Well I have played both and I would go with Rift. I like the way you can mix and match the skill sets. Rifts are ok . I don't know I just like it more then Starwars I guess
Rift has better gameplay and I prefer the graphic style and Rift's endgame is pretty good and expansive . Rift also has one of the best class and levelling systems around.
But SWTOR has by far better story and over-all levelling experience.
Rift's cash shop I think is less obtrusive. SWTOR has worst cash shop I've ever seen in any game outside of blatantly P2W stuff.
I tried going back to rift recently and honestly i couldn't get past how dated it looked to even really give it a chance. On absolute maximum settings it just hasn't stood up well.
As it has already been said, Rift has a much more generous F2P model. All content in the game is available for free in unlimited amounts. You don't have to buy weekly passes to enjoy instanced content. You don't have to pay extra to hide your helm slot or pay for additional action bars. You're not punished for not subscribing unlike SWTOR. The class building system is also far more complex. There's only four base classes but each of them have 10 talent trees and you can spend talent points in any 3 of your choosing. You can also have an unlimited amount of additional specs allowing you to change roles on the fly. Each of the four classes can tank, heal, ranged dps, and melee dps. The world is also fairly open with dynamic events ranging from random simple tasks to complex and engaging boss fights.
In SWTOR, the F2P model is laughably embarrassing. Each zone is incredibly small and instanced. There are loading screens everywhere breaking immersion. Class design is much more limited than Rift. There's four base classes just like Rift but they only have two subclass options with only 3 trees for each and they're limited in the roles they can fulfill. But SWTOR isn't all bad. The game is newer than Rift so the graphics are better. And it's Star Wars. That counts for a lot if you love the IP. But the one area where SWTOR outshines Rift absolutely has to be the story. There's fully voiced cut-scenes with multiple dialogue options. In Rift, it's just like similar games that came before it. Quest text and that's it. Even if you don't mind reading quest text, Rift's storytelling just isn't up to par with SWTOR's.
On top of having great perks for subscribers, it has one of the best F2P models out there, far surpassing SWTOR's.
Class Customization is second to none, being able to choose any 3 souls per setup, and then choosing what abilities from each of those souls, creating synergies, ultimately creating the exact character you want to play.
Solo/Duo End-Game content in the form of Chronicles, which are scaled down versions of the end-game raids.
Numerous ways to gear up at end-game, including full-out 10 and/or 20 man raiding if you are into that.
Arguably the best housing system on the market in the form of Dimensions.
For those stating that they get bored after playing for "15 minutes". Don't play Rift as if you're playing WoW. Play Rift for what it is. Here's an old but still relevant, popular, blog entry on the subject:
For those stating that they get bored after playing for "15 minutes". Don't play Rift as if you're playing WoW. Play Rift for what it is. Here's an old but still relevant, popular, blog entry on the subject:
i dont play any mmorpg as if i was playing WoW. Even some of the direct WoW clones have IMO enough stuff to enjoy them without comparing it to WoW.
Rift offers a lot of stuff, but none of them make me feel wanting more of it. One of the biggest things that I follow in mmorpgs has to do with the rpg side of things, the story. And Rift doesnt hold my interest story wise. And without it the rest of the game feels dull and grindy for the sake of grinding levels. Now most mmorpgs do that, but others have more in depth story. I personally dont play for raids or end game or pvp. As a result, i get bored very quickly in this game specifically.
Not saying is a bad game, It´s had so many updates and they just keep coming, thats cool. But its just how i feel when i play it. So i rather not do that. I download the game every time there is a major update, but always get disappointed because it always feel the same.
For those stating that they get bored after playing for "15 minutes". Don't play Rift as if you're playing WoW. Play Rift for what it is. Here's an old but still relevant, popular, blog entry on the subject:
i dont play any mmorpg as if i was playing WoW. Even some of the direct WoW clones have IMO enough stuff to enjoy them without comparing it to WoW.
Rift offers a lot of stuff, but none of them make me feel wanting more of it. One of the biggest things that I follow in mmorpgs has to do with the rpg side of things, the story. And Rift doesnt hold my interest story wise. And without it the rest of the game feels dull and grindy for the sake of grinding levels. Now most mmorpgs do that, but others have more in depth story. I personally dont play for raids or end game or pvp. As a result, i get bored very quickly in this game specifically.
Not saying is a bad game, It´s had so many updates and they just keep coming, thats cool. But its just how i feel when i play it. So i rather not do that. I download the game every time there is a major update, but always get disappointed because it always feel the same.
