RIFT This Week: Carnival, Arclight, and What to Finish Before March 13

RIFT is in one of those deceptively busy weeks where nothing looks dramatic at first glance, but your event priorities can still get messy fast.

Right now, Carnival of the Ascended is live through March 19, 2026, while Arclight Ascendancy is only live through March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC. That means one event is a longer anniversary grind, and the other is the thing that will disappear first if you keep telling yourself “I’ll do it tomorrow.”

What is active right now

Here is the simple version of the current RIFT event stack:

• Carnival of the Ascended: March 1–19, 2026

• Arclight Ascendancy: March 6–13, 2026, with quests and rewards ending March 13 at 1 AM UTC

• Mechs: March 13–16, 2026

• Shiny Shenanigans: March 13–16, 2026

So yes, March 13 is doing a lot of work for one date.

What to finish first

If you are trying to be efficient, Arclight Ascendancy comes first.

Why? Because Arclight is the event with the hard short-term cutoff. The official Steam post says both daily quests reward Chaos Motes, and those quests and rewards “soar away” on March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC.

That means your top priority this week should be:

• clearing any remaining Arclight Time Trials runs,

• doing Recharge and Refit in Scarlet Gorge,

• and spending your Chaos Motes before Arclight rolls off the stage.

What can wait a little longer

Carnival of the Ascended is the longer event, so it is the one you build around after your Arclight cleanup.

Gamigo’s official post says Carnival began on March 1, 2026, and CADRIFT’s event guide breaks it into three weeks, with phase three starting March 13 and the event ending on March 19. That gives you more room to plan, but it also means this is the week where procrastination starts pretending it is strategy.

The smart Carnival priorities are:

• keep your weekly quest moving,

• make sure you are not ignoring Auroral Doubloons,

• and be ready for phase three when March 13 hits.

Why March 13 is the real pivot point

March 13 is when this week stops being “two events at once” and turns into “finish one, pivot into the next wave.”

On that date:

• Arclight ends

• Carnival phase three starts

• Mechs begins

• Shiny Shenanigans begins

That is a pretty respectable amount of event traffic for a game having a “quiet” week.

Best focus for the rest of the week

If you only want one clean plan, use this:

Before March 13:
Finish Arclight first. Spend Chaos Motes. Do not get cute about deadlines.

On and after March 13:
Shift your attention back to Carnival, then check out Mechs and Shiny Shenanigans as the next short-event pair.

If you only remember one thing

Arclight is the urgent job. Carnival is the longer project. March 13 is the handoff.

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RIFT Arclight Ascendancy: How to Spend the Final Days Before March 13

Arclight Ascendancy is almost out of runway in RIFT, which means this is the point where “I’ll get to it later” stops being a plan and starts being a mistake.

The official event post says Arclight Ascendancy ends on March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC, and both daily quests reward Chaos Motes that can be spent in the CTA store.

What to prioritize first

If you are logging in during the final stretch, your goal is not to do everything. Your goal is to get the most value with the least wasted time.

That means your order should be:

1. Do both daily quests

2. Check your Chaos Motes total

3. Buy the rewards you actually care about before the event disappears

The two dailies are still the core of the event:

• Arclight Time Trials

• Recharge and Refit

According to CADRIFT, each of those quests rewards 10 Chaos Motes, so the event is basically built around a quick two-quest loop for steady currency.

Fastest way to farm Chaos Motes now

If you are short on time, the efficient play is simple:

1) Knock out Arclight Time Trials first

This is the race quest where you follow the red orbs, pass through the checkpoints, and use Nitro Boost to finish on time. CADRIFT notes that depending on lag, it can help to pause briefly on each circle to make sure you get credit.

2) Then do Recharge and Refit

This sends you to Scarlet Gorge to loot Intact Power Supplies from constructs near Frayworn Rock and Ironroot Draw. CADRIFT also notes that high-level characters may need to mentor down, because the mobs are level 27 and need to still grant XP.

That is the real “end of event” rhythm: race first, construct farming second, then cash out.

What to buy first

CADRIFT’s Arclight page lists five mounts tied to the event, with some available for Chaos Motes and others for credits. It specifically notes that two of the mounts are available for event currency from the vendor in Moonshade Highlands.

The smart buy order is:

• Event-currency mounts first

• Then any reward you know you actually want

• Then optional extras like dimension items, if that is your thing

And there is one important warning here: CADRIFT says the mounts sold for event currency are bind on pickup, so make sure you buy them on the correct character.

Easy mistake to avoid

The classic Arclight mistake is not failing the race. It is farming the currency correctly and then spending too long “deciding later” what to buy.

The event page is very clear that the quests and rewards go away on March 13, 2026 at 1 AM UTC, so this is not the week to leave currency sitting around.

Bonus tip for alt players

CADRIFT also notes that completing both dailies earns the “Kicked The Tires, Checked The Warranty” achievement, which sends an Arclight trove by mail. It also says you can do this on multiple alts for additional chances at the mount from the trove.

So if you are one of those RIFT players who sees “alt opportunity” and immediately blacks out for three hours, yes, there is extra value here.

If you only remember one thing

Do the two dailies, buy the mount rewards first, and do not carry Chaos Motes into a deadline you already knew was coming.

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RIFT Arclight Time Trials Guide (2026): How to Finish Faster (Without Losing Your Mind)

Arclight Time Trials are one of those RIFT event activities that looks simple—run through checkpoints, use a speed boost, done—until you miss a ring by half a meter and start questioning your life choices.

If you just want to clear the daily reliably and move on with your Chaos Motes, here’s the practical playbook.

1) Play the camera, not the checkpoint

Most “missed checkpoint” fails happen because the camera angle makes you think you’re lined up when you’re not.

• Keep the camera slightly higher than normal

• Aim for the center of the ring/checkpoint, not the edge

• If a checkpoint is near terrain, approach slightly wider than you think you need

2) Don’t spam the speed boost—use it on straights

Boosting while turning is how you overshoot and miss checkpoints.

• Save boost for straight lines and long stretches

• If the route turns hard, coast and re-center first

• Think “boost = exit speed” after a turn, not “boost = turn speed”

3) Cut corners, but don’t gamble

There’s a difference between “efficient line” and “I just clipped a rock.”

• Cut corners only when the next checkpoint is clearly visible

• If you can’t see the next ring, take the safer line

• A clean route beats a risky route 9 times out of 10

4) Slow down before the checkpoint, then accelerate out

Counterintuitive, but it works.

• Slightly reduce speed as you approach a checkpoint

• Pass through dead-center

• Boost as you exit toward the next checkpoint

This prevents those frustrating “I was basically in it” misses.

5) Treat the first run as scouting (even if you’re confident)

Your first attempt is your map.

• Note where the route forces sharp turns

• Identify the “trap” checkpoints near terrain

• On run two, you’ll know exactly where to spend boosts

6) If you’re failing on time: you’re probably losing seconds on turns

Most players aren’t “too slow”—they’re losing time from tiny course corrections after overshooting.

Fix that by:

• boosting less while turning

• lining up earlier

• taking one clean line instead of three micro-adjustments

Quick checklist (copy/paste)

• Center the ring, don’t clip it

• Boost on straights, coast on turns

• Slow-in / fast-out

• Clean line > risky shortcut

If you only remember one thing:
Arclight Time Trials rewards clean routing more than raw speed.

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