There are few cities on the west coast that I would rather spend a
sunny afternoon in than San Francisco. Couple that with a chance to sit
down with Hal Hanlin and his team from Trion over some libations and a
few souped up rigs with the latest and greatest update from Rift
playing in the background and that list drops to zero.
Along with some fine folks from Curse, Zam and several other media
outlets, we were treated to a feast of new information and some amazing
looking cupcakes styled after the volcano that is the centerpiece of
Update 1.6s Ember Isle. Read on to learn more about the
major points of the update and check the two pages that follow for some
awesome screenshots and concept art.
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alt="Update 1.6 Ember Isle"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/202186">
Ember Isle
The focal point of the update, Ember Isle, is a brand new zone and the
crown jewel of post launch development. The zone is built for
well-seasoned adventurers with decent gear and incorporates many of the
lessons learned in the 7+ months since the servers went live.
The island itself is huge, so big in fact that according to Hal It is
the equivalent of Scarlet Gorge and Scarwood Reach combined. During
our play session with super-powered dev -toons (invisible and
invulnerable) we were able to explore every inch of it and it felt much
bigger than that.
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alt="Rift Ember Isle"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/202098">
Rift
Update 1.6 Preview Rift Update 1.6 Preview Rift Update 1.6 Preview Rift
Update 1.6 Preview Rift Update 1.6 Preview Rift Update 1.6 Preview Rift
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Hal told us of several important design elements that went into
creating Ember Isle, including improvements to mob density; moving
through the environment should be easier. There is also a much better
pacing of the action; content will start coming to you instead of the
other way around. It was interesting to learn how the
development of this zone was based on the feedback from players both in
the 7 phases of beta and the live game in regards to how dynamic
gameplay works. Creating a new zone from scratch based on
that feedback and taking into account how the game has evolved really
makes Ember Isle feel almost like an expansion rather than an
update. The team charged with developing this newest piece of
virtual real estate has been hard at work on it for months, and it
definitely shows in the attention to detail.
Evolved Gameplay
One of the core concepts that we discussed was that of how the dynamic
gameplay elements have evolved, what has worked and what
hasnt. As a result all of the new invasions, zone events and
rifts will have a very unique feel to them. Also being introduced with
Ember Isle is a completely new form of gameplay called Onslaughts.
Onslaughts are targeted invasions bring the fight to you, and do they
bring the fight!
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alt="Rift Ember Isle"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/202105">
Rift
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The waves and power of the mobs attacking the area you are trying to
defend (which happened to be a Sourcewell where the highly valued
sourcestone comes from) is so great that nothing less than a full raid
could hope to succeed against them. Whats that you say? You
dont have a full raid? Couldnt we just have maybe some sort of tower
defense system to help a poor soul out? Yes, yes you can.
Onslaughts introduce a new facet to Rift, in the form
of upgradable
turrets that help fend off the invading hordes by healing you, taunting
the bad guys and helping dish out some damage. Rather than
just being easy mode to winsville, these turrets require coordination,
strategy and a few friends to help charge them up and keep them
active. New zone events will also incorporate this new form
of gameplay, prompting players to pick and choose the areas they want
to defend carefully. Wasting too much of your precious planar charges
on a set of turrets that the enemy ignores could be fatal to the whole
zone.
In addition to new forms of dynamic gameplay, Ember Isle will unveil a
new form of daily quests that will be random and interwoven from one
quest giver to the next to prevent the feeling of tedium that can
accompany them. There will also be new crafting items, new artifacts,
new achievements and new titles.
Caduceus Rise
The newest 5 player dungeon will also be introduced in 1.6 in the form
of Caduceus Rise. Set on the isle, Caduceus Rise incorporates
the new art style for a stunning visual effect. The new
instance is completely non-linear and has a normal version for players
between 47-50, two expert modes and a master mode, each with their own
unique surprises for maximum replayability. The instance is huge and
looks to be both challenging and rewarding for players of every version
with master mode featuring a staggering 11 bosses.
Rise of the Phoenix
Patch 1.6 will also bring us a new 10 player raid sliver known as Rise
of the Phoenix. Although it wont be set on Ember Isle, Rise of the
Phoenix will be located in Shimmersand but will still be thematically
appropriate as it is earth and fire based. Sadly there wasnt
a playable version for us to check out during the event but end game
folks will no doubt be pleased to have new content to challenge them.
Future Plans
One of the most exciting things we discussed during the tour was that
of another new form of Dynamic Content known as Instant Adventure.
Instant Adventures will be a load and go system that groups players up
for non-instanced challenges in Stillmoore and Shimmersand.
The goal of the Instant Adventure will be random, with various forms of
gameplay utilized in an escalating series of challenges that provide
maximum adrenaline and minimum downtime.
Hal described it as Log in, push button, kill stuff, get awesome loot,
log out. Instant Adventures will be dynamic and scale to
meet the ever-changing group size, so no fear if a couple people need
to drop or a few more log in, the challenges and the rewards will adapt
with you. The dangerous part of this new facet of the game
was revealed as Hal described one play session where he was critical of
his team for having too little content in a particular area he was
under the impression that his team had blown through it in 20 minutes
when in fact it had been an hour and half. Alien abduction
time loss 4TW. Maybe now is a good time to invest in a timer or a large
LCD desk clock.
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alt="Rift Ember Isle"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/202099">
style="color: rgb(218, 208, 194);">Rift Instant Adventure
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Rift Instant Adventure
Being that the massive volcano in the center of the isle is the prison
of Maelforge and another dragon, Laethys, is lurking about - it follows
that there is a new raid planned for the not so distant
future. The team is also committed to creating and
introducing new chronicles in the near future.
With so much content being introduced on such a regular basis, the
future of Riftlooks bright indeed. Ten Ton Hammer
would like to thank
Trion and its partners for hosting this event and we look forward to
seeing the continued evolution of Rift
Ember Isle Screenshots
style="color: rgb(218, 208, 194);">Caduceus Rise Caduceus
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Ember Isle Concept Art
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