1.5 Arrives on PTS - Here's a Rundown of What You'll Find!

[Elrar]

I love the smell of PTS in the morning - that fresh, crisp, new car scent. It's time to get back under the hood as we unleash the latest round of features destined for 1.5. To make it super easy to read we've tried to use as many bullet points as possible.

Let us begin!

Planar Attunement

Basic System Overview

• Attunement is all about Progressing your character after 50
• Attunement Experience can be earned via any activity that awards XP normally so play whatever content you enjoy the most
• Each “Ding” worth of experience will award you Attunement points which you can spend on Planar attunement
• Players can spend attunement points in one of the six planes to purchase a variety of bonuses ranging from combat to utility

How to

1. Earn points by completing post 50 “Attunement Levels”
2. Open the Planar Attunement window, widget can be found on the menu bar
3. Spend points by clicking on bonuses
4. Purchasing bonuses will unlock adjacent bonuses
5. Purchasing a complete tier will unlock the next tier
6. Confirm and save your changes on exit (Same as soul tree)

Know Issues / Features

• Tiers 2 & 3 bonuses are locked for initial launch of the system. These bonuses will unlock with later content
• Bonus Values , Costs, and types are all “In progress” we plan on continuing to adjust these throughout PTS based on player feedback and internal testing

Chronicles

Basic System Overview

• Chronicles are casual friendly, 1 – 2 player instances that give players a chance to visit new areas, get new awesome loot, and experience new stories. Currently, they are intended for players just getting started after reaching Level 50.

How to

• Launch a chronicle through the widget on the menu bar
• Chronicles have a Daily lockout, you can only do each chronicle once a day

Know Issues / Features

• Not all Chronicles are released as of today, more chronicles will be added throughout the PTS period
• Chronicles are not completely finished, balanced, and tuned. We plan on continuing to adjust these throughout PTS based on player feedback and internal testing

Master Mode Dungeons

Basic System Overview

• Master Mode Dungeons are designed for 5 players looking for a difficult instance that will challenge them more than expert dungeons
• Master Mode Dungeons are designed for players who have already completed our existing T2 dungeon content
• Master Mode Dungeons will reward players with more powerful rewards then those found in T2 dungeon content, including marks of ascension which will allow them to purchase Tier 1 raid gear from the raid vendors.

How to

1. Choose the “Master” difficulty by clicking on your portrait (Same way you’d choose expert)
2. Zone into the dungeon

Know Issues / Features

• Darkening Deeps and Deepstrike mines are the only Master Mode dungeons being tested at this time
• Master Mode dungeons are not completely finished, balanced, and tuned. We plan on continuing to adjust these throughout PTS based on player feedback and internal testing.

Warfront Accolades

Basic System Overview

• Warfront Accolades are a new addition to warfronts that give players mini achievements and goals they can obtain during each warfront match.
• The majority of Accolades will reward the entire team, so teamwork helps everyone!

How to

1. Queue for a Warfront (yes it’s that easy)
2. Play as you normally would, there are a variety of Accolades for just playing!

Know Issues / Features

• We are working on cool Voice Over options for announcing Accolades
• We’re still tuning how each accolade is rewarded. We plan on continuing to adjust these throughout PTS based on player feedback and internal testing.

List of Accolades

All Warfronts

• First Blood - First kill of the match, team awarded favor bonus.
• Killing Spree - Kill 9 enemy players without dying. Opposing team receives bonus for killing them.
• Annihilation - If you wipe the entire opposing team with at least one person alive on your team you will receive a bonus.
• Juggernaut - take massive damage over a significant period of time.
• Savior - Heal of shield a player that is being attacked and at low health.

Black Garden

• Invincible - Hold the fang longer than any mere mortal could!
• Death Wish - Given to the first player to grab the fang

Whitefall Steppes

• Reclaimer - Return a flag to your base 5 times in a single match
• Double Threat - Return your flag while carrying their sourcestone

Codex

• Defender - Interrupt or reclaim your control point before the enemy claims it for their own!
• Total Control - Control all 4 points at the same time

Port Scion

• Massacre - Slay as many of their sourcestone carriers as you can!
• Demolition - Destroy both of your enemies towers
• Double Down - Kill both Lieutenants before they resurrect an Idol

Escalation: Whitefall Steppes

• Blitz - First person to pick up a stomstone receives a bonus
• Sabotage - Take a stormstone out of the enemy base

Library of the Runemasters

• Mass Martyr - Entire team receives a bonus if you can hold on to 4 or more relics at the same time.

