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RIFT introduces three-faction PvP with Conquest
RIFT players have been speculating about what the much-hyped but little-revealed PvP announcement for the title would be, but now it's official: RIFT is bringing out three-faction warfare. In a post on the RIFT official site, Trion Worlds has introduced the Conquest PvP mode, which is a "no-holds-barred, interdimensional battle" in which players can choose from one of three factions (the power-hungry Dominion, the noble Oathsworn, and the knowledge-seeking Nightfall) and take part in a three-way battle to answer one poignant question: "What is the role of the Ascended in the cosmos? To rule, to protect, or to ascend?" Players eager to become a part of the Conquest won't have to wait long. This Thursday, May 17th, at 7:00 EDT, Trion will be bringing Conquest to the public test server. All you have to do to get on the action yourself is head on over to the game's PTS "getting started" page and follow the instructions, and voila. So get out there and prepare for war, Ascended; it's time to conquer! [Thanks to Valorith for the tip!]
One Shots: Woodland critters
TERA isn't quite two weeks old, but it's already offering up some spectacular views. Kromic on the Dragonfall server paused while riding on his mount to take this shot. He writes in, While doing some exploring on my trusty steed in TERA, I found a great view of the capital city Velika. His screenshot is just after the cut, along with three more images of woodland critters doing their duty to spice up our MMO scenery.
Trion dev posts ARG messages on RIFT forums
Trion is taking a page out of The Secret World's ARG book if a new dev post on the RIFT forums is any indication. A company representative has taken to posting poetry, cryptic messages, and even a numeric user handle on the title's official boards. Thus far, RIFT fans believe that the user name 3 3228466 787 is code for three-faction PvP (or possibly three-faction RvR). Is this a herald for a third RIFT faction, factional changes, more races, or something to do with the mercenary system? We're not sure. We are sure it's entirely coincidental that Trion is doing this on the same day that Funcom has lifted part of its press embargo for The Secret World, a three-faction MMO that has been marketed via similar ARGs since 2007. We'll update the post as more info becomes available. [Thanks to Jeff for the tip!]
RIFT adds streaming client
The barrier between interest and hands-on play was knocked down today as Trion Worlds introduced a streaming client for RIFT. The new client will allow players to jump into the game without fully downloading it first. Players with a faster connection are invited to start the streaming client and then log into the game soon thereafter. The new client will continue to download the remainder of the game even while the player is logged in. However, Trion said that slower connection speed computers should wait for the full client to finish downloading first. RIFT's launcher will automatically convert to the new system. Players experiencing background downloading while in-game will see a symbol on the screen to indicate the fact.
The Road to Mordor: Is LotRO's questing system over the hill?
There's a good chance you're not reading this column right now but instead are fully immersed in the weekend beta for Guild Wars 2: Guild Harder. That's OK. I won't hold it against you -- I may even be playing it as well. Oh, those ArenaNet folks. They make such lofty promises, don't they? They're going to rewrite MMOs as we know them and show us once and for all that we've been playing with Tinker Toys when we could have fully functional jetpacks and whatnot. I don't harbor any ill will against Guild Wars 2; in fact, I'm quite looking forward to it. But as everyone's focused on the game's excising of traditional questing as popularized by World of Warcraft, I thought it would be worth examining just how dated Lord of the Rings Online's questing system has become, if at all. In an era of dynamic events, public quests, full voice-over, and other techniques designed to get us away from the text box questing model, will LotRO hold its ground against these fads or is it truly becoming a relic of the past? Let's dig in!
RIFT kicks off service in Korea
MMOs generally don't sojourn too far from home. Outside of launches in the US and Europe, it's rare for a western game to be adapted to the Korean or Chinese market; far more often games from those markets get shipped here. But it does happen every so often, and such is the case with RIFT. As of today, the game has officially started its full commercial service in Korea under the guidance of NetMarble. The game is also launching with several of the usual launch events such as promotional giveaways, although they're of limited utility if you don't read or speak Korean. It's an unusual export, but with several Korean games making major promotional pushes in the US (such as Aion and TERA), it might be the time to see if cross-cultural appeal works in the other direction. And if you're familiar with the language and want to see how the game plays when adapted, now's the time.
The Perfect Ten: Free-to-play holdouts
In the increasingly diminishing field of subscription-only MMOs, two distinct camps have formed. There is the Old Guard that has its established playerbase and is simply not interested in jumping on board the F2P train, and then there are the New Kids on the Block (which would make an excellent band name, by the way), who argue that their premium features and AAA content warrant a subscription in the F2P age. A few years ago, doing a list of the final few F2P holdouts would have been a ridiculous proposition, but now it's actually difficult to get to 10 of these. Each company has a different reason that it hasn't given these games more flexible payment options (FPO should replace F2P; pass it on!), and while some have addressed this publicly, others say nothing and leave us to speculate on it. For today's Perfect Ten, we're going to look at the 10 biggest current F2P holdouts in the industry and muse about what's going on behind the scenes. Will this list be impossible to do in a few years or will subscription-only titles come back in a big way? Hey, I don't predict things; I just make lists.
RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live
Maelforge and Laethys better be watching their backs because RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn is now live, and players are now able to head into the eponymous Infernal Dawn raid to lay the smack down on the pair of dragon-gods. On top of that, the patch will be ringing in a new world event known as the War of the Wanton Maw, which will presumably involve players fighting back against Maelforge's Wanton cult and Laethys' Golden Maw. If you're a less combative type, don't worry. Infernal Dawn is also bringing some more relaxing activities in the form of two new tradeskills. Those looking to spend a calm day on the water can bait a hook and spend an afternoon fishing, while those who want to rough it in the great outdoors can craft food and shelter with the new survival skill. For the full details on what this monumental patch is bringing to the game, just head on over to the official forums to check out the patch notes yourself. Oh, and if you're curious about what you're going up against, just click on past the cut for a look at Maelforge and Laethys in the official Infernal Dawn trailer.
RIFT community team livestreaming Infernal Dawn tomorrow
If you're playing RIFT, odds are good you're looking forward to the next major content update -- and if you're also a raider, so much the better. But it's one thing to read about all of the neat things that will be going on in a new raid and another thing entirely to actually see them. That's why the community team is hosting an official livestream of the new Infernal Dawn raid that's getting released this week. The run will begin at 11:30 a.m. PDT, moving through the entirety of the raid and showing off all of the bosses without spoiling the fights themselves. The community team will also be explaining the lore behind the area and the bosses and answering community questions when possible. So if you've got the time around noon tomorrow to check it out, head over to the game's Facebook page and get ready for a guided tour of the newest raid. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
RIFT unveils changes to queued quest reward system
RIFT's patch 1.8 is just around the corner, and the patch is bringing not only a new raid and new activities but a few quality of life improvements as well. Community manager James "Elrar" Nichols stopped by the forums today to give players a heads up on the changes coming to the game's queued quest rewards system. What are queued quest rewards? Pretty much what they sound like. Completing certain quests and dungeons will bring up a queued quest loot button that players can press at their convenience to receive the loot and XP from the activity. This has led some players to keep these rewards queued so that they can claim them all at once for massive XP gains. In light of that, Trion Worlds is changing the way these rewards work by causing them to be automatically granted to the player upon completion. Of course, players will still have to choose their reward for quests that grant the option, but there will now be a limit on how many rewards you can have queued at any given time. Players are advised to claim all pending queued quest rewards before patch 1.8 hits because the team can't guarantee that doing so will be possible after the patch. For the full details, head on over to the full forum post.
One Shots: A new dawn
One Shots is making a tentative return in its new format and timeslot this weekend! Kicking off the screenshot-madness is Johanis, who's delivered a gorgeous shot of what looks suspiciously like a sparklepony in RIFT (and seriously makes me want to resub). He writes in, I wanted to share a picture of Samya, my level 20 Mathosian Mage in RIFT. This particular shot was taken just as she had received her achievement awarded for climbing to the highest mountain in Silverwood. I had to climb quite a few mountains before I hit this spot, and the view made the climb worth it. Just beautiful. She was also quite proud to be riding her newly acquired Nebula mount, which she earned during the current Carnival. Johanis' screenshot, along with a few other gems from this week, is just behind the cut!
Maelforge and Laethys soar into action in RIFT's latest Infernal Dawn trailer
In the recent weeks, we've been inundated with information on RIFT's upcoming patch 1.8 and the accompanying new raid, Infernal Dawn. We've already gotten up-close-and-personal looks at the big baddies of Infernal Dawn, Laethys and Maelforge, but today Trion Worlds has released a spankin'-new trailer to get players hyped up to take on the dastardly duo of draconic deities. The trailer itself takes players inside the raid proper to give them a look at the many enemies they'll be squaring off against. It also gives us the first look at Laethys and Maelforge live and in action, and to say that these two appear formidable would be quite an understatement. They look, in layman's terms, like they're willing and able to mess your day/week/life right up. You can see for yourself in the full video, so why don't you go take a gander?
Trion reveals Laethys lore from forthcoming Infernal Dawn patch
Last night we showed you some concept art from the Infernal Dawn raid coming with RIFT's 1.8 patch. Today Trion Worlds has released a new lore snippet that gives us a little background on Laethys, a dragon from the Plane of Earth and the primary challenge that players will face when the new content goes live. As it turns out, Laethys was the power behind the throne of a sprawling Ogre kingdom, and when her charges had bled their lands dry of wealth and riches, Laethys destroyed it and spirited them away to serve as her minions on the Plane of Earth. It's quite a touching story, complete with "child-skin books" and the decline of a great civilization. Click past the cut to read it in full, and look for RIFT's 1.8 patch "later this month." [Source: Trion press release]
Take a peek at RIFT's shiny Infernal Dawn concept art
RIFT players have been waiting on pins and needles for the upcoming patch 1.8, which will bring a brand-new raid known as Infernal Dawn to the world of Telara. Unfortunately, they're going to have to wait just a bit longer. Trion Worlds, in hopes of making the wait more (un)bearable, has released a new blog post on the official site that shines a spotlight on the art behind the Infernal Dawn instance. This raid will pit players up against one of the biggest bads in the world: Maelforge the Flame Sire. It's kind of a big deal, ladies and gents. So it's only fitting that the concept art reflects that, and boy does it ever. I mean, look up there. Do you see that bow? Holy crap, that's a badass bow. To see what other badassery awaits you in Infernal Dawn, just go check out the official post.
