Rift Review from the Perspective of a Casual Gamer

The fabric between the worlds has been torn. The destructive forces of the other planes, in the form of dragons, are trying to enter our world and destroy it, or control it. You are an Ascended. A chosen one who has the power to stand against the forces arrayed against your people, be they Guardians of the Vigil or Defiants. The Guardians follow the old ways, and worship the Gods of the Vigil. The Defiants have turned from the old ways, using the magic of the rifts to fuel their technology. Two factions who are battling for supremacy of this world and now must also battle the forces of these outside invaders sent by the dragons.

Rift Commercial Release Review

Upcoming MMOs in April

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I have played some on both Defiant and Guardian sides of this game. I find the game is quite exciting and generally fast paced. Both sides have similar races, but each has its own unique abilities. For example, the elves of the Guardians can leap a distance in what is called a Angelic Flight, while the elves of the Defiants can change into a fox to lower agro and move around easier.

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After you have chosen your faction and your race you choose your "calling," or class. There are the same 4 base classes and same customizations for those classes for each faction. You can choose warrior, mage, cleric or rogue. Each is pretty basic in the concept, but the customization is where the game gets interesting. You choose 3 "souls" or sub classes to get your abilities. You can offensively or defensively minded, or combination based on what you need. And with some in game money you can even get multiple "roles" so you can customize offensive and defensive builds and have them ready for on the fly switching. They have recommended combos for complimentary abilities, but you can go any route you want. I myself enjoy a rogue built for solo ability. I take Marksman for ranged ability and speed, Assassin for melee damage and stealth, and Riftwalker for the defensive abilities. I will actually do an article listing each of the souls and their abilities for the classes soon.

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