<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
(	O
previously	O
known	O
as	O
Rift	B-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
Planes	I-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Telara	I-Protocol
,	O
and	O
as	O
Heroes	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Telara	I-Protocol
during	O
alpha	O
testing	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
fantasy	B-Application
free-to-play	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
developed	O
by	O
Trion	O
Worlds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
takes	O
place	O
within	O
the	O
fantasy	B-Application
world	O
of	O
Telara	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
competing	O
factions	O
,	O
composed	O
of	O
a	O
selection	O
of	O
races	O
and	O
classes	O
,	O
battle	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
the	O
enemies	O
who	O
emerge	O
from	O
dynamic	O
"	O
rifts	B-Protocol
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
game	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2018	O
,	O
Trion	O
launched	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
first	O
progression	O
server	O
called	O
Rift	B-Protocol
Prime	O
,	O
which	O
features	O
sequential	O
expansions	O
unlocked	O
throughout	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
minimal	O
cosmetic	O
item	O
shop	O
and	O
a	O
fresh	O
start	O
for	O
all	O
characters	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
7	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
RIFT	B-Protocol
Prime	O
closed	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
transfer	O
their	O
characters	O
to	O
RIFT	B-Protocol
Live	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
Regulos	O
had	O
recently	O
gained	O
entry	O
to	O
Telara	O
,	O
destroying	O
the	O
ward	O
and	O
causing	O
rifts	B-Protocol
to	O
open	O
,	O
feeding	O
the	O
strength	O
of	O
the	O
trapped	O
dragons	O
and	O
allowing	O
their	O
minds	O
to	O
enter	O
in	O
a	O
bid	O
to	O
destroy	O
Telara	O
's	O
defenders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
take	O
on	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
the	O
Ascended	O
,	O
resurrected	O
superhuman	O
warriors	B-Protocol
tasked	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
forces	O
of	O
Regulos	O
and	O
cleanse	O
Telara	O
of	O
the	O
threat	O
of	O
the	O
Storm	O
forever	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
include	O
the	O
high	B-Application
elves	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Mathosians	O
(	O
a	O
warlike	O
culture	O
of	O
humans	O
from	O
the	O
north	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
dwarves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Guardians	O
fight	O
and	O
die	O
against	O
one	O
of	O
Regulos	O
 '	O
commanders	O
,	O
only	O
to	O
be	O
brought	O
back	O
at	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
Rift	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
include	O
the	O
Eth	O
(	O
a	O
highly	O
advanced	O
human	O
culture	O
from	O
the	O
south	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
Bahmi	O
(	O
descendants	O
of	O
interbreeding	O
between	O
Air	O
spirits	O
and	O
humans	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Kelari	O
(	O
animistic	O
,	O
cabalistic	O
dark	O
elves	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Defiant	O
faction	O
players	O
are	O
sent	O
back	O
in	O
time	O
from	O
this	O
point	O
to	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
Rift	B-Protocol
,	O
allowing	O
them	O
to	O
fight	O
at	O
an	O
opportune	O
moment	O
in	O
Telara	O
's	O
timeline	O
,	O
to	O
overthrow	O
the	O
religion	O
of	O
the	O
Vigil	O
and	O
defeat	O
Regulos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rifts	B-Protocol
are	O
areas	O
of	O
elemental	O
instability	O
that	O
represent	O
the	O
intrusion	O
of	O
elemental	O
planes	O
into	O
the	O
land	O
of	O
Telara	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
opened	O
,	O
these	O
rifts	B-Protocol
begin	O
to	O
spawn	O
monsters	O
that	O
proceed	O
to	O
march	O
towards	O
important	O
points	O
on	O
the	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
up	O
to	O
players	O
to	O
defeat	O
these	O
monsters	O
and	O
to	O
close	O
the	O
rifts	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
rifts	B-Protocol
are	O
left	O
unchecked	O
,	O
the	O
invading	O
monsters	O
will	O
eventually	O
conquer	O
large	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
map	O
,	O
inflicting	O
casualties	O
and	O
significantly	O
hampering	O
the	O
operations	O
in	O
that	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Entering	O
the	O
area	O
around	O
a	O
rift	B-Protocol
triggers	O
a	O
prompt	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
