If you’re still on the fence about picking up Storm Legion, MMORPG.com has partnered up with Trion to give away Storm Legion beta codes. These beta codes work for both remaining beta events. As of writing this article, MMORPG.com still has plenty of keys remaining, so if you’ve got any friends curious about trying out the expansion, now’s a great chance to get them in on the action. The next beta weekend begins October 19th and runs through October 24th.

As the days to Storm Legion’s launch count down, the folks at Trion are releasing new information on a daily basis about the expansion. In addition to the beta code giveaway and RIFT 1.11 arriving on the PTS, Trion also recently updated the Storm Legion site again, this time with some more lore goodies. Here’s a snippet of the information now available on Empyrean Mechanics:

Long before the Eth honed sourcestone-based magitech or Orphiel experimented with the warping of time, the Brevanes had mastered Empyrean power. Discovering elemental ley lines beneath Cape Jule, they developed magic to siphon the natural energies of the planes, giving rise to the most capable – and harmonious – technology in Telara.

Check out the full lore article here.

MMORPG.com got a chance to interview Trion’s Scott Hartsman, Simon Ffinch, and Mike Daugherty about some of the ways RIFT’s dynamic content is expanding in Storm Legion. By now, it’s no great surprise that Trion is definitely developing the expansion with the word “choice” in mind. Players will be able to level up in Storm Legion however they want to– whether it be through questing accompanied by Carnage quests, which are timed, automatic “kill X amount of enemies” quests, through Instant Adventure, dungeons, PvP, or through dynamic content.

One of the new additions to RIFT’s dynamic content scene in Storm Legion is going to be Hunt Rifts. Hartsman previewed a Hunt Rift for us during PAX Prime. During MMORPG.com’s interview, the team goes into a little more detail:

They’re sort of the evolution of “Expert Rifts” from days of yore, in that they allow players to hunt and play in the open world and outside of dungeons for real loot drops, as well as their own form of currency to get more progressive rewards. There are NPCs that tell a story about what Hunt Rifts are (hunting down vicious elemental lords and drawing them out of rifts to strike at them before they attack Telara), and they guide you through how to accomplish them. There’s a whole progression path towards unlocking them all, and as an estimate Scott and Mike said they believe there are about 50 to 60 (a “sh*tload” as Simon said) different Hunt Rifts to work through and play with when Storm Legion launches. You finish one, unlock the next, and so forth. But players who want certain gear can and will be able to repeat them, while the completionists storm through them all (no pun intended). Every player will have to unlock the Hunt Rifts for themselves, but like all good social MMOs, if you stumble upon a group of people doing one you haven’t yet, you can get credit for it by joining in.

50-60 Hunt Rifts? That’s fairly impressive, and sounds like something that many RIFT players will enjoy.

Make sure to check out the full interview.

Good news for the RIFT lore junkies out there. Last Friday, while Scott Hartsman was chatting it up on Reddit with RIFT fans, both Massively and MMORPG.com had some cool, new Storm Legion lore information to share. Some new Storm Legion screenshots and artwork were revealed as well.

The Infinity Gate

Amid the Steppes of Infinity there stands a massive ruin gazing up toward Crucia’s storm-tossed sky. Floating impossibly above this structure is an intricate construct of interlocking lenses and disks, their surfaces covered with bas reliefs.

If scholars were to brave the Storm Legion forces patrolling the Steppes, they would say the ruin is capable of opening portals to other dimensions — portals large enough to send armies marching through. This is the Infinity Gate, and sending an army through is just what Crucia has in mind.

Be sure and check out Massively’s RIFT exclusive: Storm Legion lore bonanza for the full article, and keep reading for MMORPG.com’s lore coverage.

During E3 last week, a staff member over at MMORPG.com got to preview a demo of Storm Legion. From the sounds of it, most of the material previewed was the same demo we were shown live last Thursday, but a few new names popped up within the article, and like the good, uh, source of frequent speculation I am, I thought I’d share my findings!

“It was an exciting demo with Trion VP of Development, Russ Brown showing me various areas. Crucia is gathering her Storm Legion and building a power plane system in the cradle of the lost civilization and the environment and architecture have a techy look with whirring gears and sparks of lightning, gear motifs, relics of long non-functioning clockwork systems run by magic are found in the landscape. I got a glimpse of the Golem Foundry as well, a level 54 play area. A few names were tossed out as we bounced around in game. A giant beating “heart” in the Imperium Core which was an eerie mix of plant and animal elements, an area named Ashora, teasers of fighting the last two dragons in the world, Regulos and Crucia, but we finally came to the heart of the demo, the golem boss.”

The golem boss is none other than our buddy, who we saw stomping around, smashing things, and being, well, ping-ponged by QA testers catapulting through the air. The architecture sounds absolutely amazing.

