The Glade 4.0

Oh, one other thing, Midgen -- I find that playing with the soul calculator (or looking far ahead in the tree) is a little deceptive, since all the tooltips are for rank 1, which varies wildly in effective level based on the placement in the tree. I.e., if you're comparing a 0 point ability with a 5th tier ability (thus requiring 21 points, and thus a minimum level 21), you need to consider that the 0 point ability will be on rank 5 or 6 by the earliest point you can get that 5th tier ability.

Also, it can take a lot of effort to get a feel for a build if you haven't played with a given soul before. Looking at a level 50 build fresh is essentially trying to absorb, sort, and organize a good 60 abilities in total. Unless you've got experience with the soul, you're not going to immediately arrive at the way that build should be played, and it can be quite daunting to try to puzzle it out.

That's actually where I'm at with my archon/chloro. I've got a role with all the abilities on the hotbar, and I'm about 2/3s of the way through sorting them into *categories* of "self-buff, cooldown damage, charge conuming, etc...." so I can even begin to wrap my head around it. But all the names are unfamiliar, the icons mean nothing to me yet, etc.

Of course, it doesn't help that archon/chloro is all about weird combinations of buffs and stuff. "So, wait. This ability debuffs me to buff my allies, and then I can mitigate the debuff to myself by counteracting it with this ability that self-buffs and does a little damage..." Lol.

The ability tiers are gated by PvP rank, so, from what I understand, it takes level 50 to get beyond the first tier.

Where do you get the vindicator soul?

Thanks for the tips. It's all a bit overwhelming. Almost too much like work. When you multiply the variations in the various builds across (possibly) mutiple roles, its daunting... Of course I'm too lazy to bother switching pets going from solo to group, let alone bothering to maintain separate sets of hotkeys, macros, etc.. for multiple builds. :p

What is the mechanism for re-allocating your points? Is it just spending money? How expensive is it?

The Master Miner guy that stands behind the forge in Sanctum gave me the quest for steel.

Does he just give it to you, or do you have to mine some kind of unusual ore? Reason I ask is that my gatherer rogue mined an unusual ore sample from a copper node that gave me a quest to take it to the Master Miner guy in Sactum. End result is that I can now make bronze bars that I can't find recipes for.

Well that sucks. I've not seen any of the alloy quests and I mine just about every node I come across.

The Spoils of War
RIFT 1.2
Prelude to riches

Beginning May 4th, fragments of ancient golden dragon shell will appear wherever there are Earth or Fire rifts, and mysterious coins will rain down into Sanctum and Meridian. Until RIFT 1.2: The Spoils of War goes live on May 10, the Ascended will have a chance to collect these artifacts in new daily quests, earning coveted rewards such as plaques, rare artifacts, and crafting currency.

Read all about the RIFT 1.2: The Spoils of War prelude event.
The Spoils of War

Coming May 10

Plunder. What more could motivate degenerates of the Golden Maw? There is no place and no time, in this dimension or any other, where the Cult of Laethys does not seek riches. Indeed, if the Ascended hope to counter the greed of the Golden Maw, they must learn to see between time streams and battle the cults wherever—and whenever—they rear their heads.

Luckily, the war of the rifts offers rewards not only to scheming cultists but to glorious Ascended. Whether arming themselves with the treasures of alternate timelines, gaining another combat role, or customizing their appearance, the Chosen have earned these Spoils of War.
RIFT 1.2 Summary

SLIVERS: The Planar Goods merchants in Meridian and Sanctum now sell any Ascended the power to view slivers – Omen Sight for Guardians and Quantum Sight for Defiant. These new abilities allow you to discover entrances to alternate time streams, including the way to the Gilded Sanctum, a raid instance intended for 10 players.
You may now purchase a 5th role at your Calling trainer!
New Looking for Group tool helps you band together with other Ascended.
CRAFTING RIFTS: Lures for Crafting Rifts are obtained by completing the new weekly crafting quests. These rifts drop raw materials, augments, and other goodies for crafters. Reaching the final stages gives a chance of obtaining an additional plaque!
Across-the-board improvements for PvP rewards and dailies.
Many bosses (especially in Expert Dungeons) have had a pass done to bring them in line with their intended difficulty and to make them more fun for melee-damage characters.
Many improvements to Auction House UI.
Use Appearance Slots to set up outfits that display regardless of what you wear for stats.
Facebook integration lets you post updates and screenshots from Telara to your wall.
Much, much more!

Raid the Slivers

In these dire times, every choice the Ascended must make balances Telara on the edge of a blade. In this dimensional maelstrom, every possible outcome could play out in its own pocket dimension. Those Ascended who purchase what the Guardians call Omen Sight and the Defiant call Quantum Sight can see slivers of these alternate dimensions, and lead their fellow heroes to stop the dire possibilities within from coming to fruition.

In one such "Sliver" of possibility, the Golden Maw has stolen a relic of Laethys and brought it to Goldenstone Sanctum, where they hope to use it to awaken the Dragon of Greed. Confronting the cult within this pocket of alternate time, the Ascended can discover the artifact’s location, ensuring their own dimension can be protected from the cult’s plot. Slivers like this one are dangerous, often requiring a large team of heavily-armed heroes, but offer amazing rewards to those willing to brave the gulf between space and time.
Learn another Role

The Ascended are already incredibly adaptable, switching between four combat roles to meet any challenge or foe. Yet among the Spoils of War comes a new, fifth role, giving you almost as many ways to slay the dragons as there are dragons to slay!
Appear as you wish

People remember heroes as much for their legendary deeds as for their iconic appearance: Cyril in his heavy metal, Asha in her breastplate. Now every Ascended can define the way they look, no matter what gear they wear.

Appearance Slots allow you to assign your character’s outfit. No longer must you surrender your imposing and lovingly-dyed piece of armor to wear a more magically potent piece that doesn’t match your style. With Appearance Slots, you can control not only how the people tell your story, but the image of heroism seared forever into their minds.
Seek out allies

As Defiant and Guardian ranks swell, the new Looking for Group system will help you find allies for every dungeon. Sign up as an individual or group and LFG will fill out your party with the necessary roles. New dungeon quests reward you for doing up to three random dungeons per day.
Facebook integration

Broadcast your adventures beyond Telara with our new Facebook integration. Once you log into your Facebook through the RIFT patcher, you will be able to send updates directly to your wall. Using the game interface, just type “/fb” followed by any text you like to post a message, or “/fbpic” to post your message and a screenshot of whatever you’re looking at.