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Exclusive: A look at RIFT's Void Knight
Magic is a fact of life in any sort of fantasy setting, and RIFT is no exception to this. The Warrior, of course, is the last class you'd expect to be dabbling heavily in magic, an assumption that would be largely correct. But with the plethora of souls available to characters in the game, it seems nigh-on inevitable that a Warrior would have at least one option if he wanted to ensure his opponent was just as bereft of magic, to even the footing down to a contest of arms. And the Void Knight is precisely that. The Void Knight isn't just capable of enduring magical attacks -- he actively absorbs them, using them to power his most spectacular abilities. Although he's not up to a straight contest of arms against a non-magical character, he's more than the equal of a caster, easily capable of turning the most devastating curses or enchantments into the equivalent of an energy drink. Take a look past the break for the full rundown on both the lore and abilities of the Void Knight, and check back each day this week for another new RIFT soul reveal. %Gallery-101448%
Exclusive: A look at RIFT's Druid
Within RIFT's soul system, there's room for a wide variety of different classes within the four core options -- two different Clerics might have very different sets of souls equipped and play like two completely different classes. Trion Worlds has been slowly providing information to players about what they can expect from the various souls, but every time a new soul is revealed, it's something completely different from what's come before. The Druid is one of the souls available to Clerics, for instance, but it couldn't be more different than options such as the Purifier or Sentinel. Druids are a pet class, but not in the traditional sense. Where a Mage with a pet-using soul would rely on his pets to deal damage, the Druid uses her pets as conduits to empower her, making her a fierce combatant in her own right. Although vulnerable if her companions are damaged, the Druid herself is the core of her strength, using a variety of companions for a multitude of effects. Click past the break for more information and backstory on RIFT's Druid, and check in every day this week for more heretofore unseen souls. %Gallery-101448%
RIFT reveals details on the Mathosian Empire
With the next beta event for Trion Worlds' upcoming fantasy MMO RIFT scheduled to begin on January 25th, new information on the game has been flowing thick and fast. In the latest reveal, Trion has released details and screenshots of the Mathosian Empire. Nestled in the mountains, the Mathosian Empire was an ancient and powerful faction of human hunters ruled over by King Jostyr Mathos. Using Dwarven steel and Elven magic, the Mathosians took war to the dragons, banishing them in the name of keeping the flatlands of Telara safe. The empire's rule spread across the RIFT map, and they constructed great cities like Port Scion. With King Jostyr's passing, the Mathosian Empire fell into a vicious civil war between his sons Aedraxis and Zareph. The Shade War, as it came to be known, resulted in the fracturing of the ward seals keeping Telara safe from the destructive influence of the planes. With the seal broken, the empire now lies in ruin, with the mighty Port Scion now overrun by the Deathtouched and dangerous planar openings now ravaging Telara. Trion has released several new screenshots of what remains of the Mathosian Empire, which can be found in the gallery below. %Gallery-101448%
RIFT reveals Warrior build-your-class video
The video hits keep on coming for Trion Worlds' RIFT, though this time the video in question is aimed at stat geeks and mechanics aficionados intrigued by the game's build-a-class-for-any-situation marketing angle. The two-minute clip breaks down the game's four base archetypes (Warrior, Cleric, Mage, and Rogue) and lays out the dozens of possible souls and skill trees for the Warrior via some flashy animation. There's a bit of gameplay footage thrown in for good measure, and you'll glimpse what looks to be some open world combat as well as a good old-fashioned dungeon crawl. The clip also boasts a few of the graphical ooohs and ahhhs we've come to expect from Trion's forthcoming fantasy MMO. Check it out after the break, and hit up the official RIFT website for more info.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A tour guide to beta four
It was once again a busy weekend in RIFT, and I eagerly rolled up my sleeves to get to work exploring. This beta event contained a lot of great game changes and new content. First, the level cap was increased to 27, and two new hunting areas were made available: Gloamwood for the Guardians and Stonefield for the Defiants. In addition, two new dungeons were open for play: Darkening Deeps and Deepstrike Mines. But one of the most exciting additions was PvP instancing, as players finally got to try out two new Warfronts -- The Black Garden and The Codex. In this week's column, I'll give a wrap-up of my beta experience. Read on to hear more about Gloamwood, Warfronts, Darkening Deeps, and a lightbulb moment that I'll never forget.
