Over the weekend, the freshman entry from Trion Worlds entered its second year as a premium MMORPG. RIFT, a fantasy MMORPG rocking a classless system filled with dynamic content, launched in March 2011 to a solid reception. Since this time, Trion Worlds has met an aggressive content schedule, releasing a myriad of patches large and small and an entire expansion, Storm Legion. On March 1, the title turned two and received a new content patch, Carnival of the Ascended – Patch v2.2, to celebrate.

There’s a smorgasbord of activities for players of any type of dedication, from mini-games to games of skill to simple collections, spread across Storm Legion zones. There’s also the excitement of randomized PvP scenarios. The patch brings core (non-seasonal) content as well, including the addition of Tier 3 Planar Attunement, and hard modes of Endless Eclipse and Frozen Tempest.

Past and present players can rekindle their relationships during the anniversary’s free weekend, March 21-25, which coincides with the 20% increase to various statistics – XP, Favor, Prestige, etc – that runs from March 21 until April 4. Not to mention PAX East! Coincidence?

You can read the full breakdown of the Carnival of the Ascended here. Be sure to hit the jump for the Second Anniversary trailer. Interested in seeing what you missed in the preceding 24 months? Massively’s Karen Bryan has you covered. Continue Reading

What’s the most annoying aspect of an expansion for a AAA subscription-based MMORPG? Why paying for it of course! Trion Worlds is getting rid of that little hindrance with a new promotion. Players that purchase a year of subscription time for Rift by November 11 will receive Storm Legion, the first expansion for the MMORPG, free of charge.

The Storm Chaser Edition of Storm Legion will run players a hefty upfront cost of $119.98. Those with long-term projections will realize that, should they plan on playing for a year, the purchase will save them a tidy sum. A year-long entry to Telara isn’t all that’s included. Purchasers will enjoy other pre-order perks including Landslide, a gigantic beast of burden, the in-game title of ‘Stormbringer’, the Storm Warden’s Cape and early entry to Exodus of the Storm Queen, one of the all-new dungeons.

Storm Legion launches on November 13, 2012.

This week is slow as I wake up… due to various happenings, my schedule is almost reversed this week and I’m finding myself eating breakfast at 2 in the afternoon. I’ve never minded being a night owl, but it is sad that I’ve been missing my gaming buddies all week and having to play it solo.

It’s another week that heralds both a death and a birth. It seems as though there’s been quite a few server shutdowns lately, I wonder is it an over-saturated market or just bad games? Either way, it still makes me sad. Every game, no matter how bad it is, has someone, usually someones, who worked hard to try and bring it into the world, and I’ve never seen a game that didn’t have at least one person who enjoyed it. I’ll kill a few zombies in TSW in honor of this week’s dying game.

Click the button for this week’s summary!

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I’ve been a sucker for fishing and cooking, or survival as its known in Rift, two new optional tradeskills being added in Patch v1.8, for as long as I could remember. Even in the single-player RPG days, I’d pick-up a fishing pole or cook a prize-winning dish for my party. They’re skills I’ve employed in real life, but digitally, they’ve offered something to do while there was nothing to do. The distraction while waiting for a raid, dungeon or PvP match to start made the downtime that much more tolerable. An occasional perk that a catch-of-the-day fish or perfectly plated smorgasbord offers were just that, a perk.

The min-maxer in me continues to enjoy the added bonuses. Yet, a streak of vanity, of wanting to stick  out from the crowd by maxing out two often-ignored professions of many games, is just as much as a driving force. And now I can add it to Solidkieron‘s Rift repertoire!

Trion Worlds will be allowing all players to pick up a pole, apply a lure and fish out a variety of aquatic life and the occasional treasure. Survival is another new tradeskill that compliments fishing. The secondary tradeskills will teach players how to cook your daily catch into buff-inducing dishes for all. Furthermore, players will be able to construct portable camps, offering rest XP buffs, and other gear.

Sadly, Ascended can catch new companion pets while fishing. There goes the next few weekends…

Fishing: Cast your line and reel in the riches of Telara’s rivers, lakes, and oceans.

• Catch fish, artifacts, and even new companion pets.
• Explore Telara for the best chance at a rare catch!
• Craft fishing poles and lures to catch the most elusive creatures of the deep.

Survival: Cook and craft items to rough it in Telara’s wilderness.

• Prepare delicious meals that provide in-game buffs when consumed.
• Take to the wild by crafting tents, bedrolls, and other utility items.