Farewell Ghost

Included below is my final video from the Rift beta events. The spec is slightly different than FILTHY DIRTY ROGUE pt.1 in the fact that I switched out Blade Dancer for Marksman. I really missed Side Steps from the Blade Dancer tree when dealing with melee Warriors or other Assassins but I also loved having the ability to use a few ranged abilities when other players attempted to kite me or run away. I also loved the ability to flee much better using the combination of the Marksman ability On the Double as well as the Riftstalker 0 point commitment ability Shadow Shift. By the end of the final beta my spec changed again & I removed Marksman as it made sense to go back to Riftstalker as my secondary soul for the improved survivability and the fact that I could close distance on kiters and runners much more effectively with access to many more teleports in the tree. This also gave me back Side Steps as Blade Dancer became my 0 point commitment third soul.

This will be the last video from the Dwarf known as Ghost as I did not acquire the name at launch & I also decided to roll Defiant for a change. I wanted everything to be a new experience and considering that my guild & I saw all the way up to level 42 on Guardian side during beta we made the decision to switch over to Defiant for a totally new experience at launch.

I might still release a new Rift PvP video someday but I barely have time for the game at the moment and although it is the only MMO I am currently subscribed to I just can't dedicate the time that it takes to keep up with the pack these days.

-Ghost (The one & only)

Beta #5 & the infamous PvP video.

Received my email earlier tonight & I am now all patched up & ready to go for beta #5. If you weren't aware, my beta character is named "Ghost" & I play the Guardian side as a Dwarf Assassin on the Lotham PvP server.

The PvP is sure to be fierce with the level cap raised to 30 & access to a new shared contested zone called Scarlet Gorge. If that wasn't enough I believe I might have even more competition than the average player due to my recent PvP video "FILTHY DIRTY ROGUE" from beta #4. The video had received nearly 10,000 views within three days after I posted it & resulted in over 36 pages of discussion on the official forums in these respective threads:

Thread #1:
FILTHY DIRTY ROGUE - Assassin World PvP / Warfronts

Thread #2:
Melee rogues are capable

To top all of that off...I have been receiving multiple private messages on both youtube & on the official forums with threats from various players that want to test my skills. Here are just a few of my favorite messages:

"U suck nub - We will hunt you down weak ganker, hide and cry bitch, your time will come."

"So, I'm coming for you with like 4-5 of my hardcore pvp friends, what name u will choose and server. We saw you are really skilled and we need to hunt and train on you on our times in Rift. This will be nice because even if you dont tell us we will find out easy, people talk allot and names will be easy to trak. We will record real PVP movie with you and people will enjoy, and know your real skill. Be afraid not to join a pvp server or else you will just be a laugh"

I have been having quite the laugh on the account of these messages so keep them coming! It isn't all bad though, through all of the hate emails there has also been a generous amount of love from the community. I have received a lot of praise regarding the video & I have received an overwhelming amount of questions regarding rogues, my Assassin build / rotations & about the game Rift in general.

I am sure I will be quite the hunted Dwarf on Lotham but knowing this is only going to make playing the game & creating FILTHY DIRTY ROGUE pt.2 all the more satisfying. Will you fight alongside me or will you possibly end up another victim featured in my next PvP video?  See you all on the battlefields.

Also, to anybody reading this article without a VIP beta code you have come to the proper place. Alongside the beta email I also received another email that gave me a code that allows 25 VIP activations! Once applied to your account you are guaranteed access to ALL of the remaining scheduled beta events.

 The code is first-come, first-served!
EZQN-EMQL-JYG6-JMCW-GDXT

To Apply the VIP Code:

1. Go to https://account.RIFTgame.com to login or create a new account.
2. Click "Apply Code" on the left-hand navigation bar and enter your VIP key.
3. You're done! You will automatically be invited into the remaining beta events.

Added 143 screenshots from beta #4 to my growing Rift gallery

Adding these 143 screenshots took quite some time as I had to sort through the over 500+ that I took during beta #4 because of how beautiful Gloamwood & Stonefield were (damn you Trion!).

Anyways, with this mass upload the Rift screenshot gallery from beta #1,2,3 & 4 is now at 236 files.

Check out the entire gallery here:
http://www.secretcloud.com/visual/th...s.php?album=12

Be sure to come back as I will be uploading an assassin/blade dancer/riftstalker world & warfront PvP video in the next few days as well!

Kind of hard to choose but here are some examples of my favorite shots from beta #4:

RIFT beta #4 - Warfronts

I am a little bit late on this post considering beta #4 is already under way. I have already been playing in some Warfronts and I have to say...I am blown away!!! I am having an absolute blast & not only that but I have noticed a major performance increase with this beta event. I am so glad I pre-ordered & I am looking forward to playing as much as I can this weekend. Definitely check back for more screenshots & quite possibly a new Warfronts PvP video after this beta comes to an end!

RIFT pre-order (I made the plunge)

Well, the deal is sealed:

There are still a few more beta events to go but I have enjoyed myself enough to dive right in & pre-order the boxed Collector's Edition from EB Games. For more information on this visit the following link:
https://www.riftgame.com/en/products/

Rift beta #3 - Exclusive screenshots

As promised I have added an additional 50 new screenshots from beta #3 to my RIFT gallery. Due to the fact that I dedicated most of my time in beta #3 developing my Dwarf Assassin/Blade Dancer/Riftstalker all of the screenshots reflect my experiences from the Guardian perspective.