Next RIFT beta event begins January 25th
The dust is still settling from last week's "Warfronts" beta event, but Trion Worlds is already gearing up for the next RIFT-related shindig. The latest round of testing will commence on Tuesday, January 25th at 10:00 a.m. PST, with a wrap date of Friday, January 28th (also at 10:00 a.m. PST). For those keeping score, this marks the fifth RIFT beta preview to date, and the new event (titled "Battle of the Ascended") brings several additional features to the world of Telara. Among them will be a raised level cap (30), the Scarlet Gorge zone, and a new dungeon called Foul Cascade. Trion is also trumpeting the fact that beta players logged over a million hours of playtime during last week's "Warfronts" event, and today's press release also mentions that the Codex PvP warfronts will continue to be available in the next round.
RIFT looks at Scarwood Reach
Whether or not you're looking forward to RIFT, it's hard to deny that the game makes great use of setting. The latest region revealed, Scarwood Reach, is haunting and evocative in both backstory and current events. Once an enchanted forest covered in the majestic granitewood trees, the woods have been logged to their demise, with only scattered pockets of trees remaining as a testament to what once was. But the servants of Greenscale seek to undo the damage in the only way possible -- by opening a portal to the Plane of Life that might swallow Telara whole. Aside from the abandoned shrines and local creatures harmed by the mad rush for wood and the abandonment of old traditions, the explosion of unfiltered Life at the heart of what was once forest is equally toxic. Even apart from the rifts that occasionally blossom, the forest is beset by creatures unseen in this land, coupled with crawling roots that bring searing and unwelcome new life to the barren landscape. Take a look at the gallery for a quartet of preview images, a fine preparation for the maddening environment that RIFT's damaged forest remnants are poised to deliver. %Gallery-101448%
RIFT challenges unwritten rules of the genre in a new dev diary
"There are countless unwritten rules for creating an MMO world that successful designs in past games have impressed upon the entire industry. No monsters on the roads; never stop the player from questing or doing what he plans to do; group content should always be separate from solo content. While I will acknowledge that these sorts of rules of thumb are the guidelines that we designers live by, challenging them is where we have found a lot of success in RIFT." Thus sayeth Will Cook, Trion Worlds' content designer for RIFT. In a new developer diary over at ZAM, Cook explains how challenging stale MMO conventions opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the dynamic content in the game. By allowing enemy invasions to use roads, bosses to conquer quest giver outposts and rifts to pop up unexpectedly, the team was able to make an "anything goes" atmosphere over top the traditional PvE treadmill. One of Trion Worlds' biggest goals, Cook says, is to create "emergent experiences" that are never quite the same twice. Even though such content can be and often is disruptive to players running quests and working on other solo projects, it's proven to be exciting and interesting enough to draw these players in without complaint. Cook thinks that if you give it a chance, you'll get hooked: "You can't help but get carried away in the fun of a living world where you can see the effect of action and inaction."
Warfronts star in the RIFT beta 4 patch notes
As you may or may not have heard, Trion Worlds is unleashing the fourth RIFT beta event today, an event that spans the entire weekend. And as Uncle Ben used to tell us, with great beta events come great patch notes -- so what do players have to look forward to with this update? The most significant change to RIFT's beta is the increase of the level cap -- to 27 -- and the unlocking of the Stonefield and Gloamwood zones. In the prior three events, players were limited to a maximum of level 20 and confined to the two starter areas. This round, players looking for more PvE dungeon goodness should enjoy the Darkening Deeps and Deepstrike Mines, while PvPers will rejoice at the inclusion of Warfronts (Black Garden for level 10 and above, The Codex for level 20 and above). Warfronts are like World of Warcraft's battlegrounds or Warhammer Online's scenarios -- instanced PvP areas where (hopefully) evenly matched teams can go at it under special conditions. There are several quality-of-life improvements rolled into this patch as well. The skill soft queue has been upgraded to a full next ability queue, more hotbars are available, and many of the souls are getting tweaked. You can read the full patch notes here.
