Rift (2011)

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 587 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 344 out of 587
  2. Mixed: 150 out of 587
  3. Negative: 93 out of 587
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  1. Zahrada
    Feb 24, 2014
    8
    I have spent countless hours playing this game, mostly levelling, I did some dungeons and PvP too. Despite being accused of copying WoW I found many things in this game very refreshing. It has a unique atmosphere, which is one of the most important factors for me. Despite being an MMO it is quite immersive too. I also like character creation and some of the questlines aren't that bad. OneI have spent countless hours playing this game, mostly levelling, I did some dungeons and PvP too. Despite being accused of copying WoW I found many things in this game very refreshing. It has a unique atmosphere, which is one of the most important factors for me. Despite being an MMO it is quite immersive too. I also like character creation and some of the questlines aren't that bad. One of the flwas is however repetitive quest design. There is too much of the same quests. Even though the good potential is there, the later questing experience feels very generic at time. But, overall, the game is pretty solid and Trion knows well what it is doing. First few weeks after launch I was completely addicted to this game and the experience was blast! The game is still very good, I spent few weeks in it a year ago. Good stuff.… Expand
  2. gathor
    Jun 3, 2015
    0
    A good game that went downhill fast with lots of bugs and performance issues even after months.
    Lots of balance issues since 3.0 from zones to classes and don't even let me start ranting about the $$$ shop where you can even buy new classes (rift calls them roles)
  3. Szani
    Sep 20, 2014
    3
    Grind fest mmo, very poorly optimized game client, kind of not bad implementation of f2p, but not best. End game isn't very satisfying. Bad class balance and nearly destroyed PVP experience, boring dungeons (imba mega grind, as I said).
  4. Nick95
    Nov 13, 2014
    1
    Rift used to be a nice game before it became "Free to Play" (or better said: Free to Pay).
    Since a year the game is going downhill faster and faster in both gameplay and stability. On top of that, the Customer Support almost completely disappeared and don't be surprised if you report a serious bug and find it still there even after many months.
    That is, except when the bug causes less    Rift used to be a nice game before it became "Free to Play" (or better said: Free to Pay).
    Since a year the game is going downhill faster and faster in both gameplay and stability. On top of that, the Customer Support almost completely disappeared and don't be surprised if you report a serious bug and find it still there even after many months.

    That is, except when the bug causes less income for Trion (like too much exp of too many free gifts ingame) , because then they suddenly have enough capacity to patch within 12-24 hours.

    With the release of 3.0 the game lost even the last bit of balance and there is no point of doing the 1-60 zones anymore because of the low quality gear, low exp and the new "sidekick" system, which makes it possible to party with a lvl 65 and instantly gets your level set to 65 and run around in the new zone.

    i tried and level 1-50 now can be done in less than 3 hours (that is if you dont buy the instant-60 item that instantly makes your char lvl 60)

    Since the game became FTP, Trion has been slowly (and without even informing players) removinig more and more items you needed to make the game attractive for Free players.
    Sneaky because these kinds of changes never make it to the patchnotes so after every patch you have to wait and see if they didnt remove or disable something.

    Now it comes to a point where you either have to grind low level dungeons for gear (good luck in finding anyone even willing to do low level dungeons now all dungeonrewards are removed from the game)
    or spend real money to buy gear.

    If you are planning to switch from WoW to Rift because it's Free to Play and thus cheaper, you will be in for a nasty surprise.

    On top of that, the number of gamecrashes increased dramaticly since the release of 3.0. Even with newer game pc's and graph. cards you can endup crashing every 10 minutes.
    That is, if you didnt already got disconnected because of the huge latency spikes the game is experiencing since 3,0 (and not will be fixed since Trion keeps telling us it's not a serverside problem)

