FACT SHEET

TERA | Available Now

PC | Publisher: En Masse Entertainment | Developer: En Masse Entertainment

One of the hardest things we have to review here at GKick are MMOs. Most times, we can play a game to completion or at least to a state near completion where we have a full understanding of the game, at least enough to make a recommendation or assign a rating. With an MMO, there is no ending and the content changes so extremely. So, here’s the deal. This review will take into account the game mechanics and content as it stands now. Of course, things will change, but we’ll at least recommend to you if TERA is worth your time right now. Sound good? Great.

Let me start off by saying that TERA is a very pretty game and it’s actually a lot of fun to play. Marketed as an “Action MMO”, the hook behind TERA is that your combat comes down to precice timing, movement and triggering of abilities, a very “action” game concept. Often in MMOs, it’s all about spamming abilities until they’re active and relying on passive procs or other talented bonuses. In TERA, you’re 100% reliant on the global cooldown. Basically, you need to watch the animation of your abilities and time your clicks and abilities just right to do the most damage. It’s a very immersive combat experience, and it’s pretty exciting.

Most of my playthrough was as a Lancer, one of the two tanking classes in the game. Just the fact that I had to actively block attacks between my own strikes was what appealed to me, and this was also the class I got to play through at PAX East when I sampled one of the end game dungeons. It’s important to note that if you come into TERA from any other MMO, there may be a bit of a learning curve to the combat. However, the rest of the game functions to MMO standards - quests are active, lots of “kill this” questing, typical leveling, training abilities, and the like. So once you get over that whole action combat thing, you’ll feel right at home.

On the other foot, it does mean that while TERA is a very fun game and a wholly fun MMO, it’s not exactly the most innovative game on the market. Save for the combat (I’ll say that word a lot). But, because combat (see?) is such a major part of MMOs, it does give TERA a very unique feel to it despite the common threads woven throughout.

In addition, TERA is a pretty game. The worlds are big and well-designed, the character models are gorgeous and highly customizable, and it’s very attractive to play and just look around in. But despite all this, it’s time to dig into the deeper aspects of the game.

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