For more than a year, RIFT players have endured some fairly non-inspiring animal companion models. The Rogue’s Razorbeast comes to mind, especially, as does the Beastmaster Warrior’s Primal Companion. The Ranger’s pig is probably among the top 10 ugliest MMO animal companions ever, and the purple cat, well, never really seemed too ferocious, especially when paired with a geared-out level 50 Warrior. Luckily, Trion’s finally tossed pet lovers out there a bone, and has updated a few of the pet models.

This data has been recently discovered on the PTS, and as such, a release date for these models is currently unknown. So far there have been updates for all three Ranger pets, both Beastmaster pets, and both Druid faeries. The Satyr model and Mage pets have not received new models yet, although it’s completely possible that they will in the weeks to come.

Massively reports on their time at PAX playing Rift: Planes of Telara. This time the reporter sits down and plays in a group to take on the instance with four other people. Here he is playing a Druid:

I hardly heard him as I frantically tried to memorize the full array of skills in front of me, rearranging my hotbar to put my heals up front and center. “Ohh, you’re a druid,” another Trion Worlds developer said over my shoulder. “They’re fun — they get a faerie pet that heals your team as well.” I followed his pointing finger and clicked on the skill to summon what appeared to be a cross-breed between Tinkerbell and a Troll doll. Fun times.

Ok so Druids get a pet; and it’s a faerie. Fun times indeed.

The rest of the article covers the basics of the game. The author admits the games was very low on his radar and new almost nothing about the game. So take this article makes for a good read from a perspective of a new player with no existing bias (we hope). Also, Massively has put together a collection of new screenshots as well.