    Conclusion: The game was great in the beginning, but Trion moved on to a new (and more expensive) policy, so it's time for the players to move on to another (cheaper) game.    … Expand
  5. DemonicAnahka
    Mar 2, 2011
    10
    This game is visually stunning, beautiful textures and effects. Revolutionary game play. This takes the best of other MMOs and makes it its own in a unique and fluid way. I've been with this game since day one of closed beta. Do not let WoW humpers fool you! This is not a WoW copy, simply an MMO they see as a threat.
  6. Swampy
    Mar 6, 2011
    9
    Delivery problems aside, this has to be pretty much the slickest MMO launch for years (if not ever). The game is remarkably polished and extremely fun today. Sure it's not a gaming revolution, it's an evolution taking what's good in there genre and trying to improve on it, and adding their own little twists. So on getting out the stable door.. 10/10 this game will live or die by it'sDelivery problems aside, this has to be pretty much the slickest MMO launch for years (if not ever). The game is remarkably polished and extremely fun today. Sure it's not a gaming revolution, it's an evolution taking what's good in there genre and trying to improve on it, and adding their own little twists. So on getting out the stable door.. 10/10 this game will live or die by it's scheduled updates and community attitude!… Expand
  7. Ghengiz
    Mar 5, 2011
    10
    I had a lot of doubts in 2009 when this game was Heroes of Telara, but over the last two years it has really become something worth playing. The controls and core gameplay are familiar, but the level of polish is excellent. Moreover, the Rifts and the huge invasions have kept me up later and later over the last few nights since launch. The world feels dangerous, yet I feel like myI had a lot of doubts in 2009 when this game was Heroes of Telara, but over the last two years it has really become something worth playing. The controls and core gameplay are familiar, but the level of polish is excellent. Moreover, the Rifts and the huge invasions have kept me up later and later over the last few nights since launch. The world feels dangerous, yet I feel like my character, because I got to choose my classes, is powerful enough to stand tall. A+… Expand
  8. Kapo
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    If you love WoW and still play it right now it is inevitable that you will go back but if you have quit and are looking for a fresh new MMO this game is a definite winner in the genre. I have played almost all of the big name MMOs and this is definately the best MMO since WoW.
  9. BeyondCops
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Smoothest launch ever, great experience so far. This game is sick. I've had a great time playing it, it's probably the game that IF people were to take 2 seconds out of there time on WoW, would ACTUALLY have the chance of taking it over. At least until Diablo 3, ha.
  10. Prime
    Mar 7, 2011
    9
    RIFT is brilliant! At first you think its just another WoW Clone, but after a short Playtime you see that RIFT makes a lot better than WoW. RIFT improved the best things from many other MMO's. The Rifts and Invasions are really funny. Everywhere is action and something to do! No longtime single grinding or questing.
  11. Gravenhawk
    Mar 10, 2011
    10
    Great game from graphics to class system. It takes alot of the good from past mmos but thats a good thing in my book. I want a good ol mmo like eq eq2 and wow when it first came out. With the latest games Rift hits the spot.
  12. joen00b
    Apr 15, 2011
    8
    Rift doesn't do much to separate itself from other Fantasy MMO's established on the market. Most complaints about the game compare it to WoW, which is unfair. It has gone to great lengths to make itself NOT WoW. It's difficult to write a review without comparing it to other games, as, everything in the game has been done before in other games. Rifts and invasions are nothing more thanRift doesn't do much to separate itself from other Fantasy MMO's established on the market. Most complaints about the game compare it to WoW, which is unfair. It has gone to great lengths to make itself NOT WoW. It's difficult to write a review without comparing it to other games, as, everything in the game has been done before in other games. Rifts and invasions are nothing more than Public Quests from Warhammer, all dungeons are instanced, like all MMO's since 2004, and the base classes fall under the Rogue, Mage, Cleric, Warrior template.

    But, this is where Rift differentiates itself from the pack. With the base classes, there are 8 sub-classes to mix and match to each particular players playstyle. And, by switching roles, you can play different 'soul' combinations, completely changing the make up of the character. Each role can be up to 3 souls (4 souls with End game loots) of the 8, and you can have up to 4 different roles with these souls. Each soul has 2 trees within the 3 souls, where points are spent going 'up' the tree, and the more points put into a soul unlocks traits going 'down' the tree. The combinations are endless! Rogues, having a bard soul, can be back up healers. Mages, with a Chloromancer soul, can be healers, Clerics and Rogues can be tanks... the combos add for a lot of fun. And, that is also a bit of it's downfall. Having so many choices can really overwhelm some players, and thankfully there is no 'magic combination' to having the perfect class. Players are encouraged to play and build the character they want, not follow some formula for face melting.

    The game was inundated with naysayers throughout the first month, but, now that the free month is over, it's settled down into a quality game that delivers what it promises. PVP is still being 'balanced' and that is the biggest complaint of the game at this point. For PVE, the game is quite good, aside from the copious amounts of creatures that will plague the players every step, quite literally. Movement in the game can be frustrating fighting through waves of mobs, especially when following roads, through areas beyond the lowbie zone of Freemarch.

