Tera is an upcoming action MMO with a little bit of everything to offer. I had the pleasure of previewing Tera alongside Darren today at PAX East and our first impressions were nothing but good. Tera is not a typical MMO. It integrates questing, PvP combat, and an immense amount of teamwork into one seamless MMO.
As I previously mentioned Tera is not a typical MMO. The game features real-time combat rather than the standard MMO which has you clicking on enemies and spamming number keys. In this game, you treat it more like a shooting title where you have to aim and carefully choose your skills to be effective.
One of my favorite features of Tera was that the game play allowed for use of either a mouse and keyboard, or a PC compatible controller. For the typical PC gamer this might not seem necessary, however for inexperienced PC gamers it is a nice way to ease into the PC world of play. I found that using the controller did not mean a sacrifice in game experience, it allowed for comfortable and relaxing play. A developer mentioned that sometimes after working on a computer all day the last thing he wants to do is to go home and play a PC game. With the option of controller play you can sit back relax and enjoy the world of Tera.
Before we started the game we were each given explanations of our roles. I chose the role of the sorcerer. It was my responsibility to stay back and cast spells for damage. There was a separate healer so healing spells were not in my load out. On my team there was also a tank whose job it was to take the majority of hits and damage, a slayer who was the major damage dealer, and a warrior who was a combination of the tank and slayer both taking and dealing damage. One of the major differences in this MMO was with the healer class. In standard MMO’s healers stay in place watching teammate’s health bars. In Tera the healer was constantly moving, targeting teammates, and casting healing spells.
I quickly noticed the graphics of this game were stunning. We proceeded through caves defeating Argon guards. The Argon are the main enemy of the game. They focus on transforming creatures from this world into more advanced technological enemies. With each enemy I explored new spells many of which had charging abilities. In Tera they integrated active enemy AI which meant that enemies were constantly in action as they reacted to our attacks and vigorously responded to our teams combat.
After maneuvering through the caves we entered a new boss area where the Argon’s were experimenting on a very large creature. As a team we quickly developed a strategy. I know I’ve said it before but the teamwork aspect of this game is truly important. I focused on casting a powerful charged up spell. Many times while doing so a red circle would show up around our enemy. My teammates took this as a cue to keep the enemy in place so that my spell would land. Halfway through the boss battle the enemy disappeared only to come back a supercharged robotic reincarnation of itself. The enemy had similar looks with robotic features. He was stronger now, however our previous strategy continued to work against the enemy. After defeating the creature the Argon technology around us crumbled to the ground and flowers bloomed in its place; literally.
I really enjoyed playing Tera. This game has a lot to offer for a wide variety of audiences. The combat style was in depth and the use of strategy and teamwork really create a seamless MMO experience. But you don’t have to take my word for it here are a few Beta keys that grant you access to the Open Beta from April 20th, to April 23rd . Players will also receive a Regal Frostlion Mount.
All character progression will be saved and brought into the full game if purchased.
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