Rift is a new MMO made by Trion. Its main marketing slogan is “We’re not in Azeroth anymore.” That statement holds true as you play through the game. It is an expansive world with a plethora of fun things to do to fill your time. It takes aspects of all other types of MMOs and other genres of games and mixes it all together to make a super MMO.

You start the game picking your faction, Defiants and Guardians, and then you choose your class. There are four different archetypes of classes to pick from including warrior, mage, rogue, and cleric. However, it does not stop there. This game has the crazy character customization of a sandbox game, with a more traditional level basted twist. In the beginning, you start off being able to pick three souls (classes) at once. Within those souls, and when you level up, you get points to spend in the three talent trees that you picked. Putting points into a tree unlocks more abilities for you to use. Again, it does not stop there. From there you can acquire all the other souls that your archetype can use. Not only can you get the eight starter classes once you hit level 13 but there are even more souls (classes) to get throughout the game. Finally, you get four different specs that each hold 3 souls allowing you to have 4 different play styles in one character. You do not have to reroll a character every time you want to try another class; all you need is one of each archetype.

Once you have selected the class you have the most fun with, the game opens up into a thriving world. At any moment a rift can open up. These rifts are portals from other planes that spawn monsters into your world. These rifts can be portals from all different types of planes including water, fire, earth, death, life, or air. You must fight through the stages and defeat the final enemy (normally harder than the rest) to close the rift and claim your rewards. Unlike other games, the rewards are distributed based on how well a individual performs in battle. This is shown by a meter at the right hand side of the screen. This meter fills with every spell and skill you use, whether they be heals, support, damage, or even taking damage. The more you do, the higher the meter gets, and the more loot you receive. Instead of sharing loot with everyone else, it is all based on your own actions rather than the group as a whole. To go even further into detail to see who is performing the best during a rift encounter, they even have a scoreboard that players can access and look at to see where they are located on the scoreboard. Of course, the leader on the scoreboard would receive the greatest rewards.

While rifting is a lot of fun and a great way to earn gear and rewards, and even meet new players, the real fun starts when an invasion hits. An invasion is a zone wide event that gets everyone involved. During an invasion, rifts will open up from whichever plane the invasion is coming from. From there the players in the zone automatically accept a quest that leads them on how to defeat the invasion. You must close rifts, fight of invaders, and destroy footholds. Once all the objectives are complete, the lord of the plane will spawn. Players rush to the boss and take them down, and are then rewarded with currencies to buy gear and weapons. Again, rewards are based on your performance in battle.

Rift also has a fun crafting experience. Unlike many other popular games, rift allows the player to slightly customize the items they make. You can add augments and items to your crafted items that boost certain stats or add special effects to the item. So where other games allowed for no customization for crafting, rift allows the player to influence the items they create. They also have gathering skills that allow you to pick up or loot the materials you need for crafting.

Rift also has Warfronts. Warfronts are instanced areas designated for pvp. Each one has an objective or a score to reach to be victorious. The class customization allows for pvp to be very interesting and fun. You have so many tools at your disposal to defeat your enemies, making for epic battles. The first warfront can be accessed at level 10, and the objective of it is to capture and hold the flag (The Fang of Regulos). While the flag is held the team with, the flag gains points. The longer the flag is held, the more points the team receives. The first one to 500 wins. This is not the only warfront available, more unlock as you level up. During these warfronts, you gain favor points. With favor, you can buy special pvp gear and also new pvp souls (classes). Like rifting and invasions, the more you do in the warfront, the more points you receive.

If you prefer to spend your time in dungeons, rift has them too. The first one is available at level 15, but the instance has the feel of a higher-level dungeon. I say this because each dungeon is beautifully designed. They make you feel like you are truly in some deep ancient tomb, or massive mines. Not only is the scenery great, but so are the rewards. Each dungeon has many quests to complete within the dungeon, and of course, there is some nice loot. The group can hold five people, allowing for a tank, a healer, and 3 damage or support classes.

Now if you think that is enough to do, there is even more. Rift also has collections and artifacts. Artifacts are collectable items that you can find all over the world. Once you complete a collection by finding all the artifacts, you can then turn in the collection to receive money, experience, and a lucky coin. With lucking coins you can buy companion pets, mounts, or other vanity items that are just plain fun to have. Another fun thing rift has available to use are dyes. The game allows you to dye your armor many different colors allowing you to stand out, or look the way you want to look. Dyes are not very expensive, and allow you to utilize them from early on in the game.

In all Rift has so much to offer with collections, dungeons, rifts, invasions, crafting, pvp and so much more. If you are a fan of World of Warcraft, or many other popular MMOs, this game would suit you nicely. Its graphics are beautiful, and its scenery is breath taking, allowing for an amazing and fun MMO experience.

Game hard, play happy!

Hayley Clements
Impulse Gamer
United States Team Writer