Ember Isle is Rift's newest zone designed for players in raid gear... So what happens when you throw in a fresh level 50 who's never set foot in a dungeon? Staff Writer Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland finds out!

Where the trouble did rear its head was on invasions and some quest enemies. I'm used to soloing weaker invasions in the "Old World" of Telara. Granted, most of them were around level 43-45 in Iron Pine Peaks, but as both a Saboteur and a Marksman rogue, they could be soloed with little difficulty. Let me just say: there is a BIG difference between a level 45 invasion and a level 52. First there are the adds; most of the invasions come with several, and often each add is as difficult as a normal enemy (and remember, two normal enemies at once was a sure death sentence). Second was the invasion boss: over 30,000 health on, often ranged, and when not, I still missed a fair bit... which spells certain doom if you miss a slowing shot or a knock-back needed to keep some space. Finally, there was the unpredictability: with other zones, invasions usually originate from icons or rifts. On Ember Isle they can pop up out of thin air, often on a warpath to an Onslaught area. I was caught several times by invasions that spawned right next to me while I was busy in another battle. Quest enemies can cause similar issues; often the quest targets have higher health than normal enemies, or you spawn right next to an activated objective. Again, as a ranged character that depends on keeping distance to minimize hits, this can make life very difficult; and due to increased health, simply soaking hits until the enemy dies isn't an option. I had to improvise a few times to keep some space; running up stairs and jumping off usually gave me the needed breathing room.

Surviving was a go, and thriving was... questionable, but simply finishing quests does not a good zone make! So I quickly stumbled upon several of the new Onslaught areas; small villages with turrets that could be activated and upgraded through a new ability called Nexus Infusion, which is rewarded after one of the first story quests at Ember Watch. We have an Onslaught guide at ZAM which served as the basis for my strategy... or would have, if a strategy was really needed. Every Sourcewell area I visited had several people actively fighting an Onslaught, upgrading defenses, or repairing the damaged turrets. As a weaker player it was a matter of simply jumping in and enjoying the fun... after being sure to grab the repeatable daily quest at each location that requires killing Onslaught invasions. From there on, Onslaughts played like miniature zone events; enemies would rush in but, unless I somehow pulled an elite enemy to myself, the healing Lifesprings would keep me alive while the defender NPCs and turrets made quick work of the Onslaughts. Unlike on the test realm, I played through several different Onslaughts without ever coming close to failing one. And with 65 invasions coming at each one, the planarite adds up quickly!

During some of my adventures, I also participated in the zone event "In Golden's Grasp" twice. The event covers almost the whole isle, but both times led to victories due to the large number of players present. The Defiants banded together into small strike groups; out of the raids I was in, we either went after the attack objectives, such as closing earth rifts and retaking Golden Maw strongholds, or we played a massive defensive game of Onslaught resistance. It is quite possible that all four main areas needing defending simply had players start Onslaughts at the same time, but either way there was action to be found all over Ember Isle. After completing the other objectives, the zone event boss Orchin flew to each Sourcewell area and unleashed a mini-boss; thankfully easy due to the number of players following in his wake. This was another plus for a weak player; strength in numbers meant I could ride along with the train of other players and let them be aggroed by all the enemies on the way! The only difficult part of the event came in the final battle where, in one of fights, Orchin somehow ended up killing about half the raid. This was later explained by multiple tanks stealing threat from each other and whipping the dragon around, which hit a lot of the raid with frontal area of effect attacks.

So, we're two for two: a new level 50 can survive the questing and monsters, as well as the Onslaughts and zone events. But should new players visit Ember Isle as soon as they hit level 50 or are they better off sticking to Iron Pine Peaks, Shimmersand and Stillmoor? My character has some experience in the other three zones; completely finishing Iron Pine Peak and getting about a third through Shimmersand. The enemies are certainly easier, and I've enjoyed the story more since it doesn't seem to take forever due to the slow combat speed and constant vigilance; however, the rewards on Ember Isle are of a higher quality. Each Keepers bag rewards can contain potions and a chance at a decent item, as well as 25,000 experience for just completing the quest. The zone event is much longer than those in the other areas, but the reward is also raised (a full event in Iron Pine Peak would give 4-8 Crystallized Insight) and 10 Inscribed Sourcestone, while both zone events on Ember Isle rewarded 10 Crystallized Insight and 15 Inscribed Sourcestone... plus extra for the mini-bosses. The sourcestones are used to get some of the best gear outside of raids, and the crystallized insight is a quick way to level the planar attunement system, making the zone event very much worthwhile. However, none of the quests themselves have rewarded me with gear on Ember Isle so far, meaning that the other zones will likely provide better upgrades unless I want to buy crafted items from the auction house. But, speaking of buying items, the Keepers bags also contain several platinum, which can make buying those good items much easier. Obviously there are pros and cons to each.

After spending several hours on Ember Isle, I can definitely vouch that I enjoyed my time there. It made me feel like I actually needed to be aware of my surroundings, and the story itself was enjoyable, if difficult to get into due in large part to the dangerous quest line. The Onslaughts and zone events were easy by comparison, and are what I would recommend to a freshly minted level 50. Until you have upgraded your gear a bit more, I would recommend holding off on Ember Isle's quests and instead focusing on the dynamic events in all of the high level zones. This would allow a player to quickly gain planarite and inscribed sourcestones, leading to better gear and a much easier time handling the dangers of the newest content. That will be the route I take for now; but what's life without a bit of danger? If you're feeling adventurous, Ember Isle might be just the ticket for your new 50!

Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland, Staff Writer.