Check out all 50 of the new screenshots (as well as previous screenshots from beta #1 & 2): 

http://www.secretcloud.com/visual/thumbnails.php?album=12

Here are some of my favorite screenshots from beta #3:

Rift beta #3 - "Enter the Rift"

The next beta event will be starting today! Of course we are patched and ready to go! Be sure to check back in the New Year for more RIFT screenshots! If this is your first time visiting be sure to check our archives for previous RIFT related exclusives!

RIFT Beta PvP Duels - Recorded in closed beta #1 & 2

Here is a video featuring a collection of duels that I participated in during the first two RIFT closed beta events. Take it for what you will, I was just getting a feel for the game and testing out the various classes/souls.

Watch it in HD at: www.youtube.com/playerversusplayer


My characters that appear in this video:
Ghost - Male Dwarf Blade Dancer / Assassin
Sprite - Female Eth Elementalist / Dominator
Jesus - Male Eth Sentinel / Warden
Smash - Male - Bahmi Champion / Void Knight
Anxient - Male - Kelari Nightblade / Assassin

Recorded using Fraps with the Nvidia GTX 260 video card, quad core cpu rated at 2.3 mhz, 1680x1050, ultra settings but with shadows turned off in most clips.

RIFT closed beta #1 & 2 - Exclusive screenshots

Now that the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) has been lifted in regards to the RIFT beta events I will be sharing some of my experiences from both the Defiant & Guardian perspectives. I will begin with an array of screenshots captured during my adventures while I take the time over the next few days to sort through the over 170 gb of video footage that I recorded. I expect to make a few different videos out of the footage but for the time being while I am working on that here are a few of my favorite screenshots from my experiences during the first two beta events:

To view all 43 screenshots go here: http://www.secretcloud.com/visual/thumbnails.php?album=12

Here are some of my personal favorites from beta #1 & 2:

RIFT beta #2 - "Guardians of the Vigil"

I had a lot of fun during the first RIFT beta event which occurred two weeks ago & I am looking forward to testing the Guardian faction this upcoming weekend. During the first beta I tested out four different classes/soul combinations all past level 10. I also tested out some crafting as well as a bit of PvP in the form of duels. This weekend I will be focusing on testing a few other soul combinations as well as possibly experiencing some raid content. Check out the amazing class/soul system at: www.riftgame.com

RIFT VIP Beta key

The MMO industry has been somewhat stagnant lately for me. Yes there are a lot of things going on with nearly every game (Warhammer RvR packs, World of Warcraft Cataclysm Expansion, etc.) but none of which really excites me....'TIL NOW!  Sure, I might still test out rolling a Worgen Warrior in Cataclysm (I have an unopened copy of the expansion sitting on my shelf awaiting my return) & I may even try out the Skaven in Warhammer Online...heck, I might even be tempted to check out what is new in Aion or Age of Conan but in the long run none of these games truly peak my interest compared with the thought of testing out an entirely new title by the name of RIFT, developed by a relatively unknown company named TRION. Get ready for that to change in the coming months though. I have been watching the game RIFT for quite some time now. In fact I have been watching it ever since it was called "Heroes of Telara". The reason is mainly due to the vast array of class selections that peak my interest (read: drooling) and the incredible looking "Souls" system. I enjoyed multi-classing in DDO where I made a Fighter/Barbarian which was quite fun but with RIFT you can go the extra mile and splash in a third "Soul" leaving the possibilities quite broad in terms of player customization. Needless to say I have watched this games development for quite some time and over the last few weeks when beta was announced I have been scouring the internet in hopes of finding a RIFT VIP beta key.  There were two keys available for the closed beta. One was the RIFT "chance" beta key and the other was the RIFT VIP beta key. When applied to your account the RIFT "chance" key gives you a chance that you will be invited to one or possibly a few of the events. The RIFT VIP beta key guarantees that you will be invited to participate in ALL of the beta events with the first to be held this upcoming Friday, December 3rd, 2010. This first beta test will allow beta testers to experience levels 1-20 and also includes some nice perks for completing some in-game requirements including the chance at winning a very nice NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card.

Acquiring a "chance" key took me a little bit of googling & was quickly applied to my account. Afterall, a chance at beta is a lot better then no chance at beta. So began my hunt for a VIP key to ensure that I would be included in all of the beta events. After becoming an active member of the RIFT forums to my surprise I was offered a VIP key sent to my private message box within a few days of posting & creating a few connections. Incredible! Somehow I have slyly made my way into ALL beta events and I couldn't be more excited.

So here I am currently downloading the client & I simply cannot wait to test out RIFT two days from this post. In my opinion & many others this game is currently the industries hidden gem RIFT is a hidden gem (Massively)  & I will be there from the beginning assisting in it's development to launch.

I will be sure to update my blog in the coming weeks with bits of information. As you know when beta testing you are required to sign a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) so I will obviously have to keep my tongue sealed on certain things so that I don't have my privileges revoked but I will do my best to share things that do not break my agreement.