Massively: Scott Hartsman on 1.2, 10 Man Dungeons, World PVP

Massively has recently gotten a chance to talk with Scott Hartsman on patch 1.2 and beyond. Here are few choice quotes that we think showcase which direction Trion is taking RIFT.

First we find that 1.2 is coming, potentially, May 4th.

On Looking for Group Tools

One of the biggest improvements with the update is the addition of a Looking for Group tool. This was something everyone wanted, Hartsman said, but the team refused to rush it out the door in poor shape. It does what you would probably expect: Players can queue up for an instance by role (the system recognizes which builds you have and offers options for tank, healer, support and DPS) and then wait as the tool assembles the group for a cooperative adventure. Once a group is formed, the system thenn throws them into the maelstrom automatically. The LFG tool isn’t just for dungeons, either; it’s designed to help players get together for world quest content like epic or arena quests.

The LFG tool will come in handy in conjunction with 1.2′s improved daily dungeon system. Trion’s tweaking the daily dungeon quests so that you can either do one per day or let them pile up so you can knock out a bunch at once. Hartsman said that this caters to the “weekend warriors” who want all of the special rewards of daily dungeons but can only make time for them once a week. The game will store up to seven daily dungeon quests for you at a time.

Emphasis is Rift Junkies above. Great news for those that can’t get on every day to do a dungoen. This aids casual and hardcore players alike.

On the Wardrobe System and Cosmetic Gear:

Another huge addition with this update is an appearance system. Now players who are dissatisfied with how their characters look can slot good-looking cosmetic and armor pieces into outfit sets that will override their current armor. As a result, Hartsman said that we should see a rise in the amount of cosmetic gear seen in the game. The team is working on creating cosmetic theme sets for zones; for instance, Iron Pine Peak could have a snow ninja set while Shimmersand might feature a desert warrior outfit.

10-Man Dungeons:

As a good portion of the playerbase is at max level, something Hartsman and the team planned on for this point in the game’s lifespan, the team is slaving away at plenty of new endgame content. One of the new types of level 50 challenges coming in this update is the addition of “slivers,” 10-man raids that can only be seen in the world if you’ve used an Ascended Power that reveals them. The first sliver is called “Gilded Prophecy” and will have you fighting Golden Maw cultists from another reality amid a huge sandstorm.

Tower Defense and Other Zone Events and Activities:

In the past Trion has said that it’s only just started to scratch the potential of the dynamic event system, and with 1.2 Hartsman says we’ll finally go deeper. The team’s created three additional types of zone-wide events for high levels, including a “tower defense” event where you have to control strategic locates, an “escort” event to protect moving resources, and an event in which players can summon their own Colossus to defeat the Colossus of the enemy.

This last one appears to be the largest change that we have yet to hear about. Larger events that bring rewards to players that engage not only PVE but the PVP player in all of us. Could this help bring back the PVP players that might of quit due to the lack of open world PVP objectives? We’re betting Trion is hoping so.