With Rift 4.2 hitting live servers today, we caught up Trion Worlds Rift Executive Director - Chris "Archonix" Junior and Senior Design Director - Simon "Dead Simon" Ffinch to chat about the game-changing update and where Rift goes from here..
Vostigar Peaks
Lore buffs may consider 4.2 the "clash of the feminine ego" where Crucia and Ankhet come head to head and although this may be a lighter lore update compared to past updates according to Archonix this war is a visual odyssey slammed, shaped and shifting across the landscape of this new zone via color pallets that are completely new to the entirety of Telara.
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From source filled charred forests, to snow capped mountains cloaked in roaming mist alongside terrain patched like a quilt in rich reds and golds, the beauty of Vostigar Peaks simply put is stunning.
Adventuring in 4.2
Once you get your fill of the scenery it's time to quest, puzzle or storyline with Vostigar Peaks achievement "Endless War" rewarding players with an Asha Catari skin on Freelancer “Asana” in Atlas Reactor plus Asha's blade as a wardrobe item in Rift!
Dead Simon is the tireless genius behind artifacts and puzzles in Rift including Toks Proven Grounds that arrived in 4.0 and although he had no plans to do a puzzle for 4.2 focusing on his formal duties as Senior Design Director he still managed to deliver puzzling content but before you race to go do it you might want to consider finding the side quest for Rift's first jetpack mount especially if you don't have the Opie mount made to help with jumping.
The jetpack mount will help you with this Celestial Storm puzzle humorously named "Dopey Opie" and this isn’t the only mount to be attained via content in 4.2 as Dead Simon brings another artifact embellished item to the loot table in the form of “Shiny Levitate” though where and how is yours to discover.
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New instant adventures have arrived along with Utilla notoriety and a new currency called "Captured Intel" which can only be found in Vostigar Peaks offering trinkets, gear, pets, upgrade components and fuel for your jetpack mount. Achievement hunters will be chasing rare mobs differently than any other update and something to also note here is that all content in this zone is open to everyone including every level however your survival against maximum level creatures or objectives may definitely need higher damage or health pools!
PvE & PvP
Archonix conveyed that the Rift team no longer develop 20 man raids focusing now on 10 man raids and with 4.2 we get a normal mode "Tartaric Depths" 10 man which you can queue up for with 2000 hit! In 4.1 the LFR (Looking for raid in game tool to join raids with a public group) version was introduced and this is now a version for pre-made raids.
Vostigar Peaks re-introduce Raid Rifts in the form of 3 raid rifts that offer a daily and the way for players to acquire new essences. The level of difficulty for these are also aimed at 10 man groups with 2000 hit.
He also went on to say that there are no PvP updates for 4.2 but players can look forward to future updates in the form of new warfront map/s.
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Primalist gets more soul
Rifts latest and only new calling since launch the Primalist gets four new souls.
- Mystic
- Farseer
- Predator
- Primal Lord
These four souls will be available to anyone who owns the Primalist along with updates to class balance for all callings. We attempted math on how many options Rift has now with their intricate class system but could only roughly estimate 55 variations and over 4000 combinations.
What's in store for 4.2?
A new login bonus arrives with 4.2 running until the end of July with a cape as it's reward and the Wilds Pack (with Primalist!) goes on sale with a 75% discount!
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The Loot box UI also gets a major overhaul offering more opportunities for players to get the items they specifically want via new lockboxes from 4.2 onward. This feature is still in development along with the store where you will be able to spend precious "prize tickets" which will only be from lock boxes that will continue to be attained the way they currently are and may also be included in future promotions.
Summerfest 2017
Seasonal event Summerfest will be going live this week with 4.2!
The quests and storylines stay the same but new items floweth over! This is how you will be able to get the amazing "Spectral Carriage" mount along with many other new items celebrating summer including wardrobe that comes with the first pair of sandals Rift has seen for its incredible wardrobe system and new Dimension keys.
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Has Rift landed again?
Rift has gone through numerous changes especially in the last year leaving many unsure what direction this MMORPG is headed but with 4.2 landing it really feels like the game has finally settled and is now moving forward in a sure direction. There is new excitement in the air of this six year old game and both Archonix and Dead Simon suggest that if you would like to play Rift to see this latest content as a new or returning player Instant Adventures are a sure fired way to level or level 65 boosts are also available if you know exactly what class you want to play.
Rifts new Community Manager!
To complement this fresh vibe Linda “Brasse” Carlson has stepped back from her role as Rift CM making way for Rift specific community manager Jennifer “Yaviey” Bridges. Brasse will be continuing as Community Director for all Trion Worlds games and we wish Yaviey all the best!
So as Crucia and Ankhet wage war, the questions we are now left with is who will win and more to the point will you be one of the Ascended to stop either from doing so?