RIFT developers answer a new round of community questions
There are a lot of questions within the RIFT community, questions the development team seeks to answer with a new set of responses to community inquiries. Some of the answers are a bit on the negative side; there are no plans to expand the game's lore into novels, for instance. There are also no plans to add in arena-style combat or the option of visible cloaks, with the developers feeling that the former makes the game seem less massive and the latter has a detrimental impact on game performance. That doesn't mean it's all bad news, however. The developers are looking into more ways to allow cross-faction interaction beyond the mercenary PvP system. There's also some talk about the next big raid and player feedback, which according to the answers is largely positive. There are also plans for more Souls in the future, which should provide RIFT players with even more options to custom-build a character. [Update: Trion contacted us to clarify the cloak question. They say that cloaks aren't completely off-the-table, they're just not focusing on them right now. There was even a hint that cloaks will be a definite future addition to RIFT.]
A tour of the twisted mind of RIFT's Maelforge the Flame Sire
RIFT players are only a short time away from being able to delve into the depths of the Infernal Dawn raid, where they will be able to confront one of the most destructive of the dragon-gods, Maelforge the Flame Sire. To prepare players to face off against the great fire dragon of the Blood Storm, Trion Worlds has released a new lore snippet that reveals his history, his motivations... Oh, and the fact that he's absolutely, positively batshit insane. We're talking burn-people-to-death-then-resurrect-them-and-burn-them-again insane. Seriously guys, we can't stress this enough. But hey, if you still wanna go up against a guy who devours worlds and murders gods for funsies, be our guests. Just don't say we didn't warn you. While you attempt to justify the madness of actually trying to kill such a beast, click on past the cut and check out the full lore piece.
RIFT 1.8: Guild recruitment system preview
RIFT's upcoming 1.8 patch will come in handy for players still caught in the search for a guild to call home, thanks to the guild recruitment system. Guild leaders will be able to (but don't have to) post listings to try to attract more players to their guilds. These listings can be customized with such information as the guild's category (RP, hardcore, PvP, dungeons, raiding, and more), the sort of roles that need to be filled (tank, heal, damage, and support), character level, and play schedule. There's also a description field that'll allow leaders to give a more in-depth description of guild services and outlook. Players will access the guild finder through their social menu and be able to sort through guilds by roles, availability, guild size, and category. They'll then see all posted information and be able to decide which guild they think is a good fit for them. A message button in the finder screen will allow players to contact guild leaders, and thus shall many happy matches be made.
GDC 2012: RIFT's Adam Gershowitz talks raiding, mentoring, and housing
Last week's GDC came at a perfect time for Trion. The conference overlaps perfectly with RIFT's one-year anniversary, and Producer Adam Gershowitz took us through some highlights of the past year as well as the current Carnival of the Ascended content. But he also gave a peek at what's planned for the future, not only showing off the new raid zone Infernal Dawn but also talking about the team's plans for some fan-favorites like the leaderboards, mentoring, and housing.%Gallery-150682%
Delve deeper into RIFT's Infernal Dawn raid with new details, screenshots
If you've ever looked at an MMO and said something like "this would be a lot better if there was lava-surfing pirate ship helmed by an amazonian captain" or "dragons would be so much cooler if they were made of gold," then you have some very particular and rather peculiar thoughts. Moreover, though, RIFT has just the instance for you. Last week we took a video tour through the Earth Wing of RIFT's upcoming raid, Infernal Dawn. Now PC Gamer has got some more screenshots and details on the new dungeon, which pits players up against the Golden Maw, the Wanton, and their decidedly daft dragon leaders, Maelforge and Laethys. Laethys, in case we haven't mentioned it yet, is the dragon of earth whose form is composed entirely of delicious gold and precious gems. It's also worth mentioning that this is a dragon whose sacrifice of choice is a pretty boy or girl who has had his or her eyes removed and replaced with rubies. So yeah, may want to take her down ASAP, guys. Unfortunately, we've still yet to get a look at Maelforge himself, but we're sure Mr. I-want-to-sow-the-seeds-of-discord-and-chaos-everywhere will show his face as the release of Infernal Dawn draws ever closer.
The MMO Report: RIFT's two Adams
This week on The MMO Report, Casey caps off his Trion Worlds tour by chatting up RIFT's Adam Gershowitz and Adam Hetenyi. Backed by enormous screens showing off the game's flashiest scenes, the two Adams discuss RIFT's upcoming 1.8 patch, giving previews of the goodies that will tempt hardcore endgamers in the Infernal Dawn raid (pro tip: Do not invite Maelforge to your birthday party). The pair also discuss the game's new skills -- fishing, trapping, and survival -- before teasing what players can look forward to after 1.8 has come and gone. The full HD video is behind the cut!
