All you ever wanted to know about Rift's gear and were not afraid to ask

by Justin Olivetti on Nov 10th 2010 4:30PM

While some players may possess the tact not to come right out and say it to a dev's face, when an upcoming MMO is being discussed there's always the inner voice shouting, "What about my loots? Is the gear pimpin' or what?"

Forget zones and races and dynamic events -- today at Ten Ton Hammer, the crowd finally got the Rift: Planes of Telara dev team to open up about the outfits that constitute a bulk of the rewards of the game. In this reader Q&A, Game System Designer Drew Clowery tackled numerous questions about Rift's gear. Rift will launch with 48 armor set models -- each boasting a number of variants and texture options -- but will not initially offer armor set bonuses.

Veteran MMO gamers will feel at home with Rift's armor system, which is restricted by class (warriors will be able to wear heavier armor than rogues, for example) and can be bound on pickup or equip. Loot comes in one of four levels of rarity -- common, uncommon, rare and epic -- based on its utility and difficulty to attain. Crafted gear will be competitive (and apparently customizable) to dropped gear. And finally, Rift will not launch with an appearance system that replaces the look of worn gear with cosmetic items.

Clowery feels that the team has struck a good balance between loot being useful and being a barrier: "Loot is an important part of our game, and so it has to have an important impact upon the characters. That said, it's not completely overwhelming... We don't design encounters to be gear checks. We design them to see if you can get together and do this."

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Reader Comments (3)

"We don't design encounters to be gear checks. We design them to see if you can get together and do this."

I hope this true I dont enjoy how some MMO's philosophy seems to be:
Gear>Skill

Gear does not equal skill and skill does not equal ones ability to play a game.
MMOs are mindblowingly simple, but with lots of depth. Skill is this idea coined by elitists and spread throughout the MMOsphere to rate other players and ostracize them. Sure someone might be a bit faster or have better timing, but anyone with a head on their shoulders who can pick the right spell at the right time can be good. This whole idea of "skill" prevents other players from getting better. "Skill" is a twisted look at once ability to play a game. Sure, a shooter might require more reflexes or the ability to pick out a target, or a puzzle game might take quick thinking and dexterity. MMOs are designed to be played and controlled with a group.

"Skill" doesn't exist, ones ability to cooperate and work together is what matters.

Reply

I disagree about mmos only requiring teamwork. I have played a healer in EQ2 since launch. I personally have to be very situationally aware, know my abilities in dept and understand the synergy between different classes in group composition. This is mostly mental work but as a solid healer I have come to understand the other roles too. Tanking in EQ2 is complex and does require actual skill. I have also seen Crowd Control require player skill. So it depends on the game played, the character class and group role.