    I enjoy what Trion has offered in terms of MMO's, but, it's a difficult market to break into with so many choices. There are some things WoW won't be able to steal from Rift, but is it enough to warrant the monthly charge over other more established games? The truth is in the tagline for the game: "We're not in Azeroth anymore." Their marketing strategy is to offer a game that isn't WoW. Those sick of WoW will find a fun, well put together game, but not quite as expansive or all encompassing behemoth that WoW has become. Those expecting the game to be WoW will be surprised at the differences. It is a different game, but, in the end, it is an MMO.    … Expand
  13. majypoo
    Mar 13, 2011
    3
    Honestly don't see what the fuss is about, Rift is a average game that has done nothing to progress the MMO genre. It's just so bland, boring and dull with the same old same old kill 10 badgers quest system. Animations are clunky with overuse of glow effects, PvP is unbalanced due to many souls. Dungeons lack imagination and are far to easy, the game doesn't offer a challenge at all andHonestly don't see what the fuss is about, Rift is a average game that has done nothing to progress the MMO genre. It's just so bland, boring and dull with the same old same old kill 10 badgers quest system. Animations are clunky with overuse of glow effects, PvP is unbalanced due to many souls. Dungeons lack imagination and are far to easy, the game doesn't offer a challenge at all and the Rifts just get in your way and become tedious.… Expand
  14. tunaphish6
    Mar 13, 2011
    7
    It's always difficult to review an MMo. While just about any and every MMo will have problems and glitches upon launch, usually they can be ironed and the game improved upon over time. However, there are many things that are simply too ingrained into the game, its gameplay, mechanics or engine to readily be changed.
    Half the reason any other MMo's have been successful is the general    It's always difficult to review an MMo. While just about any and every MMo will have problems and glitches upon launch, usually they can be ironed and the game improved upon over time. However, there are many things that are simply too ingrained into the game, its gameplay, mechanics or engine to readily be changed.
    Half the reason any other MMo's have been successful is the general fluid-ness of gameplay, its (default) interface, graphics and animations. While the graphics might seem 'modernized' compare to more dated MMo's, no screenshot can do justice to how jarring the animation can be. Personally, I'm    … Expand
  15. eulia
    May 14, 2011
    0
    Trion Worlds tries way too hard to have its cake and eat it too. With a slogan like "You're not in Azeroth anymore", you'd expect Rift to be a game bent on trying to break the mould and perhaps change the MMO genre. You'd only be partly right. You're not in Azeroth, no, you're in an even worse designed and staler world with much less to do. Class system - One of the main selling pointsTrion Worlds tries way too hard to have its cake and eat it too. With a slogan like "You're not in Azeroth anymore", you'd expect Rift to be a game bent on trying to break the mould and perhaps change the MMO genre. You'd only be partly right. You're not in Azeroth, no, you're in an even worse designed and staler world with much less to do. Class system - One of the main selling points of the game is the versatility of the classes, but it doesn't really exist, except in certain cases. The underlying theme in class customisation in Rift is similar to other MMOs - if you customise your character's talents in the wrong way or attempt to create an interesting build, you will almost certainly fail throughout the content, which seems to be almost the same philosophy of WoW, which Trion Worlds attempts to insist that they are not. The Warrior: the usual plate-wearing class which ends up being the only viable tank in the game, but also has the best overall damage by far, making it imbalanced. The Cleric: a hybrid class that can sort of tank, is great at healing, and only does okay damage, despite the majority of their talent trees being damage-focused. Also, if one wishes to heal as a Cleric, there are very few options available as any deviation from pre-determined builds will result in many party deaths. The Mage: The typical spell caster with a tree for healing allies via damage done and some great support talents, as well as very good damage, but still worse than the Warrior.

    The Rogue: Easily the worst class of all to play. Despite traditionally being a pure damage class, their damage is easily beaten by every other class, except for the Cleric with which they are equal. They have a tanking tree, but you can only tank one target with it and have very little survivability. They also have a support tree, but it is easily replaced by the Mage's support tree, which provides far more buffs, debuffs, and can cure allies, unlike the Rogue's. Magi also have the option to switch to their healing tree for more healing intensive fights, or to a damage tree and easily outperform a better-equipped Rogue. It is a truly useless class.

