DEV Blog 6 - Enter the Rift of the Damned



Date Posted: 27th September 2016

Greetings, Riders! It’s BK again, the lead game designer for the Riders of Icarus development team at WeMade. In this DEV Blog, I would like to give our Riders more insight on what’s to come with the Rift of the Damned update arriving on September 29th. With a new dungeon, field bosses and mounts to collect, Tritael Rift will bring incredible and exciting challenges to our bravest Riders.

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LORE OF THE RIFT

Once a flourishing place, Tritael Rift was torn asunder by the battle between the goddess Ellora and the God of Ruin Zelnaris. You can see this conflict of power visually in the middle of the Rift.

Although the battle is long over, there’s still constant conflict in the area spurred by the forces of the Fallen Legion and Tempest Dragons. The Grand Warlord of the Fallen Legion, Goraktus, joined forces with the Tempest Dragons to break the balance of power and bring chaos to the world again. In response Hakanas Kingdom has dispatched the Pegasus Knights to prevent the disaster. It is up to you Riders to assist Errol, the captain of Pegasus Knights, to secure the safety of the kingdom.

PREPARING FOR THE RIFT

Tritael Rift can be reached by using the Titan Platform in Hakain's Crossing. I recommend having a flying mount that can reach high altitudes, since Tritael Rift is vast both horizontally and vertically. Since Riders will be primarily engaging in aerial combat, it is best to obtain the most powerful lance and crossbow you can find before heading to Tritael Rift.

Once you are in Tritael Rift, there will be a debuff called "Resonance" which will affect familiars that aren’t native to the Rift. This “Resonance” is caused by the clash of powers in the middle of the Rift.This debuff decreases the max altitude of familiars by 200m and reduces familiar energy by 50%.

However, players can overcome this debuff with "Mythic Resilience", a unique skill found in all Heroic familiars, or with "Resonance Resistance" which is a skill that can be found in the familiars of Tritael Rift.

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If you don’t have either a Heroic aerial mount or a mount from the Rift, you can use a "Resonance Resistance Scroll" to avoid the debuff temporarily. Riders can also use the "Altitude Potion" to raise your mount’s altitude or use the orbs of "Ellora’s Energy" spread across the region to recover familiar energy.

FIELD BOSSES OF THE RIFT

During your travels across the Rift you will encounter several new field bosses. Defeating these field bosses will reward your character with special gear and items!

Jumawu

Jumawu was once a small creature that roamed Tritael Rift. However, when Jumawu started consuming the energy emitting from the center of the Rift it began to gradually transform.After countless years Jumawu is now one of the biggest and most violent devourers in Tritael Rift, and his powers only continue to grow.

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Spirits of the Rift

From the clashes between the power of Ellora and Zelnaris, the 4 elemental spirits— Light, Darkness, Fire, and Water— were formed. Ikeria the Light Spirit, Flam the Fire Spirit, Faudrus the Darkness Spirit and Kelsier the Water Spirit roam above the Shattered Land of Tritael Rift.



MOUNTS OF THE RIFT

Tritael Rift comes with many new familiars to tame. As mentioned previously, all mounts from the Rift have a natural resistance to the “Resonance” environmental debuff effect. Here are some of the unique mounts that you will want to tame in this new region.

Void Letonsia

Void Letonsia was originally a familiar used to patrol the Tritael Rift by the Pegasus Knights, but now it roams around the Rift.Void Letonsia can have multiple passengers, carrying up to 5 Riders in total.



Kargyle

Kargyles are mutated dragons that awoke when the Rift collapsed and their minds intertwined with the dormant ancient dragons. There are two types of Kargyles that exist:

"Void Kargyle"


 * Possess enhanced magical powers.
 * Stats are useful for classes that utilize magic.

"Twilight Kargyle"


 * Possess enhanced physical powers.
 * Stats are useful for classes that rely on physicality.



Pegasus

Pegasi that have lost their masters in the battle between the Pegasus Knights and the Fallen Legion roam Tritael Rift.These Pegasi are easily tamable without special marks as they were previously tamed by Pegasus Knights.



NEW DUNGEON: THE BREACH

Souls that were slain in the War of Light suffered for eternity as they were unable to escape the energy of Tritael Rift. This has turned them into grudge-bearing, evil spirits filled with hatred. Supreme Commander Izhora is forming an army of evil spirits wandering the Rift to bring vengeance to all that is living. Players must defeat Izhora's evil army and free the shackled spirits from eternal torment.



Since the entrance to the Breach is located at the top of Tritael Rift, players require mounts that have an extremely high maximum altitude. Pathing within the Breach is much more complex compared to previous dungeons, and players can expect exciting encounters with bosses Izhora and Umax as they present new and challenging gameplay not seen in prior dungeons.

Unlike previous dungeons, there are areas within the Breach where you can mount on ground and areas where an air familiar is required to progress through the dungeon. It's a good idea to ensure many mounts are at maximum energy before going into The Breach.



ENTER THE RIFT OF THE DAMNED

I hope you Riders are excited by the new challenges to face in the Rift of the Damned and are now preparing to soar to new heights. Best of luck in your adventures and on September 29th the Rift will open to all!