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Rift, and the search for a new/old MMO to play.
I have been lately (once again) searching for an MMO which I can get into, while I wait for a new round of MMOs to be released in the distant future. Over the years I've played many of the big ones - EQ, WoW, Rift, AoC, GW, GW2, SWOTOR, Archeage, and more, and lately I've tried really hard to get back into several of them. I know that a lot of people here know what this process is like.
Finally I stumbled once again into Rift. Every time that I do, I'm amazed and surprised that it never became more popular than it did. I probably played it heavily for a year and a half, mostly for PvE and raiding. But I've been really impressed this time around how much development has been going on since I left. It's so huge and full of interesting features. I wonder why it is that it isn't busier. Do people just not like the art style? I always found it a bit off also, but I was able to get over it after playing for a while. The raiding in my experience (compared to WoW, for example) was always top notch. PvE was dynamic and interesting, far before GW2 came along with its more dynamic questing. It has a great gear progression and a post level-cap progression system as well. I'd be curious to hear what others who have tried it but not like it felt about it?
Comments
One thing I do remember from when I played before, was that the starting zone sucks so bad. I don't know if they've changed that, I haven't checked, but it was a real drag to make alts because of it. There is only one zone, per faction, which all characters start out in.
Come to think of it, I think FFXIV also suffered from a terrible start experience. You'd think with all the effort that goes into making an MMO, developers would really get this right.
Rift actually has a ton of variety in the actual world and gameplay, compared to most other MMOs I've played. How far did you get?
It's a well made carrot-on-a-stick game. You progress from one quest hub to another in order. Quest are chain quest making it so you cant play with the guy standing next to you because he is on a different part than you. It's forced solo unless you match quest for quest with some one. If you take a day off, and they play you would have to sync quest again.
MMOs should not be made like this !
Now it's F2P, at least to me I'll never go back no matter what they fix.
I like rift's soul system. Their housing is among the best in the genre. And I like the rift events better than gw2s events. The community is good. Dungeons and raids are better than most. It's all around a very decent game. IMHO, there's just some better MMOs to choose from right now.
I've always loved Rift, and Trion as a company, but due to my work schedule I can't do raiding like I used to and, unfortunately, all Rift has that I really enjoy is the Raids and PvP... Beyond that it is very boring. They made questing/leveling a little less bland, but it is still very grindy. Rift is undoubtedly the best F2P game IMO in spite of these flaws... Obviously if PvP or Raiding isn't someone's thing then they'll disagree, but it has been mentioned many times before that Rift has the best F2P model.
Because of reasons explained above, my time has been split between FFXIV and Planetside 2. I always have, and always will have, a sweet spot for Planetside. It gives me my PvP fix and an easy go-to game if I just want to relax and wreck face. FFXIV is the best sub-based game IMO and it has more to offer than any game that I can think of. It's only downfall is that it can be a bit grindy, but along with an amazing story and the other stuff you can do there's no reason you should get burnt-out... and the way the game opens up towards the end is certainly worth the time taken to get there.
I feel exactly the way you do!
I played Rift several years ago, and had to let it go due to work. I returned maybe 6-8 months later, but then I was so far behind I didn't want to "catch up", so I opted to start ESO. That was a huge disappointment. I also tried Archeage, but I didn't like the requirement of being logged in all the time. Anyway, I'm a little frustrated and am looking for another game that gave me excitement Rift did.
I'm currently watching Cabal 2. I haven't been able to get to play the beta, but the vids on youtube look promising. I don't like the fact that it's F2P, they end up being more expensive than P2P, but if it's good, I'm willing to invest in it.
I just want an enjoyable game without feeling I'm being taxed by the company to purchase more and more. Maybe it's just me.
That most company, but I didn't like how company keep dropping expansion no way to avoid it need to pay for it or your play time be limited as everyone is max level but you can't with out paying why I see P2P big cash grab as much more then some F2P, thats why I'm stuck with F2P not locked away to play max level or content most F2P don't do this.
Really. What didn't you like about the soul system? It was really one of my favorite parts of the game, back when I played it. Very flexible classes, lot's of room for customization and creativity in making builds. What's not to like?
They've basically made it so that every class (Mage, Warrior, Rogue. Cleric) can play every role (Melee DPS, Ranged DPS, Support, Healer, Tank). I find the idea of a Mage Tank to be ridiculous and a Ranged DPS Warrior throwing "magic spears" to be only slightly less so.
I played on and off since 1.4 but something about this latest patch just turned me off and burned me out. Maybe it's the fact the 10-man's first boss is the hardest or that the loot grind in general just stopped interesting me. It's a polished themepark MMO but it's not for me right now. YMMV
I used to like Rift a lot, I took part in raids about 3-4 times a week.