    Rifts - The namesake of the game, they are events that spawn enemies and provide reputation and experience. These are fun at first, but quickly become tedious and repetitive. There are also Invasions and Footholds, which are essentially rifts that don't despawn after a given time and usually take hold of a quest hub and/or certain reputation vendors, at which point all friendly NPCs disappear until the Invaders an/or Foothold are defeated. This wouldn't normally be a problem, but all too often 10 or more Invasion forces (individually they are solo'able) will occupy one particular point, making it impossible to clear out by yourself and therefor make it impossible to turn in and pick up new quests without begging in various chat channels for help. There are end-game rifts, however, the required tools used to summon them drop from dungeons which provide far better rewards, so it seems pointless to do them when the same time could be put towards running those dungeons again, or simply solo'ing normal rifts if you desire the reputation rewards. All in all, rifts are not really a fun and exciting community experience, but more of a repetitive nuisance.

    Dungeons: The dungeon experience in Rift is almost exactly the same as in WoW. The only difference is that at end-game, Expert dungeons (same as Heroics in WoW) require one of the DPS to fill a support buffer/minor healer role instead of the typical 1 tank / 1 heal / 3 DPS, but that is honestly where the changes end. Just as in WoW, you'll experience the same dungeons but at a harder difficulty with a couple of extra bosses and slightly different mechanics than the lower level version. You'll also get better loot than the lower level versions, and you'll earn tokens from killing bosses which you can turn in for even better gear or certain crafting ingredients. Sounds a lot like Azeroth to me. Crafting: The crafting is very easy in Rift but the trade-off is that the high end crafted items are worse than the random mob drops in Experts. The only reason to take on a profession would be to 1) make bigger bags, and 2) gather materials to sell on the auction house, which other people won't buy because the random drops are better than anything they can craft.

    Graphics: The graphics and overall look of the game is quite lackluster, and brings nothing special to the table. It's a very bleak and dead world with very few colours and little artistic work. The comparisons to WoW are usually seen as unfair and irrelevant among the Rift community, but they are completely valid. Trion made it clear that they wanted to be compared to WoW, and specifically on how different and better Rift is. However, they've merely produced an equally priced knockoff with nothing special or innovative.    … Expand
  16. Blackcompany
    Aug 16, 2011
    2
    Did you play WoW? Did you enjoy WoW? Would you like to play WoW again, with slightly improved graphics and completely improved and innovated, well, nothing else? If you answered yes to these three questions, then perhaps Rift is for you. The game features loads typical MMO fare, replete with endless grinding, enemies completely devoif of personality, shoddy combat animations, weightlessDid you play WoW? Did you enjoy WoW? Would you like to play WoW again, with slightly improved graphics and completely improved and innovated, well, nothing else? If you answered yes to these three questions, then perhaps Rift is for you. The game features loads typical MMO fare, replete with endless grinding, enemies completely devoif of personality, shoddy combat animations, weightless weapon strikes, repetitive click fests while fighting and a never-ending need to craft items for the sake of crafting items. As for the game's namesake, the Rifts are an interesting mechanic. Unfortunately, you really just end up staring at the same invasion time and again, day after day and even hour after hour. Watching the same mobs and same boss invade 10 minutes after you just defeated that invasion really kills the fun. If you can find any in this endless grindfest to begin with. A must play for hardcore MMO lovers; a must avoid for everyone looking for a game with any sort of personality.… Expand
  17. Element_Five
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    This could seriously be the best MMO Ive ever played, everything is running smoothly. The dynamic world with the rifts are wonderful. I got hooked during the beta, ordered the Collectors Edition and are 100% satisfied.
  18. CowardlyDog
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    This is one of the best MMOs I have played since Vanilla WoW. The Questing and Leveling, while traditional and linear, is enjoyable, as well as Rifts (Public Quests) and the Planar Invasions that go along with them. This game has very good graphics for a mmo, which helps with good environmental design,(Iron Pine Peaks is probably the best Snowy region a mmo has ever done to date). AndThis is one of the best MMOs I have played since Vanilla WoW. The Questing and Leveling, while traditional and linear, is enjoyable, as well as Rifts (Public Quests) and the Planar Invasions that go along with them. This game has very good graphics for a mmo, which helps with good environmental design,(Iron Pine Peaks is probably the best Snowy region a mmo has ever done to date). And good class system also adds to the enjoyment.… Expand
  19. mystere3
    Mar 15, 2011
    8
    I wasnt particularly expecting to get sucked into this game. I had tried Aeon when it came out here because i was trying to find a new game to recapture that feeling of discovery that i used to have with WoW. but that place didnt grab me and the controls felt clunky. so i wasn't expecting to get sucked into this the way WoW grabbed me when it was released. But I seem to be willingly givingI wasnt particularly expecting to get sucked into this game. I had tried Aeon when it came out here because i was trying to find a new game to recapture that feeling of discovery that i used to have with WoW. but that place didnt grab me and the controls felt clunky. so i wasn't expecting to get sucked into this the way WoW grabbed me when it was released. But I seem to be willingly giving the game a lot of my time.

