Heroes of Telara aka Rift: Planes of Telara

http://www.heroesoftelara.com/

http://www.warcry.com/news/view/92103-Heroes-of-Telara-Official-Site-Launched

Trion’s MMO is Heroes of Telara

Trion today revealed some light details about its first title, Heroes of Telara. Heroes of Telara makes its debut at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this week in Los Angeles at the Trion booth - Suite #405, Concourse Hall.
Very little is known about the game at this point except that it will be a high fantasy themed MMORPG offering an open class system with sub-classes. Trion promises a system that will be easy to learn and a world with lots of dynamic in-game events that will challenge players. The term “massively social MMORPG” is also being thrown around, and it sounds like Trio is taking aim directly with World of Warcraft players with the whole focus on “shared adventures with anyone regardless of skill level.”
Hopefully we’ll be hearing a lot more about the game this week. A release date for the game has not been revealed as of this writing.

Trion's fantasy MMORPG Heroes of Telara official website is live today, featuring the E3 trailer, first screenshots, concept art and wallpapers.
The game description page promises huge control zones and epic PvE battles, and stressing the following points:

The Right Hero at the Right Time:
Rise to the challenge of the unexpected, use the deep sub-class system to customize your abilities to prevail and become the hero.

Battle Hordes of Enemies:
Engage in intense "one vs. many" battles where enemy groups behave as a horde, while you fight using an easy-to-learn combat system.

Play with Anyone:
Experience the world and share your journeys with players of all levels. Your destiny is in your hands.

Master Every Skill:
Train in every profession and engage in any crafting activity. Use the dynamic class system to specialize in prestigious class abilities.

Dynamic Multiplayer
Unite with your friends and plan play-sessions around scheduled events that change on a regular basis. Exciting area quests offer seamless grouping and unique rewards.

Control Territories
Join a faction and participate in the struggle to control territories where you monopolize access to epic rewards.


Discover a Limitless World
Explore a stunning adventure-filled world as you achieve rewards for your heroic accomplishments —a world completely open to you, regardless of your rank.

The images look absolutely gorgeous and you can feast your eyes on the full gallery here.

For more about Heroes of Telara, check the official site here!

looks interesting.. p2p i assume?

no idea heh.most likely p2p but since its not mention on website i assume they not decided on the issue yet,so maybe f2p?lol or one time payment like guildwars and u only pay for expansion ^^

The graphics look very nice indeed, one to watch maybe?

looks good

Nah, too many p2p games comming out soon . Too bad most of em will only be killing each other :/

hmm I find the features REALLY promising for team/guild play

This one sounds like an awesome game for long term and stick arround witht the whole guild.

Being able to play with any lvl char in team is key for this.

ya snow.if they deliver what they promise in the features i think this game will be better then even C9 or blade & soul.i love a mmo with sub classes and freedom to master all skills according to the branch u chose.and C9 is more instance based and have no targeting system being more to arcade style kind of battle.

hope its coming out soon tot.i hate to wait 2 years heh

Hehe yeah if they only just announce it now, it will prolly be 2 years before CB.

Or if they rush maybee less, but then you can be pretty sure that half of the features will still be missing or brokent when it's out. So rather wait 2y then quit the game after a week cuz it is broken.

It's always interesting to see how a company chooses to start a gameplay demonstration; especially when they're showing the game for the first time. After the big announcement that Trion World Networks is developing Heroes of Telara, we had the chance to see it for ourselves. "Trion is doing server based, MMORPGs. What that means is that Trion is moving more of the systems off the client and onto the server. Things like AI, Physics and World Simulation." said Russ Brown, Trion's Senior Development Director before he went on to explain that this allows them to do exciting, spontaneous scripted events that can be executed at whatever time they want, from the server side.

While this direction isn't exactly exciting by itself, it does have potential to be. Actually, the word "potential" is the best word I can think of to describe Heroes of Telara. That's not to be taken negatively; I'll take a game with potential over a game that's obviously flawed any day of the week.

The first detail that's important to note about the game is that it has a unique class/subclass system. Players don't choose which class they'll be when they create their character. Moreover, players can freely switch between classes in certain areas. Think Final Fantasy XI, but with a twist. "One of the ways we drive the world, is when an NPC dies, you can pick up new sub-classes and new abilities. Additionally when you complete quests, you can gain new subclasses and new abilities." Russ explained. This plays a major role in how players will engage PvE content. Players will constantly be switching between classes & subclasses to best deal with an encounter. You could raise the concern that this feature effectively takes away the ability for your character to feel unique. But then I suppose that also raises the question of whether or not the negative in that outweighs the potential positive. It's easy to see the potential in this, but how will the metaphorical teeter-totter fall? Unfortunately in game design, unique ideas don't always come with a long lifespan. I digress…

One of the features that got my attention was the dynamic "Heroic Quests" that players will encounter as they explore the game.  For anyone who's tried Warhammer Online, these will be familiar as they are essentially an upgraded version of "Public Quests". Russ demonstrated several different Heroic Quests but the best example began with a massive explosion. The nearby town that we had recently visited was under attack by Imps, Demons and ... Bears (oh my). Players who choose to participate in Heroic Quests like this one will need to complete several steps in order to finish the Heroic Quest, and in this particular example, save the city from burning to the ground.

