So you want to join the ranks of Mage healing.  I won’t kid you, it’s a tough job that’s made even more tough by only having a couple direct healing spells.  While you could be a good dungeon healer you will likely play a support healer in raids.  This isn’t a knock against Mage healers, we are very good at pumping out group heals, but keeping a tank up during massive pulse damage can be tricky with little to no margin for error.

So with all the challenges that a Mage has to overcome when healing what spec makes it easier and how can a Mage go from being a good healer to a great one?  Well, most of the time you will find that those Mages who are good at healing know all the fights like the back of their hand and, more importantly, they know how to manage their cooldowns and time their direct healing abilities properly.  While the timing and management of cooldowns are an art form that will take a fair bit of practice to master we can take a look at how you might want to spec out your Mage souls, what macros to have available, and a general rotation of some spells.
 

The Agonist is a serious death dealer which can maim your enemies and protect your allies.  Trion listed the Defiler soul as a healing soul, however, this soul has much more potential than just being a healing soul.  By combining the Defiler and Cabalist souls, this spec reeks of death, and your tank will thank you after that huge pull.

Agonist Spec purpose:  Solo, AoE Damage, and tank/group damage reduction.

I’ve been working on a DPS spec for level 60 dungeons.  The one found below has moderate mobility and very good DPS without having to worry about controlling a pet.  I never like to quote DPS numbers because it varies by equipment, mob/encounter type, etc. but for those that are interested I can usually get at least 7K sustained DPS in an expert level 60 dungeon against a boss with a fair bit of movement mechanics.

Please post up your questions and comments on this build.  I won’t pretend to have all the answers so if you see something that might work a bit better in the rotation, point distribution, or anything else then speak up. The only way we will all learn to get the most out of our class is if we share ideas, macros, and tactics.

Exodus of the Storm Queen is a fairly easy run, even on Expert mode. I will be discussing the Expert mode, and how to deal with all the abilities. Furthermore, videos for most of the encounters and a screenshot for one of the workarounds are here. Where applicable methods for working around mechanics will be discussed.

The encounters can be solo healed, excepting the mechanic workaround on Valthundr may be a problem. This is due to high tank and aoe damage, and will be discussed during his encounter discussion. Any mechanic workarounds may at some point be fixed by Trion, and as such it is advisable to know the normal method as well as any workarounds you may want to use.

After the harsh, arid zones of Ardent Domain and Morban, Kingsward may seem like a perfect little vacation spot. Except for, of course, the rampant beasts, invading planar forces, and undead armies. Once a royal kingdom, Kingsward has now fallen. The zone’s story continues from the breadcrumb quest received in Ardent Domain.

Kingsward is ideal for players starting at around levels 56 to 59, and is a good zone to explore when approaching level 60, since it’s part of the Shards of Infinity weekly quest, which is obtained in Tempest Bay and will give you a headstart in collecting Infinity Stones. Completing quests and Carnage quests in Kingsward will reward players with Eternal City Survivors notoriety. To travel to Kingsward, head to either Soros Estate or Turnis Rive Bunker in Ardent Domain.

There are a couple advantages to questing in Morban. One– you get to kill lots of undead stuff, two– you gain plenty of Necropolis Caretakers notoriety, and three– you get to wander around and guess what? Kill more undead stuff! Members of the Storm Legion also make their way in the mix. Morban, which is the zone following Seratos on the Dusken continent, pretty much follows the same exploratory vibe Seratos has. The zone has a central quest line, but there are plenty of non-scripted areas to explore, random quests to find, and a great deal of Carnage killing to take part in.

Morban is ideal for players starting at around levels 55-59. There’s a fairly large level jump between Seratos and Morban, so it becomes helpful at this point to hop back and forth between both continents a bit. Some ideal Brevane zones for these levels would be Ardent Domain, Kingsward, and Ashora. Like Seratos, Morban is rather dark and desolate in appearance, with a landscape full of ominous trees and looming piles of bones. It’s also the zone where both Tower of the Shattered and Archive of Flesh are located.

After visiting Seratos, Eastern Holdings, or some combination of either zone, one option for questing in Storm Legion is Ardent Domain, the fourth zone on the Brevane continent. Ardent Domain is ideal for players starting at around levels 55-58. The easiest way to get there is by traveling to either the Vaud Tower or Miran Gate porticulum point in City Core then heading west.

Ardent Domain continues the core theme that makes up much of questing in City Core and Eastern Holdings. What once were large, looming estates now crumble into ruins, and the landscape of Ardent Domain has been transformed into one almost frozen in time. The land is parched and pale. Roots and strange vegetation loom overhead, and dangerous creatures cause what few citizens remain to hide inside a bunker. That bunker, Turnis River Bunker, is where the majority of story quests take place and begin from.

Continuing our Dusken and Brevane zone tour and point of interest map collection, Seratos is next on the list, which is the second zone on the Dusken continent. Seratos is one of the largest zones in Storm Legion, and is quite a bit more spread out than its level-equivalent zone on Brevane, which is Eastern Holdings. Seratos is ideal for players starting at around levels 52-56, and unless you’re doing quite a few dungeons and Instant Adventures while leveling, it might be advisable around this point to begin questing on both continents if you haven’t already been doing so.

Seratos lives up to Dusken’s dusk-colored reputation, and takes players on a questing journey that’s dark, death-themed (purple galore!), and a little exploratory in nature. While Eastern Holdings has a more prominent story quest line to follow, adventuring through Seratos does follow a central story, but the story paths are more spread out, letting players explore the gloomy countryside and take part in plenty of Carnages and Onslaughts along the way.

After visiting the Brevane continent and City Core, a story quest takes players right into Eastern Holdings, the next zone of interest in our Storm Legion map and point of interest series. Eastern Holdings is ideal for players starting at around levels 52-56, and is slightly more streamlined in its storyline than the alternative leveling path for these levels, which is Seratos over on the Dusken continent. The atmosphere in Eastern Holdings is also a little more, well, green as opposed to purple.

I won’t delve into storyline spoilers here, but I will say this much– if you’re looking for some of the ways RIFT’s developers have broadened their quest-making wings in Storm Legion, the final quest line in Eastern Holdings is a fantastic example. There’s even a bit of high jumping and investigation-style quests involved!

Keep reading to check out our huge map, complete with point of interest markings, Onslaught information, and more.

Fae Yule 2012 is here, and snowballs are in season! As part of Rift Junkies’ series of holiday event guides, here is our take on Fae Yule, complete with lots of screenshots, details on the rewards offered, and hints, tips, and descriptions for the event’s quests and activities.

Fae Yule is essentially the same lighthearted, goodie-filled holiday it was last year, except this year there is more to do, and more ways to spend Unique Snowflakes, which will be great for players who found themselves a little overrun with the currency last time around. There are some new items, including items for Storm Legion-leveled players, festive dimension items, and pets and mounts that are both new and returning. The event itself is still largely centered in Meridian and Sanctum, though Iron Pine Peak plays an important role this time as well.