Rift: The Middle Levels

Posted by Wolfen in Rift

I have been moving through the ol’ PVE grind as I explore the middle levels and inch towards level 50. I have reached level 44 and I am still having fun. I find certain zones better than others, but nothing terribly bad. I moved to Scarlet Gorge after finishing up Gloamwood. From there I went through Scarwood Reach, Moonshade Highlands, and the Doughtlands.

Scarlet Gorge has been the least fun zone for me. I just don’t like the way it is laid out. It is a nice looking zone, but I didn’t like the feel of it. Foul Cascade can be found here, which is the zone’s dungeon instance. It is an interesting 5-man dungeon with some neat boss fights.

Next was Scarwood Reach. It is a large zone with a huge array of quests. I particularly liked the many quest variations to be had. I never felt bored running quests here. There was always something new around the corner.

Once Scarwood Reach is completed, you are left with quests that send you to both Moonshade Highlands and the Doughtlands. Both zones are designed for the same questing levels. I first went to Moonshade, but I soon developed a plan that I think made things easier and faster for me.

I was noticing that each time I came to a new quest hub that I was always two levels below the quests offered there. It was happening without fail. I don’t know if I was just being efficient or if the game was designed that way. Either way, since Moonshade and Doughtlands were of the same level range, I was able to get around that issue. I would run quests in Moonshade until I hit the next quest hub where the quests were higher level than me. I would then move to the Doughtlands where the quests would be the same level as me. I would run those quests until I hit another hub and then move back to Moonshade. Running quests of the same level made getting through them much easier and faster.

Of the two zones, I found the Doughtlands to be more fun. I had already seen many of the creatures that also inhabit Moonshade, whereas most of the creatures in Droughtlands were new to me. You will start in Lantern Hook, which is a city located inside a mountain.

My Paladin/Reaver/Warlord build continues to serve me very well. Alas, it appears as if the party will soon be over. Patch notes on the test server show that the Reaver soul is going to get hit with HUGE nerfs in the near future. There are many nerfs coming, but the one that burns me the most is that they are taking away the 9% heal for each creature killed. That is going to slow me down in a very big way. I’ve had so much fun with my AOE abilities, but it appears that Trion is taking all that fun away and replacing it with pain. It is a damn shame. I will post my experiences with it once it hits the live servers.

I am almost done with the Droughtlands and I have started a few quests in Shimmersand. More details to come.

Scarlet Gorge waterfall	Foul Cascade spider
Moonshade bay	Droughtlands scenery