I mentioned some of the problems that Public Quests in Warhammer Online suffered and asked how they plan to do their Heroic Quests differently, to avoid the same problems. Russ explained their plans by saying, "We want to encourage low levels to do something. For instance, in that demon fight we might have them put out the fires or ask them to kill the imps." While this could potentially solve one of the major issues that disable this type of content in Warhammer Online, the team is still unsure if the difficulty will be scaled, based on the number of participants.

As far as how the world looks, rest assured, the first trailer is indicative of how beautiful this game really is. They chose a "stylistic" yet "realistically rendered" method and they definitely have something unique in that department. However, as we've learned in the past, amazing graphics can often alienate players due to high system requirements. In this economy, it's probably not smart to be developing a game that can't be enjoyed without the purchase of a new computer. This isn't to speculate that you'll need a new computer to run Heroes of Telara; however, when I asked about system requirements, they made it clear that the game had not been optimized yet so it was impossible to give us any system requirement estimates.

While we're talking about graphics, it's important to note that the game demonstrated some of the longest draw distances I've ever seen. You could see so much of the environment it was hard not to be awestruck. "We're going to have long draw distances, so you can see things like castles or geological formations that are really cool and drive you through the game." Russ mentioned.

In the end, Heroes of Telara is a beautiful game with some new ideas and improvements to ideas that have potential. That said, it's difficult to tell this early if the game will deliver on its promises and make the right decisions during their drive down the long road ahead.

---

Heroes of Telara is being developed in Trion's Redwood City, CA studio. They're hoping to launch the game sometime in 2010. Currently they're still exploring what kind of business model to use for the game, but it's certainly easy to assume that it will be subscription based, and competitively priced. Understandably, they had no comment as to what the required system specifications will be –- and currently they only have plans to release the game on the PC (sorry Apple users).

new site update and forum is up

http://www.riftgame.com/en/

this game looks really nice, presentation looks very well done so far. Wonder when they play on releasing CB

Yah looks very nice !

2011 planned release.wont be out soon ^^ but at least they didn hype it for 3-4 years like secret world lol

They'r making another action mmorpg in coop with Syfy channel on TV.

There gonna be a TV serie on the game, and whatever players do on the game changes the events on the TV serie. So It might be nice to check out this one as well, they didnt said anything more on it since the game is in development, but it's might be a new way for mmorpg XD

I had the pleasure to spend last Thursday evening in the company of
my peers in San Francisco, being treated to a bevy of sneak previews and
demos of games from Trion Worlds. No longer going by the name “Trion
World Network” the company has changed their brand and logo to reflect
their focus: to create and innovate in the online gaming arena.
Co-founder and CEO Dr. Lars Buttler took center stage after a brief time
spent scarfing down appetizers in order to introduce us to the
company’s new look and moniker. But the real star of the evening was
undoubtedly the games, and we didn’t have to wait long to find out just
what Trion has been up to in the year since they last showed their hand
at E3 2009.

Scott Hartsman, who gamers might recognize from the
glory days of Everquest and Everquest 2, is the Chief Creative Officer
of Trion’s Redwood City, California studio. At last year’s E3 Trion
unveiled plans for their flagship MMORPG, Heroes of Telara. We were
told it would be a revolutionary fantasy MMORPG with some truly unique
ideas… then everything went dark. Heroes of Telara went into
ninja-stealth mode and hardly a word was uttered about it in the time
since. The silence was finally broken Thursday night with the unveiling
of a brand new trailer, along with a brand new name.

Heroes of Telara is no more. Long live Rift:
Planes of Telara. Aside from being an all around (in my
opinion) better and more interesting identity for the game, the new
title ties thematically into the game’s rather deep and involved lore.
The world of Telara is experiencing a sort of dimensional phenomenon
called “Rifts” which are basically portals to another dimension or plane
of existence. The Rifts are causing creatures and life from other
worlds to seep into and threaten Telara. It would appear that the
beings from other planes aren’t interested in being friends with the
people of Telara.