Sadly, I have to agree. I bought Rift at launch and played it for the free month. Nothing really grabbed me. I have since then attempted to get into Rift at least a half dozen times. I enjoy the first couple hours. Then, I just can't bring myself to log in. It's a well made mmo. I suppose it's just not for me.
I couldn't ever get past the Combat in Rift, so I'm not sure why many cite Rift as having better game-play. To me it didn't feel nearly as tight as TOR, nor as engaging. I really have nothing good to say about Rift, everything about it felt extremely boring to me. So by no surprise I'd have to recommend TOR by a mile over Rift.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
Depends on if your subbing or not both are about the same as both are theme parks I do give rift a + because I prefer the developer over the other developers title
That depends if you prefer quasi-Medieval Fantasy in Rift, or Sci-Fantasy Star Wars. If that doesn't matter, then that depends if you like f2p restrictions or not, because Rift is more playable without annoying restriction. In Swtor, you are severely restricted without a subscriptions. Both are linear "themeparks" however, with gear progression at max level. If you're fine with that, i would go with Rift first, then Swtor next if you like stories.
If you plan on spending some money SWTOR is a pretty good option. If you wanna go absoloutly free I would say Rift has better content to go that route. Rift is also one of those games that tends to not take itself too seriously. If you want to be a male dwarf that runs around in a french maid outfit, you can. The Rift team also hold separate events throughout the year so there's that to keep you busy from the usual grind. The add-on support is also quite good on Rift and Trion won't have you pay for additional hotbars for your skills/ abilities.
I have 2 stints in SWTOR alredy and around 2-4 times on Rift.
Well I couldn't say much, but visually, I prefer SWTOR since Rift looked like a more updated WoW, but gameplay wise, you can do much more in Rift than SWTOR.
IMO, Rift or if you have fast DL speeds, try out both.
SWTOR for leveling content and casual end game play for sure. But if you go swtor, sub, its so much better if you sub really worth the few quid if you enjoy the game.
Rift well they have a better housing better F2P model and if you can play a raid or die game the raids are nice.
I would say though if your playing more casually dont have time to get into an organised raid guild amd want something that requires a bit more thought than just the twitch reflexes of wow heroics then swtor or FFXIV.
for example if you want to play an mmo for the sake of playing an mmo, then that also affects the reasoning.
since if you like Pvp for mmos then rift does a good job as well. Maybe swtor combat offers more animations such as force leap, force push and knock backs but Pvp in swtor gets kind of old quickly. So in terms of being a pvper with tab targeting both are good.
if you want a game for story and not necessarily an mmo, then single player games are better than swtor. But as said if you want to play an mmo then swtor has good combat, bad Pvp incentives and progression but good story.
for a new player swtor has a lot to offer with player housing. But... It took them over two years to add player housing and space combat and a small expansion that is completed in a few hours. With that being said, if you want enjoy swtor in its current state, get ready to walk away from the game after completing the content that you wanted, since lingering and expecting more anytime soon will leave you frustrated.
also another consideration, rift has a better f2p model than swtor ( you can't Pvp to often as a f2p player in swtor despite their previous promise to remove that restriction. Same goes for raiding among other restrictions in character creation to other) .I don't consider swtor f2p but rather a glorified trial up to lvl 50. So if you are willing to dish out 15$ and want an overall better experience in an mmo instead of a single player, enjoy group content, and limited end game ( hence no point in hanging around) then swtor is a better choice.
Write bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble
Gee, how dare someone come to a discussion site about MMO's and engage the public in discussion on a discussion forum about video games on a game site dedicated to MMO's.
I see this response a lot to threads like this, and it doesn't make any sense to me. These are forums after all... no harm gathering some info and opinions from people before trying something out, even if it is free.
On-topic: I played SWTOR beta and for the first 6 months, I found the game personally unbearable, and only played because I had friends that did, but eventually the entire guild fell apart and my friends left, so I quit, joyfully at that. Why was the game unbearable? Two words: Hero Engine. Seriously, the worst engine ever and SWTOR is built on it, so unless you like clunky combat and glitch worlds, then TOR is your game. Rift is boring as all get out, but I didn't give it a honest amount of time to really sink in, but I got to lvl 20ish or so and just couldn't bare it any longer. The game is abit sluggish and feels dated TBH. If your a big star wars fan then SWTOR may be enough to keep you around. If your just looking for a solid MMO, I don't think either are a good choice TBH. Just my opinion.