The areas are very generic -- pretty greenland, gloomy forest, desert, etc. all randomly next to each other with no real thought into the landscapes. The quests are completely generic too and poorly written. Still, the end game was very good.
In the last year or so it's become much more cash orientated. Lockboxes everywhere, more essential stuff put behind paywalls, the awful freemium/p2w 'minion' game, etc. Population is very low compared to what it was just a year ago. They also pretty much destroyed the pvp system. The classes have become so generic you can play any to do whatever you want, as long as you pay for the new ones of course. None of the people I played with who'd been with the game from the start stayed.
In short, it was a good game. Now it's being milked for cash.
It was maybe that way some time ago, but today there is no customization and creativity left at all. There are a few "viable" souls with set in stone builds and rotations and if you want to do any kind of group content you have to play one of such. Anything else than 2-3 cookie cutters is a blasphemy in the eyes of the "pros".
The soul system had a potential but laziness and unwillingness to take care of it and maintain the balance (apparently devs are more busy making new mounts for the store) destroyed any fun one may have had with it.
Same goes for crafting, latest patches effectively killed the economy, supposedly to please the raiders who cried about too high prices of upgrading parts (and make some extra cash again).
The only truly unique and fun feature in game is housing but it is gated behind so many walls one cannot really enjoy it either.
I would say - stay out of Rift, not worth the time and effort.
Mount there income to keep the game running, time need to put in and people don't want mount to feel cheap, but right now there busy adding a new zone and a new class, for raiding yes is not dev problem that guilds want top max dps, can't balance all outcome with out being to op.
Crafting thats not true, still better then befor and economy on selling crafted item got even better, and it's not high prices, at start it was but was new need market to stable it self.
Only main thing that some souls need to be bring up to a better level, balance good luck it's a trade off to have unique builds, but in any mmo in general still have the people if your not in this spec, or this gear so on so on will never end, unless make all the same class never be any unique to them.
Is up to people to stay out rift, is it worth there time? who knows is them to find out is not like max level is on a paywall like other mmo.
i agree with you..for end game raiding you must do as elitists are telling you..very raid centric and a huge gear grind..also if i want to go back to rift today.. i can not play with my guild mates because they are raiding t2 and i still dont have t1 gear..far behind them..solution is to pay like 1000$ to catch up(yes the t1 gear and weapon from cash shop cost 1000$) ..or beg guild leader to run t1 raids for your sake only..rift is kind of game that you should have time..be online for at least 70% of raiding..and you better pay for subscription because of 40% more of everything basically including token/currency you need to buy gear or upgrading gear.
if you have both..play rift it is fun game..if you do not have time or money.. you better stay away from it.
Zaber, could I please kindly ask you to learn the difference between "there" and "their"? (If I posted this on Rift forum I would probably get a week long ban) - because it is hard to read your posts for non native English speaker.
Recycled mounts are not going to keep the F2P game going unless there is some real content, no matter how expensive those mounts "feel".
Crafting is gone, what on earth are you selling to think different? Raw mats at half price? Because amenders dont sell at all, even at the roughly price of mats. Yes, I am talking EU server but dont think NA will be spared from going downhill.
The souls balancing is absolutely devs problem, if everyone plays warrior with single build then it is obvious something is very wrong with the game. Yes, I am aware that you defend reaver on the official Rift forum with the passion, you like being OP with derpspec who wouldnt. But how it affects the game overall? Devs have the power to adjust the game no matter what their special raiding snowflakes whine about, and they should. You and your clique should get off those high horses and realize finally you are not doing any favor to the game you seemingly love so much.
In real content in what way? the free content they give don't make them money, if the rift team keep bring out content left and right is not going help them as people burn content in a few weeks that content takes 3 to 6 months to make, new raid coming out with a new zone, only have life span of 6 month unless there a replay value like HK IA.
And btw there more then just recycled mounts.
Crafting is not gone, amenders been selling my end, people do buy them, even the crafting mats most needed, not the one that the market full of.
Yes souls balancing is deb problem but, if a soul that does 5% more dps then a other soul you know how hard to make them same dps rate? and people forget no one in the same gear or play the game, so many factors in it.
Yes I did defend reaver, but people forget the souls befor reaver came out, cleric inquisitor? forget that there can do mass of amount damage and keep them self heals for a short point of time in combat. Is what I am pointing that people like to complain nerf this soul but don't nerf this soul as I'm want to be op.
Is reaver strong yes? like other some souls yes, reaver like the other souls there always a soul + combo will take out that other soul, the game is more around team play then 1 vs 1.
But anyhow if you can't unstand then can't help you from people catching some type of rage flu, like many new thing was made this year but nope people still blind what they see.
I never liked the rifts myself, after a few they just felt too similar and became a grind for me.
Then again, I didn't play the game that long, it wasn't bad but it just didn't work for me, not sure why.