I’ve been watching the storm clouds gather for half a year now. Since the announcement back in June I’ve seen feature reveals, from new Souls to new mechanics. I’ve interviewed developers and sat on roundtable discussions. But after the eyes-on and hands-on, the weather has finally broken; RIFT: Storm Legion is here. 

At ZAM we carve up our MMO reviews, sharing our experiences as we climb toward level cap and highlighting key features. After being knee-deep in planar creatures for just over a week, this is the first in a series of reports from the new continents of Dusken and Brevane. As my journey through Trion’s first expansion continues, I’ll keep you updated with what to expect in the later stages. 

After having mixed opinions on classic RIFT, I was apprehensive heading into this expansion. Would a cavalcade of new features be enough to keep pace with the rapidly evolving MMO genre? Would a new story arc, a dire warning from a faraway land, be enough to lure me to adventure? Would two new continents, that triple the size of the world, dazzle and amaze me? So far, the answers to these are both yes and no.

With RIFT: Storm Legion launching imminently, we were fortunate to grab a seat at Trion’s latest community roundtable. Fiendish Design Director Simon Finch and passionate Lore Lead Nick McDowell took time out in the final days before launch, meeting with members of the RIFT community to talk about the new zones that we’ll explore in the expansion.

The topic itself is as large as the new continents of Dusken and Brevane, covering the new puzzles, the inspirations and development process for the new locations, and how we’ll navigate the new continents. We also talked about some of the unused or greyed out areas in Classic RIFT, the team’s plans for future updates post-launch, and what they’re excited about with player Dimensions. 

If all this leaves you hungry for more Storm Legion details, don’t forget to check out our report on the previous roundtable featuring those key Class changes, along with our own preview of the expansion. You’ll also find a trove of Storm Legion information in our freshly updated RIFT Wiki!

It’s been a busy week for all things Rift. Patch 1.11 hit live servers on Wednesday, bringing a huge number of class changes in preparation for the expansion’s launch next month. The second closed beta test of Rift: Storm Legion started on Friday, coinciding with a flurry of screenshots and live streams as the NDA dropped -- In fact if you want a chance to participate in the beta, go here now! Some of the team at Trion even participated in 24 hours of non-stop gaming to raise money for Extra-Life.

With all of this going on, senior producer Adam ‘Gersh’ Gershowitz still found time to chat with members of the Rift community about the class changes in Storm Legion. The roundtable inquisition was also joined by some of the top Rift raiding guilds, unearthing some fantastic insights into how Trion approach class design, from defining items like Synergy Crystals to new signature abilities.

Eager to get into Rift: Storm Legion? After feasting our own eyes on Trion’s upcoming expansion, we don’t blame you. With features like the new Tactician Soul and Dimensions to build a home in, there’s certainly a lot to look forward to.

Beta Event 2 throws its doors open on Friday 19th October at 10AM Pacific, and stretches through all the way to Wednesday October 24th, giving plenty of time to explore the new continents of Dusken and Brevane. If you caught the Questing livestream last week, you’ll recognise City Core as one of the new locations in Storm Legion, with the additional zones of Eastern Holdings and Seratos opened for exploration.

This weekend is also the chance to start building a place of your own, with Dimensions being unlocked. Continuing the torrent of new features, Hunt Rifts, Grandmaster Crafting and zone puzzles all make it into this beta weekend.

Getting into the Rift: Storm Legion beta is guaranteed when you pre-order the expansion. But that’s not all – ZAM will also be launching a beta key give-away! Stay tuned, as we’ll be announcing the details very soon. 

Questing. It’s the been the bedrock of almost every MMORPG, from the earliest tales to modern-day epic sagas. With Rift: Storm Legion rapidly hurdling towards launch, Trion used their latest livestream to detail the changes to questing in the upcoming expansion. We also heard teases of information about the new open-world puzzles, and other ways we’ll be encouraged to explore the vast continets of Brevane and Dusken

In a spoiler-laden reveal, we were taken on a tour of one of the central questlines in the City Core zone. We’ll spare you the details on the quests themselves, but they highlighted a change in approach for the quest design team. While core story quests will still be found in quest hubs, much of the additional quests have been moved out into the open world for us to discover. The biggest change was to Carnage quests, where killing one creature might spawn a quest to kill ten more, with completion and reward being performed away from hubs.

A unique aspect of Rift is something the quest team call “scuba diving”; starting out on a quest, only to be sidetracked by an invasion, rift, or some other event, and coming up for air later to discover that you’ve wandered off-path. This isn’t lost in Storm Legion, although we did see a quest that uses an on-screen overlay to direct players down a particular path. The team did mention that this effect is used sparingly, to help steer players through particular areas.

