Antonica found itself bustling with activity early on April 1st as the Far Seas caravans arrived to celebrate the Qeynos City Festival. The local specialties merchant has stocked up on several new items that are sure to please any Qeynosian. Also featured this month is the Antonica Aether Race course, which awards a prefix title to those who can master their race times. The festival will continue to run until 11:59pm PDT on April 7th.

Bristlebane Day is still being celebrated, with the main parts of the event occurring in Enchanted Lands. A new snack snatcher race is available and the older quests have some new rewards to choose from. Crafters can enjoy a new recipe book as well as a red shiny collection that harkens back to memories of old. Bristlebane Day will run until 11:59pm PDT on April 9th.

During the first full weekend of April a "Spring Fever" double experience bonus is expected. We'll have more details on that as they are released.

Game Update 63 is slated to launch on April 17th. This update will feature a new Velious overland zone, Withered Lands, and the old dragon city of Skyshrine, which has solo, heroic and raid instances. Crafters can enjoy some new quests and recipe books in this update. Keep an eye out for our features as GU63's launch date approaches!

The phases of the moon will reveal the mysterious grottos again later in the month and their denizens will gladly offer you some tasks to perform. Moonlight Enchantments will run from 12:01am PDT on April 20th until 11:59pm PDT on April 21st. No new items are expected to be on the grotto merchants.

Traversing Telara is an exclusive series of articles from Trion Worlds that explores Rift's lore and gameplay mechanics through the eyes of one intrepid adventurer. It's a great read and a fantastic introduction to the world of Telara. Even if you're a veteran of Rift, you might enjoy hearing about the game from another perspective! Read on for Issue #6: Life Rifts & Helping Kelari!

Catch up on all the past issues of Traversing Telara here!

Phase 5 of Carnival of the Ascended is scheduled to begin on Thursday, March 29. The carnival has packed up, pinatas have been put away for the year and all focus is turned on the faction rivalry. This phase centers on assaulting the opposing factions' outposts and generals, and stopping your rival Ascended in their tracks. A new zone event in Iron Pine Peak pits Defiants against Guardians, fighting alongside their leaders as they vie for control of the battlefield.

Earn your Pyrite Doubloon for this phase by banding together with your fellow Ascended to assault your enemy's outposts. Crafters are still in high demand to assist with getting supplies to the front lines. The carnival merchants will remain available until the end of the event to spend your leftover Prize Tickets and Glass Beads.

This week the majority of Ascended who have participated in the first five phases of this event will be able to obtain one of the new mounts, Nebula or Tindrel. Those who are interested in both mounts need only wait a short time... the next event is just around the corner and these mounts will be available again!

Rift has been out for more than a year now, and continues to be one of the most successful subscription-based MMOs on the market. Their designers claim this to be because the game offers a true multiplayer environment, rather than just a “single player game with other people around.” As the first part of a frequent discussion with the game’s designers, ZAM had a chance to chat this week with Design Producer Hal Hanlin.

Put a new game in front of me and I’m inclined to try and pull it apart and understand how it works. During the previous beta weekend I spent most of my time doing exactly that, from how Guild Wars 2 is different from every other MMO, to the key character and crafting mechanics involved in delivering this unique experience. 

This time, I decided to try something different. I kicked back, relaxed and immersed myself in the game’s surroundings. On my travels I found some entertaining and absorbing stories, and tried out a range of different dynamic events. I also took a further look at the social and guild aspect of Guild Wars 2 and what this means for a starting player.

Bristlebane Day starts tomorrow, March 27th, and runs through April 9th. (Yes, it will have a one-day crossover with the Chronoportals anniversary event.) There's a a new Snack Catcher game to play, a new recipe book, and new rewards!

On April 1st things really crank up with Jester's superior gardens in Enchanted lands giving harvestables from all holidays.  Frostfell crafting stations will also pop up in Enchanted Lands on April 1. There are two quests offered exclusively on April Fool's Day, so you'd best like riddles if you want to add to your dice collection!

Read all about it in our Bristlebane Day Guide! And if you've got a lot of alts, use our Bristlebane Day Quest Tracker to help keep track of them during the event.

The anticipated announcement of SOE's Fan Faire dates have finally arrived, along with a surprising name change: Fan Faire is now renamed to SOE Live. In Linda "Brasse" Carlson's blog post today, she stated that they wanted a new name to "reflect the bigger picture, to make it inclusive of the many worlds SOE offers."

SOE Live 2012 will be held from October 18 - 21 at Bally's Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rooms can already be booked at Bally's now for $80 per night on the 17th and 18th and $130 per night on the 19th and 20th. Registration for the event has not opened yet.

Visit the official SOE Live website for more information and head over to the Station Blog to read up on Linda Carlson's introduction to this year's event!

Maelforge, Dragon Lord of the Fire Plane, will soon be making his presence known in Telara!  Trion has released screenshots and some fascinating lore in Maelforge's own voice.  Click any thumbnail for a bigger picture and enjoy the story!

Rough earth grips me, scraping my scales. Jagged teeth of stone transfix my wings, wings that once fanned flame across eternity. They have entombed me, dull gray rock for miles before my eyes. Their crude magic drains my heat, dragging it far above, to ooze from the mountain whose weight has crushed me through millennia.

These Telarans. They have forced sleep and stillness on me. How I hate them.

"A dark future do I see for you Ascended, beset upon two sides. Remember who your true enemy is... beware the rumblings of the Earth and the scorch of the Flame..."
-Aerilis the Seer

Phase 4 of Carnival of the Ascended is scheduled to begin on Thursday, March 22. During this phase dragon parades will cease their marching and faction rivalry heats up. This is the last week that both the pinatas will be found around Telara and that the carnival games will remain open for play; the merchants will still remain throughout the rest of the event. The portals linking the Meridian and Sanctum to Shimmersand will also disappear after this stage.

The Defiants and Guardians have stationed outposts in various locations and saboteurs are attacking them! Earn your Pyrite Doubloon for this phase by putting a stop to the master saboteurs. Help progress your faction's phase goal by rooting out any other saboteurs around the outposts. Crafters have also been called upon to assist with getting supplies to the outposts.

Remember that this is the last week to easily rake in those Prize Tickets and Glass Beads!

Traversing Telara is an exclusive series of articles from Trion Worlds that explores Rift's lore and gameplay mechanics through the eyes of one intrepid adventurer. It's a great read and a fantastic introduction to the world of Telara. Even if you're a veteran of Rift, you might enjoy hearing about the game from another perspective! Read on for Issue #5: Silverwood and Kelari!

Catch up on all the past issues of Traversing Telara here!