Have you ever wondered what exactly goes into being a community manager for a game like Rift? Then you'll definitely want to check out our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry from Community Manager James "Elrar" Nichols. He explains how he is able to collect your feedback and bring it directly to the developers in an attempt to "close the rift between you and the game."

Keep reading after the jump to learn more about Elrar's role at Trion Worlds. Speaking of the Rift community, feel free to join our users in our ZAM Rift forums!

Once Phase 3 of The River of Souls world event is complete, a new level 50 20-player raid instance will be unlocked that brings the fight directly to Alsbeth the Discordant. If you're interested in the design process behind The River of Souls instance, then we have a special treat for you. For our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry, Senior Game Designer Berenger Fish has outlined how the raid went from an idea to reality in a matter of months. Get all the details after the jump!

Phase 2 of the world event begins tomorrow, April 16, at noon server time, followed by the start of Phase 3. For more details, check out our event guide. Also, new players can try out Rift for free this weekend simply by heading over the the Allies of the Ascended page, grabbing a key and following the instructions. See you in Telara!

In Rift, players take on the role of a slain Telaran who has been brought back to life to combat the forces of Regulos. Each faction has a different point of view on what it means to be one of the Ascended, and the experts at Trion Worlds have been kind enough to give us an exclusive look at the finer points of Ascension from the perspectives of the Guardians and Defiant.

Last week, Guardian Lore Lead Nick McDowell explained how Ascended Guardians have reached a state of enlightenment. The process is quite different for the opposing faction, as Defiant Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart explains in our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry.

Keep reading after the jump for a firsthand account of what it truly means to be an Ascended Defiant.

In Rift, players take on the role of a slain Telaran who has been brought back to life to combat the forces of Regulos. Each faction has a different point of view on what it means to be one of the Ascended, and the experts at Trion Worlds have been kind enough to give us an exclusive look at the finer points of Ascension from the perspectives of the Guardians and Defiant.

In our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry, Guardian Lore Lead Nick McDowell explains how Ascended Guardians have reached a state of enlightenment. Get all the details after the jump, and then check back next week as Defiant Lore Lead Morgan Lockhart paints a very different picture of Ascension for the Defiant faction.

While we wait for the fifth Rift closed beta event to kick off in a few hours, check out our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry! Senior Systems Lead Cameron McNeil gives us an in-depth look at how Trion Worlds created Rift's unique class system. He explains how the team responded to feedback to give players the flexibility to choose how they want to play. You can read the entire entry after the jump.

If you'd like to try out Rift this week, we're still giving away VIP beta keys! Grab yours now to participate in the fifth closed beta event, as well as every other beta event until the game's launch on March 1. Also, play around with our new Soul Tree Calculator to see the character flexibility that McNeil talks about in his blog entry.

While we all patiently wait for the fourth Rift closed beta event to begin today, let's dive into our latest exclusive Rift dev blog entry. Content Designer Will Cook has written an incredibly interesting and in-depth look at the challenges of creating dynamic content for an MMO. How did Trion Worlds design its massive raid rifts and zone-wide events? Why is the team so focused on creating a living, breathing world? Cook answers these questions and more in his dev blog entry. Check it out after the jump!

In case you've missed them, feel free to look through our previous dev blog entries from the Trion team. Keep an eye on ZAM for more exclusive blog posts as we count down to the game's March 1 launch date!

The second Rift closed beta event kicks off today, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. PST, and to celebrate we're posting the third installment of our exclusive Rift dev blog series! In this entry, Vice President of Development Russ Brown outlines his typical day at the Trion Worlds office. He emphasizes that player feedback is needed to make the game shine, which is why these beta events are so important to the Rift team. You can read his entire entry after the jump.

Do you want to take part in this weekend's "Guardians of the Vigil" event and share your thoughts with Trion Worlds? We're still giving away VIP keys that will grant you entry into every Rift beta event, and all you need to do is contribute in our Rift forums. Winners are selected based on their activity on our new Rift site, so keep posting in our forums and commenting on our articles!

Welcome to the second installment of our exclusive Rift dev blog series! In the inaugural entry, Trion Worlds CCO and Rift Executive Producer Scott Hartsman answered the question, "Why make a fantasy MMO?" For the second issue, Senior Design Director Simon "Dead Simon" Ffinch ran with the fantasy element to take a creative look at a day in the life of a Rift developer. Keep reading after the jump to find out exactly why Ffinch is known as "Dead Simon."

Also, this is the perfect time to remind you that Rift's first closed beta event will be held this weekend from Dec. 3-6. We're still giving away VIP keys that will grant you entry into every Rift beta event, and all you need to do is contribute in our Rift forums. Winners are selected based on their activity on our new Rift site, so keep posting in our forums and commenting on our articles!

Welcome to the first installment of ZAM's exclusive Rift: Planes of Telara dev blog series! Throughout the coming months, members of the Trion Worlds team will be giving you an in-depth look at the design process behind the upcoming fantasy MMO.

For the inaugural entry, Trion Worlds CCO and Rift Executive Producer Scott Hartsman took the time to answer a question that many players may ask when they hear about the game's setting: "why make a fantasy MMO?" Keep reading after the jump for his answer.

Also, we had the opportunity to attend Trion's Gamer Day last week and get some hands-on time with Rift. Keep an eye on ZAM throughout the week for our impressions, and check back regularly for future editions of the dev blog!