Gain more enjoyment and fun from playing one of the latest (but already very popular) MMORPG's by following this Rift walk-through.
Here's the scenario... The world is coming to an end, and it desperately needs you!
But who do you want to be? And what do you want to do?
When you start the game, you have to choose between one of two factions that are opposed to each other. You can choose either Guardian or Defiant.
Guardians believe that the Vigil (the gods of Telara) have not abandoned the world, but are working towards an intricate plan for the final battle between good and evil - the 'Day of Judgment'. They believe that they have a destiny to fulfill, as part of a divine plan to save the world.
Defiants do not care whether the gods actually abandoned the world - or not. The Defiants believe that the answer lies in a miracle spawned from technology - and they are ready to achieve their aims at any price.
It is allowable to have characters in both factions on the same server (they are called shards) but you can't move any of your characters from one faction to another.
When you have chosen your faction, race and gender, you can then choose between one of four available classes (callings): Mage, Warrior, Cleric or Rogue. When this is done, and you've formed your character's physical aspects and created a suitable name, you're ready to go.
The first 5 to 7 levels are in a closed area. You're now in a starting place and will have quests which reward you with the choices of your first three souls, plus the possibility of putting points into them. You will also meet your first rift at the end of this initial sector. When this is done, you will then be relegated to the "real world" of Telara.
If you are a Guardian, you will end up in Silverwood; Defiants go to Freemarch. Even on a PvP shard, you will be off PvP and able to level your character without interference from enemy players.
The first levels will give you an introduction to everything you need to know: Profession (you can pick the first gathering professions from teacher straight out of the starting area); porticulums (to move around between the different places); quests; gathering quests; rifts and fighting quests - together with almost every other type of quest you are going to face during the game.
If you follow the questlines, you will be led to your capital city: Meridian for Defiants and Sanctum for Guardians.
In these cities, you will face further quests, and it is a good idea to follow them all. They give you a good introduction to the artifacts; the crafting professions; the daily quests and the World Event Quests etc.
In general, you will not be sent off to PvP places until approximately level 20. In most cases, if you follow the quest given to you, you will be sent from one zone to the other and be able to level.
If you feel you have missed some of the quests, the zones are:
Terminus...................... 1 - 6 Defiant's starting zone.
Mathosia.......................1 - 6 Guardian's starting zone.
Freemarch.................... 6 - 20 Defiants.
Silverwood................... 6 - 20 Guardians.
Gloamwood................. 20 - 27 Gardian Friendly (PvP flagged).
Stonefield.................... 20 - 27 Defiant Friendly (PvP flagged).
Scarlet Gorge............... 26 - 30 Contested (PvP flagged).
Scarwood Reach.......... 30 - 35 Contested (PvP flagged).
Moonshade Highlands.. 35 - 39 Contested (PvP flagged).
Droughtlands............... 35 - 40 Contested (PvP flagged).
Iron Pine Peak............. 41 - 47 Contested (PvP flagged).
Shimmersand.............. 43 - 48 Contested (PvP flagged).
Stillmoor..................... 45 - 50 Contested (PvP flagged).
After this Rift walk-through, you only need to begin the game to start enjoying the fun.