Rift

About

Rift is a free-to-play MMORPG where players pick from multiple races and classes to join one of two factions locked in an ongoing conflict. The game revolves around dynamic rifts that spawn enemies and reshape the world, offering co-operative play or direct clashes with rival players. Combat blends traditional RPG mechanics with real-time action, while progression paths vary between factions, each tied to distinct themes and abilities. The world of Telara reacts to player choices, with large-scale events and persistent changes influencing both sides. The game's standout feature is its living world, where rifts create unpredictable threats and opportunities, encouraging teamwork or competition. Launched in 2011, it maintains a dedicated player base despite its age, with Telara’s dual-faction design fostering constant tension. Its focus on player-driven conflict and evolving environments sets it apart from more static MMOs, appealing to those who enjoy reactive worlds and faction-based rivalry. Available on PC and Linux, Rift continues to host active communities over a decade after release.

Storyline

Telara is the focal point of the elemental Planes: Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Life, and Death—and one point where every one of these Planes intersect with each other. Each Plane is governed by a dragon-deity, a personification of that elemental force. Through the actions of the Dragon of Extinction, Regulos, the various dragons have united in an alliance known as the Blood Storm, for the purpose of invading Telara and gaining use of the intersection of all of their realms. In the past, the Blood Storm was defeated by the inhabitants of Telara with the help of the Vigil, the most powerful of the native gods. Regulos was cast out into the elemental Planes, while its five compatriots were trapped within Telara and chained beneath a ward designed to close Telara off from external threats. However, Regulos had recently gained entry to Telara, destroying the ward and causing rifts to open, feeding the strength of the trapped dragons and allowing their minds to enter in a bid to destroy Telara's defenders. Players take on the role of the Ascended, resurrected superhuman warriors tasked to defeat the forces of Regulos and cleanse Telara of the threat of the Storm forever.