Questions
The short answers.
Everything a new player tends to ask, in plain language. Still curious after this? The fastest answer is to watch a battle for two minutes.
Is Nexus Rift free to play?
Yes. Watching the war and predicting the winner cost nothing, and you can start without building or trading a single thing. You only go deeper when you want to.
Do I control the mechs directly?
No. The mechs path, take cover, pick targets and fight on their own. You are not a pilot, you are the variable that tips the balance, by what you deploy, the abilities you call, and the side you back.
So how do I actually change the outcome?
Three levers. Deploy your own mechs into a faction so it fields more power, call in abilities (and win the Tug of War for the decisive strike), and predict which faction takes the next battle. Full walkthrough here.
What do I actually own?
The mechs you assemble and the parts you collect are yours. You build them, tune how they fight, keep them, and trade them. Nobody can take a machine you crafted out of your hands.
Can I trade what I build?
Yes. Once you have made something better than you need, you can trade it with other players. Because every part rolls differently, the genuinely strong builds are rare, and chasing or trading for one is the heart of the game.
Do I need to be online for my deployed mech to fight?
No. Once a mech is deployed it fights around the clock, whether or not you are watching. The arena never closes, so your contribution keeps working while you are away.
Do I need to build a mech to take part at all?
No. Predicting needs nothing but your read of the fight. Building and deploying simply gives you a bigger, more direct hand in how the war goes.
What are the three factions?
Zhou Heavy Industries (heavy, white), Borealis Collective (fast, blue), and Red Mountain Territories (long-range, red). Each fights differently and has its own history. Start with the world, or read a faction in depth.
Which faction should I pick?
Pick by how you like to fight: the wall, the scalpel, or the artillery line. You are not locked to one, you can deploy to, back, and support whichever faction you like, whenever you like.
How do I win, or get rewarded?
Call the next battle right and your prediction pays off. Back a faction that wins and you share in the result. Craft a rare, overpowered build and it is worth trading. There are several ways to come out ahead, and none of them require a perfect aim.
What is the Tug of War?
The single battle-turning strike is not handed out, it is auctioned. All three sides pull at once in an all-pay contest; contribute to your faction's pull and, when it wins, the top contributor aims the shot. Win the tug, change the battle.
Will my stuff get wiped or reset?
The battles run back to back, continuously, but the mechs and parts you own persist between them. There is no per-match reset of what you have built and collected.
How long is a battle, and when do they happen?
Constantly. Battles run one after another, 24/7, with no lobby or queue between them. You open the page and drop straight into one already in progress.
What do I need to get started?
Nothing to watch, just open the arena. To deploy a mech, call abilities, or trade, you create an account. After that you are in the loop.