Marauder (left) and Warhound (right)

The taming of the agile and ferocious rock lions has given rise to a new force within Riftforge – elite cavalry.

The lion mounts are bred for speed and speed alone and the elite Raiders get first pick from the best animals.

The Raiders sacrifice armor for speed. Even their precious mounts have no barding. The Raiders rely on common sense: “The best protection is not to be where the enemy wants you to be.”

Bloodhound (left) and Nightrunner (right)

Recruits new to the Rangers have tremendous respect for these veterans because all drill sergeants come from the elite battalions. It is no surprise that the Ranger indoctrination program has a higher mortality rate than most combat missions.

A testament to the Rangers' survival skills, the elite Ranger battalions are the only Riftforge formations with troopers over the age of forty.

Captain Galheen often jokes that he is sending them to certain death, in order to make sure he is the oldest Ranger on record.

Shieldmaiden (left) and Ironbreaker (right)

Veterans from a dozen battles, these elite foot soldiers have the best equipment money can buy.

Much of their training is done in formation, so they are firm believers that discipline is the best defense.

The camaraderie in the elite battalions is very high. These veterans have been fighting shoulder to shoulder for years.

In traditional MMORPGs, healers are often the class that is most sought after by groups of all sizes. Damage dealers are always plentiful and tanks aren't that hard to find.

The good news is that you’ll find that ALL three Riftforge archetypes are essential, so no matter which one you choose, you’ll never be sitting by the sideline. Your skills as a player alone will determine how many invites you'll receive, not your class choice.

Continuing with the all important questions that you keep sending:

Where's the Mage class?! I always play a mage.

Your inner Gandalf will not be disappointed. The mage is often described as a Nuker (ranged damage dealer), some even go so far as to call it a glass cannon (or a softie).

One good look at the Rangers and you’ll discover they play very much like a mage. Or rather, like a band of mad warlocks.

Several of you have asked us to...

Describe Riftforge in terms of genre

The Riftforge is a squad-level, tactical MMORPG. You’ll discover that the combat is a modern take on such classics as X-Com, Fallout, Jagged Alliance on the PC and the various Japanese tactical RPGs for consoles.

In terms of character progression, you’ll find many parallels to traditional role-playing systems like AD&D (e.g. Neverwinter Nights). Skill and talent trees will also be familiar to you if you've played Blizzard's Diablo series or World of Warcraft.

Riftforge is an innovative browser-based MMORPG with deep, tactical combat.

Tactical combat

You control between one and three troops, depending on the mission type. You can customize various aspects of your commanders and their units in terms of specialization and equipment.

Each battle is decided based on your skill at tactical combat, including your chosen specialization, the troop deployment, your effective countering of enemy attacks, and finally your ability to overwhelm the enemy quickly and with minimum casualties.

Manirak Ice Shelf
Northeast of Rift base

Manirak is the ice continent accessed through the first Rift. In fact, the opening of the Manirak Rift marks the beginning of the Riftforge calendar.

The first Riftforge explorers found an empty, barren land. Their survival depended on provisions looted from enemy camps.

In time, the Riftforge became reliant on Manirak resources for their daily survival. Even drinking water comes from ice transported from Manirak.

We are happy to finally replace the teaser with Riftforge's news and information site.

Captain Singore, Raider Training

Riftforge is an online fantasy role-playing game with a novel approach to tactical combat that adds a significant element of player skill.

You are in control of a House (e.g. House Dread). Each House fields multiple commanders and their troops into combat. Some combat missions will require a single commander and his or her troops. Others will require two or more commanders and up to twenty units.