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Tera Online Review : A real MMO
I can't stop playing TERA Online ever since headstart. Here is a quick run down of this great MMORPG that shouldn't be missed if your a fan of PvP, Grouping to slay big monsters and dungeons, Like action combat with great animations, Balance/unique class system, or just wanna kick ass and look cool doing it.
World: 7/10
I mark off a point because iam not a big fan of anime so if you are, make it an 8/10. Another point is marked off because lvl 1-18 or so the world is not very open. The worlds are chopped up into provenances which is a nice way to section off the land while using its linear questing system. The final point is deducted because of some things it doesnt have....destructable environments are used to sparingly for an action mmo...i wanna be able to bust crates to find items while iam adventuring. There also, so far anyways, seems to be very little reason to explore outside your questing path. Besides that the graphics, architecture, openess of the world after lvl 18, the serperate provenances and mob variety make this a great world for an mmo
Story: 5/10
What story? The cutscenes are nice thats about it...I have not read 1 quest and dont rreally feel the need to. If i want a good story i will read a book or watch a movie not play TERA online. So i give it a 5 because the story doesnt pull you in and the game just makes you wanna level up.
Combat: 10/10
Best combat ever in an mmo? FACT: yes. Everyone heard by now that this game has great combat...its the 1st mmo i played where i dont feel like iam face smashing 1-10 while not even paying attention on the screen. In TERA i feel myself getting better and still having issues of getting the right timing on dodging, blocking, back stepping, or teleporting. I cant just mindlessly spam skills...or iam face on the floor with all my stamina drained. The skills make sense and feels good performing a dodge or making a block. The glyph system which is just as good as any talent system...increase these skills by lowering cooldown/increasing damage/decreasng mana after a chain/lowering knock back resistance/increasing # of targets a skill can lock on too/increasing range of spells...and this is just on my mystics. You get 50 points total to spend with each glyph costing between 2-6 points. Also the ability to create weapon chains and activation timers and totally customize button placement is a great way to fit the combat your your style. I cant see any reason not to give this combat system a perfect score..its not the best combat of all games, but for mmos there is nothing better.
Character advancement methods: 8/10
The 2 points are knocked off because the questing system is pretty generic but, i dont find it that much different than other thempark mmos before it. What i like is the different options it gives you. You can run dungeons/farm BAMS (big monsters that take 2+ people depending on the BAM or can be soloed with patiences/skill/lvl gear) standard questing/ or mix and match. Armor looks really good in this game and keeps your look changed at nicely timed intervals to keep pushing you to grind at one more lvl before you go to sleep. you can also enhance armor and weapons...through i ahve litttle expierences with this and heard its more important at lvl 60. I already mentioned the glyph system...the other way for advancement is through crafting which is very very very expensive....i dont see much use in taking anything outside of alchemy early levels and i dont know hard the weapons and armors are compared to others...but i did see they can craft orange lvls. Also you have a chance to proc aditional items or more rarer versions while crafting. The crafting is alot like AION just not as tedious so i think they improved slightly on that formula.
PVP: 9/10
Great pvp game...best to come to us in awhile. The pvp creates a sense of community. The GuildvsGuild battles are fun for all. The outlaw system can become great at 60 ... it seems like you can choose to be an outlaw or someone who comes and protects or helps others from outlaws...kind of like a cops and robbers. With battlegrounds on the way TERA has overtaken the pvp realm for mmos until maybe planetside 2 or GW2 is released (But from the beta i prefer the open world pvp TERA offers) The point knock was for no pvp progression. They should of added pvp leveling in some way giving points for outlaw vs vanguard or somethin. Currently there seems to be very little incentive outside of the awesome combat and the smack talking...to partake in pvp. Also if you dont like being ganked..this game might annoy you. the infamy system is unique and hasent fleshed itself out yet but when you flag yourself as an outlaw you can kill anyone, but if you kill someone who isnt an outlaw you start getting infamy that decays at a slow right...infamy means that people will be out for your head. I just wish there was reward for doing these things.
Overall 8.5/10
Great MMO ... Try it !
playing: Dragon Age
Waiting: for FF14, Mass Effect
Want to try: Fallen Earth
Comments
Well, that seem like a nice unbiased objective review.
I particularly enjoyed 'Best combat ever in an mmo? FACT: yes.'
That's fact! I looked it up in the encyclopaedia, and he was right, it's there in black and white.
And..
'The point knock was for no pvp progression'
Dude, you should have knocked off 9 points for this. Pvp with no purpse leads to a completely empty experience. There's no tally, no chart, you don't know how good you are, or if you're the best slayer. Can you imagine an FPS with no score count or objective? There's not even a damage score so you can't even work out how hard you hit or what moves are most efficient to use in pvp'
It's just amazing to me that so many of you are settling for a mediocre experience purely based on the ability to aim your cursor and some dodge and block moves.
Tera needs -
1) Objectives for pvp - Areas to control, resources which if controlled will only benefit your guild, guild controlled dungeons.
2) A reward for pvping in the form of a point system you can spend on enhancing your character for pvp (not gear)
3) The reward is only given for killing players within a certain level of you
4) A weekly list of who are the best guild, best slayer/archer etc in terms of kills etc.
5) Guild housing which is destructible.
6) Do NOT put in battlegrounds. It will end opvp forever.
That way people will want to pvp. Pvping 'just for fun' quickly fades as demonstrated by almost every other game with opvp and no objective. A recent example being Rift, no one bothered going to opvp but just queued the same battlegrounds ad infinitum. They tried to draw out people by putting in opvp objectives, but when I left it was still incredibly lame and the damage was done.
