The first time you log into RIFT you will be asked to choose a shard. This choice will impact who you are able to socialize with and the type of game play you will experience. Don't worry, your shard is easily changed if you decided to try something different later.
Your first choice when logging in for the first time is choosing your shard. Shards, or servers, are the community groups within Rift. These are the people who will make up your economy and who will populate your cities and zones. Rift has 3 different shards types to choose from, both on the North American and European Servers: Player vs- Player, Player vs- Environment, and Player vs- Environment Role play.
Your first choice is region. To change your region from North American to European, click on "settings" before you log in with your password and user name. You are not prohibited from choosing a shard outside of your region, (in fact some people make characters on these shards for other purposes - more on this at about hour 4). Because of server to client data transfer times (lag), and languages, it is suggested you choose based on your area. It is important to note that characters past level 15 can be moved from shard to shard within their region*, however you are not able to move a character from the North American region to the European Region.
Your next choice is shard type.
Player vs- Environment, or PVE, is the main focus of many MMORPG's. On these types of servers you will find general quests, instanced game play, player economies and all other aspects of the game (see rift's official website for more details on game play features). On PVE shards, players have greater control over the type of combat they participate in and can choose to disable or limit player combat.
Player vs- Environment Role Play, or PVE-RP, includes all aspects of the regular PVE shards. The denotation of RP serves two purposes: to give RP players a centralized place, allowing them to easily find and interact with each other; and to advise other players that the code of conduct regarding player naming and harassment, will be more strongly enforced. The RP shards are not exclusively for RP players, but you will find them in greater numbers on these shards. Currently there are three PVE-RP shards in Rift. One in North American and two in Europe.
Player vs- Player, or PVP, is the final shard type. PVP shards include all the aspects of regular PVE shards, but focus additional on player combat. On PVP shards players are not permitted to switch off player combat. For PVP players, added excitement is created in knowing at any corner you come face to face with the opposing faction. Players on PVP shards are limited in who they are able to group and guild with. Currently there are 4 PVP shards. One in North America and three in Europe.
Other reasons to choose a shard:
You may consider choosing a shard based on the number of players already playing on the server. You can visit the Shard Status page to see if shards have a large or small player base during the times you normally would log into game.
Do you have friends already playing rift? Cross server groups for dungeons are possible, but for the most part you are limited to your server for social interactions. Choosing the same shard as your friends will allow you to play with, and talk to, them for all other aspects of play.
Do you have a fear of, or a love of, PVP content.
Do you plan to role play.
Do you have a specific language you prefer to play in (European Shards).
Is there a specific guild you are looking to join.
I encourage you to visit the community forums* and get a feel for the different communities already thriving on the different shards.
As mentioned above, shard choices are not permanent. Once you reach level 15 you can move your character to any of your local shards for free.* If you decide the shard is no for you before that level you will need to recreate your character from scratch on your chosen destination shard.
* The following facts are true as of this writing:
Level 15 characters can move for free between all shards on their region.
Players who have active accounts can visit the forums.
With the introduction of Free to Play on June 12, 2013 these facts may change.
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