RATING:
By: Jeff Davis | Apr 23rd 2012
Just recently, I had a chance to get a test play of TERA during the open beta weekend. With a whole new approach to MMO combat and a vibrant, yet unusual mythos, TERA promises to break the mold of what an MMORPG should be.
And does it ever.
Upon logging in and creating my character (I chose a human lancer for my test playthrough) I was introduced to the Island of Dawn, shipwrecked and fighting for survival. The Island of Dawn, which is the central point of the game and a bizarre new addition to the world dreamed up by the titans Shara and Arun in their great eternal sleep as they set aside the wars of their past, serves as the cornerstone of the story and a pivotal plot device in itself. Following the shipwreck, the expeditions membership is ambushed by an unknown force, and Elleon, one of the upper-tiered members of the expedition leadership, has gone ahead of the rest of the expedition membership to investigate the reasoning behind the ambush.
Needless to say, this doesn't end very well. Most of the expedition crew is wiped out, Elleon has gone MIA and the survivors flee to report the news, recruit for a second attempt and thus band together with all races of the world to seek answers and avenge those who were lost the first time... oh yeah, and to figure out just what the hell became of Elleon. That's where you come in: first as a member of the initial expedition, and again to assist in the search that ensues the second time around.
Fighting in TERA is much different than in the majority of the MMORPG titles out there. In form and function, TERA plays like a mix of Dragon Nest and The Legend of Zelda, with equal parts of World of Warcraft thrown in for good measure. Rather than trade automated jabs and swipes with enemy forces in some manner, TERA puts you in direct control of your character at all times -- even during combat. Left-click and right-click actions, therefore, are not directly instituted on your foe but instead serve the control method for your own instruments of destruction, allowing you to stab and smack every individual foe into submission on your own terms. Of course, if you're one of the purists of player-controlled action RPG combat, you can plug in any console-standardized controller (such as the Xbox 360 version thereof) and play the game in that respect of approach.
Upon your first login, you'll play at level 20 for a short time (at least as far as the lancer class is concerned in this example) as you fight through the rain and thunder of the storm that marooned your expedition team. During this sequence, you'll learn the basics of the game and be introduced to your first tactical action. You'll also be introduced to the basics of equipping armaments and weaponry, delivering supplies and other requested materials, and have a chance to preview some of the more advanced skills for your class to assist in the battle as you head onward to catch up with Elleon. Once you fight your way to him, though, you'll only have a brief amount of time until you run out of foes that you can actually kill without any casualties on your side, setting the stage for the next expedition to figure out what happened to the poor guy in that pivotal hour. At this point, however, you'll automatically start the leveling and experience process from the bottom as would be normal -- and thus you're jacked of all your gear and abilities, Metroid-style.
Although the game was nearly flawless even at this early stage, I did run into a prominently-moronic technical omission in the game structure. During the prologue mission, there is a cave that you have to pass through in order to progress to where you meet up with Elleon. Unfortunately, as you approach you'll be asked if you want to proceed to the next area -- and this is a question that you must answer in order to move the storyline forward. If you choose not to, and then continue moving forward, you'll run into the cave as if you were walking normally but will be unable to progress this way as it ends in a dead end that you're technically not supposed to bear witness to. It would be a great help to players if this was fixed in advance of launch by implementing a hold-back similar to the one that forces you to analyze your skills before leaving the applicable area so that players don't encounter what they really shouldn't, and thus maintain the integrity of the experience as it should be played.
That being said, TERA is shaping up to be quite the departure from the MMORPG norm, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Hopefully there will be more to share as the launch date gets closer, so keep an eye out for more on this wonderfully-crafted MMORPG in the near future.
And does it ever.
Upon logging in and creating my character (I chose a human lancer for my test playthrough) I was introduced to the Island of Dawn, shipwrecked and fighting for survival. The Island of Dawn, which is the central point of the game and a bizarre new addition to the world dreamed up by the titans Shara and Arun in their great eternal sleep as they set aside the wars of their past, serves as the cornerstone of the story and a pivotal plot device in itself. Following the shipwreck, the expeditions membership is ambushed by an unknown force, and Elleon, one of the upper-tiered members of the expedition leadership, has gone ahead of the rest of the expedition membership to investigate the reasoning behind the ambush.
Needless to say, this doesn't end very well. Most of the expedition crew is wiped out, Elleon has gone MIA and the survivors flee to report the news, recruit for a second attempt and thus band together with all races of the world to seek answers and avenge those who were lost the first time... oh yeah, and to figure out just what the hell became of Elleon. That's where you come in: first as a member of the initial expedition, and again to assist in the search that ensues the second time around.
Fighting in TERA is much different than in the majority of the MMORPG titles out there. In form and function, TERA plays like a mix of Dragon Nest and The Legend of Zelda, with equal parts of World of Warcraft thrown in for good measure. Rather than trade automated jabs and swipes with enemy forces in some manner, TERA puts you in direct control of your character at all times -- even during combat. Left-click and right-click actions, therefore, are not directly instituted on your foe but instead serve the control method for your own instruments of destruction, allowing you to stab and smack every individual foe into submission on your own terms. Of course, if you're one of the purists of player-controlled action RPG combat, you can plug in any console-standardized controller (such as the Xbox 360 version thereof) and play the game in that respect of approach.
Upon your first login, you'll play at level 20 for a short time (at least as far as the lancer class is concerned in this example) as you fight through the rain and thunder of the storm that marooned your expedition team. During this sequence, you'll learn the basics of the game and be introduced to your first tactical action. You'll also be introduced to the basics of equipping armaments and weaponry, delivering supplies and other requested materials, and have a chance to preview some of the more advanced skills for your class to assist in the battle as you head onward to catch up with Elleon. Once you fight your way to him, though, you'll only have a brief amount of time until you run out of foes that you can actually kill without any casualties on your side, setting the stage for the next expedition to figure out what happened to the poor guy in that pivotal hour. At this point, however, you'll automatically start the leveling and experience process from the bottom as would be normal -- and thus you're jacked of all your gear and abilities, Metroid-style.
Although the game was nearly flawless even at this early stage, I did run into a prominently-moronic technical omission in the game structure. During the prologue mission, there is a cave that you have to pass through in order to progress to where you meet up with Elleon. Unfortunately, as you approach you'll be asked if you want to proceed to the next area -- and this is a question that you must answer in order to move the storyline forward. If you choose not to, and then continue moving forward, you'll run into the cave as if you were walking normally but will be unable to progress this way as it ends in a dead end that you're technically not supposed to bear witness to. It would be a great help to players if this was fixed in advance of launch by implementing a hold-back similar to the one that forces you to analyze your skills before leaving the applicable area so that players don't encounter what they really shouldn't, and thus maintain the integrity of the experience as it should be played.
That being said, TERA is shaping up to be quite the departure from the MMORPG norm, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Hopefully there will be more to share as the launch date gets closer, so keep an eye out for more on this wonderfully-crafted MMORPG in the near future.
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