Well. I had never really played a 'WoW-clone'. It's strange. It feels fresh yet has that familiar feel that I know will bite me in the ass at a later date. It's a strange feeling, kind of like riding a bike. It's essentially the same mechanics, and you're ultra aware of what to do, just looking out for a different 'skin'. With LOTRO and GW the differences were vast enough that it didn't feel like a clone, and then again, I disliked those games. But I liked Rift. The similarities are disconcerting.
The differences are enthralling though. I can see where this game's strong suit will be a problem in the near/far future, but right now, it is incredibly addictive. Where Rift separates itself from WoW is the class system. There aren't that many races, just three per faction: good humans, bad humans, dwarves, giants, good elves, and bad elves. Not that much, and I couldn't see there being any difference between one race and another. There are passive traits, but I did not really pay any attention to them initially.
There are four MAIN classes: Cleric, Warrior, Rogue and Mage. Pretty meat and potatoes, and yet I feel it's incredibly comprehensive. Within each class there are 8 (if I'm not mistaken) specializations, or souls. You are able to level three at a time. That's 96 combinations possible within the game. That's like saying there are 96 possible specs, but that's not really accurate, I think. Because you still put in 'talents' or points within each tree of each specialization, so I doubt you would be able to max out all three trees you could potentially have ...I think that makes for n*96=specs overall in this game. Boggles the mind.
Specializations are interesting to say the least. They can be defensive, offensive, supporting, and I don't know what else. I initially tried a Warrior as a Void Knight. It's a knight that counterattacks magics well. Then I specced him again as a paladin, a warrior of the light (weird), and finally, I WAS going to choose my third soul as a warlord, but I went the way of the champion, so as not to go defensive the entire way.
THIS is where I feel this game pulls a fast one on WoW. I can already see how Trion worlds (Spelling please) will have a hell of a time playing a balancing act on the classes (to be fair though, there are only 4 classes, hah! So awesome) to appease the qqing that will come. But so far, wow, it's...so immersive I haven't really had time to study and learn all the combinations you could end up with in this game.
Some of the conventions have been broken too. Ranged dps falls under Rogue, so there would be an opportunity to be MORE than just an autoshooting toon, and not all range have pets! Warriors have a spec for pets as well! It's a bit daunting to be honest. Clerics are the healers and they wear chain. Plate is better, of course, but the days of squishy healers seem to be gone, not to mention that the versatility achievable by three possible leveling trees make healers much more self reliant, I would say.
I think this game's weak point is the lore, but it's not like WoW had such great lore that everything should just stop trying. The lore in this game though...it's like a weird mix of religious mythos and viking mythology. I don't really get it yet.
More on this surprising contender later!
Oh! And by the by-shield slam, paired with a proc that increases blocking=this game gets me!
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