All MMOs 20% off at Direct2Drive
Looking to pick up some MMORPGs on the cheap? You could go for one of the hundreds of free-to-play titles crowding the market, or if you're looking for something a bit more traditional, Direct2Drive's latest sale might interest you. From now through January 10th (at 10:00 a.m. PST to be exact), you'll enjoy 20% discounts on what D2D deems "top tier MMOs." Titles include (but aren't limited to) the Guild Wars trilogy, World of Warcraft, City of Heroes: Going Rogue, and Champions Online. The discount also applies to MMO pre-orders, so if you're looking for that extra nudge needed to push you towards an early purchase of RIFT or DC Universe Online, look no further.
The Codex added to RIFT's PvP weekend
Looking forward to RIFT's upcoming PvP beta weekend? You're in good company -- a lot of people are, which is part of the reason Trion Worlds has made the event even sweeter. Aside from the already-announced Black Garden warfront, players in the 20-29 level range will be able to take part in the Codex battle. It's a chance for Defiants and Guardians to cross swords for control of the eponymous artifact with unknown purpose. In terms of gameplay, the Codex will be a domination-style map, with players seizing control points around the artifact and attempting to control the Codex itself. Players can also earn points by defeating enemy players as well, helping to put the game on a faster clock when players interact with one another. RIFT fans can test out the warfronts this weekend, starting at 1 p.m. EST tomorrow and running until the same time on Monday, January 10th.
Trion hiring for untitled SyFy action MMO, looking for XBox 360 programmers
With RIFT launching in the very near future, Trion Worlds is resting on its laurels and doing absolutely nothing... by which we mean the exact opposite. The team is looking for new staff to help develop the yet-unnamed action MMO created in partnership with SyFy, currently just named the "SyFy Action MMO." This in and of itself is good news for those who had thought the project had been abandoned, but it gets even more interesting when you realize that two of the jobs are targeting XBox 360 programmers. Assuming that the game is targeting the 360 -- which seems likely under the circumstances -- it would join Final Fantasy XI as one of the only MMO options on the console. That would be a significant boon from a marketing perspective, as would the show/game integration promised back when rumors first began surfacing. The 360 programmers are not explicitly linked to the long-dormant game, but neither are they linked to the two existing games in Trion's stable. Although the job listing alone doesn't promise a future for the game, it's a step in the right direction for what might be a very different take on MMOs after all.
Trion hiring Xbox 360 programmers for unknown project, designer for 'Syfy Action MMO'
For the second time in as many years, Trion has posted job listings for console-specific programmers, perhaps quietly staffing up for the long dormant "Syfy Action MMO" (thought to be named "One Earth") that was announced back in 2008. Rather than spell out exactly what these programmers would be doing, the listings only explain that Trion seeks two Xbox 360 "senior console programmers" to "work on AAA titles in a highly collaborative environment." A third job listing for a "senior game/systems designer" gets more granular, specifically naming the "Syfy Action MMO" as the project in question and requiring potential candidates to have "experience working on action games for consoles, such as PS3, Xbox, etc." Trion had yet to respond to our request for more information as of publishing.
FAQ attack: Trion clarifies RIFT pre-order options
With all the news and discussion swirling around RIFT these past few days, many players may be considering pre-ordering Trion Worlds' baby to snag the head start and bonus items. However, as evidenced by the comments in a previous post here on Massively, there's a bit of confusion as to how all this works out, especially if one does not want to make a misstep. Fortunately, Community Manager Abigale posted a pre-order FAQ on the RIFT forums to clear up any murky haze floating around the subject. One of the biggest questions concerns the status of VIP codes, which are automatically granted to any pre-order customers. If the player pre-ordered the game through Trion Worlds directly, his account is flagged for all future beta events, but if the player went through a retailer, an extra step is required to enter an emailed code into his account. The pre-order FAQ also deals with payment methods, how the rewards are dispersed to characters, and the life expectancy of beta characters come launch (hint: Don't get too attached!). For anyone wondering why RIFT is being released on two different days between North America and Europe, Trion says that NA traditionally releases on Tuesdays whereas Europe prefers Fridays. Head on over to the RIFT pre-order FAQ for more info!