There are two factions of belief concerning the
Rifts on Telara.

There are those who believe the powered offered by the
Rifts is sacred and to be revered through the upkeep of ancient
vigils.

These folks are called the Guardians: sort of your standard
good guys.

Then there are the Defiants.
These are the more rebellious people of Telara.

They see the Rifts as a gift and a potential source
of power. Rather than upholding the vigil, the Defiants want nothing
more than to harness the Rifts’ power despite the danger inherent within
them. As you can probably guess,

these Rifts are the primary
characteristic of the game. Rift: Planes of Telara is very much a
fantasy-themed game in the vein of Everquest, World of Warcraft,
and other titles in the genre.

However it’s the title’s art style and
extremely vibrant HD graphics that will help distinguish it from the
pack. The trailer we were presented with highlighted the game’s
stunning visuals. The artists at Trion seem to be channeling Jim Henson
in the way their characters and creatures look and move.

It was
readily apparent from Scott’s presentation that the development staff is
putting a lot of effort into nailing a cohesive and original look for
the game. The lighting, armor, water, and animations all looked worthy
of a finished product and the game’s still only in the alpha stage.
Scott
gave away a few more details before stepping down for the other
presenters. Trion aims to continuously evolve their storyline and the
shape of the world itself through the use of the Rifts.

Plot points and
major social events will all be fed through these tears in the world
that open up to other planes of existence.

As a way to truly bring
players together across the world, create factional conflict, and in
general make for more than just a theme-park, the Rifts will be the
developer’s way of keeping the game alive and fresh each day.

For the time being we know of at least two
different planes which will seek to move in on Telara through the
Rifts. The Plane of Death is much like it sounds: a dark horrific
existence.

Meanwhile the Plane of the Life represents a more primal and
naturalistic world filled with creatures that are akin to plants.
Scott promised there were many more planes to be revealed, but that for
now these two are the ones they’re prepared to share.

Really the
possibilities of the Rift system are endless and only limited by the art
department’s imagination, so it will be interesting to see what else
the team can come up with before the proposed 2011 launch.
Hartsman
also briefly talked about the class system in place. At E3 last year,
it was revealed that the game was targeting the ability for players to
switch classes on the fly in-game and level each class independently on
the same character.

It wasn’t clear whether that early design decision
was still in place, but Scott and the other developers at the demo
kiosks assured us that we’d know more about their class system in time
and that we wouldn’t be disappointed.

What Scott did reveal was that each character’s
life in Telara essentially begins with their death.

Each player is
thereafter referred to as an “Ascended Soul”. We didn’t get to see how
this comes about, but one can assume it’s handled during the tutorial
stages of the game and serves as a handy way of dealing with death and
resurrection from a lore perspective.

Perhaps as an allusion to the
game’s class system, Scott also mentioned that during their adventures
players will encounter, take on, and take into themselves the souls of
other heroes.

Whether this means that a sort of multi-classing is still
in place remains to be seen, but it certainly sounds as if the
designers have a few tricks up their sleeves.

All said and done,
Rift: Planes of Telara came out looking like a bold new take on a
familiar game style. The Rifts themselves, dynamically spawning social
events that can happen any time in the game world are potentially a very
exciting way to bring players together and give them common goals or
even something to fight over given the game’s competing factions.

After
the presentation we had the chance to demo the game with the developers
and came away with a good grasp on what the title’s all about. Check
back later for our demo coverage of Rift: Planes of Telara.

Today at E3 2010, Trion revealed a Soul Attunement System
for their upcoming MMOG Rift: Planes of Telara. The Soul Attunement system
offers players nearly endless customization. In Rift: Planes of Telara,
you're encouraged to experiment with many combinations of souls and
abilities to discover the path that's right for you!




Details from the official site
Souls
Players choose an Ascended Soul from one of the four callings (Warrior, Cleric, Mage,
and Rogue) at character creation. These initial souls,
which grow in power as they become more specialized, are flexible and
have well-rounded abilities that make them great for both solo and group
experiences. Players can later choose to augment, or even replace,
embraced souls with other souls from within their calling. The process
of enabling souls that players discover in their adventures is called
Soul Attunement.
Players will also gain more specialized "Heroic Souls" that open up a
number of new and exciting gameplay experiences, offering special
achievements and rewards for players who discover them all.