I enjoy undercutting people in the market place - it's the only PvP a crafter gets.
Comments
View more silliness at http://www.youtube.com/thehiveleader
Spankthetoad
I'd say:
Rift has better gameplay and I prefer the graphic style and Rift's endgame is pretty good and expansive . Rift also has one of the best class and levelling systems around.
But SWTOR has by far better story and over-all levelling experience.
Rift's cash shop I think is less obtrusive. SWTOR has worst cash shop I've ever seen in any game outside of blatantly P2W stuff.
So It depends what's important to you .
Why To Choose Rift:
Better character customization with multiple paths for every class.
Better F2P model.
More options for leveling. Questing, dungeons, instant adventures, etc.
Why SWTOR:
Better story.
More linear progression path (if that's your thing).
Good IP and setting.
View more silliness at http://www.youtube.com/thehiveleader
I tried going back to rift recently and honestly i couldn't get past how dated it looked to even really give it a chance. On absolute maximum settings it just hasn't stood up well.
I'd do SWTOR.
Swtor if it had Rift´s f2p model.
Rift if i didnt get bored 15 minutes after logging in.
As it has already been said, Rift has a much more generous F2P model. All content in the game is available for free in unlimited amounts. You don't have to buy weekly passes to enjoy instanced content. You don't have to pay extra to hide your helm slot or pay for additional action bars. You're not punished for not subscribing unlike SWTOR. The class building system is also far more complex. There's only four base classes but each of them have 10 talent trees and you can spend talent points in any 3 of your choosing. You can also have an unlimited amount of additional specs allowing you to change roles on the fly. Each of the four classes can tank, heal, ranged dps, and melee dps. The world is also fairly open with dynamic events ranging from random simple tasks to complex and engaging boss fights.
In SWTOR, the F2P model is laughably embarrassing. Each zone is incredibly small and instanced. There are loading screens everywhere breaking immersion. Class design is much more limited than Rift. There's four base classes just like Rift but they only have two subclass options with only 3 trees for each and they're limited in the roles they can fulfill. But SWTOR isn't all bad. The game is newer than Rift so the graphics are better. And it's Star Wars. That counts for a lot if you love the IP. But the one area where SWTOR outshines Rift absolutely has to be the story. There's fully voiced cut-scenes with multiple dialogue options. In Rift, it's just like similar games that came before it. Quest text and that's it. Even if you don't mind reading quest text, Rift's storytelling just isn't up to par with SWTOR's.
Both are free to play, download and try both.
/thread
This.
Maybe the OP was asking for opinions and feedback because it would take less time than downloading two games over 20gb each and trying them out.
Absolutely this.
On top of having great perks for subscribers, it has one of the best F2P models out there, far surpassing SWTOR's.
Class Customization is second to none, being able to choose any 3 souls per setup, and then choosing what abilities from each of those souls, creating synergies, ultimately creating the exact character you want to play.
Solo/Duo End-Game content in the form of Chronicles, which are scaled down versions of the end-game raids.
Numerous ways to gear up at end-game, including full-out 10 and/or 20 man raiding if you are into that.
Arguably the best housing system on the market in the form of Dimensions.
For those stating that they get bored after playing for "15 minutes". Don't play Rift as if you're playing WoW. Play Rift for what it is. Here's an old but still relevant, popular, blog entry on the subject:
http://www.seebs.net/log/articles/530/you-can-play-wow-in-any-mmo
Best of luck, whatever you decide.
There's too many fanboys on MMORPG.com to ask for a legit opinion on a game. It's better to just try them yourself and make your own decision.
Rift pros:
-best f2p model
-housing second only to EQ2
-Lots of people like the class system
-Some extra leveling options
-Lots of achievements if you are into that thing, artifacts as well
Rift cons:
-generic game world, poor races
-lackluster crafting
-a lot of those extra leveling options aren't good. Instant Adventures are mindless quest grinds without the quest givers
-combat is a little lackluster compared to swtor
-the class system hurts PvP because of the lack of depth of the builds
SWToR pros:
-Good story
-Star Wars IP
-Combat, while not on WoW's level, is pretty well done
-decent amount of group quests
-space adds an extra style of play that isn't seen in most MMORPGs
SWtOR cons:
-ftp model stinks, but its fine from a sub standpoint
-many zones are way to constrictive
-boring racial selections
-no one wants to do the group quests
talent trees kind of suck, although the classes themselves are fairly well done.
both games do a good job with dungeons and raids
I would say EQ2 is the better themepark, but you didn't give it as a choice
i dont play any mmorpg as if i was playing WoW. Even some of the direct WoW clones have IMO enough stuff to enjoy them without comparing it to WoW.
