Defiance 2050 – Was It a Mistake?

Trion Worlds is developer behind one of the current top MMOs in the world: Rift. Rift has seen plenty of success since it was first launched in 2011, and have made waves this year after they released their old subscription payment model back into the game in the form of Rift Prime.

But Rift hasn’t been their only project in recent years, and the developer recently released their long-awaited Defiance 2050. It’s a reboot of an MMO that released five years ago, and was quickly found to be lacking in content, and while many felt it had plenty of potential, the devs decided to pull it down.

Fast-forward to today, and Trion Worlds released a reworked version of the original, and while it has seen a few improvements here and there, it’s essentially the same game, suffering from the same problems it suffered from in 2013.

About The Game
Defiance 2050 is a shooter MMO where you take up the role of an Ark Hunter, and tasked with hunting down mutated baddies, aliens, and upgrading better gear. The game is set in a California wasteland, where you control your from a fairly standard third-person perspective. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but what makes Defiance stand out is the immersive and seamless MMO world where your character is set.

On paper, it’s got some truly interesting ideas, and if they’d tweaked the game enough back in 2013, it most likely would have made a solid MMO. Nothing genre-changing, but good enough to make big waves in a gaming world that predated the Hero Shooter; it had all the potential in the world.

The Latest Version
Reviews for Trion World’s latest attempt have been scathing, to say the least. The biggest problem seems to lie in the fact that very little was actually done in the rework. The “new” version retains all the controls, story plots, characters, and art style as the original, minus a few texture upgrades here and there. Players have even found the same, irritating bugs that were in the first game.


Players Are Disappointed
It’s been underwhelming, and Trion Worlds fan are not happy. It’s a game only worth checking out if you’ve become bored of CSI or you’re waiting to engage in a bit of horse racing betting or whatever gamers do with their spare time these days. The biggest criticism lies in the fact that there is no progression from the previous iteration – if you got far in the 2013 version, there’s no way for you to port that over to the new one and carry on where you left off. In any single player game, this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but in an MMO where you have to dedicate hundreds of hours into finding and upgrading gear, it can become a serious problem.

All in all, they made decide to fix up the game, but for now it’s best left untouched.

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RIFTstream 08/31: Hosting Keepro

This Friday, August 31, 2018, join us live on Twitch for our weekly RIFTstream.

This week the RIFT team is recovering from going to Gamescom in Germany last week, so we’re hosting Trion Creator Keepro! Keepro was recently at Gamescom too, where he got to interview the team in-person. This week he’ll be playing on PTS with nine of his buddies to test out the upcoming RIFT Prime T3 raid, Primeval Feast. Watch live for a chance to win awesome prizes! But, remember, you have to be on Keepro’s Twitch chat to qualify to win.

RIFT LIVESTREAM
Friday, August 31, 2018
11:30 AM PDT: Hosting Keepro
https://www.twitch.tv/keepro

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Fan Spotlight: Telara DB

From time to time at Trion Worlds, we like to highlight players who go above and beyond with their fandom and create incredible art, fansites, videos, and guides. This week, we’re highlighting the folks at Telara DB!



Fan sites are an important part of any video game. They find and curate content that developers don’t give players directly. Often, they create these sites as labors of love because they are deeply invested in the games that they play. This holds true for Telara DB.

Telara DB

Telara DB is a RIFT fan site that holds item and appearance data from RIFT. You can search thousands of items and appearances and get the stats and descriptions for those items. What’s great about the Appearance section is you can see a full 3D view of the items. This is perfect for trying to figure out the appearances of items want for your character before collecting them. Later, the team hopes to implement the full databases for RIFT recipes, quests, NPCs, and achievements.

The Telara DB Team

This kind of massive undertaking couldn’t be done alone. The team includes data miners, tool creators, and database makers.