The Soul Tree
Each attuned soul grants players access to a unique "Soul Tree,"
which contains all of the traits and abilities that a soul had mastered
during its life. As your character levels up, you earn soul points that
can be used to improve that tree's soul level, granting players access
to even more powerful traits and abilities.
The Soul Tree - Branch Advancement




Players invest their soul points into the branches of the Soul Tree,
picking and choosing the specific abilities and passive traits they
desire. With each point spent, the Soul Tree increases in level,
periodically unlocking new advancement options higher up the tree.
The Soul Tree - Root Advancement




Players automatically unlock new "root" abilities as the Soul Tree
increases in level. If the branches represent the unique choices a
player makes, the root represents the core power of the soul that all
players have access to. Root abilities unlock quickly at first, but slow
down as the tree's soul-level increases.
Multiple Souls




As an Ascended grows in power, so does his or her ability to attune
souls. Leveling a character will unlock the ability to attune additional
souls. A maximum-level player will be able to attune up to three souls
of their choosing!

Check out the latest information on Trion World's
upcoming MMO, Rift: Planes of Telara. Mike B. aka Fony grills Scott
Hartsman on the details of the game and more!

Rift: Planes of
Telara is one of the biggest MMOs coming down the pipe, and we got our
very own in-depth interview with Scott Hartsman, one of the leading
minds in the MMO industry and the man behind the current iteration of
Rift: Planes of Telara (formerly known as Heroes of Telara). Our very
own Mike B. aka Fony was on hand to grill the MMO guru, so take a gander
to see what he found out!

Join us at
GamesCom and PAX for Rift Beta codes! Players at GamesCom 2010 in
Cologne, Germany expect to be awed by Rift: Planes of Telara,
and Trion is coming through big-time. Anyone who visits the Trion Worlds
booth will have their dedication
rewarded with a free chance to join the upcoming Rift closed
Beta. If you can't make it out to Cologne, fans attending Seattle's PAX
will receive Beta codes as well. Many exciting revelations
await GamesCom attendees, including a chance to play the Guardians
faction. The
original Ascended, the Guardians have their own vision for Telara as
they step up to confront both the all-consuming Regulos and the
rebellious Defiant. Players will brave new zones and confront new
creatures invading Telara through blazing Fire Rifts, all of which will
be unveiled at GamesCom and
PAX.

An
exclusive first look at the righteous power of Paladins
Paladins stand as a bulwark against their foes, deflecting even the
most monstrous blows with their heavy shield and divine blessings.
These glorious defenders of the weak deflect incoming damage and
retaliate with devastating counterattacks. Martial skill and the
blessing of their patron gods
let Paladins extend their protection to nearby allies. Fans can learn more about Paladins on the Rift:
Planes of Telara website.
Just like this exclusive on Paladins, we'll be debuting
information on all your favorite social networks. Follow Rift
on Twitter, or
join the community on the official forums. Be the first to scoop exclusive
news and promotions, and keep an eye out for the exciting contest coming
soon to Facebook. Make sure to "like" our page for your
chance to win!

