What's in New Launch of Tera

GETTING PAST THE SAME OL’ QUESTS

TERA is to expect that same ol’ quest grind you’ve gotten used to since 2004.  It’s here again.  The main bulk of open world play (at least until you start finding BAMs in the 20s) is going to be centered around: collect this, kill that, kill and collect those.  The good news? Since early beta tests, they’ve really changed the amount of monsters you must kill (gone most of the time are the requirements to kill 15 or 20) to something less repetitive, and at the same time they’ve kept the experience earned from quests rather high.  So folks who prefer to just kill mobs might be disappointed, but the best way to level if you’re going solo is to quest your butt off.

If you can get past the fact that said quests are the same sorts of things you’ve been doing for years, you won’t be disappointed with the rest of the game.  Admittedly, for seasoned veterans, this one might take a little grudging work. For my own part, I found that learning to group and leaning on the social aspects of the game really helped me get over the idea of a “boring quest grind”.  Still, they’re here. You will kill 10 of this and collect 10 of that.  Just get used to it, and freely accept it or move along. Me? I’ve gotten past it, and hopefully I can keep it that way.

THE CURRENT UP-SIDES

The questing is one of the biggest bummers.  But what about those parts which suddenly have me dying to log in and stay on for hours? Well for one, the leveling to 21 has been evenly paced.  The curve is slight, and ramping up.  I still expect TERA to be a quick jaunt to the max of 60, and while that may be worrisome for some, I have hopes that the GvG and Political system at the endgame will be enticing enough to stick around after 60 (especially since raids aren’t in the cards, and PVE content is mostly about dungeons and Nexus events).  Right now though, I find the quick pacing of the game just right for my needs.

I also really enjoy the combat.  There have been tweaks leading into launch, and while you still can’t break animations (this is for balance and PVP reasons, just think of DCUO’s hacks if you don’t believe me), I’ve learned to go with it.  The skill of TERA is in learning when to use attacks, when to dodge or block, and if you have to rely on breaking your animations you’re not doing it right.  It’s just that simple.  The combat is engaging, it makes you think on your toes, and in group content it becomes something sublime.

I also find myself enjoying the crafting, slowly but surely.  It’s also partly a downer, mainly because of the fact that it’s still “collect materials, press make”.  But I like that I can just do all of the professions and not limit myself to one.  I like the notion of being able to break down items for components, and being able to enchant lesser items to make them something awesome.  There are trade brokers in every major town, so auctioning is always there too.  And you’ll need tons of money in the early levels if you want to level crafting… believe you me.

THE DEBBY DOWNERS

No, this isn’t about those MMO gamers who are already poo-pooing the game.  They’re entitled to their opinion, just as I’m entitled to find myself liking it more and more.  But that’s part of the issue I think with TERA.  The new introduction sequence where you fight alongside the hero Elleon with a group of NPC allies against a BAM is a great way to tease people with what’s to come.  But the drawback is that once they’re out of the intro, it’s back to 10 levels of killing trees and people asking where Vekas is.  It’s off-putting, and maybe this is because I’ve done it so many times.  But the fun starts after the early levels… and that’s not so good.

Another problem I have so far with the game deals with the look of male and female characters alike.  Both are ridiculously clothed.  Like nearly naked.  The Aman, Popori, and even the newly dressed Elin are fine.  It’s the damned Castanics that are all either bare-chested or bare-cheeked.  It’s just… disturbing.  I know it’s the Korean aesthetic, but still.  I’ll take my weird dragon-like Aman or the adorable Popori any day.