• JosuaLackhand is the site developer for Telara DB. He aggregates the data mining team’s data and presents it in the UI.
• “I was looking for an alternate way to search and explore the RIFTdata. I spent some time digging through the Discoveries XML files and brainstorming on what I could do with the data, and how I wanted to do it. I built and launched an early alpha version of the site, and shared it over at the Ghar Station’s Discord. From there, I got connected with Clowd, Deathbeams, and Imathrowback. Together we worked together to take the site in directions I couldn’t have foreseen when I…started. We do amazing things like extract and show 3D models with the help of Imathrowback’s Telarafly, display the iLvl and affix information based on the deep-diving math that Clowd has done, and have searchable appearances and links between equipment and appearances that come from Deathbeam’s hard work.”
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• Clowd is the owner of The Ghar Station. On the Telara DB side, he data mines, provides formulas for the other data miners, as well as provides insight on how to read the data.
• “I had already resolved the iLvl calculations for RIFT and had been researching the affix system…to produce the final numbers on items…I pitched the idea of including the iLvl calculations into the site. ‘It’ integrated well into the site and gives extra info and insight into items that aren’t available…elsewhere.”
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• Imathrowback is the lead data miner for RIFT. His modern tools are used to datamine patches from both Live and PTS.
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• Deathbeams is a data miner and memory scraper. On Telara DB, he provides the connections between appearances and items, making it possible to view the items in 3D.
• “RIFT’s wardrobe system is the best in the industry in my opinion. I wanted to collect as many appearances as I could, but appearances and items weren’t connected which made it hard to figure out where to get them. I decided to find a way to connect them and share the data with the community.”

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RIFTstream 08/24: Hosting Kelari Cuddles

This Friday, August 24, 2018, join us live on Twitch for our weekly RIFTstream.



This week the RIFT dev team is in Germany at Gamescom, so we’re hosting Trion Creator Kelari Cuddles! Kelari Cuddles is gearing up for her very own Extra Life Charity Stream starting the very next day! Watch live for a chance to win fabulous prizes! But, remember, you have to be on Kelari’s Twitch chat to qualify to win.

RIFT LIVESTREAM
Friday, August 24, 2018
11:30 AM PDT: Hosting Kelari Cuddles
https://www.twitch.tv/kelaricuddles

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Storm Legion Expansion Approaches RIFT Prime

Get ready for the next major update for RIFT Prime – Storm Legion!

Stand against the maelstrom of Crucia’s evil forces as they attempt to utilize the power of the Infinity Gate to conquer the Steppes of Infinity. Storm Legion is scheduled to land in RIFT Prime this fall.



The Storm Legion update for RIFT Prime raises the game’s level cap to 60 while boosting the crafting skill cap to the Grandmaster level. The update also adds two more continents for Prime subscribers to explore: Brevane and Dusken. The island stronghold Tempest Bay has been added as a new city hub, while a host of new dungeons and raids have also been added for players looking to hit the increased level cap.

High-level RIFT Prime players will also be tasked with taking on Volan, the mighty Empyrean colossus! Set loose from his prison and festooned in adamantine armor, Volan makes his debut on the RIFT Prime server to take on all challengers. Test your mettle against Volan’s metal in a battle for the ages!

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Bonus Favor/Prestige Weekend Through August 19!

From now through August 19, 2018, earn extra favor and prestige in both RIFT and RIFT Prime!



The Dog Days of Summer are going on right now in RIFT and RIFT Prime. If you haven’t already, check out all the cute doggos on sale on RIFT store until August 29, 2018.

That’s not all, though. We’re also giving you 50% more favor and prestige! Hop in-game this weekend and chill out in the air conditioning. But hurry! Bonus Favor/Prestige ends this Sunday, August 19, 2018 at 11:59 PM PDT.

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Rise of the Phoenix

Summer is almost over but things are really heating up on RIFT Prime!

This week brings new RIFT Prime content for Ascended to enjoy! This week’s game update includes a brand-new Tier 2 raid shard, Tier 2 of Planar Attunement, and a new story quest line! Learn more about each in each of the sections below.

