My impression of RIFT (level 1-25)

frostydf2

 

Playing RIFT to level 25 has been a somewhat enjoyable experience.  Maybe it will change from 25-50, but so far I have had a blast – here is why.

I purchased RIFT a few weeks ago at my local Gamestop as they had it selling for $39.99. I figured I’d give it a shot, and ran home to install it/patch it/and start up my first character.  My initial impression was somewhat lack luster as I was expecting mind blowing graphics from another dimension, an incredible opening that showed kingdoms getting ravaged by the RIFTs, and player battles as epic as Lord of the Rings.  I think my initial expectations were set too high.

Levels 1-9

I instantly logged into the game, and created my first character – a Guardian sided Mathosian (aka Human) Cleric.  A friend told me that I could craft any class I wanted in any way that I deemed necessary, and he was 100% true.  A Cleric, for instance, can DPS cast, DPS melee, Heal over Time, Deep heals, or even tank!  I found this customization to be remarkable, and became instantly excited at how I wanted to craft my class.

I went with a mix of HoT/DPS so I could level up, and quest.  I started through the newbie zone, and tried to immerse myself in the lore that was being told to me through quests, and what people were saying.  It was actually incredibly enjoyable, and I tried to make myself part of the lore that was happening (as if I were the hero).  The way the game instantly threw me into a battle was remarkable.  There were citizens murdered by the King, and cities becoming pillaged.  As I traversed through the newbie land I finally stumbled upon a RIFT where the quest-givers of before aided me in my fight against a very large creature. 

After defeating the creature in the RIFT (which was breathtaking to say none the less) I was transported to my first real zone – Silverwood.  I was greeted by other players running the roads, completing quests, and defending against attacks/RIFTS.  It was immersive, and instantly I was dragged into the conquest of what the other players were doing.  Going to my first quest hub I was designated to take out some goblin hold-outs, and I did. 

The questing in RIFT is VERY similar to that of World of Warcraft.  In fact – the entire game is very similar to the game, but more refined (in my opinion).  I figured this out as soon as I got into the game of RIFT, and instantly started making comparisons (major problem).  However, eventually I came to the conclusion that they are completely different games, and that to appreciate RIFT I would need to let go of all previous assumptions of MMORPG’s (especially WoW).  Once I did this – the game became much more enjoyable for me.

Level 10-19

I traveled from quest hub to quest hub, and I started to get burned out.  I was level 12, and I was questioning if RIFT was the right game for me.  The quests were the same, and I was lost about what my goal was actually supposed to be.  Eventually I came more in-tune with what the community was doing.  /1 channel was always looking for groups for “RotF”, and I needed to find out that was.  I needed to find out what artifacts did, and to meet players who could journey with me.  I reached out, and asked basic questions in the general chat only to be surprised about the responses. I was given answers to the questions that I asked.

How many times in World of Warcraft was I ridiculed in general chat for not knowing answers to the questions in which I was asking?  Too many times, and instantly this was a breath of fresh air.  This leads me to my point that the community in RIFT is much more mature than that of World of Warcraft, and tends to be much more helpful to newbie players.

Eventually I got joined up in a RotF group (Realm of the Fae – the first instance that Guardians can go into), and I had a blast. The fights were fun, and the experience was worthwhile.  RotF was laid out in a very creative manner.  You traveled through every season of the year, and it only got me more excited for the rest of the instances that were to be in RIFT.  From here on my experience in RIFT was much more enjoyable than what it was before.

Levels 20-25

I logged in the other night only to pull up my map, and see 20+ Fire Rifts opened throughout the map.  There were attacking invasions every which way, and I knew that the entire zone was in for a battle.  After messaging a few of my friends that were online we banded up, logged into Ventrilo together, and started our way to fight Rift after Rift.  I have never had so much fun banding up with friends, and random individuals to defend an entire zone against an invasion.  Not only this, but there was a boss wandering throughout the zone that took 30+ people to take down.

 

In all honesty – RIFT has its flaws.  It has a very dull crafting system, the fighting mechanics are nothing new (although not a bad thing), and questing is similar to what you would expect from other MMORPG’s.  However, it has something more – it has a community that isn’t lashing towards new players.  It has a sense of entitlement, and commitment to your fellow players as there is no instant que system for zones, and it creates excitement when zone wide events happen.  The graphics, although a let down from my wants, are stunningly gorgeous.  The way you are capable to craft any form of class is a blast, and makes it easy to easily switch what you want to do on the fly.

I would encourage anyone sitting on the fence of RIFT to purchase it, and try it out.  Hell – it may become your new favorite game.   If you want – load up onto my server, Deepstrike, and add me as a friend ‘frostydftwo’.  I’ll be more than happy to introduce you into RIFT.

 

Tl;dr – I enjoyed RIFT even though it has a few let-downs it is an overall great game, and I still continue to keep  playing.