What’d we find out here? A couple of things: Golem Factory is a level 54 area, so we’ll be seeing it as we level, that cool-looking plant thing is actually Imperium Core, and hey, another name– Ashora, complete with… teasers of fighting dragons? Not sure what that all means, but it’s definitely interesting. It’s also interesting to read different opinions and impressions on the content that has been unveiled so far. One thing’s for certain– Trion has showed off some impressive stuff!

MMORPG.com has the skinny on the lore of Laethys:

Once, in another world, there was a little kingdom by the sea. It was a poor little kingdom, but happy—the rivers rushing to the sea made the fields fertile, and the bay was thick with fish. Its people, who called themselves Ogres, were strong from hard work and hale from good food. But the Ogres looked with envy upon their neighbors, who did not work quite so hard because their mountains hid glittering riches.

Rift Dev Journals: Laethy

In a recent editorial on MMORPG.com, the author spoke about the uphill battle Rift has with the looming release of SWTOR and GW2. Most of the article touched upon how Rift has done some great things, but there are a few more comments on the call to Scott Hartsman that happened last month regarding new end game content for single and small group players.

…Trion’s also going to be adding “Instant Adventure” events. From what we could gather during our July call with Scott Hartsman, it sounds as though each player will be able to tell the game that they want to partake in some sort of event, and based on the number of people queuing up for this, the system will place you in groups and create havoc for you.

MMORPG.com has a preview up where they talk about Patch 1.2, Spoils of War. They talked with Design Producer Hal Hanlin and Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart about the upcoming changes.

According to MMORPG.com this Prelude Event, will be starting May 4th and run up to May 9th.

In the first instance, golden coins have been raining on Sanctum and Meridian but when city folk pick them up, they are corrupted by a strange taint. Because the Ascended are a bit more resistant to such corruption, the Mendicant Order and the College of Planar Studies are anxious to have these tainted coins collected and returned for further study. The collection of coins is a once daily quest that takes place only in the capital city of each faction.

If coins falling from the sky aren’t enough to give pause for thought, players will face an increase in Earth and Fire rifts that are exploding across Telara even in places they had not been previously seen. Interest will undoubtedly be piqued, however, by the fragments of ancient dragon eggshells being dropped by invaders and Rift monsters. Again, the College of Planar Studies and the Mendicant Order are both interested in having these dragon eggshells rounded up for further study. There are three daily requests sending the Ascended all over Telara in search of these rare but mysterious items.

For those that have not been on the Alpha Test Shard recently, there is a small Earth Rift art asset set up like the Death Rift stuff from the River of Souls event. That is where you will find the new Daily Quests.

Check out MMORPG.com for new screenshots.

MMORPG.com reveals the Shaman soul today.

“I am the vengeance of the north. Mine is the fury of the storm, the bite of the icy peaks, and I will rain retribution on those who threaten our way of life.”

Overview

The Shaman binds the power of the icy north to his very being, wreathing himself in pure elemental force. This power augments a Shaman’s attacks, making him a powerful melee combatant, and provides shields and reactive healing.

Strengths

A Shaman strikes hard and fast like the fury of a winter storm. He can quickly close into melee and unleash powerful blows fueled by muscle and magic.

Weaknesses

Shamans lack other clerics’ abilities to bolster defenses and heal grievous wounds, so they fare poorly against foes with a strong defense of their own or who can keep the Shaman at bay.

For more information about lore and additional screenshots follow the link above.

MMORPG.com reveals today the Riftstalker soul, part of the Rogue Calling.

“I walk in the space between here and there, and slip through the seams in reality to deliver a most timely death upon my enemies.”

Overview

The Riftstalker is a defensive specialist who bends the planes to enhance his constitution and shift in and out of the physical dimension. These highly skilled and survivable combatants keep their opponents’ focus while easily evading incoming blows.

Strengths

A Riftstalker is an incredibly mobile fighter capable of shielding himself from harm and appearing in the ideal place and time in a fight.

Weaknesses

Harnessing planar energies places Riftstalkers under tremendous strain, so while formidable in short engagements, they quickly lose ground as they exhaust their bag of tricks.

For more lore and background information, including screenshots, make sure you visit MMORPG.com through the link above.

Today MMORPG.com reveals to us the Archon soul.

Overview

Archons are support specialists who steal their opponents’ strength and convert that raw energy into beneficial magic. These mages bolster their allies and unleash potent kinetic blasts, quickly turning the tide of battle.

Strengths

Archons draw upon an enemy’s strength to empower their friends and unleash potent spells, helping their allies face down seemingly insurmountable odds.

Weaknesses

An Archon is weakest when caught between transfers. Having expended their own life force to gain access to their enemy’s, they must feed on the energy of others to regain strength. During this time a strategic assault can quickly overcome the Archon’s meager defenses.

For more screenshots and background information hop on over to MMORPG.com.