[CallmeD]

good to see new 5 man dungeon

[Madaam]

Whats next, kill streak perks?

[Arrinx]

so this is everything that patch 1.5 has to offer?

[Madaam]

so this is everything that patch 1.5 has to offer?

No read it again, in many spots it says initial and things in development. Also if you read other dev posts they outline other things they are working on.

[Khelendross]

Whats next, kill streak perks?

You mean like So and So is "Unstoppable"? Yea thats already in the game to.

so this is everything that patch 1.5 has to offer?

This million dollars you gave me isn't enough, I want another million.


What about the World Event "Ashes of History" is that 1.5 or 1.6? Interviews from PAX and Gamecom seemed conflicting about this issue.

Also excited to see that we will get more Chronicles in 1.5!

[Elrar]

Ashes of History is the current title of 1.5 - I'm sure you'll start hearing more about the corresponding event as we get closer to release as well

These are the major features of 1.5, but far from the full extent of the update!

[CallmeD]

Can you change PvP R7,8 gear graphics? copying R5,6 is not cool.

[Madaam]

Can you change PvP R7,8 gear graphics? copying R5,6 is not cool.

Nah I think they should all look the same since they all have the same valor now.

[Veldan]

Can you change PvP R7,8 gear graphics? copying R5,6 is not cool.

this would be really nice... a different set should have a different look

[Elgarr]

Well by giving AA's (I know you have'nt called them this, bit that's what they are) and master modes, tbh, you have done good IMO, yes there is still lospads you can do, but tbh, it's more than any other mmo I have played has given after just 6 months of release.

I will look forward to reading all the negative feedback from the peeps who compare wow to rift, bit forget what wow was like to play after 6 months of release

[GoldenTiger]

Well by giving AA's (I know you have'nt called them this, bit that's what they are) and master modes, tbh, you have done good IMO, yes there is still lospads you can do, but tbh, it's more than any other mmo I have played has given after just 6 months of release.

I will look forward to reading all the negative feedback from the peeps who compare wow to rift, bit forget what wow was like to play after 6 months of release

Well said! I am loving these additions in the past while and this upcoming patch, it looks fantastic. I returned to playing Rift around a month ago after taking a couple months off (around the beginning of May through the beginning of August) and am enjoying it a lot more. Even if this was EVERYTHING coming in the 1.5 patch (which it apparrently isn't), I can't see how ANYONE can say 2+ (I've heard it rumored it may be 3 or more in 1.5, but since they said "not all are in place" and they already have one in there, it is therefore 2+) Chronicles, Master Modes, an Alternate Advancement system, a new Warfront, Warfront Accolades (a little refinement of all warfronts), a new world event for 1.5, etc. are "minor additions and tweaks".

Additionally I'm sure we'll see a lot of smaller changes and additions. I didn't play WOW until around early-mid BC (where I played for around a month and cleared most of the stuff that mattered as a 70) but I heard stories from people who played from my guild of DAOC for the first year of WOW before switching back, and boy was it NOT pretty... Rift has had arguably the smoothest, if not one of the smoothest, launches of any major commercial MMO ever, and has continued rapid, good-to-great quality improvements, ever since. It's come a long, long way in just six months, and I bet by the time the first expansion comes it'll have changed a lot more for the better.

EDIT: Just got on PTS... can we get a little bit more explanation on how the Planar Attunement works? Do we go down each path to unlock the next one in any given line/hex curve?

[Stimuz]

rofl, that's the PvP content? RIFT PVP HAS BEEN SLAIN - FIRST BLOOD!

[PVStar]

Whats next, kill streak perks?

3 kill streak gives every player on your team mighty recon vial for 30 seconds.

[GoldenTiger]

rofl, that's the PvP content? RIFT PVP HAS BEEN SLAIN - FIRST BLOOD!

Ignoring your attempt to incite, I just want to point out that a new warfront for a patch after already having gotten PVP rifts recently is not a small thing (as well as huge PVP gear overhauls and rank additions). I'm quite content for now to see what's coming in 1.6 and beyond, and 1.5's addition is good in my eyes (PVP rifts on my server are used a lot (despite being a so-called pve server) and have been a good deal of fun).