In his first report from Dusken and Brevane, Gareth "Gazimoff" Harmer gives his initial thoughts on RIFT's massive expansion.

Being teased away from the story is something that would happen regularly – I’d chase after Carnage, find an open Rift, take part in a zone event, try out an Onslaught – and then try to remember what I was originally there to do. That said, it’s an approach that cuts both ways. The achievement hunter in me was desperate to wring out as much XP as possible from the zone, but conversely my desire to explore encouraged me to forget the massacre and push ahead with the story. That conflict of desires saw me skipping between the two continents of Brevane and Dusken, depending on which mood I was in.

My indecision also wasn’t helped by the storytelling I’ve experienced so far. There are some great moments, but in general the script felt clichéd and simplistic. My face would fall into a Futurama Fry expression, as I wasn’t sure if the Saturday morning cartoon villains were a deliberate artistic choice or unintentionally cringe worthy. And while the loud speaker cries of Commander Zaviel succeeded in making me crave shoving a broadsword down her windpipe, they also made me feel like I was shopping in the Wal-Mart of Villainy, where legionnaires were summoned to clean up a spill in aisle 5.

Not all voice acting that I’ve encountered so far has been sub-par. The moments where Crucia’s nemesis-laden voice attempts to seduce Ascended to her cause, or the angry exchanges between her and Queen Miela, are gems worth holding out for. Likewise, investigating the subjugated village of Dolcega Valley, and the story behind the insectoid Architects, are elements of lore worth discovering.

Land of the Dead

Pushing beyond the Kingdom of Pelladane, I was rewarded with an incredible demonstration of what the art team at Trion can do when they’re let off the leash. Seratos is a feast of death, where behemoth sculptures of bone reach out from a flesh-sodden, sinewy landscape. The creatures here also make sense, whether it’s the cruel Shapers and their monstrous creations of harvested flesh and bone, or the Necropolis Caretakers that fight against them. Like all regions in Storm Legion, Seratos is huge, yet it manages to avoid feeling repetitive. 

Cape Jule in Brevane is a stark opposite, formed of a dense jungle teeming with life. Thick, coiling vines and narrow trails serve to break up the zone, hiding many of the landmarks from me until I was almost on top of them. It made discovering the port town of Tulan, or the gateway to the lost ruins of City Core, even more worthwhile. If Pelladane is the bridge between classic RIFT and Storm Legion, these other zones show how diverse Telara can be.

The new hub city of Tempest Bay feels grand and imposing, even if it lacks the vast yet intricate intimacy that the scale of Storm Legion alludes to. But I can’t help but look up to the sky and see the monorail network hang limp and lifeless, or glance out to sea and notice a single ship, and yearn for more movement and life. It can feel like a theme park filled with shops and tourist attractions, instead of a vibrant cosmopolitan city. I’m hoping that, as Storm Legion develops and the shackles of oppression are lifted, the city evolves into a bustling port rich in background character.

Putting the visual feast to one side, one of the zones in which I’ve had the most fun is one I’ve built myself. As RIFT’s version of player housing, Dimensions offer up slices of the game world to call our own and furnish however we like. Keys to access each dimension, and construction materials and furnishings, can be bought, crafted and traded on the auction house. Taking control of your dimension is incredibly easy, with tools that let you move, rotate and scale every custom object. It’s an area we’re likely to return to repeatedly as we dig further into the expansion.

Sourcestone Technicians

My adventures through RIFT: Storm Legion, although unfinished, have really served to highlight the dichotomy that exists within the modern MMORPG. Trion has shown its technical strength repeatedly with regular content updates, and the first expansion really underlines this. The sheer range of content in each zone is striking, each offering different ways to climb the mountain toward level 60.

There’s also a large amount of careful detail, such as the artifact collections, fiendish puzzles and hidden cairns of treasure. Storm Legion rarely feels like a grind, instead relying on its diversity to keep me playing until the early hours. The range of experiences available is something that no other MMO currently offers. Even the new cloaks, with full cloth physics that make them billow and drape properly, are a nice touch.

For me, it’s the wider world building where Storm Legion starts to unravel. Much of the storytelling and narrative signals don’t mesh with me, either because they feel oddly out of place with the wider context, or because they seem simple and somewhat expected. The detail in towns and cities also feels missing, whether it’s guards complaining about being on patrol or citizens glad to be liberated from Crucia’s influence. There’s a depth to the world of Telara, but it can feel locked away under a layer of ice.

This isn’t my final word on RIFT: Storm Legion. As my journey through the continents of Brevane and Dusken continues, I’ll be bringing you further reports from the battlefront. From my encounters with Volan the Colossus, to setting foot on the steps to the Infinity Gate, I’ll share as my perception evolves. 

Gareth “Gazimoff” Harmer, Senior Contributing Editor.