Rift Patch 1.6 Developer Diary Video, Interviews, Previews
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And then we'll continue with some recent coverage, including a Q&A with Trion's Adam Gershowitz on IGN:
IGN: It's apparently gigantic. What are some of the significant landmarks? How much structured content is there, and how much of the content is dynamic?
Gershowitz: The zone is quite large (almost 3x bigger than any of our other zones) and has a number of fantastic landmarks ranging from jungle wilds and hot springs to ancient Kelari ruins. The largest of which is Mount Carcera the huge volcano in the center of the island.
In terms of content the zone has a large number of new quest lines to complete (more than 100), new factions to work with and of course a ton of new dynamic content, including a new gameplay type that allows you to build and upgrade defenses around source wells in order to defend against Onslaughts.
An interview with Hal Hanlin on Ten Ton Hammer:
One of the core concepts that we discussed was that of how the dynamic gameplay elements have evolved, what has worked and what hasn't. 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!
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. What's that you say? You don't have a full raid? Couldn't we just have maybe some sort of tower defense system to help a poor soul out? Yes, yes you can.
As well as hands-on previews from GameSpy:
Yet for all their attention on Ember Isle, Trion hasn't forgotten about the rest of the world. Patch 1.6 will also mark the introduction of raids known as "Instant Adventures," which you can queue for much as you would for a warfront using the current interface. The difference is that the Instant Adventure queue immediately ports you to a different section of the Telara (instead of an instance), where a raid of up to 20 players are involved in the same quests. While these partly focus on achieving minor objectives (such as capturing relics), you'll also have the chance to engage in a variety of boss fights. And since these take place in the world at large, it's possible that a Defiant Instant Adventure could overlap with a Guardian Instant Adventure, which naturally might lead into instant PVP. Hanlin, who plays with a guild that has no idea who he is, finds the concept endlessly enjoyable. "Instant Adventures are probably my favorite thing about Patch 1.6," Hanlin says, "or even the entire game."
Around the same time that Patch 1.6 comes out, Trion will also release a free mobile app for iPhone and Android users that allows players to remain involved in Rift wherever you go. Not only does it let players their guild chat stream (even if they can't actually chat directly with them), it also allows them to know when particular events or rifts are active in specific zones. If you want, you can even customize an alarm to notify you so you don't miss out on a rare crafting rift. In addition, the app will include a loot card system that lets you scratch off a texture for the chance of winning essences, planarite, or crafting items that you can then mail to one of your characters in-game.
G4:
Update 1.6 will also introduce a new massive dungeon called Caduceus Rise. The new five-man dungeon will feature three wings: one normal and two expert wings (also known as the East and West wings). There will be more than 11 bosses in Caduceus Rise, and players will be able to take them on more or less in the order that they want to. With a dungeon this large, the developers are even considering letting you ride your Mounts in it to get around faster.
Rise of the Phoenix is a 10-man raid that's coming with Update 1.6. While we didn't get the opportunity to preview any of the boss encounters in the raid, we did get to run around with GM powers and check out the molten Phoenix boss who's awaiting players at the end of the raid. The huge, crimson flapping beast is gorgeous and raiders will surely be impressed by the bird's animations when they face him.
And Games Radar:
Ember Isle is an entire island made specifically for the highest-level players, tacking on a few dozen extra hours to the end-game of Rift. Padding that time out even more is Caduceus Rise, a new five-man dungeon that brings some non-linear delving to the game. This massive dungeon is the largest non-raid instanced dungeon in the game to date, featuring 11 bosses to down and two expert modes to conquer.
We really like the direction Trion is taking Rift with 1.6. The amount of content they're adding, and have been adding since launch, is comparable to what many MMORPGs charge for with expansions. Meanwhile, Trion is adding stuff so fast that it's hard, as a player, to keep up, and the addition of a new area, new ways to play, and other interesting elements makes Rift one of the most exciting MMOs out right now. We also took a look past 1.6 at some other upcoming enhancements, including an iOS/Android app which lets players view their Guild Chat, set alerts for in-game events, and even win items via a scratch-off game, and a new element coming called "Instant Action," which is... exactly what it sounds like.