join	O
a	O
public	O
group	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
forcing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
manually	O
create	O
a	O
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
sealing	O
a	O
rift	B-Protocol
,	O
players	O
are	O
rewarded	O
based	O
on	O
their	O
contribution	O
to	O
the	O
fight	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
healing	O
,	O
dealing	O
damage	O
,	O
or	O
buffing	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
severity	O
and	O
locations	O
of	O
rifts	B-Protocol
are	O
entirely	O
dynamic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rifts	B-Protocol
of	O
six	O
different	O
types	O
(	O
earth	O
,	O
fire	O
,	O
air	O
,	O
water	O
,	O
life	O
,	O
and	O
death	O
)	O
are	O
possible	O
,	O
and	O
rifts	B-Protocol
of	O
different	O
types	O
will	O
oppose	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Non-player	O
characters	O
hostile	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
may	O
engage	O
rift	B-Protocol
invaders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
Storm	O
Legion	O
,	O
Hunt	O
Rifts	B-Protocol
can	O
be	O
summoned	O
by	O
players	O
creating	O
a	O
"	O
survival	O
"	O
style	O
of	O
combat	O
where	O
players	O
defend	O
conduits	O
from	O
waves	O
of	O
invaders	O
culminating	O
in	O
a	O
boss	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hunt	O
Rifts	B-Protocol
have	O
varying	O
degrees	O
of	O
difficulty	O
and	O
as	O
the	O
difficulty	O
increases	O
the	O
player	O
rewards	O
also	O
increase	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
offers	O
several	O
types	O
of	O
dungeons/instances	O
including	O
Dungeons	O
and	O
Raids	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Raids	O
are	O
considered	O
end-game	O
content	O
and	O
contain	O
the	O
toughest	O
encounters	O
Rift	B-Protocol
has	O
to	O
offer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
character	O
chooses	O
between	O
five	O
different	O
callings	O
:	O
Warrior	B-Protocol
,	O
Cleric	O
,	O
Rogue	B-Protocol
,	O
Mage	O
or	O
Primalist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
's	O
soul	O
trees	O
have	O
two	O
levels	O
:	O
branches	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
the	O
specific	O
abilities/bonuses	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
allocates	O
the	O
points	O
to	O
,	O
and	O
roots	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
the	O
soul	O
's	O
base	O
abilities	O
that	O
are	O
unlocked	O
as	O
the	O
player	O
allocates	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
points	O
into	O
the	O
branches	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Cleric	O
wishing	O
to	O
tank	O
may	O
select	O
justicar	O
for	O
its	O
defensive	O
properties	O
and	O
ability	O
to	O
heal	O
the	O
group	O
as	O
it	O
deals	O
damage	O
,	O
sentinel	O
to	O
increase	O
his	O
healing	O
capabilities	O
,	O
and	O
shaman	B-Protocol
to	O
increase	O
his	O
melee	O
damage	O
output	O
(	O
thus	O
increasing	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
damage-based	O
healing	O
and	O
threat	O
generation	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allows	O
players	O
a	O
greater	O
degree	O
of	O
versatility	O
than	O
is	O
normally	O
allowed	O
in	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
a	O
rogue	B-Protocol
could	O
either	O
do	O
ranged	O
or	O
melee	O
dps	O
,	O
provide	O
support	O
,	O
or	O
tank	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Clerics	O
,	O
unlike	O
in	O
other	O
MMOs	O
,	O
allows	O
for	O
damaging	O
and	O
tanking	B-Protocol
abilities	O
instead	O
of	O
being	O
confined	O
exclusively	O
to	O
healing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Warriors	B-Protocol
can	O
fulfill	O
several	O
roles	O
,	O
either	O
damage	O
,	O
tanking	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift'''s	O
character	O
customization	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
alter	O
specific	O
aspects	O
of	O
their	O
avatars	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Bahmi	O
's	O
hairstyles	O
for	O
females	O
include	O
numerous	O
bald	O
or	O
almost-bald	O
options	O
while	O
the	O
high	B-Application
elves	I-Application
have	O
hairstyles	O
that	O
contain	O
flowers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
also	O
features	O
an	O
expansive	O
wardrobe	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
various	O
vanity	O
items	O
that	O
players	O
receive	O
for	O
completing	O
dungeons	O
,	O
quests	O
,	O
or	O
rift	B-Protocol
events	O
in	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
launch	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
included	O
approximately	O
12,000	O
weapons	O
which	O
players	O
could	O
equip	O
to	O