Trion Worlds invited us out to San Francisco to check out their
upcoming games Rift: Planes of Telara and the MMORTS End of Nations.
While at the Trion HQ (which from the outside looks like the lair of a
badass supervillain, by the way), I got a chance to sit down with
Trion’s Chief Creative Manager Scott Hartsman for a one-on-one interview
on Rift: Planes of Telara.
According to Scott, Rift is a “very dynamic MMO
world” and he went on to explain the differences between the two
factions players can choose from in the game. Players can choose between
the Defiant and Guardian factions. The Defiant are a technology-based
faction who throw caution to the wind and seek out forbidden
“world-destroying” technology to pursue their cause. The Guardians are
the “chosen ones of the gods” as the gods require an army, and this army
consists of the best men and women of particular specializations,
whether or not they were good or bad people in life. The two factions
are also at civil war with each other over a resource known as
Sourcestone. Sourcestone is used to power Defiant technology, while the
Guardians use it to commune with the gods.
Scott
describes the world of Telara as being under attack by six different
planes, the planes of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, and Death and he
also made note of the fact that Rift is replete with the typical
features players would expect in a modern MMO ranging anywhere from
loot, to dungeons to mounts, but he also points out two key features of
Rift that truly set itself apart from other MMOs.Of course, the
obvious key feature to Rift is well, Rifts! But it goes further than
that; Scott describes the high-end of the rift feature as “invasions”.
Invasions are masses of forces entering the world of Telara from a
particular plane (or several planes) complete with their own agendas,
which can get real hairy as the forces of the six planes don’t
necessarily get along with each other. Of course, players can also
choose to ignore these invasions if they occur in territory of an
opposing faction or they can actively participate in the invasion aiding
the NPCs in trashing their enemy’s footholds. If ignored, players will
find that their quest hubs are overrun by invading NPCs, and the world
around the areas that have been invaded will look reflective of the
particular plane that overran it. Players will even be able to tell
where an invading force came from by visible “planar tracks” along the
ground.
Rift
offers a multi-class system dubbed the “Ascended Soul” system and while
this is all good and dandy, obviously many gamers look at this and
think of the potential balance issues, so I asked Scott about their
plans to deal with balance issues and he had a pretty surprising
response. Scott actually enjoys people thinking about the balance
challenges, as he feels that people are thinking of ways that
combinations could end up being “too much fun” and that their stance is
that they don’t even really want the system to be perfectly balanced.
Indeed, Scott doesn’t even believe achieving perfect balance is
something to aspire to, as players would be able to do everything and no
one would feel special. Scott doesn’t view balance as a huge issue in a
game like Rift where you can switch things at a whim, as opposed to
your typical MMO where if something gets nerfed you may be stuck with
it. Ultimately, Scott expects that there will be “out of balance”
builds, but that the possibilities are so great with the soul system
that players can discover new “out of balance” builds to trump or
counter one already in existence.Worried that players might
discover a one-size-fits-all optimal spec, Scott assured me that this
would not happen, though he admits that undoubtedly there will be
optimal builds for specific activities. For example, players might
create optimal runner builds for certain game modes, or super tough
tanks for Capture the Flag PvP. However, the latter example would be
slow and heavy and not quite as useful in a situation that requires a
runner, so it wouldn’t be perfect for everything. “Fail” builds will be
possible as well, but since you can switch builds around any time you
like you can easily sort your build out.
Discussing
the soul system a bit further, I wanted to find out about what sorts of
limitations your initial calling imposed on you as well as what exactly
is involved in the acquisition of additional souls. As far as
limitations go, your armor proficiency is basically limited by your
calling, so a plate wearer like a warrior can wear anything, while a
mage would be limited to cloth and such. The acquisition of souls is
gradual as you level up, with two souls being awarded to you from within
your archetype at specific intervals. Other souls can be acquired
through various in-game activities such as crafting or even raiding.Explorers
will be pleased to know that Trion is considering the explorer
playstyle as well. Artifacts and Collections are described by Scott as
basically collectible items found in the game world that can be turned
in for a reward once a collection is completed. This encourages players
to stray off the beaten path that going from quest hub to quest hub
tends to create. Trion intends on creating a beautiful world and Scott
says they want their players to see it.As far as PvP goes, Scott
tells us that we can expect to see three quality warfronts
(battlegrounds) at launch, as they are testing five or six right now and
they expect the best ones to rise to the top. The idea being that
they’d rather have three solid offerings over six that are “meh” as “no
one comes back to meh.” One of the warfronts they are testing at the
moment actually incorporates the rift gameplay as well.
Scott
briefly touched on crafting as well. Players can expect an array of
typical harvesting and crafting tradeskills such as mining or harvesting
and they can have up to three of these active per character.Closing
things out, Scott and I discussed the impact of population balance on
their game as they make use of a two-faction system which has been shown
to be problematic for other games in the past, but Scott feels trying
to win that battle isn’t really possible, so they intend to make up the
player deficit by introducing NPCs where necessary.

ZAM dives into a build of Trion's upcoming fantasy
MMO and experiences life as a Nightblade on the side of the Defiants.
The Gods be damned.

I am Defiant.
Not only in faction, but in action. The gods mock us, and I hold no
love for them. All that is holy to me resides not in the skies or in the
piety of the sanctimonious, but in the steel of my blades and my
resolve. I embrace all the worldly technology that will help me bring
down the deceivers and save my home, my Telara, from the planar rifts
and the foulspawn. I do my part by striking down my enemies from a
distance, from behind, or in their face so they can see who brings their
end. I am Kelari, I am a Nightblade and I am Defiant.
For
me, part of playing a MMO is being able to immerse myself in the story.
As good actors do, I like to uncover my motivations and drives so I can
understand what my purpose is in the game. In Rift: Planes of Telara,
my world is being torn apart by rifts from the different Elemental
Planes. It's a world that I love, and now it needs me to help save it.
As a member of the Defiants, my character has been deemed worthy to aid
Telara and I have been resurrected from death using technology
worshipped by my faction. My opponents, the Guardians, also strive to
save Telara, but they believe the gods will help them. Their belief is
misplaced and their continued reliance on their poorly formed ideals
will only hasten the demise of my beloved world.
Three races comprise the Defiants and each race comes with its own
set of special abilities. My compatriots are the human Eth, the tattooed
Bahmi and my own Kelari. When we become Ascended Souls for our fight,
we can choose how we look in the character creation screen through a
variety of sliders that adjust facial and body features, hair,
colorations and numerous other features that help make each character
unique. I chose the Kelari, because little is known about them yet and I
prefer a little mystery as I explore the game. And I made my look as
non-heroic as possible (short, stocky and relatively unattractive) since
my mind and wits will be what save me and the world.

