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.
 

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.

As part of RIFT‘s second anniversary celebration, Trion is holding another free weekend event for returning players from March 21st to March 26th. Also at this time (not quite coincidentally), Trion is offering players a special 25%-off promotion for both the Standard and Infinity editions of Storm Legion.

Both the returning player and new player versions of the expansion are on sale for this promotion. This 25%-off sales event will run the same length as the free event, from March 21st to March 26th. This might be a good weekend to talk a friend or two into trying Storm Legion.

For more details, check out the full pricing details as well as Trion’s official announcement.

The addition of a new expansion is always an exciting time. There are, however, always some downsides. The biggest with any first expansion seems to be the level grind.  The worst spot, that little hump before you can start the shiny new content. I’m talking, in the case of RIFT, about the mid level 40s.

There are some clever ways of dealing with these issues. Before the XP was nerfed, crafting was a viable means for alts to level. However, in the wake of the XP reduction on SL (Storm Legion) crafting dailies, what is the best method for getting from 46 to SL with ease? I am about to tell you exactly how! SL quests. I know, you have to be 48 to start in Cape Jule or Pelladane.  However, there are some quests you can do in later zones that will level you quickly… and you won’t even have to do the impossible and kill mobs! Even better, it works for new players as well as alts. Here’s how, for both Defiants and Guardians:

This coming weekend, December 14th through 18th, Trion will be showcasing RIFT Patch 2.1 and Storm Legion for free. Former subscribers will be able to explore all of the content of Storm Legion without purchasing the expansion, and prospective players will be able to experience some of the new additions to RIFT, including dimensions and the newly-arrived Fae Yule holiday event.

Storm Legion has already been called a “truly inspiring,” “gold standard” expansion with “by far the most innovative housing system in the genre.” Try it free from Dec. 14-18 when you join the Ascended in a march on the forces of Air and Death! Former subscribers can dive deep into Storm Legion with no restrictions, while anyone, including RIFT Lite players, can celebrate a huge new Fae Yule World Event and build in private or public, personal or guild Dimensions.

For more information, see Trion’s official announcement.

Trion has a pretty amazing art department, and Storm Legion showcases that fact well. The art team posted a whole slew of Storm Legion concept art drawings on the Polycount forums recently, which is a community geared toward video game artists and designers. Some of the pieces have been shared by Trion’s art team previous to the expansion’s launch, but others are new. All in all, the collection is a pretty fantastic source of eye candy for fans of RIFT’s artwork and overall design.

To check it out, follow this link to the Polycount forums. As a warning, the thread’s rather large. Make sure to scroll down to see everything.

Many of you may be returning to RIFT, maybe many of you are starting up for the first time, or maybe you’re just leveling an alt. In any case, you’re probably trying to catch up with some friends and are eager to dive into the new Storm Legion content. This video and guide is probably the fastest and best way to hit level 50 in the fastest time possible. Keep reading and we’ll give you the low down on what you need to do.

Being new to the world of Telara is a daunting experience, looking at all those high level Clerics with their shiny armour wandering around on fantastic mounts bristling with weapons and virtually aglow with magic can be enough to cause the new Cleric  to think they can never be that good.

Fear not the challenge, for here is a way to beat the levelling woe’s and become one of those Clerics you first looked up to.

This guide is set out to make the transition from level 10 to level 60 as painless as possible if you have to do it Solo or with a friend. So the first thing you need to do is get out of the starting zone by following the quest line and get to today’s Telara, you should be around level 8 when you emerge, I’d suggest following the quest line till you get to level 10 then you can reset your souls to take advantage of this guide.

Storm Breaker Protocol is a level 52-56 dungeon. The portal is in Tempest Bay near the vendor for Planar Dimension items.

The first half of SBP has a unique mechanic: each member of the party is given a mech suit! Along with the new look comes a whole new hotbar of abilities.

The first button is a basic melee attack. The second button is a chargeable ranged cannon — press the button once to charge, and again to deploy. The third button releases a series of missiles at your target. The fourth button shoots out a jet of flame that’s great for mowing down packs of little bugs. The fifth button is a shield, and the final button will revive a dead teammate. All the attack abilities can be used while moving, including charging the cannon. This is important, as you’ll be running around a lot.

Let’s say you’re standing in front of one of the bosses and the tank is about to pull — what do you need to know right this minute? Check out our Quick Tactics Guide!

Over the weekend, one of the popular topics on the official RIFT forums and in-game was the topic of mob tagging in Storm Legion. Trion has finally taken the first step in doing away with the old school “tag a mob first and grab all the rewards” system and now players are able to share experience, coin rewards, and quest progression on mobs they didn’t originally tag. Most players enjoy the new system, which essentially allows players to work together to defeat mobs and quickly complete Carnage quests and gain extra experience.

The downside, however, is the fact that since experience is split equally between all contributors of a mob kill, it actually becomes more efficient to throw up a weak DoT on a mob someone else is killing, remount, and continue finding something else to kill (or throw more DoTs around). According to some players, this kind of invalidates the whole “players working together” image that Trion most likely had in mind.