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<\/p>\nRift is a subscription based PC MMORPG developed by Trion Worlds which is to be released locally next week Thursday, although it will be available on Steam from Tuesday. Right now there seems to be a positive buzz around the game, but as any MMO veteran should know, MMOs tend to come and go, and very few manage to strike a chord for longer than the first free month. Let’s see what Rift has on offer, and see if it holds anything appealing to drag you away from your MMO of choice.<\/p>\n
For better or worse, Rift shares much in common with the aging (yet still dominating) World of Warcraft. This is either good or bad, depending on your MMO habits, but I honestly question this direction considering how saturated the genre is. This is not to say Rift does not offer some interesting and appealing features; it does, and I will look into them shortly.<\/p>\n
Rift’s setting is a pretty standard high fantasy affair. Set in the fantasy world of Telara, the world is being torn apart by dimensional rifts, which will play an important role in the gameplay – if the name of the game had not already given that away.<\/p>\n
These rifts will act as “dynamic” events, whereby players, and supposedly the developers, can trigger events, having a dramatic effect on the world in the process. These events may open up new questing areas or, possibly, even change the landscape, amongst other things, as enemies spew forth from them.<\/p>\n
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Foreboding scenery<\/em><\/p>\n Now to the nitty-gritty of Rift’s other features and gameplay elements. At release, the level cap will be 50. Players will gain access to a variety of ground mounts. Sadly, flying mounts will not be implemented at the moment, but this may change over time.<\/p>\n The Yarnosaur mount<\/em><\/p>\n Like many other MMORPGs, Rift offers two factions – The Guardians and The Defiant. Each faction will have 3 race choices, which are:<\/p>\n The Guardians<\/strong> – Dwarf, High Elf, Mathosian (Humans)<\/p>\n The Defiant <\/strong>– Bahmi (a brutish race of humanoids), Eth (Humans) and Kelari (Elven race)<\/p>\n Like previously mentioned, Rift shares much in common with design choices seen in other MMOs, specifically World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online. Anyone who has played those games will quickly feel at home as the user-interface, key-mappings and layout are all very similar.<\/p>\n Where the game does do something different and will, hopefully, shine is the amount of class choices and combinations available. <\/p>\n At character creation you are given the choice of four “callings”: Warrior, Rogue, Cleric and Mage; all very standard as far as MMOs go. As you progress through the game you will gain access to further customization in the form of “souls”. This is where the game gets very interesting. <\/p>\n At character creation you will pick one soul, which sort of acts as your class. Later you can have up to three souls or classes active, allowing for all the skills to mingle, making for an impressive scope of choice.<\/p>\n There are supposedly about 150 different combinations, which is amazing considering how limited most other MMORPGs are in comparison. This is further enhanced by being able to swap souls in and out, all while saving your favourite configurations. <\/p>\n Nightblade Soultree<\/p>\n Each soul, or class, has its own unique skill trees and abilities, which you can mix and match. Right now there are 9 souls per calling, one being a PvP specific soul which focuses on PvP specific skills. There is also mention of a few Novelty Souls, which are described as being classes that are devoted to social endeavors such as dancing and fireworks displays, but they lack combat ability. Novelty Souls may not be ready for release, but they are currently being worked on. <\/p>\n Confirmed Souls:<\/strong><\/p>\n Warrior Calling – Champion, Paladin, Reaver, Beastmaster, Warlord, Riftblade, Paragon, Void Knight and Vindicator.<\/p>\n Rogue Calling – Blade Dancer, Nightblade, Ranger, Assassin, Riftstalker, Saboteur, Marksman, Bard and Infiltrator.<\/p>\n Cleric Calling – Inquisitor, Purifier, Sentinel, Warden, Justicar, Shaman, Druid, Cabalist and Templar.<\/p>\n Mage Calling – Elementalist, Warlock, Pyromancer, Stormcaller, Chloromancer, Archon, Dominator, Necromancer and Archmage.<\/p>\n A Chloromaster<\/em><\/p>\n A Warlock and its Prey<\/em><\/p>\n My only worry is that, with so many choices, game balance (specifically in PvP), will be a nightmare. I hope I am wrong but, either way, more choice is always better for games of this scope.<\/p>\n Crafting is also making a good showing which, for many, is a very important core element to their MMO experience, specifically during those down times. Well, Rift does not disappoint, offering 3 gathering and 6 crafting professions. Players can pick up to three professions in the search of revenue and valuable items.<\/p>\n The Crafting Professions:<\/strong><\/p>\n Gathering Professions – Butchery, Foraging and Mining.<\/p>\n Crafting Professions – Apothecary, Armorsmithing, Artificing, Outfitting, Runecrafting and Weaponsmithing.<\/p>\n Rift will offer instanced dungeons and raiding, ranging from 5, 10 and 20 man instances. Some dungeons and raids will receive an expert mode, very much akin to the hardcore difficulty in World of Warcraft (yet another similarity). There will be lower level raids available before the level cap of 50, making for some nice variety and easing newcomers to the raiding scene. World raid bosses will feature, hopefully creating some interesting social events.<\/p>\n Visually Rift is looking great. For players looking for a slick looks, ranging from dark and brooding areas through to lush forests and strange alien planes, Rift offers the goods. <\/p>\n Recommended specs.<\/strong><\/p>\n – <\/span>OS: XP, Vista, Win 7<\/p>\n – <\/span>Processor: Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz or better<\/p>\n – <\/span>Memory: 4GB<\/p>\n – <\/span>HDD Space: 15GB<\/p>\n – <\/span>Desktop Video: Nvidia GTS 250 or better<\/p>\n In closing, I am somewhat skeptical, or hesitant rather, of Rift, primarily due to it being exceedingly similar to World of Warcraft. I think the MMO community is getting bored to death with the general fantasy setting of dwarves and elves, never mind the now stagnant questing formula, which all MMOs seem to be driving towards these days. The one thing that I feel Rift really has going for it, is its robust and versatile class system. <\/p>\n The Rift events also sound quite interesting; I guess very much akin to a streamlined and buffed up version of Warhammer Online’s Public Quests system.<\/p>\n Rift is out locally on the 4th of March, and the head-start has already kicked off for those lucky enough to have access. Let’s hope Rift does something to refine the genre and breathe fresh air into a now stagnating market.<\/p>\n![](\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/The_Yarnosaur_Mount_176005877.jpg\")
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