Rift's official launch day has arrived! While anyone who pre-ordered the game has been busy leveling since the Head Start kicked off on Feb. 24, all North American players will be able to pick up the game today and dive into the world of Telara.

To coincide with the launch, we've compiled a list of some of the highlights of our Rift coverage. Read about our in-game experiences, watch some episodes of the BFF Report, check out our exclusive series of developer blog entries and use our databases and tools to help you make the most of your time in Telara. The list can be found after the jump!

If you need further evidence that Naoki Yoshida is the right man to lead Final Fantasy XIV, then look at what happened during the past two weeks.

On Feb. 17, an update on the Lodestone Web site announced Patch 1.15b would be released the same day. Because Naoki "Yoshi-P" Yoshida told us to expect the first batch of quests to be implemented after the beginning of February, many of us assumed this would be the update that finally brought quests to the game. We were wrong.

Frustration, doubt and trolling filled the forums in the days following the anti-climactic Patch 1.15b, and who could blame us for feeling a little upset? Even those of us who are having fun playing the game are yearning for content to fill this beautiful, empty world. Getting nothing from what we thought would be a significant patch was definitely disappointing.

Yoshi-P needed just one week to restore optimism among the playerbase. Two weeks later, many of us are giddy with excitement over what’s about to come.

Discuss this in the ZAM forums!

Last week, GameBreaker.TV's Jasmine Hruschak and ZAM's own Mike B. aka Fony got the chance to take an exclusive tour of Trions Worlds' studio in Redwood City, CA to get a behind-the-scenes look at Rift. The video is now available for your viewing pleasure after the jump, and it's safe to say that Trion will never be the same.

In addition to popping in and out of numerous offices, Jasmine had the opportunity to sit down with key members of the Rift team to talk about this week's official launch and some future plans for the MMO. Trion Worlds CCO and Rift Executive Producer Scott Hartsman shows off his massive whiteboard checklist of game features, while Producer Adam Gershowitz talks about upcoming PvP plans, which include more Warfronts and leaderboards. He also mentions that Trion will be hosting a community party at PAX East, and you can probably expect some alcohol rifts to open up at the event.

MMO gamers have come to expect resources like Wowhead to be available at or near release, so we’re here to make sure you have the same sort of tools and resources at your disposal. To make your life easier in the early days of RIFT, we’ve compiled a nice list of ZAM resources to utilize while you’re playing your first few hours of RIFT.

Further details can be found after the break, but if you just want to browse what we have to offer, feel free to examine the Soul Tree Calculator, Achievement Database, Ability Database, and Wiki at your own pace. Also, don’t forget to check out the Coming Soon! section to see what’s next up for the ZAM RIFT!

It's Norn week!  

So what makes the norn so... norn?

Aside from their size and their ability to shape-shift into a powerful half-animalform, norn are defined by their unique worldview. They value glory and deeds of valor above all – they’re just built that way.

"They are by their nature a race of optimists,” says Jeff Grubb, Continuity and Lore Designer. “While humans have a long history, and it feels like their best days may be behind them, the norn project a positive outlook, even though they have been driven from their homeland.”

"Many of the races in Guild Wars 2 come from a background of displacement,” says Lore and Continuity Designer Ree Soesbee.  “However, where other races see their tribulations as losses, the norn see it as a challenge, a chance to overcome adversity and reach greatness.”

Your dedicated ZAM staff brings you the most comprehensive coverage of Velious material to help you find your way through the new expansion! We hope you enjoy our guides and walkthroughs. We also invite you to enjoy this video of Cyliena flying through Great Divide, after the jump!

• Destiny of Velious - overview
• Flying Mount Quests (includes adventuring, tradeskilling and Freeblood as well as a guide to flying your mount)
• Great Divide Quest Series
• Eastern Wastes Quest Series
• Destiny of Velious Tradeskill Quests
• Public Quests Guide
• Destiny of Velious Collections
• Destiny of Velious City Tasks
• Heritage Quests (four new level 90 HQs!)

Don't forget to claim your Othmir illusion in the Marketplace, available for free on launch day.

In Destiny of Velious players can earn gryphon mounts that will take them high above Norrath, giving them a new perspective of the lands. Their journey begins in a village that is nestled high in the mountains of the Great Divide. The Goahmari who dwell there are a peaceful tribe that cares for the local gryphons. They are willing to impart their knowledge of gryphon care and training to those who prove their reverence for life.

Level 85+ adventurers and tradeskillers can learn the arts of gryphon training from the Goahmari. Read all about the quests that will lead to this exciting new feature and more in our Flying Mount Guide!

We are happy to unveil the ZAM Final Fantasy XIV Campsite Wikibase to our members!

Any ZAM member will be able to edit and update this new wiki article.  This means that anyone who's discovered a nice solo or group camp can log in to ZAM, and add their contribution to the ongoing community project.

Add and discover new camps for your rank and party size, as well as pick up handy tips about these various locations!

Click Here for the Campsite Wikibase.

Discuss this on the ZAM Forums!

Don't have a free ZAM account?  Click here to start one!

In Rift, players take on the role of a slain Telaran who has been brought back to life to combat the forces of Regulos. Each faction has a different point of view on what it means to be one of the Ascended, and the experts at Trion Worlds have been kind enough to give us an exclusive look at the finer points of Ascension from the perspectives of the Guardians and Defiant.

Last week, Guardian Lore Lead Nick McDowell explained how Ascended Guardians have reached a state of enlightenment. The process is quite different for the opposing faction, as Defiant Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart explains in our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry.

Keep reading after the jump for a firsthand account of what it truly means to be an Ascended Defiant.

On Tuesday, En Masse Entertainment gave us an exclusive in-depth look at TERA's priest, a class that is capable of both healing allies and smiting enemies. We wanted even more information on the priest, so we sat down with Associate Producer Stefan Ramirez to get some additional details about this versatile healer.

Check out our exclusive interview with Ramirez after the jump to find out what he had to say about the priest. And in case you missed them, take a look at our priest screenshots and video to see the class in action!