Welcome to Issue #2 of our exclusive series of articles from Trion Worlds that focus on the gameplay mechanics and experiences of Rift! This time, we get into Rift's epic starter zones!

My Guardian is a Rogue called Wardhan. For his first soul, I chose Marksman. (I have a soft spot for archers and their ilk.) That led me later on to a Riftstalker soul, which I chose for its mobility. While a Riftstalker may tire easily, I figure most often I'll be fighting targets I've already softened up with Marksman attacks; the Riftstalker lets me duke it out with targets up close when I need to. Finally, I chose the Nightblade. This was my toughest decision for Wardhan; I already felt pretty capable with two souls and I was actually worried about adding a bunch of new powers I didn't know how to use yet. Then I saw that the Nightblade uses stealthy tactics, and I thought those might help me position Wardhan for great opening volleys as a Marksman. I can't wait to see how it works out. 

By the time I'd chosen all three souls, I had battled uncounted minions of Regulos (as well as Defiant traitors). Soon I was off on a dangerous mission to face the cruel prince Aedraxis himself (and I was just level 6!). Fortunately, as this was both my first taste of a rift event and my first time battling such a fearsome foe, I had help from NPCs I'd come to know along the intervening quests. Together we faced down giants and beasts before confronting Aedraxis himself, mutated by the power of Regulos. 

This is a tough and epic fight but when it's over and you smash Aedraxis' body with the Hammer of the Vigil to break his power… it's a climactic ending to the first part of this grand tale.

Terminus: Mission of the Defiants

The Defiant starting area is set in the future of Telara, not long before what may be Regulos' final victory over the land. My Bahmi Warrior, Earanu, awoke in a room loaded with fantastical machines, cords thrumming with magical energy running throughout the place. She'd been resurrected not by the divine powers of the Vigil but by the once-outlawed machines of Defiant engineers. Still Ascended, still quite powerful, the Defiant made her mission clear at the outset: reach the faction's sole and precious time machine, journey into the past, and thwart Regulos before he can reach his full might.

To do that, of course, I'd need to attune my Ascended body with three souls over the course of several quests. 

First, I chose a Paragon soul. Despite the fitting appeal of a big, two-handed weapon in my tall character's Warrior grip, I decided I liked the combination of furious power and precise defense that the Paragon offered. It seemed a good fit for me while I was learning to fight. After that, I chose a Riftblade soul, in part because I liked the synergy of elemental attacks with the Bahmi lore of air-spirit lineage, and in part because I liked the idea of adding some ranged attacks to my repertoire. Finally, I took on the risky choice of the Warlord. I wanted to be valuable to other players if I grouped up, and I liked the idea of diminishing opponents' powers even when playing solo. Maybe I should have chosen a soul with more defensive skill to counterbalance the Riftblade. We'll see. I'm eager to see how Earanu plays with this combination, even though she was defeated a few times in the starting area. Practice, practice.

The Defiant starting area, meanwhile, saw Earanu venturing through a series of quests to repair technomantic machines, battle fanatical Guardians, and slay undead minions of Regulos. It all built to a killer climactic sequence in which a powerful (and enormous) mechanized construct escorts you past an evil battalion to the top of the mountain where the time machine - and an epic foe - await. (It was nice to be on the safer end of an escort quest for once.) To be honest, I don't know what happened to my companion constructs or the great enemy at the top of the mountain; the longer I lingered, the greater the chance the time machine would be destroyed before I could get through. So I dashed through the chaos and leapt into the machine-made rift in time… into Telara's past and out of the Defiant starting area.

Next up, exploring Telara and learning how these combinations of souls work "in the field."

By Will Hindmarch.