their	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|upright|Promotion	O
of	O
Rift	B-Protocol
at	O
E3	O
2010Rift	O
was	O
in	O
development	O
from	O
2006	O
until	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
2011	O
and	O
underwent	O
extensive	O
alpha	O
testing	O
,	O
with	O
beta	O
testing	O
finalizing	O
the	O
stress	O
test	O
portion	O
of	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trion	O
Worlds	O
CEO	O
Lars	O
Buttler	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
Rift	B-Protocol
had	O
an	O
initial	O
budget	O
of	O
"	O
over	O
50	O
million	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2012	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
adopted	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
model	O
(	O
Rift	B-Protocol
Lite	O
)	O
with	O
some	O
restrictions	O
for	O
new	O
and	O
returning	O
players	O
up	O
to	O
level	O
20	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Trion	O
Worlds	O
announced	O
that	O
Rift	B-Protocol
would	O
become	O
a	O
free-to-play	O
game	O
on	O
June	O
12	O
,	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
12	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
discontinued	O
the	O
subscription	O
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
that	O
date	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
required	O
a	O
monthly	O
subscription	O
fee	O
for	O
continued	O
play	O
,	O
or	O
purchase	O
of	O
prepaid	O
game	O
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rift	B-Protocol
is	O
now	O
free	O
to	O
play	O
up	O
to	O
the	O
max	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
25	O
,	O
2014	O
Trion	O
Worlds	O
announced	O
the	O
second	O
expansion	O
for	O
Rift	B-Protocol
was	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
the	O
expansion	O
entitled	O
Rift	B-Protocol
:	O
Nightmare	O
Tide	O
was	O
released	O
October	O
22	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
was	O
given	O
support	O
for	O
multicore	B-Architecture
processors	I-Architecture
and	O
the	O
client	O
was	O
updated	O
to	O
64	B-Device
bit	I-Device
to	O
increase	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
11	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
released	O
a	O
third	O
expansion	O
Rift	B-Protocol
4.0	O
Prophecy	O
of	O
Ahnket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
20	O
,	O
2017	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
released	O
expansion	O
Rift	B-Protocol
4.2	O
Celestial	O
Storm	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
an	O
85/100	O
saying	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
"	O
absolutely	O
colossal	O
,	O
 [ and ] 	O
Rift	B-Protocol
aims	O
high	O
and	O
hits	O
its	O
mark	O
,	O
proving	O
that	O
there	O
’s	O
room	O
to	O
grow	O
within	O
the	O
traditional	O
MMO	O
format.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpy	O
stated	O
"	O
it	O
's	O
worth	O
noting	O
that	O
Rift	B-Protocol
has	O
already	O
emerged	O
as	O
Blizzard	B-Protocol
's	O
best	O
competition	O
in	O
years	O
"	O
and	O
praised	O
the	O
dynamic	O
world	O
offered	O
from	O
rift	B-Protocol
events	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
questioned	O
"	O
how	O
well	O
its	O
initially	O
refreshing	O
concepts	O
will	O
hold	O
up	O
after	O
months	O
of	O
playtime.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
soul	O
building	O
is	O
very	O
flexible	O
and	O
rifts	B-Protocol
are	O
great	O
fun	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
although	O
"	O
there	O
's	O
not	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
originality	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
everything	O
works	O
exactly	O
as	O
it	O
should	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
Telara	O
is	O
a	O
worthy	O
alternative	O
to	O
Azeroth	B-Protocol
for	O
anyone	O
looking	O
to	O
explore	O
a	O
new	O
world.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
2011	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Conference	O
in	O
Austin	O
,	O
Texas	O
,	O
Rift	B-Protocol
won	O
awards	O
for	O
"	O
Best	O
New	O
Online	O
Game	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Best	O
Online	O
Technology	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
awarded	O
Rift''	O
"	O
Best	O
PC	O
Persistent	O
World/MMO	O
Game	O
of	O
2011	O
"	O
calling	O
it	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
bug-free	O
and	O
out-of-the-gate	O
high-quality	O
MMO	O
ever	O
created.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
the	O
company	O
Palladium	O
Books	O
sued	O
Trion	O
over	O
the	O
similarity	O
of	O
this	O
game	O
's	O
title	O
to	O
Rifts	B-Protocol
(	O
role-playing	O
game	O
)	O
created	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
