What’s Up With MultiVersus’ PVE Rifts Mode?

Earlier this year, developer Player First Games started rolling out information for the 1.0 launch-slash-return of MultiVersus (MVS), WB Games’ mascot platform fighter. The relaunch date of May 28, 2024 was paired with other new information, and one particular point of intrigue was a new PVE mode, something that was in demand throughout the Open Beta phase. Now, the team has revealed all about the mode, which is officially called Rifts. A dev diary spilled all the beans alongside a goofy trailer full of actually funny jokes, so check that below, and read on for the digest version of everything you need or want to know.

What are Rifts in MultiVersus?

Rifts is a fairly complicated PVE mode, on paper at least. That’s because, like you’d probably expect from a “games as a service” experience, there are a lot of moving parts. This isn’t just a simple story mode that has you fighting through a set number of stages to see a weird ending if you win. Each “Rift” is a campaign of its own of sorts, offering different styles of play from combat to minigames to platforming, starting with a tutorial Rift and branching out into seasonal content. The Rifts available will be based on whatever is going on in MultiVersus at that moment in time.

Rifts are designed with seasonal play in mind and with rising difficulty levels, with the idea being for players to take their time making their way through. There are also unique skins and other gameplay elements to help make Rifts stand out. Of course, as this is seasonal content in a service game, there will likely be lots of tweaks and changes to how the mode works after launch. Unless everyone loves it as it is, of course.

Is Rifts multiplayer?

Rifts is, technically, still multiplayer, but you can absolutely play it on your own. Hence it being billed as a “PVE” mode rather than a single-player campaign. You’ll be able to play by yourself if you want, but co-op will also be available. And players who team up won’t have to compete for rewards.

New Features Confirmed for MVS Rifts Mode

Mutators: These are gameplay modifiers you might encounter while playing through a Rifts campaign. Examples given are things like Infinite Jumps and Chicken Gauntlets!

Mini-games: Bespoke mechanics not found anywhere else in MVS can pop up in Rifts. Player First Games has confirmed “over a dozen” for the first season! There are some clips in the reveal trailer, such as the Smash Bros-like target destroying challenge, or the one with Iron Giant’s clumsy ass trying to match cards.

Boss Battles: Did you see that giant robot? We love a good giant robot boss fight. According to Player First Games, each individual Rift will have its own Boss Battle.

The Gems system: progression in Rifts

When it comes to rewards and progression, right now Player First Games is pointing to a “Gems” system. In Rifts, nodes (stages, levels, etc.) will include optional objectives. There will also be difficulty levels for Boss Battles, with additional rewards. Gems are equippable items that help players get stronger beyond by improving their own skills, aiding a sense of progression. Gems are earned through playing the game, going through the Battle Pass, and other ways that haven’t been specified yet.

You get three sockets for Gems, and there are three different types: Offense, Defense, and Utility. Gems also have “Attunement,” which is a property relevant to the Rifts themselves tying into the seasonal element. The Gems provide various stat bumps (and trade-off-style detriments, it seems) and crucially, duplicates will provide you with XP to level them up and make those effects more pronounced.

That was a lot, wasn’t it? Rifts looks like an incredibly complex mode, but one with a lot of depth and incentive to keep playing. Which is exactly what a game like MVS wants you to do, so mission (probably) accomplished!

With MultiVersus’ May 28 release date coming ever closer, hopefully launch will go well and Rifts will help make the game seem like more than a “sweaty” PVP grind.

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