You'll Soon Be Able To Buy Rift Artifacts With Credits

Artifact collection has been a major feature of Rift since the game launched. Many is the time I'd be running with a party, see something shimmering in the distance and yell, "Oooh, SPARKLE!!" into my mic; forcing the group to stop until I could pick it up. I couldn't help myself. They were there and I had to grab them. (Just ask Mike.)

Of course, due to my on again, off again nature of Rift playing, I never have acquired all of the 8,000+ artifacts apparently available in Rift -- and I likely never will. That is, of course, unless I'd just like to buy them.

Yep, Rift is adding the ability to purchase artifacts in just a week. As of February 17, you'll be able to pick them up in stores -- rather than off the ground, behind fence posts, or from that one really high ledge you just haven't figured out how to get to.

According to Trion, this new addition is for all of us that have been trying forever to complete a set in the game and just haven't managed to do it -- rather than those who just want to avoid hunting for them altogether. Of course, you CAN do the latter, but you're going to pay for it. As Senior Development Director Simon Ffinch points out:

"It’s actually designed to encourage gathering or trading for artifacts. Because when you open a fresh collection with no items in it, the price per slot is ludicrously high. No one is going to want to buy them at that point.”

According to Ffinch, the goal here is actually to encourage people to collect those artifacts -- even sending minions out to collect them and trade them on the auction house.