My next job, before entering the game, was to choose my Calling. Each
of the four callings – Warrior, Cleric, Rogue and Mage – has its own
branches (called Souls). I enjoy stealth and covert operations so I
chose Rogue Nightblade, a character with both distance and in-your-face
attacks that can be launched from the shadows. As I advance in levels, I
can later expand to different rogue soul trees such as Ranger, Assassin
and Blade Dancer (a form of rogue tank), with a maximum of three souls
at any one time.
For those not interested in my type of calling, Defiants at the start
will be able to choose Reaver and Champion souls from the Warrior
class, Purifier and Inquisitor from the Cleric class, Warlock and
Elementalist from the Mage class, and Nightblade and Ranger from the
Rogue class. Guardians get a slightly different set, with Paladin
swapping for Reaver, Sentinel replacing Purifier, Pyromancer instead of
Warlock and Assassin interchanged with Nightblade. However, all the
souls will be available further into the leveling process for each
faction.Once I knew who I was and what my background was, it was time to
start saving the world. I began my quests in the Shadowlands, where a
variety of tasks got me familiar with my abilities as well as the
importance of my faction's reliance on technology. Even though the game
is in late alpha, the interface was fairly clean and easy to grasp. I
was pulling off combos and leveling in no time. As I leveled, I unlocked
various abilities in my Soul Tree. Certain abilities become available
automatically if you spend enough points in that tree. And you can
choose abilities from three trees at any one time. While a game like World of Warcraft
will eventually let you become dual spec at higher levels, Rift will
eventually allow you to become quad spec so that you have greater
versatility depending on the scenario you and your group face.

Playing the Nightblade was a fun experience and learning the nuances
was not an involved process. Mobs could be pulled with a stacking,
combo point-style ranged attack with other attacks being more powerful
depending on how big the stack was. I achieved stealth at an early
level, which made it easier to get around and bypass enemies if I
needed to. I hit level 10 before I died the first time, which proved an
interesting visual sight. As I got closer to death, the screen started
to gray and I could hear my heart beating faster. It's a cool effect
that lets you know your status without constantly having to glance at
your health bar. When you die, you lose a portion of your maximum
health, but it can be regained by eating special foods after you return
to life.
One of the unique things about Rift is the game play mechanic of
tears forming in the world. If these tears go unchecked, they grow into
full-fledged rifts that will spawn in wave after wave of creatures
from different elemental planes. If you come upon a tear, you can
launch yourself into it and fight the creatures before they materialize
on Telara. You must defeat anywhere from three to five waves of
creatures to close the tear. The same holds true if a rift opens:
Defeat the waves and close the rift. What makes this part of the game so
enjoyable is the extra cash and loot that you can derive from
participation. The more you participate, the more you get. I soloed a
few tears and rifts for my level and got cash and items that buffed my
gear, including the occasional magic item. If you help others close the
rift, the game rewards you based on your level of participation in
defeating the waves. I found that hunting for rifts and tears became an
enjoyable minigame unto itself.

By the time I hit level 12, my solo play session was wrapping up and
it was time to test one of the new instances being unveiled. The Realm
of the Fae was a level 30ish instance that required five players and a
premade character. I was already fond of the art style in the game,
but the instance was even more vibrant. The concept was a four-section
dungeon that played off each of the seasons, starting with spring. Each
season had a miniboss to defeat that offered up better loot than what
you could get from questing in the world. Our team was able to defeat
three of the minibosses before our play session came to an end. But the
instance was a good gauge of how easy it was to hold your own, despite
only learning the interface and mechanics a couple hours earlier.
The game is approaching beta, but it was amazing how stable it was
even in the alpha state. There were very few placeholders and the
mechanics and quests were solid. At a time when the industry is being
besieged by all manners of fantasy MMOs, the time I got with Rift has
solidified the game's place on my short wish list. I can only hope the
end product is as enjoyable as my play session.
My world needs saving … and I am Defiant.

just thought I'd bump this up http://www.riftgame.com/en/
You can now apply for the beta https://account.riftgame.com/en/outside/new_user.html




class system

Trion Worlds today revealed three new player classes found in the upcoming
MMORPG Rift: Planes of Telara. Detailed
information and screens for the Stormcaller, Justicar, and Warlord.



Warlord








Strengths

Warlords can draw upon vast tactical experience, empowering their allies and
weakening their enemies to change the course of battle.









Weaknesses

The Warlords focus on enhancing the capabilities of her allies leaves her
vulnerable when isolated from friendly ranks.








