Undertow: Rift wades into the water with new 'Madness Wakes' Update

It can be a bit unnerving to think about what kinds of creatures may live at the depths of our ocean floors. Creatures which must survive immense pressure, lack of light and extreme temperatures are bound to have unusual appearances. So imagine what creatures of the deep must look like in a fantasy MMO like Rift. Then again, you can begin checking them out for yourself in Rift's new patch 2.8: Madness Wakes, which launched today.

With the patch acting as a prelude to Rift's upcoming 3.0 expansion, Nightmare Tide, set to send players to the Plane of Water. Madness Wakes has Rift dredging the depths of some truly murky areas to bring forth some of Telara's greatest evils, including a giant blue squid and a dream-eating group of fanatic cultist known as the Dream Coven.

Players will square off against these mysterious forces in patch 2.8's new 5 man dungeon, Nightmare Coast, which has groups attempting to stop the cultists and their leader, the Lord of Nightmares, from opening a portal to the Planet of Water. While doing so, they'll embark on new quests, overcome new encounters and ultimately score new shiny items to equip.

Apart from the usual quality of life improvements and bug fixes, patch 2.8 introduces a revamped Auction House, while also reworking Pyromancer abilities to add more sizzle to the fiery soul. For a more detailed breakdown of all the changes, check out the full patch notes here.