The free-to-play MMO Rift will receive its next expansion “Nightmare Tides” this year. In an interview, the minds behind the game revealed more details.
In a conversation with the editors of mmorpg.com, the creators of Rift made it clear where their inspiration for the upcoming expansion “Nightmare Tides” lies. While it does go into the tides, they don’t want to overdo it: “Only 10% of the core game takes place in the water.” Rather than splash games, they are much more interested in what lurks hidden, twisted, and eerie in the water. The interview reveals that H.P. Lovecraft serves as an inspiration for the expansion. The emphasis is thus more on the “Nightmare,” the “horror” part of the title, than on the “shores.”
For Nightmare Tides, they aim to find a tighter narrative framework. This has proven to be inspiring during the development phase. From one idea, ten were born, and from ten, quickly a hundred.
No Gear Reset
Unlike most other MMOs, there will be no hard gear reset in Nightmare Tides, so players won’t have to swap out their hard-earned raid items, which were previously best-in-slot, for green quest rewards after just a few levels.
Up to level 65 and a bit beyond, the “old” gear will remain the better option. This is intended to keep players motivated until the expansion launches and continue improving their character.