    This game seems to just take a lot of how wow does things and run with it. So getting into it is easy. The part that is making this place exciting for me, is the rifts. once you get out of the starter zone (lvl5 or so?) you're in a leveling zone where these rifts and invasions and whatnot happen. you go to deal with them, and you join a public group (if you want) with the click of a button. and you're in a raid before you hit lvl 10! sometimes the entire zone is under attack, and it feels like an entirely new place. its exciting how these events go down, and the more you chase down rifts, you get a different kind of currency. my toon is lvl 16 or so, and i already bought her a "blue" quality weapon and chest-piece with the spoils from chasing rifts. But invasions may happen a little too often. Sometimes I just want to quest, but the world is in chaos and you're quest-giver is busy. and when you're a lower toon, theres a limit to how much you can help. a lvl 9 sabateur's bombs dont do much to a lvl 18 invader...except attain dangerous aggro sometimes.

    Then theres the class system. I'm really enjoying that. you can mix and match taking 3 out of 8 specializations within each class. each with its own talent tree. there is some redundancy where theres no reason to use the skill from tree A when the skill from B does exactly the same thing with no cooldown, but they all have unique things as well. Its fun to try to build an interesting new class. I enjoy the freedom of choice but there's a lot of options, and when it comes to setting up a character for roles in instances it can get a little confusing trying to decide on the best way to spend your points. I dont know if i made good choices, but they are fun to play so screw it.

    Lastly, the game has been REMARKABLY STABLE! i remember when WoW came out there were server crashes galore. Hotfixes up the ying-yang trying to keep the game stable. I have not experienced a single server crash yet. I havent even had a crash locally yet. Finally an MMO that really finished Beta in Beta and released a fully functional game. Bravo Trion!

    Anyways, i'm enjoying it, and i suggest giving it a shot. I'm gonna give it an 8 because theres a ton of 10s and i'm not really that deep in yet, but its a really enjoyable game so far.â    … Expand
  20. Quickdraw
    Mar 11, 2011
    10
    This is a solid MMORPG. It fits into the genre and does not challenge the bounds of that genre in the least, while adding a modicum of innovation in terms of dynamic content that gives players a choice between different MMOs. The developers have produced a solid product. MMO's get better and stronger as time passes. Trion Worlds developers have shown an inclination to react andThis is a solid MMORPG. It fits into the genre and does not challenge the bounds of that genre in the least, while adding a modicum of innovation in terms of dynamic content that gives players a choice between different MMOs. The developers have produced a solid product. MMO's get better and stronger as time passes. Trion Worlds developers have shown an inclination to react and respond to issues and concerns in a much different way than has been addressed in other MMOs, improving on things in a timely and professional manner. The maturity of the game community and the opportunities that affords also provides a clear distinction from other MMOs. Nonetheless, if one is a fan of one type of MMO and expectations are not managed, such players will find little satisfaction with this game. Kudos to the Trion team. Hope things only get better from here.… Expand
  21. Midgetelf
    Mar 10, 2011
    9
    The game's story is a bit cliche for my taste. You are either a good guy or a baddie, and you're fighting against the ultimate baddies while beating each other up. Only reason I'd not give this a solid 10. The industry needs to break away from WoW (or for that matter EQ) stereotypes. At least there are no orcs?

    BUT the gameplay is smooth, the graphics are a definite step up from    The game's story is a bit cliche for my taste. You are either a good guy or a baddie, and you're fighting against the ultimate baddies while beating each other up. Only reason I'd not give this a solid 10. The industry needs to break away from WoW (or for that matter EQ) stereotypes. At least there are no orcs?

