Brand new MMORPG writer, Melinda Haren tackles one of the biggest elephants in the MMO room: Rift vs WoW. Before lighting the torches and honing the pitchforks, know that Melinda is an avid WoW player who went into Rift with a lot of skepticism. See what she discovered and then beat the drums of war in the comment section.
The variety of choices is staggering. Instead of the simpler options available in WoW you can customize your toon how you like to play. Get bored healing at the back of the party? Select a druid with defensive capabilities. Prefer the safety of standing in the back of the group? Maximize your distance heal spells. Want a pet to assist you with your healing and help with damage? You have that option as well. All of the toons in RIFT have a high degree of customization. Further most of the casting spells can be cast while moving. Therefore it is possible to do a decent amount of offensive damage while simultaneously healing. It makes for a fun, fast paced game. The game play is much faster than WoW.
