Rift: Beta Report Preview

We check out invasions in Trion Worlds' upcoming MMORPG.

• by Jason Wilson
• January 07, 2011 12:52 PM PT

Several aspects of Rift (Trion Worlds dropped the "Planes of Telara" subtitle, along with announcing a March 1 release date, earlier this week) help it stand out from other MMOs on the market. Its factions, the Guardians and the Defiant, are not set up on the good-vs.-evil spectrum; its class structure allows you to "add souls" to form the class you want to play (such as my High Elf Warlock-Necromancer). But one of the biggest lures of this MMO is its special, dynamic Rift events: invasions.

A Tear in the Planes

Rift's plot focuses on how the Guardians and the Defiant are attempting to safe Telara from the rifts torn into the planes. These rifts cause invasions, where portions of the invading plane (Life and Fire are the two I've encountered thus far) -- and the monsters that live within them -- poke into Telara, making the game world's something that changes with time, not just a static zone. Leave these invasions alone and these invasions turn into footholds, even stronger presences.
The first Rift invasion I encountered during my second stint in the the "Guardians of the Vigil" beta was an incursion from the Plane of Fire; the forested ground of the Silverwood (the second zone Guardians players encounter), the home of the High Elves, took on a red, magma-like appearance, and fiery goblin-like monsters roamed the small area. Players should take these foes seriously: Even the lowest-level mob was strong enough to put up a good fight, and with a dozen or so compatriots, these invasions are likely too much for a solo player to handle.
What's great about Rift, though, is that you don't have to be in a group to team up and take on these incursions; a few players and I waited for more heroes to show up, and when we felt we had a force powerful enough to take on the fiery invaders, we plunged in. We closed the invasion by destroying the Fire commander; the remaining minions disappeared after his defeat. Defeating these Rift incursions grant not just mega XP (these are a great way to level up your character) but loot as well.
I later encountered another invasion that shows off how alignment isn't a big deal in Rift. This incursion from the Life plan features sprites and treant-like monsters, which are normally associated with the forces of good -- and especially elves -- in most fantasy games. But these residents of the Plane of Life were ready to kill everything in sight, quickly overwhelming me and the few characters that joined me in taking on the invasion. It may seem like a small thing to some readers, but as someone who plays a multitude of fantasy games, it's nice to see the genre conventions tweaked in this manner.

Rebel Elves

The Elves of House Aelfwar, exiled by the High Elves for worshipping different gods, are out to destroy the High Elves' home of Silverwood. The final portion of the "Guardians of the Vigil" that I played dealt with an assault from House Aelfwar.

Silverwood transformed into a warzone, with Aelfwar forces staking out territory and running down the paths. I hooked up with a large size group of Guardians -- more than 20 -- and we started taking out their strong points, one at a time (we had three to destroy). The Aelfwar were powerful; I had trouble taking out one by myself, so swarm tactics were our order of the day.
But then I got separated from the group, and I found myself in enemy-held territory, unable to make any headway and unable to escape to safety. The Aelfwar slaughtered me, and each time I died and respawned, I did my best to evade their forces (to no avail). Rift does have a death penalty; each time you respawn, your vitality drops by 10 percent. You can repair this at healers in towns and other locations. By the time Guardian forces had dealt with the Aelfwar, my vitality had dropped to 10 percent, and I considered myself lucky to have any left.

Final Thoughts

I've never been a big fan of MMOs; I like to play on my own time, on my own terms, without needing help from other players. Yet I remain intrigued by Rift, its soul-tree class system, and its invasions, which were a lot of fun to take on. I look forward to exploring more of Telara this weekend's upcoming beta event, and I'm curious to see what's next.