    BUT the gameplay is smooth, the graphics are a definite step up from previous MMO's, and the customization for your character is unique and powerful. The world events add a new aspect of gaming to the genre, and bring players together in a way that seems meaningful outside of repetitive instancing. Overall a fun way to pass the time between work and sleep.

    The fact that I got the game on the day it was released and there were no tech issues, or 10 hours of patching was a plus as well. Trion delivered a polished game from the date of release, at least 1 studio figured out how to do it!    … Expand
  22. scotius
    Mar 19, 2011
    8
    This is a very good game. Its not quite as polished as Warcraft but, considering this has just released, that is to be expected. The level of polish it does have, however, is amazing. The visuals in this game are absolutely astounding outside of the opening areas and I really did believe that I was fighting in a Great War in a fantasy world - very well done to the developers for achievingThis is a very good game. Its not quite as polished as Warcraft but, considering this has just released, that is to be expected. The level of polish it does have, however, is amazing. The visuals in this game are absolutely astounding outside of the opening areas and I really did believe that I was fighting in a Great War in a fantasy world - very well done to the developers for achieving this level of immersion. As I just mentioned, however, the opening areas where you will begin your journey are a bit cliched and not as good looking as the other areas in the game so I am going to substract a couple of points for that. The character creation and progression systems are also very well realised. At a time when World of Warcraft is cutting choice when it comes to our characters in half (all talent trees chopped to pieces, less spells, less customization), Rift has given the (obvious?) option of having 3 talent trees. The result of this is a set of skills, powers, spells and abilities that could be utterly unique if you wish it to be or the fad of the month if you play that way. When it comes to pvp Rift has some battlegrounds that are very innovative compared to the tired, boring, 6 year old "capture the flag" and "resource battles" that WoW keeps on pumping out, having taken ideas from console pvp games such as HALO and Gears of War. Lastly, World of Warcrafts graphical engine, having been developed in 1999 is starting to show its age. I will always be the first to say that gameplay is more important than graphics but what if you could have a game that has WoWs gameplay with mind blowing, next-gen, immersive graphics? That game is Rift. Because of the poor starting areas that nearly made me quit, the stupid story and the fact that it is not quite as polished as World of Warcraft, I am going to subtract 1.5 points from ten (0.5 minus for each bad point) and give this game a very well deserved 8.5. If you are bored of World of Warcraft I urge you to give this cheeky little game a shot. I hope you enjoy Rift as much as I have and let me just finally add that the PVE RP server EU has a very good community.… Expand
  23. cassus
    Mar 19, 2011
    7
    There's really nothing bad about this game, on the flip-side, there's not a lot of great stuff either. After about 100 hours of playing I lost all interest in continuing. I had quite a lot of fun doing rift events. PvP was okay-ish, and the questing was.. well.. Questing will always be dull in mmorpg's it would seem. The game has a nice interface, quest log and map markers and stuff, allThere's really nothing bad about this game, on the flip-side, there's not a lot of great stuff either. After about 100 hours of playing I lost all interest in continuing. I had quite a lot of fun doing rift events. PvP was okay-ish, and the questing was.. well.. Questing will always be dull in mmorpg's it would seem. The game has a nice interface, quest log and map markers and stuff, all very nice. It shows that the developers have been playing WoW for a while and stole many of the addon designs for that game. The real problem is that the gameplay is just a ton of stuff you've already played a million times. And the casting/combat in the game has a sluggish feel to it that's just uncalled for in this day and age. It's slower and more janky than WoW, and 5 years past the release of WoW, there's just no excuse. Combat doesn't feel immediate at all, it feels like you're just queuing up stuff for your character to do at its leisure. Suggesting spellcasts and attacks, much like the olden days of mmo's. With games like Tera and Guild Wars 2 on the horizon, going for that old tick based sluggish combat system seems like an odd choice. I assume the reason they went for such a system over a more direct control instant cast type system is that the netcode of the game feels somewhat unrefined. All in all, though, it's probably the best mmo so far in 2011, and if you were let down by the crappiness of Cataclysm, it's well worth a try. If for nothing else than the Rift events, which are pretty sweet, and shows just how awesome Guild Wars 2 is going to be with its way more complex public quest type gameplay.… Expand
  24. TheGrubb
    Mar 21, 2011
    8
    This game doesn't reinvent the wheel. But it is an awfully nice wheel.

