Revisiting Shimmersand (part one)

Shimmersand have always been that special place in Rift for me. Ever since I was farming Ancient Golden Dragon Egg Shells for that Earth/Fire World Event. Yes, each patch in the early days of Rift had separate world event, that was somehow unique to the 'standard' annual festivals. One of the things I surely miss today, because they felt so rewarding, plus being 'one time only'. Pre-Storm Legion Carnival of the Ascended had a neat event phase in Shimmersand, too.

I spent days farming that Dragonslayer Covenant minority for the outfit, Drake Slayer and mount. Probably a personal achievement that I'm most proud of. Years after, that dirty white robe is still my favorite wardrobe gear and I rarely switch it with something different. The title and the mount not that often, but damn right I'm one of the Covenant! :)

I love everything about Shimmersand. The eastern ambient, the sand, the pools, the mobs and even that 'hidden' place where you can teleported too, above the whole desert. Maybe it's just nostalgia, but it's my favorite 'sandish' zone in all Telara. Storm Legion's similar zone aren't even close. Comparing to Shimmersand, they just lack soul, although the whole idea of those places should invoke that. Barren and abandoned, with tons of secrets under that sand.

I went back to farm a mount which I don't have from a lure that opens a Rift from where the mount drops, Sinister Tide. But ended up doing a Zone Event. Probably will farm these until the mount drops and there's no place better then Shimmersand. The lures are also a good way to spend my excessive amount of Planarite, so that's what I'm gonna be doing these days.

In my second part, I will make a more visual tour of the desert, which by the way isn't abandoned at all, it's full of people, so stay tuned.

Warfronts are still awesome

Although, World PvP seems dead now (it hasn't been quite alive even before Storm Legion), I really like what have become of the Warfronts. These new control point (paths?) mods are just amazing. I never been a hardcore PvP player, but I had the pre-SL PvP endgame gear. Not saying that my PvP skills were perfect, but I was able to help the team I played for a lot. Rift offered me one of the best PvP experiences in MMO. To this day, the Codex is still my favorite Warfront. Even if the PvP in Rift was never 100% balanced, it is still extremely enjoyable.

So, I popped Favor/Prestige Veteran vials today and here I am. Trying out the Warfronts, blasting my pyrospells around. Currently my rank is 45 and my gear is a complete crap and I hope I can change that in the future. There are some very good players now, with nice gear and practiced skill and matches can be quite challenging.

I also enjoyed Conquest "back in the days" and can't wait to try the new one in Steppes of Infinity.

Back to Rift!

I've left Rift right after Fae Yule 2012. Although, I enjoyed Storm Legion at the beginning, something didn't clicked for me right or I just burnt out after a while. Meanwhile, the game went free-to-play, leaving my 12-months subscription fading away. I logged in few times in the past 16-17 months, but that was it.

Now, I'm kinda back. My guild is still here, I transferred the characters to the new shard (they have few more opened) and I engaged in Rifting activities again. The game is blooming! At least for me and all those new and old people still playing it! Seems like Rift is living new glory days and I'm part of it. The new zone, the Dendrome is fun, beautiful and I enjoyed exploring it. New quests, new challenges, even Bloodfire events. I also participated in the new Mayhem event last week. Feels so fresh to me. Currently, I'm learning the new things and remembering the old. A lot has changed.


My veteran status allows me to fully enjoy the game, although my subscription is long gone. I can still access the auction house and do things non-subscribers can do. I could even buy mounts, pets and anything Trion returned to me for my Storm Chaser purchase.

I also killed Volan. Finally, the giant bastard is finished by my hands (and few more raid groups, of course). I never had the chance to do it in "my days" and today I finally experienced the epic battle. One of the most fun encounters I've ever had in a MMORPG.

I will post my new experiences in Telara these days, so let's say All You Can Rift blog is back again. See you around!