Rift 4.1 Announced

Yeah, I’m late to the game.

Last Friday, Rift 4.1: Forged in Flame was announced.  4.1 will include 2 10-mans and a new “Eternal Weapon” saga questline.  It would appear that the Northern Tenebrean Schism zone will not be part of 4.1, but it is in development, so hopefully we will see it in the 4.2 patch.

Full feature list:

  • New 10-man raid: Tartaric Depths – 4 bosses
  • Intrepid (rehashed) 10-man raid: Rise of the Phoenix
  • Eternal Weapon Saga questline
  • Eternal Equipment – additional weapons, armor, and shields that can be aquired through different means
  • Level 70 weekly quests
  • Huge balancing pass for all souls and roles
  • More Wardobe colors + improved color tints

Full text of the post is below.

We are excited to announce the next chapter in Starfall Prophecy with 4.1: Forged in Flame! On March 1st, join us to explore new systems and content in Telara.

We’ve become familiar with the struggles of the Comet of Ahnket; sections of the Planes of Life and Fire have been torn up and merged with the enigmatic and malevolent Tenebrean. Now the lords of Fire and Life battle for control of the comet’s power, while Ahnket herself is bent on the destruction of Telara.

It is up to you, Ascended, to change the dreadful fate that lies in store for our beloved lands. It is time to assail the Lords of Fire!

Forged in Flame brings with it a new 10-man raid: Tartartic Depths. This fiery prison was created by the devils to imprison the Red Flight – to ensure that no dragon would ever hold sway over them again, as Maelforge once did.
Rituals conducted within the Tartaric Depths have created Malannon, an avatar of the Tenebrean god, The Enigma. Some of you have glimpsed one of the four bosses on the Public Test Shard already, and there are three more to come.

Tartaric Depths is accessed through our new Looking For Raid (LFR system), already in game and being fine tuned as we approach 4.1.

Forged in Flame will also see the introduction of the long awaited Eternal Items! These unique weapons will be earned (and improved) through a level 70 questline. Developing your Eternal weapon will require you to complete many challenges, such as sealing rifts, conquering jumping puzzles and vanquishing monsters. Every Eternal Item is truly “Best in Slot,” providing an unmatched degree of power.

Clerics, Mages, Warriors and Primalists will gain a 2-handed Eternal weapon, while Rogues will earn two one-handed Eternal weapons. On very rare occasions, Eternal armor pieces and additional weapons will also drop in Telara, and can be improved through the Active Upgrade system.

Intrepid Gyel Fortress is already well into development and will release in February, but 4.1 will bring Intrepid Rise of the Phoenix as well! This brings yet another level 70 challenge to the game.

Finally, we are bringing exciting tint improvements to the wardrobe system! Colors will be much more accurate to the dye selected; more vibrant and appealing. New colors will also make an appearance!

There is no additional charge for this update – it will be accessible to all who have invested in Starfall Prophecy. We’ll bring you more information as we march toward launch. Watch for articles and livestreams to come!

Commentary:

“There is no additional charge for this update” – this is being interpreted as a scary message, as many are implying that future non-expansion updates could cost money to play.   Gingers said on the forums (link):  “it was stated because we knew that if we didn’t included that information then some players would ask.”

My takeaway is that the line was included to alleviate confusion for a portion of the playerbase.  I certainly hope that remains to be the case, and that the pessimistic viewpoint doesn’t happen.