Any time a noteworthy new sword and sorcery MMORPG is about to find its way into the hearts and minds of PC gamers everywhere, it is bound to be compared to the 800-pound gorilla in the field, World of WarCraft. How similar is it to WoW? How much better — or worse — is it than Blizzard’s titan? Early buzz suggests RIFT is a highly polished, thoughtfully designed and almost bug-free game even while in closed beta. Gamers are about to find out for themselves with RIFT: Planes of Telara, an MMORPG in development from Trion Worlds, which is about to enter into open beta testing February 15.
The class system should distinguish itself through many shades of variety that will discourage excess adoption of certain class types, from one to the next, which is a side effect that occurs when game developers struggle with class balancing in a game. With “4 classes, 8 souls per class, 3 souls at a time and 4 combinations per character, Rift has several hundred basic character build options.” Souls, which are the heart of the game, can be upgraded and honed through talent points. The variety should allow for greater character customization, and besides, RIFT also permits a character to enjoy several roles in a game.
Rifts are events that will feel familiar to Warhammer Online veterans. Whereas in WAR’s quest system, events would appear at scheduled times and places, where players would need to join together to make a stand. In RIFT, rifts will reveal themselves over random places and locations. Depending on how well players band together to repel the invasion, player-controlled areas could be held or lost. Furthermore, that one breach could trigger other breaches that spawn vast numbers of monsters, which could change the flow of the world’s history. In essence, RIFT players have more power in their collective hands than many online game communities over their world.
PvE and PvP systems will not strike MMO players as anything new, but familiarity doesn’t have to breed contempt if it’s done right. PvE will follow traditional linear quest progression, including dungeon raids and the rift system, while PvP will be familiar to WoW and WAR players, where players also band together in small groups to accomplish capture the flag, king of the hill, among other group-based goals. PvP in designated open world areas will also be a tried-and-true gameplay component within RIFT.
It would appear at first blush RIFT is aiming to cherry pick the best features that are standard in most top-notch MMORPGs, while excelling in its own areas, to craft what Trion Worlds hopes will be the best of all worlds.
