My first introduction to MMOs began in 1997 with Ultima Online’s beta. I was hooked relatively quickly and continued to play until graduating to Everquest in 1999. EQ improved the MMO genre in many ways, but the most notable for me was the introduction of raiding. How can anyone forget their first time in the Plane of Fear? Or their first encounter with the Avatar of War?
I played EQ up to the Gates of Discord expansion when I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at World of Warcraft. Much like the jump from UO to EQ, I thought WoW was a significant improvement over its predecessors. WoW has held my interest off and on since 2004. I’ve cancelled my subscription several times, the longest being for nearly a year and a half (during the Burning Crusade expansion,) but it has continued to be my game of choice. Many MMOs have come out since the release of WoW, but none of them have been able to match WoW’s success. In addition, none of them have captured my interest. All that changed this week with Rift.
Rift is a new MMO developed by Trion Worlds that went live on March 1st. It was Rift’s class system that first caught my eye. Basically it looks like a mash up of WoW’s talent and Diablo’s skill trees. The possibility of some unique combinations was intriguing and so I started to look a little deeper. After searching youtube a bit I watched several Yogscast videos about their first impressions of the game (you might need earmuffs:) Rift First Impressions – The Yogscast Bottom line, they really liked it. Combine their enthusiasm with my initial interest and I had enough justification to try my first new MMO since 2004.
After several hours in game and reaching level 19 out of a level cap of 50 I have to admit that I am very impressed. Obviously in an MMO things can change drastically as you get closer to or obtain max level but thus far I could easily give the game a 4.5/5. The bigger question that I will not be able to answer yet, is will I be willing to pay the monthly fee after the free 30 day trial? Even beyond that, will the game still be compelling at level 50? Pure speculation, I say yes. Below are some of my thoughts/ratings on specific areas of the game:
Stability 5/5
MMO launches are traditionally borderline comical. We generally see new terminology invented during their releases (rubber-banding, ghosting, etc…) as well as significant outages. Trion Worlds did a really good job of avoiding some of these release pitfalls with solid planning. From what I understand there was a lengthy alpha, beta, open beta and even a one week head start for pre-orders. Their initial set of servers filled to capacity during the head start but Trion Worlds managed to add more quickly and by the time I picked up the game (two days after the official release, 9 days after the head start release,) I had plenty of servers to choose from. I have played on both an original and a new server and have not been able to notice any performance differences between the two. Beyond this, when I have been in-game I have not experienced any significant lag related issues. The game is running smoothly.
Faction/Race/Class Options 4/5
Rift has two factions (Guardians and Defiants,) six races (Dwarves, High Elves, Mathosian, Kelari, Eth and Bahmi,) and four callings (Warrior, Cleric, Mage and Rogue) each with 8 classes. Faction wise, Rift does not deviate from WoW, while this does not bother me, it could be an area that future games explore in more depth. Races are a definite low point in Rift when it comes to choice. Three per faction compared to four per side for WoW in vanilla (pre-expansions.) In addition, the races are not very distinct. Basically each faction has a human race, and an elf race. Beyond this Guardians have Dwarves and Defiants have Bahmi, which are like giants.
Character creation is the first step towards making up for this lack of choice. Options are vast, including facial structure, eye placement, nose appearance, hair styles/coloring, etc… Rift is a step above WoW for character customization, but probably still several steps below some of the superhero games. Finally, we have callings and classes which are a major strong point for Rift. Each calling has 56 potential class combinations. While I am sure that it won’t be long before we start to see ideal builds and optimal combinations, this level of choice is something many WoW players have been begging of Blizzard for a while now. In addition each character can have up to four roles (multi-spec) in game. New roles are purchased (prices increasing for each successive role,) starting at 30 gold for the second one (the first is free/part of questing.)
Graphics/Environment 4.5/5
One of the first things I heard about Rift after starting to research the game was that it had amazing graphics. Watching videos and browsing screenshots really did not convince me. In fact, I chalked most of the comments up to over-hype. After spending some time in the game, I have to say I was wrong. The graphics really are impressive. I am not saying that the game has the highest polygon count, or the best art, best models, or best of any particular one thing. BUT the sum total of the graphics and environment is beyond solid, it is impressive. My favorite so far being the last portion of the first instance for Guardians, Realm of the Fae:
Interface 3.5/5
The game interface is polished with plenty of options (including a very nice Edit Layout option.) Anyone that has played WoW even a little will instantly feel at home in Rift (this could be good or bad.) While most recent MMOs have tried to differentiate themselves from WoW as much as possible, Rift seems unapologetic for duplicating many of the proven interface choices made by WoW. Action bars, unit frames, chat, mini-map, etc… are all extremely similar to WoW in function and placement. In addition Rift has achievements, guild quests, guild ranks and probably a dozen other items I am forgetting. One thing the interface currently lacks is custom add-ons. You won’t find deadly boss mobs, quest helper or damage meters.
Instances & High Level Content TBD
Realm of the Fae is the one instance that I have run thus far. It is an outdoor instance in the starting zone for Guardians. The recommended level is 17. Honestly I am not sure what I was expecting, but the instance was a blast. While WoW has options at earlier levels, the mechanics seen in Realm of the Fae were much more robust. In addition, the instance ambiance was off the chart culminating with a weather change that included the coolest affects I have ever seen in a game.
Beyond this initial instance there a seven other instances. Each instance can be done in expert mode at max level (similar to Heroics.) I have also seen mention of raid content already present in the game but have not been able to confirm.
Other Misc. Notes
- Installation took ~34 minutes (17m install 17m patch)
- 6 Character slots per server
- Patches and Hot Fixes have been regular but quick & painless
- Guilds only require 5 signatures
- Each character can have 3 professions (not played with them enough to comment further, but they are a lot like WoW)
- There are plenty of PvP options but I’ve only spent a fraction of my time on them (a single keep away type of Warzone/Battleground)
- 1st content patch is 3-4 months away
A few more screenshots:
