Goes toe to toe with WoW, but doesnt make a difference.
they have the same weaknesses and strenghts.
they are made of the same stuff and work exactly the same.
anyone who denies this should see a doctor because he probably suffers from a denial syndrome.
The only difference bewteen them is that the one is more serious dark boring looking and the other is cartoony goofy silly looking. none of them has achieved the right combination that could keep both players with such different tastes.
Gameplay? the same. so simple and stupid easy that even a 10yo kid can master. and i bet that this is the age or the majority of the players of both games. sadly.
Difficulty? what's that? especialy Rift was stupid easy. reached the lever cap in just 2 weeks playing only for about 2-3 hours a day, and not every day. including days dedicated on pvp and crafting.
I should say though, that i played Rift Beta (closed and open) and not the released game. maybe the release game has lower xp rate or something. i have no idea. but from what i hear, its still the same.
Story/Lore: Same thing for both. something that none pays attention to.
Some say that WoW is better at this but i dissagree, we only know some of the lore of WoW because of the RTS Warcraft games. if Rift had an RTS series we would know the same.
Bottomline is that these 2 games are the same, none is the better one but still they're the best MMO RPGs out there.at least for now.
So, if you want to play and cant afford both, dont ask the question "wich one is better", but better ask "wich one suits my style and personality".
Oh btw, there is the rift system that i forgot.
in the start its good, nice and all. impressive. but after a while they (the rifts) get very, very,VERY boring and annoying.
And finally the Soul system.
Dont believe those who say that you can build any combination you want and rock.its a lie.
the reason is simple, only the usual ones actualy work well enough to be used.
if you're familiar with the classes in WoW then you'll know what soul combo to build and be competitive. all you have to do is to look at what skills they offer.
you'll be surpsised of how similar is a Warlock/Necromancer/Whatever in Rift with a Warlock in WoW....personaly i prefer the one in WoW.
Thats all, bye