RIFT has a special talent for throwing multiple event currencies at you at the same time and then acting like that is totally normal.
Right now, the two names you actually need to care about are Chaos Motes and Auroral Doubloons. They are tied to different events, earned in different ways, and meant for different reward tracks. If you mix them up, you are not alone. Telara has been quietly doing that to people for years.
The short version
Here’s the clean answer:
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Chaos Motes are tied to Arclight Ascendancy.
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Auroral Doubloons are tied to Carnival of the Ascended.
That means they are not interchangeable, not farmed the same way, and not something you want to “figure out later” on the final day of an event.
Chaos Motes: the Arclight currency
If you are doing Arclight Ascendancy, you are farming Chaos Motes. The event is currently listed as running from March 6 to March 13, and the event rewards include Arclight-themed items and mounts purchasable with Chaos Motes.
How to earn Chaos Motes
Arclight is built around a quick daily loop. The event’s featured activities are:
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Arclight Time Trials
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Recharge and Refit
The whole point of this currency is speed and routine. This is your “log in, do two things, get paid” event currency.
What Chaos Motes are best for
Chaos Motes are mainly used on Arclight rewards, especially the event’s featured mounts. CADRIFT’s event guide lists multiple Arclight mounts, with some specifically available for Chaos Motes.
Best strategy for Chaos Motes
Treat Chaos Motes like a daily sprint:
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Do the event dailies
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Prioritize limited-looking rewards first
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Do not wait until the end to spend them
If there is a classic RIFT mistake here, it is farming the currency correctly and then forgetting the store exists until the event is already halfway out the door.
Auroral Doubloons: the Carnival currency
If you are doing Carnival of the Ascended, you are dealing with Auroral Doubloons. Gamigo’s official 2026 Carnival post says the event begins March 1, 2026, and Doubloons are exchanged for rewards in the Carnival shop.
How to earn Auroral Doubloons
The most important source is the weekly quest from Dantwor Honey-Tongue in Tempest Bay: “Clean House at the Carnival.” The official post says it requires 50 Carnival mini-games and rewards 2 Auroral Doubloons.
Gamigo also points players toward daily quests tied to Carnival activities, while CADRIFT notes that you can earn 2 Auroral Doubloons every week during the event, for a total of 6 across the full run. CADRIFT also notes that token boosts do not work on Auroral Doubloons.
What Auroral Doubloons are best for
Auroral Doubloons are your premium-feeling anniversary currency. These are the ones you want to treat carefully, because the supply is more limited and the weekly matters more than random daily spam. They are used in the Carnival shop for event rewards.
Best strategy for Auroral Doubloons
Treat Doubloons like a weekly marathon:
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Start the weekly early
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Build around weekly progress first
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Use dailies to support that progress, not replace it
This is the currency where procrastination becomes a lifestyle problem.
So which one should you farm first?
That depends on your schedule.
If you only have a little time each day, Chaos Motes are the easier win because Arclight is built around short repeatable tasks.
If you are planning your week more deliberately, Auroral Doubloons deserve more respect because the weekly structure makes them feel more limited and more valuable.
Simple rule to remember
Chaos Motes = daily sprint
Auroral Doubloons = weekly marathon
That is the easiest way to keep them straight, and honestly, it is probably the only memory trick RIFT should be legally allowed to demand from people juggling anniversary events.
What to prioritize first
A good practical order looks like this:
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Spend Chaos Motes first on the most clearly event-exclusive Arclight rewards, especially mounts.
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Spend Auroral Doubloons on the Carnival items you know you actually want, because they are weekly-gated enough that “I’ll decide later” is usually bad planning.
If you only remember one thing
Chaos Motes are the currency you farm fast. Auroral Doubloons are the currency you plan around.











