Now that Stillmoor is going to start seeing some PvP action thanks to the approaching addition of Conquest, RIFT players have started questioning what other maps around Telara would be ideal to one day undergo a similar transformation. The map on top of that list for some players? Ember Isle. The sheer size of Ember Isle would make a very expansive PvP playground, and if choked full of interesting objectives, there could be a lot of potential. The cliffs alone would make fantastic defensive points. Pair those cliffs with some fancy siege weaponry? Oh yeah.

One RIFT player came up with some pretty cool objective ideas, including some ways to boost crafting in Conquest, and ideas on how to add siege vehicles, rifts, colossi, mines, secret extractors, and even include the current Ember Isle natural defensive systems.

Massively has recently gotten a chance to talk with Scott Hartsman on patch 1.2 and beyond. Here are few choice quotes that we think showcase which direction Trion is taking RIFT.

First we find that 1.2 is coming, potentially, May 4th.

On Looking for Group Tools

One of the biggest improvements with the update is the addition of a Looking for Group tool. This was something everyone wanted, Hartsman said, but the team refused to rush it out the door in poor shape. It does what you would probably expect: Players can queue up for an instance by role (the system recognizes which builds you have and offers options for tank, healer, support and DPS) and then wait as the tool assembles the group for a cooperative adventure. Once a group is formed, the system thenn throws them into the maelstrom automatically. The LFG tool isn’t just for dungeons, either; it’s designed to help players get together for world quest content like epic or arena quests.

The LFG tool will come in handy in conjunction with 1.2′s improved daily dungeon system. Trion’s tweaking the daily dungeon quests so that you can either do one per day or let them pile up so you can knock out a bunch at once. Hartsman said that this caters to the “weekend warriors” who want all of the special rewards of daily dungeons but can only make time for them once a week. The game will store up to seven daily dungeon quests for you at a time.

Emphasis is Rift Junkies above. Great news for those that can’t get on every day to do a dungoen. This aids casual and hardcore players alike.

Open World PvP

The other major aspect of PvP in Rift aside from Warfronts, is arguably the most important in the long-term. Instanced arenas for a set amount of people to meet head on and fight is one thing, but it is more of a diversion for most players than a reason to play the game. For a large amount of players what they really want to keep the excitement and enjoyment of the game going is open world, unpredictable, ebbing and flowing PvP.