Enter at Your Own Rift: Community guide to RIFT
BLOG POST OPENED! Swiftly, readers rally together to fight the imminent threat to the internet as dark words stream down from the tear in cyberspace. Unholy pronouns and sentence fragments begin to march toward civilized forums, remolding the fabric of reality in their image. Fortunately, valiant defenders of all that is true and grammatically correct push back against the invasion, suffering heavy losses until... BLOG POST SEALED! If you couldn't tell, this is the maiden voyage of Massively's weekly column devoted to Trion World's upcoming MMO, RIFT. We've been excited about this game for a while now, and with the NDA drop, the announcement of the launch date, news of the collector's edition, and upcoming beta events, it's as good a time as any to start talking about this addictive fantasy experience. Karen Bryan and I will be trading off weeks to cover RIFT from our different vantage points, and we're pretty geeked at the prospect. To kick off the very first Enter at Your Own Rift, we'll be following the Massively tradition of posting a community guide to all the hottest and most helpful links about this game after the jump.
Them's fightin' words: RIFT commercial takes on WoW
"We're not in Azeroth anymore," Trion Worlds' new TV commercial proclaims before a rift gobbles up the words. This 30-second spot for RIFT features a hero opening a rift with a jewel, a dragon roaring, an ogre on the warpath, and adventurers gearing up for the fight. The commercial ends with an invitation to pre-order the game. This comes hot on the heels of RIFT's launch date announcement and signifies the next step up for Trion Worlds' marketing department. You can watch the new TV spot after the jump!
RIFT beta events: Impressions from the staff
Trion Worlds' RIFT has become the talk of the town in MMO-land lately. Since the NDA dropped a few weeks ago, every MMO blogger, journalist, and fan is spewing his impressions of the game. We had our own impressions from Karen Bryan after the first beta weekend, but now we'd like to present you with thoughts from the rest of us who played. As you might imagine, not all of us agreed on the game's quality. Follow along after the jump for our staff impressions of RIFT after the third beta weekend event.
RIFT set to release on March 1st
Get ready rifters, as Trion Worlds has dropped a definitive release date for its forthcoming fantasy MMORPG. That's right, RIFT will be firing on all cylinders round about March 1st in the States (March 4th in Europe). Today's announcement also brings further word on the pre-order program and collector's edition items that we mentioned last week. Pre-order customers can choose one of three in-game pets and are eligible to jump in and play RIFT a week before the official launch date. The head start period begins February 24th, and all pre-order customers are automatically invited to participate in the remaining beta events (the details of which are available on the official site). Finally, Trion is also discounting multi-month subscriptions to the tune of $9.99 US with a time-limited Founder's Pricing program. "We've been able to create an exceptionally polished and immersive online world filled with adventure, surprise, and beauty. We can't wait to share RIFT with players around the world," said Trion CEO Lars Buttler.
Trion announces next RIFT beta event, showcasing warfronts
Hot on the heels of its year-end beta event, Trion has announced the dates for the next round of beta for RIFT. From Friday, January 7th, at 10 a.m. PST until Monday, January 10th, at 10 a.m. PST, players invited to beta can participate in the next event, which features PvP Warfronts. In addition, players can now explore content from levels 1-25, which means an extra five levels and more points to spend on the soul trees. Players who participate in a Warfront are also eligible to win an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card. Visit the official RIFT website for details on the event as well as information on Warfronts.
Four hours over Telara: RIFT beta three event extended
Four hours may not seem like a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but for RIFT beta testers enjoying the third event this holiday weekend, it's a welcome boon. After all, how much extra carnage can one squeeze into that time frame? If you're a smart player, the answer is "a lot!" Community Manager Abigale came on the forums yesterday to announce that this week's beta event would be extending a little longer than planned: "Thank you for your feedback and for your patience as our team keeps working to prepare Rift for future betas and release. We'd like to show our appreciation by extending the beta for another 4 hours! Servers will be open until Friday, 2 p.m. (PST) ." RIFT's third beta event is featuring the 1-20 zones for both Guardian and Defiant factions. Players testing the game have access to two dungeons and the mass rift invasions that are becoming the keystone of the PvE experience.
