Rift's "state of the game" address hints at future updates, the road to its second expansion

Rift - or 'RIFT', if we really must - is one of the few MMOs that still has a place on my hard-drive, even if I'm not actively playing it right now. It's a strange lesson in competently assembling a bunch of well-trodden systems, to create something that's both derivative, but likeable. Part of that good-will is the generosity of its updates and expansions, making it one of the few MMOs that could justify a subscription, back when it had one . In a recent post to the community, RIFT game director Bill “Daglar” Fisher talks about what's coming up next for players as they move towards the game's second expansion.

Continued Graphical Optimizations
Cross Shard Functionality and Internationalization
Dimension Enhancements
Streamlined Zones and Tutorials
Content Additions
PvP Improvements and Adjustments

Beyond that, they're working towards the next proper expansion, which plans to take players beyond the game's worlds and to the elemental planes.

"Since as long as I can remember people have been asking when they'd get to take the fight to the planes, and we aim to deliver that," Fisher writes . "We want players to dive deeper into the worlds beyond Telara, and explore entirely new otherworldly areas as we move forward."

"We here are Trion are anything but traditional when it comes to development," he continues. "We want to shake things up and keep things fresh for you. We want to provide the best experience possible, and we want to add new things every step of the way ... Why wait for an expansion pack to release a new crafting profession? Why wait to introduce new souls for each of the callings? Why wait to start introducing the story of 3.0?"

Last week, RIFT released its 2.5 update, which added a new 'mini-saga', a Planar Attunement Nexus, and level 60 instances. The trailer for that update is below.

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Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.