New Raid Shard

Rise of the Phoenix

This level 50 10-man raid takes place in an alternate Telaran timeline. When High Priest Arakhurn opened the Planar Gate in this timeline, instead of opening a portal to the Earth Plane, it accidentally opens into the Plane of Fire. In this raid, Arakhurn’s acolytes absorb the flames and the High Priest himself is turned into a phoenix! To get there, Ascended must have either Omen Sight or Quantum Sight to see the portal in West Stonefield. But be careful, it’s sure to get hot!

Advance to Planar Attunement Tier 2

Planar Attunement is relatively new to RIFT Prime. To learn more about it, check out our Planar Attunement announcement blog from July 11th. Now, with this week’s game update, worthy Ascended can advance all the way to the second tier and become even more powerful!

New Quest Line: Saga of the Wanton Maw

Originally released with RIFT’s 1.8 patch, the Saga of the Wanton Maw comes to Prime! This cult saga questline is for Prime Ascended who’ve attained level 50. The wicked followers of Maelforge are up to no good and they must be stopped! The story also leads Ascended into the upcoming Infernal Dawn Raid.

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Alsbeth’s Beach Party Dimension Contest Winners

As summer comes to a close, the winners of Alsbeth’s Beach Party Dimension Contest have been revealed. Find out who won in our latest RIFT blog!

On Friday, July 13, 2018, Trion Creator Kelari Cuddles launched Alsbeth’s Beach Party Dimension Contest for Ascended on both RIFT Live and RIFT Prime. The contest asked players to put together beach party dimensions that the likes of Alsbeth the Discordant might enjoy. Many Ascended heeded the call and submitted their designs all the way through August 5, 2018.

Then, on Friday, August 10, 2018, the RIFT Team announced the winners live on the weekly RIFTstream. They showed off the winning entries in detail with commentating by Kelari Cuddles herself. To watch the whole stream, check out the YouTube vod here.
Alsbeth’s Beach Party Dimension Contest Winners

• Chulya (Brutwacht) – Albeth’s Thunderdome
• Kyzzie (Prime) – Endless Court Oasis Prime
• AudzillaRAWR (Faeblight) – Death’s Respite
• Silveroflights (Laethys) – The After Party

Each of the winners won a 30-day RIFT Patron Pass and a choice of either an Island Surfboard mount or a Burning Apocalypse Snail mount.

Thanks to everyone who participated. There were honestly so many great entries that it was very difficult for the judges to pick the final winners. As a result, we’ve decided to give all valid entries a 30-day Patron pass for their participation.

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RIFTstream 08/10: Beach Party Dimension Winners

This Friday, August 10, 2018, join us live on Twitch for our weekly RIFTstream.



This week the RIFTstream host is Jennifer “Yaviey” Bridges (Community Manager, RIFT), along with special guests Linda “Brasse” Carlson (Director of Community Relations, Trion Worlds) and Trion Creator Kelari Cuddles. Together they are going to show off the winners of Alsbeth’s Beach Party Dimension Contest.

RIFT LIVESTREAM
Friday, August 10, 2018
11:30 AM PDT: Beach Party Dimension Winners
https://www.twitch.tv/trionworlds

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Prime Spoils of War

Grim Remembrance recently ended and the Ascended took up arms against Alsbeth the Discordant in the River of Souls. Next up, it’s time to reap those rewards!



Heralding the prelude to one of RIFT’s most memorable expansions, Spoils of War returns in 2018. This time, it will appear on RIFT Prime.

Spoils of War

The Ascended mourned the dead in Grim Remembrance, set Telara ablaze in Summerfest, and saved the fate of all of Telara in the River of Souls. With the defeat of Alsbeth, the Ascended can take a break and enjoy their hard-fought victory. Fate seems to be with them, as caches of coin have suddenly appeared around the main cities, and shells of golden dragon eggs have begun to appear in earth and fire rifts. Is this just the Ascended’s reward? Or is there some sinister purpose behind this abundance of gold?

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