Background

Numbered among the greatest generals in Telaras history is Brte, daughter of
the Shalastir leader Bahmifor whom all Telaras Shalastir are named. Her
greatest triumph among many was breaking the Storm Legions hold over Iron Pine
Peaks. Though outnumbered four-to-one, she marched a mixed force of Telarans to
overtake Crucias stronghold.




When the Telarans saw the enormous horde arrayed against them, the war-machines
poised to spew death, and the elite Archons with their empty, compassionless
faces, despair seeped into their souls. Crucia took the first few skirmishes
through sheer numbers, and made an example of every captured Telarans slow
death.

Hope was already fragile before infiltrators from the Storm Legion began
whispering of relief through surrender. Their honeyed lies quickly took root in
hearts weakened by terror and fatigue. Hearing groans of resignation, Brte rode
before her army on the dawn of battle.



Children of Telara! I see the fear in your eyes, cold as these icy peaks. Let
your fury melt it away! Stand unbent before the forces of the Storm Queen, and
laugh at them for assuming you would break!



Our despair is Crucias strength, so she wants to break us, to see us submit.
But in standing against her now, we have already won! We are girded against her
victory by our unbroken spirits. We stand next to each other, emboldened by
hope: hope that our children will fear no planar whelp, and will only know of
the Blood Storm as proof their ancestors were strong!"



She paused to pass her gaze over the assembled throng, watching backs straighten
and eyes harden. In a not-so-distant place, my father led the Shalastir to
drive Crucia back! Today, I bid you do the same! Hold fast to this world! Rip
Telara from Crucias claws and break her fingers so she cannot grasp at us
again! Ride, my brothers! Fight, my sisters! CRUSH THEM!



The Telarans roared their triumph, driven forth with the fury of lions. Brtes
words shielded them and bolstered their attacks, healed their wounds, and kept
Crucia from controlling their minds. She led from the thick of the battle,
manipulating allies and enemies alike with auras of inspiration and
intimidation. As her main force tied down the brunt of the Legion, strike units
took out their fortifications before crushing their flank.




That day, the Telarans seized victory, imprisoned Crucia, and entombed her
forces in ice. Brtes tactics would be studied for generations to come, but
only Warlords of her tradition understood that it was inspiration, not mere
strategy, that shattered the storm that day.



Quotation

I know the battlefield like my own soul. Stand beside me, trust in my guidance,
and I will never let you fall.



Stormcaller








Strengths

Stormcallers weave Air and Water magic together, their spells reaching heights
of devastation in concert they could not achieve individually.









Weaknesses

Just as a storm cannot be wind or rain alone, the Stormcaller must combine
spells to reach peak devastation. They thus take longer to warm up than other
mages and are vulnerable to foes who know how to interrupt their rotation.








Background

It is said the Stormcaller Amunet could stop a mans heart with the shock of her
touch. Yet before she joined Thorvin Sternhammers crusade to imprison
Greenscale, Amunet was called the Weather Witch of the Emerald March. Without
the Justicars intercession, she would have burned at the stake as a heretic and
dragon-pawn.









In the rich farmlands of the March, Thorvins band encountered a land beset by
harsh storms and persistent frosts that had left fields washed out and barren.
The March folk lay blame on the Eth woman Amunet, who stuck out with her swarthy
skin and pale white hair threaded with silver. The crusaders found her bound to
a stake in the village square of Smiths Haven, surrounded by villagers bearing
torches. Thorvin stepped forth as the hand of divine judgment, and bid them
allow him to confront the condemned.



Do you have the power they accuse you of? he asked her.



I do, Amunet responded emotionlessly.

Did you cause the frost?



I did, said the witch.




Why?



A smirk curled on her lips. At last, someone bothers to ask.



As his men kept the villagers at bay, Thorvin untied Amunet. She led the party
onto the March, where frost withered the delicate leaves of the seedlings. The
Elven ranger Durnes wrinkled her nose, as the plants were rank with planar
taint. The witch explained that she had discovered Greenscales minions seeding
the land with pods from the Plane of Life, and called in the storms to keep them
from blooming.



Together, they laid a trap for the Lifetouched wretches. The heavy rains quelled
and the frosts receded when Amunet released the spells she had cast on the land.
Thorvins party hid themselves within the field. That very night, human cultists
stole through the farmland, sewing the earth with corrupted seeds.



Amunet surprised Thorvins crusaders with her command of weather magic. She
stood back from the fray, shielding herself with gales that threw back the
cultists like rag dolls. She encircled the cultists in frost, inflicting the
deep chills of hypothermia. Lightning danced down from the sky, bursting single
targets like ripe grapes or arcing between wretches in a terrifying game of leap
frog. Though each crusader felled many cultists, Amunet racked up victims by the
score.