    Playing this game felt like I was playing old school "Vanilla Warcraft" before Blizzard they decided to try and level past the old content as fast as possible. Also, the graphics are pretty good and often remind me of a high-fantasy novel, instead of a cartoon-anime-fantasy setting like Warcraft has become.
  25. Drewcifer
    Apr 13, 2011
    10
    Iâ
  26. Nehaxak
    Jul 3, 2011
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's a good few months now since the release of Rift and the flaws within it and the ineptitude, incompetence and sheer lack of experience by Trion in the MMO scene is so shockingly evident at this stage.

    The PvP in the game and the state of it, is absolutely dire and has been since the start, with no effort from Trion to even show a modicum of change to set things right.

    The instanced PvP (warfronts as they're called, similar to Wow's Battlegrounds) although fun for a while, get very boring and repetitive - I should know, my main character is Rank 6 prestige in pvp.

    That boredom and repetitive nature of the warfronts (coupled with Trion inexplicably and inexcusably allowing premade groups to farm those that have joined the warfronts as solo puggers) makes your goal toward the higher ranks in pvp an absolute horrible grind - and after all that, there's nothing to aim for other than going back to those same warfronts to compete against those same premades again and again - zero fun.

    In the latest patch (June 2011) 1.3 - Trion attempted to address the premades wrecking everyone else's fun in the warfronts by splitting the queue system, so premades had to play premades and the solo pug players could just enjoy the fun of the warfront and the balanced challenge that they bring without premades destroying it for everyone.
    Lo and behold though, not a week passed with that patch being implmented when Trion reverted on their change to the queue system and we're all back to square one.
    When the 1.3 patch first hit, the queue to get into a warfront if you were solo was instant, even in the early hours of the morning, instant queue, decent enough fun.
    When Trion reverted the change in the subsequent hotfix 5 - the queues have gone from instant to between 10 minutes to an hour or more, worse even outside of primetime hours.
    This was mainly due to players just giving up at this stage, having had enough of the incompetance shown by Trion and coupled with a large majority of players boycotting the warfronts or just quitting the game completely - it really is that bad and it really is that big of a deal. That Trion have failed miserably to even forsee this, shows how bad and inexperinced they are to the MMO scene and the contempt with which they view the majority of their own paying customers.

    World pvp is almost non existent and that which does exist is baseless and tiresome. There's no goal to any open world pvp, no point and no fun. Trions response to this was to introduce some daily pve based quests, kill this mob, collect this stuff, lalala, oh and as your reward ? Here, have some free pvp favor and prestige points (WHAT THE HELL!!!).
    Oh, there was one daily quest which required you to kill members of the opposite faction - though the point of same on a pve server seems to be lost on Trion as that daily and none of the others auto flagged a person for pvp - seriously, face, palm, wall, head, bang, repeat...

    From a PvE perspective, there's a bunch of 5 man dungeons which you will need to farm constantly (yawn...) to get plaques/tokens for Tier gear, most just skip the T1 dungeons and go straight for the T2's due to Trion making them so much easier in a previous patch - bad mistake. The Dungeons were fine as they were, they were hard, they were a challenge - now they're just another boring grind, something you have to do to get the gear to allow you progress your character for raiding purposes.

    As for the Raids, they're a challenge at the start but generally, they're also fairly boring and lacklustre.

    There is no real end game in Rift, there really isn't, no matter how many Trion shills will post otherwise on forums et all, there is no end game. At this moment in time in Rift, there is no point and nothing to aim for after you've hit 50, ran the required dungeons to gear up and got yourself into a decent raiding guild. Once you've done the raids a few times you're left wondering what the hell do you do now ? So you dabble in pvp maybe ? Oh no, no no no, just don't go there. I mean sure, you can throw a guild premade together maybe and steamroll all over a bunch of solo players - but honestly, how fun is that after a few times ? There's no competition, no fun, no challenge.

    Rift had an awful lot of potential but alas, as always it seems the case these days, the developers themselves kill the game off before it's even had a chance to settle down to pull in the required amount of serious followers.