Rift offers a lot of stuff, but none of them make me feel wanting more of it. One of the biggest things that I follow in mmorpgs has to do with the rpg side of things, the story. And Rift doesnt hold my interest story wise. And without it the rest of the game feels dull and grindy for the sake of grinding levels. Now most mmorpgs do that, but others have more in depth story. I personally dont play for raids or end game or pvp. As a result, i get bored very quickly in this game specifically.
Not saying is a bad game, It´s had so many updates and they just keep coming, thats cool. But its just how i feel when i play it. So i rather not do that. I download the game every time there is a major update, but always get disappointed because it always feel the same.
Sadly, I have to agree. I bought Rift at launch and played it for the free month. Nothing really grabbed me. I have since then attempted to get into Rift at least a half dozen times. I enjoy the first couple hours. Then, I just can't bring myself to log in. It's a well made mmo. I suppose it's just not for me.
For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson
That depends if you prefer quasi-Medieval Fantasy in Rift, or Sci-Fantasy Star Wars. If that doesn't matter, then that depends if you like f2p restrictions or not, because Rift is more playable without annoying restriction. In Swtor, you are severely restricted without a subscriptions. Both are linear "themeparks" however, with gear progression at max level. If you're fine with that, i would go with Rift first, then Swtor next if you like stories.
I have 2 stints in SWTOR alredy and around 2-4 times on Rift.
Well I couldn't say much, but visually, I prefer SWTOR since Rift looked like a more updated WoW, but gameplay wise, you can do much more in Rift than SWTOR.
IMO, Rift or if you have fast DL speeds, try out both.
SWTOR for leveling content and casual end game play for sure. But if you go swtor, sub, its so much better if you sub really worth the few quid if you enjoy the game.
Rift well they have a better housing better F2P model and if you can play a raid or die game the raids are nice.
I would say though if your playing more casually dont have time to get into an organised raid guild amd want something that requires a bit more thought than just the twitch reflexes of wow heroics then swtor or FFXIV.
Depends on what you want.
for example if you want to play an mmo for the sake of playing an mmo, then that also affects the reasoning.
since if you like Pvp for mmos then rift does a good job as well. Maybe swtor combat offers more animations such as force leap, force push and knock backs but Pvp in swtor gets kind of old quickly. So in terms of being a pvper with tab targeting both are good.
if you want a game for story and not necessarily an mmo, then single player games are better than swtor. But as said if you want to play an mmo then swtor has good combat, bad Pvp incentives and progression but good story.
for a new player swtor has a lot to offer with player housing. But... It took them over two years to add player housing and space combat and a small expansion that is completed in a few hours. With that being said, if you want enjoy swtor in its current state, get ready to walk away from the game after completing the content that you wanted, since lingering and expecting more anytime soon will leave you frustrated.
also another consideration, rift has a better f2p model than swtor ( you can't Pvp to often as a f2p player in swtor despite their previous promise to remove that restriction. Same goes for raiding among other restrictions in character creation to other) .I don't consider swtor f2p but rather a glorified trial up to lvl 50. So if you are willing to dish out 15$ and want an overall better experience in an mmo instead of a single player, enjoy group content, and limited end game ( hence no point in hanging around) then swtor is a better choice.
Write bad things that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble
Gee, how dare someone come to a discussion site about MMO's and engage the public in discussion on a discussion forum about video games on a game site dedicated to MMO's.
I see this response a lot to threads like this, and it doesn't make any sense to me. These are forums after all... no harm gathering some info and opinions from people before trying something out, even if it is free.
On-topic: I played SWTOR beta and for the first 6 months, I found the game personally unbearable, and only played because I had friends that did, but eventually the entire guild fell apart and my friends left, so I quit, joyfully at that. Why was the game unbearable? Two words: Hero Engine. Seriously, the worst engine ever and SWTOR is built on it, so unless you like clunky combat and glitch worlds, then TOR is your game. Rift is boring as all get out, but I didn't give it a honest amount of time to really sink in, but I got to lvl 20ish or so and just couldn't bare it any longer. The game is abit sluggish and feels dated TBH. If your a big star wars fan then SWTOR may be enough to keep you around. If your just looking for a solid MMO, I don't think either are a good choice TBH. Just my opinion.
I enjoy undercutting people in the market place - it's the only PvP a crafter gets.