PTS Update + Datamining for 8-9th January 2015

RIFT’s Public Test Shard (‘PTS’) received an approx. 90MB and 65MB update on the 8th and 9th of January with some small additions. Given the size of these updates, I’ve also added in what was found in the datamined files.

These updates are a supplement to the more beefy update last week which included new PA trees, the new 3.1 island “Tyrant’s Throne”, Minion additions like shuffling and more! You can check them all out here: PTS Update 2nd January 2015 + PTS Datamining 2nd January 2015.

Patch version are TEST-301-8-A-971388 and TEST-301-11-A-972000.

Summary:

• New Hard Mode Achieves
• Mage Necromancer Changes
• Omicron Building + Elevator Models
• Dragon Mecha Models
• Other Skins: Storm Legion-related.

As always, everything below is subject to change prior to hitting Live and some things included below may never make it to Live release.

New Hard Mode Achieves

Hard Mode Chronicle RoF Achievements

60 new achievements points were added, bringing the total to 35,002 from the previous PTS Update’s 34,942.

Four Hard Mode achievements have been added in for the Chronicle: Rhen of Fate (still not accessible on PTS yet). Ungolok (the first boss) rewards a ‘Spawnling’ dimension item for killing him in this mode.

Unknown exactly what the Spawnling item does as it just shows a crate for its preview, but it is more than likely an interactive or animated dimension item. Probably shakes a little.

Like the other Hard Mode chronicle bosses in the game, you’ll probably be able to activate their hard modes by clicking on a red orb just prior to each boss encounter.

Mage Necromancer Changes

Most of the Mage Necromancer changes mentioned by Kervik should have made it to the PTS with the latest two patches this week.

Changes are as follows:

• The Velocity buff from Elementalist can now be procced by Plague Bolt.
• Reduce cooldown of Bone Frenzy to 15s.
• Increase the healing from Essence Link by ~40%.
• Change Symbiote to increase healing from Essence Link by 25/50%.
• Increase ICD on Essence Link heal proc to 1s (currently the ICD is 0.5s). Add info on the ICD to the ability description.
• Reduce channel time of Soul Purge to 4s. Increase damage by ~25%.
• Reduce Heal from Improved Soul Purge to 0.15/0.3% of damage done.
• Corpse Explosion – 15s duration. Deals X damage to up to 5 enemies around the affected enemy when damaged by the caster’s Plague Bolt. Deals Y damage to up to 5 enemies if the affected enemy dies. Consumes the caster’s Corpse Explosion and triggers their death explosion on all enemies hit.
• Corpse Pile – Gives Corpse Explosion a 50/100% chance to spread to up to 5 enemies if hit by Grave Rot. Damage from the death explosion from Corpse Explosion deals an additional 50% of its damage over 6s to all enemies it hits.
• The damage bonus from Bone Armor now affects the caster’s pets as well.
• Last Gasp now deals X damage each time the affected enemy is healed once the maximum 5 stacks is reached and will no longer apply new stacks or refresh existing stacks.
• Healing Exigency (Mastery) now also reduces the cast time of Mass Grave by 100%.
• Reduce the duration of Mass Grave to 15s.
• Reduce cooldown of Mass Grave to 1 minute.
• Reduce cooldown of Empty the Crypts to 1 minute.
• Reduce Charge cost of Empty the Crypts to 50.
• Increase the damage of Plague Bolt by ~25%.
• Deadly Plague now also applies to Corpse Talon.
• Loyal Minion now sacrifices 25% of your pet’s health and gives the Mage a shield equal to 50% of the damage done. Reduced the duration of the control immunity effect to 5s.

You can check out the Necromancer change thread here and provide feedback/suggestions for these changes.

Omicron Building + Elevator Models

Omicron Building Models

The main building at the top of the upcoming RIFT 3.1: Storm at Sea island, “Tyrant’s Throne”, called the ‘Omicron Building’ in the files is shown above.

It has a long elevator shaft with a unique elevator platform and a spiraling upwards motion similar to the elevator/lift that separates Gloamwood and Iron Pine Peak.

You seem to get to what is probably the inside of the main building via the entrance at the bottom of the large circular platform. There you take the lift to the large platform before (probably) proceeding into the upcoming Tyrant’s Forge raid.

Queen’s Crucible – the top of Tyrant’s Throne.

Just a reminder that Tyrant’s Throne is located at /setwaypoint 6271 9093. It is not marked on the main map yet and you will need to swim from the south-east corner of Goboro Reef to the island. The version on the PTS is heavily WIP with very little to see.

Dragon Mecha Models

Mecha Dragon Containment Aura

Remember that Storm Legion skin datamined in the 2nd January’s PTS patch files? Turns out the idea of a mechanical Crucia in dragon form was right – or at least it sure looks like it.

Mecha Dragon Aura

Okay, these aren’t models but rather mesh/aura’s, so stuff like lighting and vfx that surround the model. As such it’s definitely more blocky than what it should look like.

As for color scheme, it’s the same as most Storm Legion-themed mobs/architecture:

Mecha Dragon Skin

And no doubt it will probably look like a mechanized/cyborg version of Crucia’s dragon form:

Crucia’s Dragon Form

It’s unknown at this stage though as to whether or not it’s actually Crucia in cyborg form or whether it’s just a robot mob.

Crucia’s known to produce mass armies of robots (such as in Ashora’s ‘Silver Army’ and the production facilities in Morban). Perhaps she longs for her old form and has decided to mass-produce flying robots that look like her dragon form.

Or perhaps she’s gone Cyborg Frieza and just replaced her damaged parts with metal and transferred her mind from Miela to her old form.

Other Skins

Metal Banner

Metal UI Banner

Not really sure what this is but it appeared in the latest 8th Jan PTS datamining. Either it’s just some new architecture for, say, a wall; or it’s actual UI borders. Could also just be part of Crucia’s new cyborg tail.

Storm Legion Architecture

Storm Legion Architecture Tyrant’s Throne

Unsurprisingly with some new buildings comes new Storm Legion architecture skins. The skins stick to the same themes in Storm Legion – curved metal and purple.

A few additions to the PTS with the latest patches this week. Tyrant’s Throne has yet to be populated but I’m sure we’ll see a lot of changes to the island in the coming weeks.

For past PTS Updates, click here. You can also find past datamining here.