Alongside a heap of new questing content, we’re also told that each zone will have Instant Adventures for those who prefer objective-driven content. New open-world puzzles have been made even more fiendish, each requiring a completed collection of artifacts to unlock. While the artifacts themselves might give clues on how to complete the puzzle, failure will occasionally result in death. And yes, there are more hard-to-find artifacts, more jumping and climbing puzzles, and even more hidden cairns loaded with treasure.

The livestream hasn’t run dry yet, with even more episodes planned for next week. On Tuesday 16^th at 2:30PM Pacific, the dungeon team will take us through the new Exodus of the Storm Queen instance. And if the recent Dimensions trailer has whetted your appetite, a further livestream reveal has been planned for Friday 19^th at 2:30PM Pacific.

The second beta weekend for Storm Legion also opens on Friday 19^th, with preorders guaranteeing access to the beta. Those of us who prefer ordering via Steam are also in luck, as we’re told that Valve’s store will start offering preorders from Monday 15^th.

Gareth “Gazimoff” Harmer, Staff Writer

In front of a frenzied livestream audience, Trion pulled back the curtain on the eagerly anticipated new Storm Legion soul for the Rogue calling. And wow, does this one get all the toys. The Tactician is a master of area effect combat, using a flamethrower-like magical weapon to dispense Torrents of damage and, interestingly, healing. Alongside this arcane burninator is a mix of Cores that can be placed on the ground to give a mix of damage, healing, or buff effects.

Going on the rampage with your favorite new weapon isn’t just a case of squeezing the trigger and watching enemies melt in front of you. In order to get maximum damage, you’ll need to spend some effort pointing the cannon of fiery delights in the right direction, and making sure that whatever it is you don’t like is within range of that roasting jet. In better news, you can channel Torrents while moving, allowing you to spin and chase down any potential escapees while you have energy left.

All new souls in the Storm Legion expansion are based around the use of magical technology, and the Tactician is no exception. Cores are the collective term for the arsenal of gadgets the Tactician carries around, just waiting for the best situation to use them. A barrier remote might form a protective shield, while a curative remote placed near an enemy might heal allies that deal damage to it. By contrast, an engine placed on the ground might heal the Tactician when they take damage, or add a splash damage effect to their attacks. Either way, they’re sure to be carrying one bulging utility belt.

We’re told that the Tactician should synergize well with the Bard, Saboteur and Nightblade souls, with a collection of new Purposes, or premade builds, ready to get you started. The Flametrooper is a potent mix, combining the AoE damage from Tactician with the single target attacks of the Nightblade. The Medical Technician takes all the raid buffs from the Bard, and combines them with the healing from Tactician, to create a strong AoE group healer. Finally, the as-yet-unnamed Tactical Saboteur build caters to those who want all the destruction, all the time. With the Saboteur’s new 61-point Molotov Cocktail crowning the build, it’s sure to bring a warm glow to everyone’s hearts.

If you simply can’t wait and want to try this out for yourself, don’t fret! Put in a pre-purchase for any version of Storm Legion, and get swift access to this weekend’s Storm Legion Beta Event!

Gareth “Gazimoff” Harmer, Staff Writer

The team behind RIFT certainly knows a thing or two about producing plenty of new content for players to tuck into. In the eighteen months since Trion Worlds launched its flagship MMO, the game has received ten updates that have expanded the world and enhanced our experience. Yet, alongside these regular bundles of fun, the team has secretly been toiling away on RIFT’s first expansion. 

I was lucky enough to get a guided tour of RIFT: Storm Legion from Will Cook, one of the Senior Game Designers on the dedicated team at Trion. Although we barely scratched the surface during the demonstration, it’s clear that there are some grand ambitions that make this expansion more than simply raising the level cap and adding a few new skills. Adding vast swathes of new land provides the team with space to unleash further content updates down the line, and their unique twist on player housing opens the door to a vast amount of player creativity.

With the launch date of November 13th moving ever closer and closed beta opening soon, Trion has already thrown the door open for preorders, offering a range of in-game items to those willing to put their cash down in advance. There’s even an option to pick up the expansion for free when signing up to a year’s subscription. But if you’re still on the fence or just eager to find out more, here’s a glimmer of what to expect in RIFT: Storm Legion.

For me, walking through a video game convention is like being in an art gallery candy store. You're surrounded by such beautiful creativity, yet you can't wait to stuff all of it into your gaping maw. Alas, mice and keyboards are (mostly) inedible, relegating me to the difficult task of being forced to play some of the most gorgeous games about to hit our PCs.

After tackling the tasty treats of End of Nations earlier in the day, it was time to check out RIFT, where I spoke with Trion Worlds' European Product Manager for RIFT and Defiance, Kevin Taylor. We spoke about some of the ingredients that went into Patch 1.9: Conquest, before getting some hints as to what will be on the menu for their upcoming Storm Legion expansion.