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RIFT

RIFT introduces three-faction PvP with Conquest

Fantasy, PvP, News items, RIFT

Screenshot -- RIFT
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

Galleries, Screenshots, A Tale in the Desert, EverQuest II, MMO industry, Opinion, Massively Meta, One Shots, RIFT, TERA, Miscellaneous

One Shots
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.

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Trion dev posts ARG messages on RIFT forums

Fantasy, MMO industry, News items, RIFT

RIFT - ARGing since 2012
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

Fantasy, Game mechanics, Patches, RIFT

RIFT
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.

Enter at Your Own Rift: Handy tips for fishing and survival in Telara

Fantasy, Opinion, RIFT, Guides, Enter at Your Own Rift, Crafting

rift fishing
In my last column about RIFT, I looked at a few highlights that were coming with Update 1.8, but because of the buzz surrounding the two new skills of fishing and survival, I wanted to delve into both a little more closely and perhaps even give a few tips I picked up so far that might be helpful if you're thinking of giving it a try.

Whether you're an old salt or a greenhorn, and if you're curious about what exactly it takes to fish in Telara or what you need to build yourself a nice camp and a warm meal, this week's Enter at Your Own Rift might help!

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RIFT kicks off service in Korea

Fantasy, Launches, MMO industry, News items, RIFT

It's possible that there's a dirty joke in here.  I don't actually know how to read Korean.
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

World of Warcraft, Asheron's Call, Dark Age of Camelot, EVE Online, Final Fantasy XI, PlanetSide, Warhammer Online, Ultima Online, Free-to-play, Star Wars: The Old Republic, RIFT, Final Fantasy XIV, Perfect Ten

Perfect Ten
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.

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RIFT's patch 1.8: Infernal Dawn goes live

Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons

Screenshot -- RIFT
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.

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RIFT community team livestreaming Infernal Dawn tomorrow

Fantasy, Patches, Previews, Endgame, News items, RIFT

It's not really a raid unless there's a ten-minute diversion when the tanks both go out for a smoke.
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]

Fishing, survival, and dragons: The Trion Team talks about RIFT's 1.8 update

Fantasy, Interviews, MMO industry, RIFT

RIFT
As the Carnival of the Ascended draws to a close and the last of the piñatas and balloons are put away from RIFT's first birthday, Update 1.8 is just around the corner. It's full of new content, including the new raid zone Infernal Dawn, fishing and survival skills, and lots of game improvements. Massively took part in a roundtable discussion with Trion CCO and RIFT Executive Producer Scott Hartsman, Design Producer Hal Hanlin, and Producer Adam Gershowitz to get all the details on Update 1.8 and more. Read on for highlights!

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RIFT unveils changes to queued quest reward system

Fantasy, Patches, News items, RIFT

Screenshot -- RIFT
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.

Enter at Your Own Rift: Fishin' and survivin'

Fantasy, Game mechanics, Previews, Opinion, Hands-on, RIFT, Enter at Your Own Rift, Crafting

rift fishing
One of the parts of the recent RIFT producer's letter that caught my eye was the hint that there will soon be more to do in game besides "stab" stuff. Maybe I'm mellowing in my old age, or perhaps it's because of my inner Bartle explorer player-type, but I'm enjoying activities in MMOs that don't involve mass slaughter all the time. Usually, that means crafting, but the inventory management that's required often leaves me cross-eyed by the time I'm done.

With Update 1.8, RIFT will add two new skills to the game: fishing and survival. Non-combat activities have already been introduced in past updates, like the wedding instance, but these two new skills look to be fun games within the game, so I was eager to check things out. Join me as I don some hip-waders, pack up some flint, and head to PTS for a peek at fishing, survival, and a quick peek at the looking-for-guild tool.

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One Shots: A new dawn

Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, One Shots, RIFT, Miscellaneous

One Shots
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!

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Maelforge and Laethys soar into action in RIFT's latest Infernal Dawn trailer

Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons

Screenshot -- RIFT
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?

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Trion reveals Laethys lore from forthcoming Infernal Dawn patch

Fantasy, Game mechanics, Lore, MMO industry, Patches, News items, RIFT, Dungeons

RIFT - Laethys raid
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]

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