Getting Started with RIFTSTORM

RIFTSTORM is an online co-op PvE looter-shooter ARPG headed to Steam Early Access on a planned August 11, 2026 release date. Developed by Confiction Labs and Agate and published by Confiction Labs and Gamersky Games, it drops squads of up to three Weavers into rift-torn zones where you fight, loot, upgrade in-mission, and extract before pressure overwhelms you. This guide is your pre-launch orientation: who you play as, how account progression works, and what a typical run looks like from lobby to extract.

What RIFTSTORM is (and is not)

Think of RIFTSTORM as a structured co-op ARPG with looter-shooter gunplay and extraction-lite stakes. You keep extracted loot when you succeed, but a failed extract can scar weapons you brought into the mission—a negative modifier, not a deletion of your entire account. That distinction matters when you decide whether to risk a prized rifle on a high Threat Level run. The game is always online; there is no offline solo campaign. Sessions start in a Steam Lobby where you or a friend shares invite codes so your trio can enter PADDOCK Contingency missions together.

If you want moving pictures before reading further, the official gameplay preview trailer embedded on this page shows Weaver abilities and zone combat. You can also install the Steam demo (app 3212570) to feel movement and shooting ahead of Early Access.

Video guide

Early Access Weavers

Five Weavers are planned for Early Access: Rook, Starling, Hertz, Botsy, and Caracal. Each Weaver fills a different combat role—tankiness, burst damage, support buffs, deployables, or mobility—and your squad usually wants complementary picks rather than three clones. Rook tends toward front-line durability; Starling excels at ranged precision; Hertz brings electrical or tech-themed control; Botsy offers gadget-style utility; Caracal leans into aggressive flanking. Exact numbers will shift during Early Access balance passes, but the design intent is clear: three-player co-op where role overlap is possible but specialization pays off on harder content.

Spend your first hours learning one Weaver deeply. Periapt upgrades and Forge Center crafts multiply whatever kit you master, so splitting attention across all five on day one slows meaningful power growth.

Periapt: meta progression between runs

Periapt is RIFTSTORM’s persistent meta progression layer—the account-wide upgrades and unlocks that survive whether a single mission succeeds or fails. Materials and currencies you extract feed Periapt nodes that improve baseline stats, unlock crafting recipes, or open higher Threat Levels and Rift Exposure Zones. Unlike Lythograms, which are temporary in-mission choices, Periapt investments define your long-term ceiling.

Plan Periapt paths around your main Weaver and your squad’s group goals. If your friends main support utilities, investing purely in personal DPS Periapt nodes creates friction on co-op nights. Coordinate before you sink rare salvage.

Forge Center: craft, salvage, and gear maintenance

The Forge Center is your hub-side crafting and salvage station. Break down duplicate drops into components, craft weapons and mods that match your build, and repair or mitigate wear on gear you intend to bring into dangerous zones. Forge Center progression ties tightly to Periapt—many recipes gate behind both systems.

Salvage aggressively during Early Access while drop tables are still settling. Holding ten copies of the same mid-tier rifle clogs inventory without advancing Periapt. Extract what you need, salvage the rest, and only bring irreplaceable pieces into runs where extraction confidence is high.

The mission loop: lobby to extract

A standard session flows like this:

1. Lobby — Host creates a Steam Lobby; friends join via invite or lobby codes. Confirm all three slots if you want full squad bonuses.
2. Mission select — Choose a PADDOCK Contingency or zone-appropriate mission. Note the mission’s Threat Level and any Rift Exposure hotspots on the briefing map.
3. Deploy — Enter the zone, clear encounters, and pick up loot. Mid-mission, spend Lythogram choices when the system offers upgrades.
4. Extract — Reach an extract point before timers or zone collapse end the run. Success banks loot; failure risks Weapon Scarring on carried weapons.
5. Hub — Return to Forge Center and Periapt menus to spend what you secured.

Repeating this loop is the entire Early Access experience. There is no separate single-player story mode to finish first—narrative arrives through mission briefings and zone lore.

Co-op expectations

Read How to Co-op in RIFTSTORM for platform-specific lobby steps. At a high level: communication wins more fights than raw gear score. Call out elite spawns in exposure zones, mark extract routes, and agree in advance who carries backup med kits or revives if the demo taught those mechanics.

Because the game caps at three players, every empty slot increases personal responsibility. Two-player groups can succeed but should under-tier Threat Level until Periapt catches up.

Demo vs Early Access

The Steam demo lets you sample combat and co-op flow without committing to Early Access pricing. Demo progress may not carry forward—treat it as a training room. Use demo sessions to test Weaver comfort, then follow How to Extract once you are ready to risk scarring on real gear.

Pre-launch checklist

Before August 11, 2026:

• Wishlist or follow the Steam store page for launch notifications.
• Install the demo if your PC meets requirements and you learn better by playing.
• Agree with friends on who hosts lobbies and where you will share codes securely.
• Skim Threat Levels and Rift Exposure Zones so mission select screens make sense on night one.

RIFTSTORM enters Early Access as a living game. Expect patch notes, balance changes, and new mission types. This getting-started frame—Weaver role, Periapt path, Forge rhythm, extract discipline—stays stable even when individual numbers move.