    Don't bother with this game, don't waste your time. It's just another poor clone of Wow, badly implemented, badly supported and full of utter fail.    … Expand
  27. Riot
    Jul 30, 2011
    4
    This game is nothing more than a WOW clone with some improvements and fine touches here and there, few bugs and a very prompt developer studio when it comes to patches and adding content so far. the graphics are very nice although while running the game using the recommended hardware, FPS starts to drop at medium settings. The Soul engine is a nice addition to RPG, but it does not workThis game is nothing more than a WOW clone with some improvements and fine touches here and there, few bugs and a very prompt developer studio when it comes to patches and adding content so far. the graphics are very nice although while running the game using the recommended hardware, FPS starts to drop at medium settings. The Soul engine is a nice addition to RPG, but it does not work very well and it confuses players ranging from newbies to mmo veterans. The crafting is an absolute joke, there is nothing new here, the same professions you can find in any other fantasy mmo and leveling them up is a child's play. The quests add nothing new to the genre, same kill X, gather Y time intensive tasks to keep you more in game. The gear and items are basically the same as in most mmos, I encountered dozens of profession items that have the same icons and names and probably even prices wow has. I have to admit the Rifts are probably the best addition especially because it really makes players group together via the auto grouping feature so at least they are trying to not make it another solo rpg. All in all it is not worth it, either if you want an alternative to wow (and I'm comparing it to wow because Trion marketed this game as a better, more polished alternative to the giant). So in conclusion this looked to me as a game especially made so that Trion can grab a big share of the mmo market and grow some capital. Honestly, you get more atmosphere and involvement from LOTRO (which is free) that this game. On the other hand, I am more curious on their upcoming game Defiance, I hope it will sur class this yet another second hand fantasy mmo.… Expand
  28. vistachiri
    Aug 20, 2014
    0
    Rift used to be a pretty good game. It still is in many aspects, but it's extremely hampered by both it's f2p nature, and the absolute refusal of the dev team to back down from things even when faced with impending disaster. The recent Auction changes are a clear cash grab and rather than address these problems immediately when they have a 100+ page thread of mostly angry players staringRift used to be a pretty good game. It still is in many aspects, but it's extremely hampered by both it's f2p nature, and the absolute refusal of the dev team to back down from things even when faced with impending disaster. The recent Auction changes are a clear cash grab and rather than address these problems immediately when they have a 100+ page thread of mostly angry players staring them in the face, they take a weeks vacation? Seriously?

    Then they proceed to double down and just reduce the listing fees again, rather than going back to the previous system and fixing the actual problems (absolute lack of any sort of meaningful plat sink because you can buy everything cheaper in the credits from microtransactions). All the while touting this as an improvement to the game. Keep in mind that you need to actually use credits to access this auction house in the first place, and at the same time they introduce limited slot buy orders that you can purchase with, you guessed it, credits.

    If this is any indication of how they do business, I'd recommend avoiding this entirely.    … Expand
  29. Sharuko
    Mar 15, 2011
    10
    An amazing MMO that has me hooked. I usually get bored of MMOs quickly, but not Rift. It has content, story, pacing, environment all fleshed out. I hope to see this game flourish because it deserves it.
  30. Lantzalot
    Mar 16, 2011
    10
    This MMO has had one of the most smooth launches in quite some time. The soul system is quite refreshing compared to some generic garbage that other MMO's put out. The public group system is a breath of fresh air as well, which makes grouping quite easy. This MMO takes past features from other games and incorporates them in, making the game extremely familiar from the get go. It may not beThis MMO has had one of the most smooth launches in quite some time. The soul system is quite refreshing compared to some generic garbage that other MMO's put out. The public group system is a breath of fresh air as well, which makes grouping quite easy. This MMO takes past features from other games and incorporates them in, making the game extremely familiar from the get go. It may not be 100% original, but it does a great job non the less. Graphics are superb as well and the music is lively. I'd recommend this to anyone, whether you're new to the MMO scene or a veteran.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PC Game of 2011
31
#31 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
50
#50 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 59
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 59
  3. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. AusGamers
    Nov 29, 2011
    90
    There have been obvious comparisons made to WoW, with some even going as far as calling it a clone. But what makes Rift so special is that it goes out of its way to avoid falling into the same traps as the many that have fallen before it. It avoids the painful, mindnumbing grind, makes incremental patches everyday and listens intently to its rapidly growing community.
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  2. Computer Games Online RO
    Jul 20, 2011
    89
    It's true that the soul trees offer outstanding flexibility for character development and the rifts bring a welcome sense of insecurity into Telara's everyday life, but for some players this simply might not be enough.
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  3. Gamers.at
    Jun 28, 2011
    88
    Rift offers a really polished MMO experience but looks and feels much like a mix of many good MMOs like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online and Warhammer Online.
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