Watch the Throne: “Rift” MMO Journal No. 1

One intrepid reporter starts his story at the very beginning--by dying at the foot of a corrupt king.

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Image via Complex Original
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The Graveyard Shift

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It begins as many massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) begin: with a shiny Tolkien-inspired cinematic video. In the spirit of high fantasy, Rift dresses itself up in elaborate arms and armament and grabs broad suits of armor, spiky weapons and spikier helms, then marches them forth from dark towers looming over barren hilltops. The part I’m not expecting in the video is when an angel scoops my corpse out of a mass grave and flies me to the top floor of a church in order to give me new marching orders. Having chosen the spiritual side of the religion vs. science debate between the Guardians and Defiants, I’m now one of the Guardians’ “Ascended”: a bona fide, certified hand of the gods, born again (if I may use that expression) to enact the gods’ will.

Whip My Hair

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But I’m getting ahead of myself. In truth, all MMOs really begin on the character creation screen. Sculpting the right faux hawk, the perfect shade of five o’clock shadow, and finding a name that isn’t already used will take some players two minutes, and others two hours. I’m not trying to look like an Armani model, but I’m not settling for Gary Busey either.

The Blue Carpet Treatment

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The vainglorious business of painting a pretty picture of myself aside, it’s time to get this party started. I keep things simple; my character Bandon is a Mathosian (read: human) and a warrior. I could’ve been a rogue, a mage, or a cleric, but I’m more Conan the Barbarian than Robin Hood or Harry Potter; and I figured that being a cleric -- a holy healer -- would be a tad overkill since the gods already have my back in this conflict. And if the gods are for us, who can be against us?

Soul Asylum

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Packing some mean forearm blades, the Messenger continues flapping her wings and says, “I am honored,” when I speak to her. I’m told who I must meet for further instruction and she describes the rewards at stake. Apparently, even though I’ve chosen to be a warrior, that choice merely prepped me as a vessel for taking on multiple subclasses.

My first mission in hand, I wander the inner perimeter of the Sanctuary and notice several souls standing guard over the physical remains of their mortal selves. The spirits are dressed in their respective regalia and their presence gives me a visual sneak peek at the different subclass options I’ll soon choose from. One of these, the Soul of the Reaver, looks particularly brutish for being on the good guys’ side. I like it. I inspect the other options, but becoming a Reaver -- whatever that means outside of an episode of Firefly -- looks awesome.

Mortal Kombat

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Rift takes each and every opportunity to tell the story of planet Telara’s inhabitants. Before running headlong toward my objective, I’m distracted by a sparkly book propped open on an altar near the end of the room. There is a kneeling bench at its feet, and a mob of candles lighting the pages. I’m confused about what my entire narrative arc will entail, but the book thankfully describes what, exactly, an Ascended character is. “This being will be neither mortal nor god; Neither alive nor dead; Neither virtuous nor wicked; The Ascended will be steadfast and mighty.” Which is excellent news. Into each life a little blood must spill, and I’m here to swing swords and bust heads, not to recite a bunch of Our Fathers and collect prayer beads. I head towards a man standing in the distance.

They Might Be Giants

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This guy is a veritable giant among men. I double check to make sure I didn’t select “Hobbit” when making my character. Nope. This Zareph Mathos is important in Rift’s cast of characters, and the game conveys that importance through sheer height. Remember in the Lord of the Rings movies how the dark lord Sauron towered over the regular troops? That’s the design philosophy we’re working with here.

Zareph Mathos describes the conflict between him and his corrupt brother, King Aedraxis, but his voice is warm and endearing despite his Andre-the-Giant size and the heavy matters at hand. We look out over this balcony to the town of Ardenburgh below and I realize that I was wrong about something: that wasn’t a thunderstorm I heard before, it’s great balls of magical fire being lobbed into the town. Ardenburgh is under siege, and now the distant screaming makes sense, too. A sense of urgency refocuses my purpose. I take my leave of Zareph Mathos and run downstairs to meet up with my objective.

Cinderella Man

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At the ground level entrance, with a supernatural barrier wavering behind her, the Sanctuary Warden waits for me. A few other player-controlled characters gather around, likewise starting their own epic journeys. One rogue, two mages, all females. Despite this snapshot it’s unlikely that 75 percent of Rift’s player population is made up of women, which is fine; the comely female models are a hard choice to resist on the character creation screen, and, as many a male-playing-a-female players will tell you, “If I’m going to be looking at someone’s behind the entire time, it might as well be a woman’s.”

The Sanctuary Warden grants me my first old soul, which denotes my first subclass of warrior. While the Soul of the Reaver looked suitably mean, I’m fond of hefty two-handed weapons, if you couldn’t tell by the nasty one on my back, and the Champion subclass specializes in those. The Champion is further described as an “offensive powerhouse.” And that? That is definitely the goal.

Hit ‘em Up

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Leaving the Sanctuary, I run outdoors into the smoke-filled air (I hear that makes for lovely sunsets) and stop dead in my tracks. The sky is coursing with glowing projectiles. Little do I know that one is headed right for me. Boom. I’m engulfed in a purple blast that damages me, which is unexpected this early in an MMO’s starting position. I like that. These invaders -- King Aedraxis’s troops -- aren’t kidding around. And the doom and gloom surrounding this newbie map is more akin to Warhammer Online than Lord of the Rings Online. Rift’s baseline of inspiration may have been Middle-earth, but it’s gotten a whole lot darker in a short amount of time.

Release Yo’ Delf

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Just outside of the Sanctuary’s entrance is a graveyard marked with large tombstones. Ashen Defilers lumber between them and physically assault the graves, desecration being their only aim. I’m tasked with dispatching several of these Ashen Defilers and I mean to do so. But when I take one down, the tormented soul inside is released, and the newly-freed soul thanks me. I hack away at others. More of the same. The souls that were possessed look around, blinking, wondering what’s happened to them and their home. Knowing that I’m doing more good than harm, I battle my way from one end of the graveyard to the other, releasing their souls to a welcoming afterlife.

Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

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