Tera was an unexpected surprise. A charming game with good gameplay but some issues.
I've played Tera during the beta's and currently working on the last bit of content in game.
This is just a 'short review that will explain what Tera is and what it is not.
Tera is basically you generic fantasy MMORPG with action based combat.
While it deserves compliments for it's looks by core it does little new.
The story is uninteresting to say the least, crafting and in general fluff could have been done a lot better, better said it lacks fluff.
There are also some performance issues concerning the UI and FPS drops along with the CPU not being optimized.
Frogster and Enmasse have been removing content out of the game and the fact the US version already has a cash shop is not a good selling point.
That is Tera in a nut shell so let's look at what makes me give this game a 8.5
- The action combat is done very well.
If you like this type of combat in a MMORPG Tera will keep you interested.
By core the game play is smooth and the character responsiveness is great.
This makes both PVP and PVE fun even while leveling.
The gameplay is the games main selling point.
- Tera is a MMORPG that brings the social part back in MMO's.
It puts an accent on forming guilds and playing together.
Tera has a political system that allows guilds to control zones, though they need people to vote on them.
When they control a zone a shop opens with better consumables, guilds can set taxes on these items.
A big aspect of Tera is also guild Vs guild.
It again encourages people to socialize.
- Tera has a lot of leveling content from 26-50.
Different looking zones, BAMS and dungeons.
It's a treat to explore the beautiful world.
A down side is that leveling goes rather fast which brings me to the negative aspects of Tera.
End game:
Enmasse/Frogster removed some of the end game from this game for no given reason which leaves Tera with very little meat.
- No nexus events (rifts)
- No training grounds (instance where you farm glyphs which are your talent point abilities)
- With the removal of quest rewards all BAM/Dungeon/Normal repeatable quests at 60 became obsolete.
- No battle grounds yet
- Lacks a lot of fluff, not a lot of vanity items to farm.
- Crafting quests removed and some crafting patterns not in game making it impossible to level some professions up.
- Rep grinds are based on doing dailies instead of allowing people to farm mobs.
- Not enough dungeons at level 60.
Technical issues:
As I mentioned Tera has issues with the UI hogging up way to much.
We're talking about a FPS drop from 80 to 30 on turning in a quest.
Tera lacks optimization.
Cash shop:
Tera US has a cash shop that sells skins for the game.
Sadly Tera has little fluff in game, it's shameful to see a company doing this.
Story:
I've actually read the quests and it's beyond stupid which makes it also amusing when the game tries to take it self serious.
But in the end it's poorly written, has plot holes like your typical JRPG.
It has some voice acting which is average at best with some of it being atrocious.
The good part is that the story doesn't force it self upon you.
There are some cut scenes but you can skip them.
But well see it like a B movie plot where the cut scenes and voice acting don't over stay their welcome.
At this moment I would give Tera a 8.
The game is rather big and the combat is refreshing, it brings a lot more on the table than many other MMO's these days.
While you kill now '10 toad riders' and '5 owls with funny hats' it offers a bit more variation with combat and looks than your typical 'slay 10 wolves or 100 droids'
In the end Tera is a good game yet it lacks polish.
When ever it will become better depends on when the promised content will be released.
That and if Enmasse is planning to bring back the content they removed since sadly Tera's economy is a mess because of their changes.