approach. Tentatively scheduled for September, 1.5 will include the new Chronicles system that has solo or duoing players exploring hand-crafted instances. These instances are designed to be "snapshots" of the larger raids they're associated with, and will give both casuals and raiders a better glimpse into the lore behind the setting. For example, the Hammerknell Chronicle will tell the story of how the king and prince become corrupted. The patch, which is called Ashes of History, will also include the new planar attunement trees ("It's the players beginning to start taking controls of the powers of the planes," Ffinch explained) and the super-tough "master mode" for dungeons. It's interesting to note that this patch is setting the groundwork for the exploration of a larger Telara, as players will begin to find and renovate items that will eventually allow them to head to new zones. Hit the jump to watch the full interview!
