In this special month-long series, I talk about various MMORPGs I have played over the years and the things I enjoyed best about them. This series celebrates how social media and social games bring people together, no matter the distance. The MMORPG for Week #3 is RIFT.
Special Dedication
Next month marks 5 years since a very special change in my life. I was, at the time, an officer in a guild in RIFT. I was dealing with depression and playing late into the night to distract myself. One evening, around 5 AM, I told fellow guildmates to ask me anything they wanted and I would answer. So they found out about my favorite books, movies, actors, colors, music. You name it, they asked it.
A few days later, I received a random IM in the game from someone in the guild. It was this guy named Eyarn who led small raids and slivers, but wasn't an officer. He said that, based on the answers to those questions, I seemed like the sort of person he could really talk to. He'd been dealing with some things, too. I'm glad I stopped and took the time to talk with him, because we've now been married for 4 years and I can't imagine life without him. Today is his birthday, so this entry about RIFT is dedicated to him.
I love you, Steven.💕
What is RIFT?
RIFT is an MMORPG set in a fantasy world called Telara. Telara exists as a focal point for the elemental planes, and as a result there is an alliance of dragon deities who rule the various planes that wants to break through and invade and claim it for their own -- and thus access everywhere else freely to wreak havoc.
There are two factions who oppose this: Guardians and Defiants. Guardians are deity-focused champions who believe the gods of Telara will give them the strength they need to protect it, and their Ascended (players) are resurrected heroes from the past. The Defiants put their faith in science and technology, with their Ascended being resurrected through that technology after studying the soul structure of the Ascended Guardians and have been sent back in time from an apocalyptic future to change the fate of Telara.
So you have two factions at odds with one another, and a world that is constantly being attacked by invasions from the other planes -- these are called Rifts. One of the main objectives in the game is to combat the invaders and close the rifts that open, as well as fight the Telaran-based cults who are trying to help the dragons succeed.
Why I Started Playing
Way back yonder in 2012, I was introduced to the Extra Life charity by the current community manager of Lord of the Rings Online, Sapience (Rick Heaton). Even though I only had a month or so to do it, I signed up and raised a few hundred dollars in that first year. Trion Worlds, the creator of RIFT, gave a pack of goodies to all Extra Life participants. Encouraged by freebies, I made a character and gave it a shot. I was iffy about it at first (and the game wasn't even 2 years old), and was turned off by the subscription nature of it... and went back to LOTRO.
I returned to RIFT after they discontinued the subscription fee, and putzed my way through things without really understanding a lot of what was going on -- but I liked the sassy dialogues and pop culture jokes the developers wove into their storytelling, and I was excited to learn more about the dragon cults and potentially fight them as I leveled up.
I ended up in a large guild called [REDACTED] in February of 2015. I was a little nervous about it, as the kinship I'd tried to trust in LOTRO had turned out to be awful and I'd had to leave. I was hoping for a better run in RIFT as I took a break from Middle-earth. It was only a few months in when the guild leader asked if I'd enjoy being an officer and what sort of role I'd want to have. I ended up becoming a roleplay officer and I did my best to kick off roleplay for the guild. I'm happy to say that at least for that full summer, the roleplay was booming. Towards the end of the summer, I was even running other content with other officers. I learned how to lead raids and helped out with those, too.
Why I (Kinda) Continue to Play
In late December of 2015, various issues and drama moved myself, a handful of other officers, and then several of our non-officer friends to leave the big guild. Burned out, we took a break from the game. I returned in March of 2016 after moving 800 miles to get married, and I started my own small guild. Most of the departees joined, and a few strangers found it and joined as well, but the activity level was never more than occasional. (If you want a safe space and some guild perks as you solo through the game, feel free to look up
Spectral Gryphon on
Faeblight.)
I still log into RIFT on a near-daily basis. Usually it's just to claim the daily gift from the store, work through the daily rewards calendar, and put my minions to work to gather materials (which I then sell in the auction house for profit). I've leveled Spectral Gryphon up to rank 15, and I sometimes run through Chronicles or Instant Adventures just for the fun of it -- I really enjoy the Intrepid Adventures as they give me practice with my class builds.
Sadly, the game is definitely in maintenance mode. A while back it was sold/purchased by Gamigo and most of the team was let go. There's just a small group working on the game from what I understand, and no new content has been released since the underwhelming Celestial Storm... which was 3 years ago. They recolor mounts, rename items, and toss out some gimmicky "new" things... but it's clear that the game will only last as long as people are paying money into it.
I wish I could play through the Infernal Dawn raid again. That one was the best! Well, except for having to tell someone every time not to jump in the lava. (I'm looking at you, Aoddreas.)
Social Media
Despite the maintenance mode, there are still plenty of things to play through, experience, and do in Telara! I encourage you to experience this game while you still can. Unless you PVP in MMOs, you'll find plenty to do. (Sorry, but I hear that PVP is pretty much dead in the water at this point.)
Website: https://www.trionworlds.com/rift/en/
News: https://www.trionworlds.com/rift/en/community/
Wiki: https://telarapedia.gamepedia.com/Rift_Wiki
Forums: http://forums.riftgame.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/riftgame
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdEl0H8pQ5z1o_njrta_mUQ
Facebook: h
ttps://www.facebook.com/RIFTgame
Have you played RIFT? Leave some comments here or on Twitter about how @Riftgame has brought you together with other players, and be sure to tell them that #GamerReverieBlog sent you!
A few days later, I received a random IM in the game from someone in the guild. It was this guy named Eyarn who led small raids and slivers, but wasn't an officer. He said that, based on the answers to those questions, I seemed like the sort of person he could really talk to. He'd been dealing with some things, too. I'm glad I stopped and took the time to talk with him, because we've now been married for 4 years and I can't imagine life without him. Today is his birthday, so this entry about RIFT is dedicated to him.
Awww! You are the best!
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