Another weekend has come and gone, and Trion released their fourth Rift closed beta event. The major features in the newest phase boasted a level cap increased to 27, new world events and the grand opening of Warfronts, which are instanced PvP zones with specific objectives. Unable to stay away, I dove back in to explore these features as well as the dungeon system.  

Trion Worlds just announced that the fifth Rift closed beta event, "Battle of the Ascended," will kick off Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. PST and run through Friday, Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. The level cap will be raised to 30 and players will gain access to the Scarlet Gorge zone and the Foul Cascade dungeon. The Black Garden and Codex PvP Warfronts will once again be open for testing.

In addition to the announcement, Trion offered this interesting fact: players in last weekend's fourth beta phase logged over one million hours of total playtime during the three-day event.

Players who pre-order the game will earn a guaranteed spot in the "Battle of the Ascended" beta event. Will you be in-game from Jan. 25-28?

While we all patiently wait for the fourth Rift closed beta event to begin today, let's dive into our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry. Content Designer Will Cook has written an incredibly interesting and in-depth look at the challenges of creating dynamic content for an MMO. How did Trion Worlds design its massive raid rifts and zone-wide events? Why is the team so focused on creating a living, breathing world? Cook answers these questions and more in his dev blog entry. Check it out after the jump!

In case you've missed them, feel free to look through our previous dev blog entries from the Trion team. Keep an eye on ZAM for more exclusive blog posts as we count down to the game's March 1 launch date!

Perhaps I like to brag a bit too much, but did I mention I received an invitation to participate in Rift's closed beta events? If you haven't read my initial impressions on how much I enjoy this game, check out my thoughts on phase 2. Unlike many games, Rift has had great success thus far with its beta events, with only occasional hiccups marring this next generation approach to MMORPGs. During phase 3, I was able to continue using my Guardian Reaver/Warlord from phase 2 and really got into grouping and rift invasions.

Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson posted today that the first round of Destiny of Velious closed beta invitations have gone out.

You should be receiving emails at the email address you have registered for your Sony Station Account. If you have not receive such an email by the end of the day today (1/4/11), then you weren't accepted into Closed Beta...yet.

Depending on how many folks pile into the beta, and how many testers we need, we may authorize extra groups of people later this month. Stay tuned for more details!

Go check your email, and best of luck!  Remember, if you were accepted into beta you are under an NDA.  If you'd like to contribute to ZAM's Destiny of Velious knowledge, please contact a ZAM staff member privately.

The city of Gorowyn was abuzz with excitement this month as the Far Seas Caravan arrived at its docks to begin the city festival. Players can acquire the new Plain Gorowyn Door from Chris Weathers and earn more city tokens by assisting Kella Swampfoot with her tasks. The Gorowyn City Festival will end at 11:59pm PST on January 7th for most servers. Fierce trade winds delayed the start of the festival for Butcherblock and Permafrost, so it will end at 11:59pm PST on January 8th on those two servers.

The season of giving will soon be over as the Frostfell live event concludes this month. A few days remain to finish seasonal crafting, the new quests and purchase goods within the Frostfell Wonderland Village. The event is planned to end at 11:59pm PST January 6th.

On the 20th of this month, the phases of the moon will once again be aligned, revealing the secret grottos. Moonlight Enchantments will begin at 12:01am PST on January 20th and will conclude at 11:59pm PST on January 21st. No new items are expected to be on the grotto merchants.

The prelude lore event for the Destiny of Velious expansion is still available to those who speak to the Duality in the city of Paineel. Progressing through the series will unearth the mystery behind what happened to the continent of Velious as well as how the Age's End prophecy may play into the upcoming expansion. Completing all of the quests will reward players not only with a new title and house item, but also the opportunity to meet a species never seen before in EverQuest II.

Trion Worlds just announced that Rift is scheduled to launch on March 1 in North America and March 4 in Europe. Beginning today, players can also pre-order both digital and physical copies of the game.

Players who pre-order the game get access to all sorts of perks. Not only will they get the in-game items that were previously announced, but they'll be eligible to participate in the head start period that is anticipated to begin on Feb. 24, as well as gain access to all remaining closed beta events.

As far as pricing is concerned, the Standard Edition costs $49.99, the Digital Collector’s Edition costs $59.99 and the Retail Collectors Edition costs $79.99. The standard monthly subscription rate for the game will be $14.99, but Trion is offering a limited time "Founder's Pricing" that will allow you to lock in a rate of $14.95 per month, $11.99/month for three months, or $9.99/month for six months. To take advantage of these offers, you'll need to pick a plan by March 15.

Lastly, check out the box art for the Standard Edition and the Collector's Edition after the jump!

In the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, we learned new information about Final Fantasy XIV would hit the Lodestone Web site on New Year’s Day.

We were hoping for answers, but all we got were more questions – literally.

Players who checked The Lodestone on New Year’s Day found the Final Fantasy XIV Player’s Poll. The online survey asks players about their previous gaming experiences, their favorite pastimes in Eorzea and which updates they would like to see happen first. Posted along with the survey was a greeting from FFXIV producer Naoki Yoshida.

Reaction to the survey has been mixed, and for good reason. On one hand, continued communication from the development team is a great thing. In fact, communication is the one thing Square Enix can do right now to make the FFXIV experience remarkable. On the other hand, I would feel better knowing the development team was working around the clock toward accomplishing a clear set of goals – and how can that be happening if the development team is asking us for directions?

Discuss this in the ZAM forums!

UPDATE: Trion has changed the beta #4 level cap from 25 to 27. The event will include the Black Garden Warfront map, the zones of Gloamwood and Stonefield, and the Darkening Deeps and Deepstrike Mines dungeons.

Trion Worlds just announced that the fourth Rift closed beta event will be held from Friday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. PST to Monday, Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. The level cap will be increased to 27 and Warfronts will be available for testing! We got the chance to try out some of these PvP maps at Trion's Gamer Day event in November, and they include games like capture the flag and kill the carrier. Fans of World of Warcraft's Battlegrounds will definitely want to try out Rift's Warfronts.

If that wasn't enough reason to sharpen your weapons and jump into battle, all beta players who participate in any Warfront will be entered to win a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 video card! Check out the official rules for all the details.

What better way to celebrate the festive season than with a giveaway?

ArenaNet has been kind enough to give us ten codes for the Guild Wars 'Wedding' costume pack, released with the 'Hearts of the North' content. Tempting as it was to deck out all of our characters in tuxedos and gowns, we decided to spread the love.

So what do you have to do for a chance to win one of the codes? It's simple: We'll be selecting one member of our forum each day for the next five days, and awarding them a code each. There's no strict criteria for selection, but obviously those that contribute in some manner, be it humor or content, might have an edge.

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to the forum!