The headstart is over and the official launch day is upon us. The world
of Telara rejoices as new Ascended take to the battlefield.
With most long time beta testers being among the pre-order crowd
chances are good that todays crop of players are brand new to the
game, and we have some tips for those entering
style="font-style: italic;"> Rift for the
first time.
Play a Bard
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Piano man?
One of the biggest upsides to Rift
is that it
brings to light some very interesting classes (known as souls here) to
the mass of players who may have only had their WoW experience to draw
from. Classes such as the Bard may be old hat to D&D,
DAoC and EQ players, but to the newly initiated this may be the first
chance to get a taste of some very innovative gameplay. I
would also recommend the Beastmaster and the Paragon in the warrior
calling, the Justicar in the cleric calling and the Chloromancer in the
mage calling.
Check Your Mail
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You've got mail!
Chances are if you pre-ordered then you are well into the game by now
with the 5 day headstart having passed, but perhaps you wanted to wait
for your friends or you bought the Collectors Edition at a brick and
mortar. Either way, many players have some special gifts waiting for
them in their mailbox. Just under the minimap there will be a glowing
icon that resembles a letter if you do indeed have mail. The first
mailbox is found after you finish the intro quest lines at the first
quest hub of either Silverwood or Freemarch.
Join a Public Group
Where Warhammer Online tried
to bring players together during the leveling experience
style="font-style: italic;">, Rift succeeds.
Using an open ended public group system, which is enabled by default
but can be shut off by the player if desired, you can instantly team up
with another player who is doing the same quests by pressing a button
on their target portrait. Some players may still not be comfortable
with this system, so asking ahead of time isnt a bad idea, but most
who have been involved with the game for any length of time will have
no problem with you hopping into their public group if it is enabled.
Another public grouping feature is found during invasions and foothold
encounters throughout the game. The system will automatically
add you to the raid party if stay the area of one of these events for
any amount of time, or if you are already in an existing group it will
prompt you to merge the groups making party management a breeze.
Seal a Rift
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This rift definetly needs some
sealant.
Even though the soul and public quest systems are amazing, they didnt
name the game after them. To play
style="font-style: italic;"> Rift without
participating in the rift invasions would be like going to a steakhouse
to order a turkey sandwich. This emergent gameplay is easily
one of the most exciting aspects of the game and it unites players
against a common and deadly foe. Rift
events give the game an extra dimension of immersion as entire zones
are assaulted and the storyline is driven along, giving you a feeling
of being a vital component in the survival of Telara.
Dye Your Armor
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Style and sophistication.
It may seem like a trivial thing, but many players are tired of looking
like everyone else. Before WoW came along, most MMOGs had
numerous ways to make your character stand out visually, whether it was
rare lootable armor, crafted unique weapons or flaming hair, players
wanted to be different. Rift
has added armor dyes to help players craft a unique look and it works
in much the same way that dyes from
style="font-style: italic;">EverQuest did. You
purchase vials of different colors and then add them to either the
primary or secondary areas of each armor piece to give it your own
style and flair.
Learn a Tradeskill
Hunting and gathering are alive and well in the world of
style="font-style: italic;">Rift, as players
are allowed to train in three primary tradeskills.
Butchering, Foraging and Mining encompass the gathering
skills. Apothecary, Armorsmith, Artificer, Outfitter,
Runecrafting and Weaponsmith comprise the crafting side.
Whether you simply want to gather as many resources as possible for
quick profit at auction or you want to cobble together powerful items
and potions to help yourself and your guild along, it is advisable to
start the process as early as possible. It is too easy to get
wrapped up in a new game and forget crafting, or deciding to put it off
until you hit level cap, but the backtracking and time spent in low
level zones can often feel tedious I recommend knocking it out as you
level to get the most out of the experience.
So take some time this first week to check out some of the more
interesting and innovative features of
style="font-style: italic;">Rift, the endgame
will be there for a long time but the new experiences only happen once.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our RIFT Game Page.
