Rift expansion teased in developer livestream

Rift is currently enjoying a resurgence, thanks its free-to-play switch. But having hordes of players bouncing between dynamic quests and rift encounters is one thing, keeping them there is another. In an effort to keep their newly bolstered community engaged, developer Trion held a recent livestream in which they teased upcoming updates and features, and gave the first info on the 3.0 expansion.

Four new souls are planned: Support Cleric, Healing Warrior, Tanking Mage and Healing Rogue. You'd be forgiven for suspecting that Rift's Soul design is based around arbitrarily picking words out of a hat, but in this instance, the added roles fill areas each class has been traditionally weak. The hope is to further expand the flexibility of styles on offer.

Other improvements will see a more customisable weapon and armour upgrade system, with more scope to define your style, and an increased role for companion pets. In addition, Dimensions will get an upgrade, with Trion looking to give player-owned housing more purpose.

Finally, they revealed the planned 3.0 expansion - focusing on the plane of Water. Cross-section concept art showed a multi-level environment, including a frozen lake and underground city. Previously, Trion released Storm Legion as the 2.0 expansion - adding two continents that tripled the size of the game's world. If their future plans are anything like as ambitious as that release, it should keep Rift players busy for some time.

Thanks, RiftScene (via Joystiq ).