When it was over, they found a member of almost every local family among the
slain villains. Disgusted, Amunet decided it was time to leave the March, and
Thorvin offered her a place in his band, the legendary hunting party destined to
bring down gluttonous Greenscale.




Quotation

Should you feel a chill in your bones, or an electric current in the air, you
may want to run very far, very fast. You can no more hide from my lightning than
block hoarfrost with a shield.



Justicar








Overview

Justicars are healing clerics who fight shoulder-to-shoulder with their allies
in close combat. Conviction builds with each swing of their weapon, bolstering
nearby comrades and powering the Justicars potent healing magic.









Strengths

A Justicars healing comes from damage dealt in close combat. Thus he can
survive and thrive in the thick of the fighting while ensuring his allies do the
same.








Weaknesses

A Justicars divine magic depends upon his melee prowess, so foes are wise to
try and keep the Justicar from the front lines.



Background


Nidris the giant wolf crept unseen through the Faering Wood, following the scent
of the invaders in the domain of Greenscale the Primordial. He tracked this war
party of humans and Dwarves to an overgrown temple. Among stones pulled apart by
vines, they bowed their heads in prayer, led by a Dwarven cleric who wore
chainmail under his robes of office. He knelt at the remains of the altar,
leaning on what looked to be a staff.



Bidding farewell to your gods? Theyll soon be devoured by our lord Greenscale.
The impish voice belonged to Corrigan, a changeling who rode upon Nidris and
fancied himself lord of this forest.



Shed your worldly concerns, said Corrigan, and frolic with us in this
paradise.



A coven of winged faeries that doted on Corrigan buzzed out towards the group
and began tugging at beards, pulling at tunics, and rifling through pockets for
sport.

I will frolic when I am done with my prayers, said Thorvin Sternhammer,
Justicar of Thedeor.



A lackey of the gods! taunted the changeling. Do absolve us of our sins
before Nidris devours you and I use your holy staff to pick the sinew from his
teeth. The faeries tittered mischievously. Nidris growled, shaking the forest.




You wee winged demons misunderstand my faith. I am not here to absolve you. The
god of battle showed me how that fat toad you call master could be beaten. The
faeries giggled and continued to painfully braid his beard. But the strength of
my faith lies not in sermons, and this is no preachers staff.



The Dwarf brandished his maul of cold iron. Absolve you? Im here to smash
you!



The maul landed with a mighty thud, flattening a flittering faerie. Nidris
howled in challenge, and Thorvin glared into its eyes. He swung his bludgeon at
the tiny sprites, knocking some to splatter against the great wolfs pelt.



Thorvins soldiers charged, their courage bolstered by his conviction. Teeth and
metal clashed, and though Nidris bit and clawed the invaders, the soldiers
wounds healed with every blow their cleric struck. The tide of battle turned,
and soon the mighty beast found himself bloodied and nearing death.



Flee! Flee! screamed the terrified changeling, his mocking tone drained away.
This is no mere mortal, but an avatar of war! Nidris yelped like a pup and
turned tail, but Thorvin crippled the beasts leg with a swing of his maul.



His heart pierced by the spears of the soldiers, Nidris collapsed with a final
anguished cry, Corrigan tumbling from his back. Scrambling uselessly, the
Changeling tore himself on brambles as the stout cleric strode toward him.




I repent! I repent! the changeling sniveled.



I know you do, lad, said Thorvin as he hefted the bloodstained maul. And Ive
got your absolution right here.



They say Corrigans death rattle haunts the Faering Wood to this day. He had met
Thorvin Sternhammer, whose crusade hounded mighty Greenscale across all of what
is now known as Mathosia.



Quotation

Many preach their vision of the gods. They speak of love, and health, and
happiness. I am here to tell you the truth of the world. Anything good must be
fought for. You must stand toe-to-toe with your demons and crush them. Only then
will the gods bless you.



About Rift: Planes of Telara


Join legions of adventurers in Rift: Planes of Telara, a new fantasy Massively
Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game set in a world being torn apart. Rifts
violently rip into reality across the land and release powerful forces that
threaten the very existence of Telara. Each breach brings with it new
characters, events, and treasures, while the world itself changes dynamically
around you. Play with your friends across vast, lavishly detailed environments,
or take them on head-to-head in challenging Player vs. Player (PvP) combat as
you battle to uncover the secrets of the planes. Build and advance your
character, choosing from several distinct races and utilizing an innovative new
class system with nearly limitless possibilities.

Did anyone else get into beta for this?