This is just pure bull crap. You don't need a reward for PvP. This was proven in games like Lineage 2. There was absolutely 0 reward for PvPing and the PvP in that game was the best I ever experienced. If TERA does it well there will be PvP over resources (bosses/territory etc.) and that will be the best.
I agree with the PvP part, I and many others hope this game will bring back the old school L2 drama and clan politics.
much like the OP i have been playing since head start (played the beta just enough to learn that i wanted to try it) and i have not had this much enjoyment from an MMO in years.
I actually saw the "you have been playing for 4 hours" warning in the game the other day. it has been a long long time since i was able to play any game for 4 hours ; even when i led raids in wow i was on, did the raid, and was off in 3 hours and by the end of it i was practically falling asleep at the keys.
the gAme is really really good!
RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.
Currently Playing EVE, ESO
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed.
Dwight D Eisenhower
My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.
Henry Rollins
Sorry for some of the errors it was 4am...
As for the 1 point off for pvp....having no progression is something outside the pvp itself, i have been leveling a mystic lancer duo and we where getting rocked the 1st couple levels...but after awhile people started to gank us and we road thier ass all the ay back to base and started laughing at them and it was fun...and all this was in the open world.
I agree about battle grounds iam iffy on how this will effect open world pvp
I dont think they need to have charts, or best slayer...just just need pvp ranks similiar to that of an armory. Private-private 1st class-sergeant-1st sergeant- Lieutantent-major-colonel- lt general- general......
Also adding 2-4 mounted attacks per class would shoot this game up even more!
playing: Dragon Age
Waiting: for FF14, Mass Effect
Want to try: Fallen Earth
I dont know many people who pay for anew MMORPG and stop playing it before the end of the first official day of release saying it is rubbish.
Nevertheless most MMORPGs lose most of their players before the first motnh is up.
Tera wont be any different.
Most people can get some fun from a new MMORPG but there really isn't much in TERA to draw people in volume.
There is no reason not to try TERA if you like the genre and dont have anything else to do right now. I tried it in headstart and that was enough for me.
Caveat Emptor
I agree Tera has the potential to be the best PvP game since Shadowbane! they do need to put in some type of reward system for when you kill a outlaw or he kills you but the dev are very receptive and i am sure they will improve the game
Not sure how you can give the combat 10/10. It lacks fluidity in movement and skills. That is detrimental in an action based game. If you could freely move and didn't get stuck during an animation I can understand a 10/10.
I would probably give it a 6-7/10 (for combat) because of that and only that low because it is an action game. I've played other games that weren't fluid, but it wasn't a major factor because of the type of game it was. I still takes points off, but not to the degree I did for Tera because like I said, the impact is greater in an action game.
The combat was the determining factor for me not playing the game.
I did like your overall score though. It is kind of rare to see someone give a game they really like only an 8.5/10 heh. Glad you're having fun, wish I could too, but the combat is just a deal breaker for me, lol.
been there, done that, opinions differ
"I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"
i came across the BAMS for the first time today and i have to say omg the battles are intense and insane..i got 1 hitted,2 hitted.on the same mob,some kind of boss but omg it was awsome.never experienced combat like it..its not static,you have to be on the move constantly.you stand still you die ..simple.looking forward to more of the same later on tonight.
I thought DDO's combat was a lot better. Thinks just felt more fluid in the game, plus you could customize your class greatly. I'm just not that impressed with the combat in Tera. When I'm in game, I can't wait to get off and go play something else. The game doesn't draw me in at all.
Nice review. Glad you're enjoying the game. I'd be careful in saying that your opinion of the combat is a fact. I was very excited for the combat innovations suggested in the game, but they didn't pan out the way I had expected. I've tried both GW2 and Tera now. The Tera combat felt like it was simply trying to be different, not necessarily trying to offer an improvement. The combat is slower and the dodging mechanic is obvious. After about 3 mobs I was easily predicting and dispatching mobs. While they made it feel like action, it didn't engage me as such.
That's just my preference. It is clearly a great addition to the genre. I always enjoy watching MMOs progress even if I don't play one actively. This one appears to be a title that will offer many hours of fun for many people.
Totally agree with the poster a few above me. Tera has it partially right with no 2 Faction system. But we have nothing to fight over. Pointless PVP so you will see extreme ganking and zerging. If Tera expects people to stay they will have to implement some form of Territory Control, resource control I fully agree.
Biased.
You admit the story is bad and you dont read the quest texts yet still give it 5/10..while still stating that if you wanted a good story you would read a book...thought that should hint that MMORPGs are not for you since they all revolve around a story so everyone should be able to place your review in its proper context.
And calling the games combat the greatest ever...is laughable seeing as how many people say the same thing, its dull and lacking in depth and variety with its cookie cutter classes that allow no paths to chose from only makes it that much more mundane...then trhow in the fact that the so called great PvP because OMG you can do it anyway in the world...yes no progression or real point other than fighting another player with the super uber dodge that totally changes Tera combat to the best combat ever even though it isnt new and other games have it.
So, an MMORPG with
No story worth reading
No PvP progression
Nothing new in combat, it doesnt even do what they are touting better than AoC which has ALL OF IT BETTER and thats an OLD game now.
Limited character progression choices
Crafting that is laughable
A thin guild system
Asian cutesy graphics
Generic quests
wait...why would I pay for this again? This is bland at best, F2P quality at worst.
I hope we shall crush...in its birth the aristocracy of our moneyed corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength and bid defiance to the laws of our country." ~Thomes Jefferson
If they managed to make some of these changes the game would become much more interesting end game talking
You forgot uninformed. Have fun in AoC.
Just not worth my time anymore.
Wow, lots of traffic to MMORPG.com today lol
Just not worth my time anymore.
I could underastand this if you had never played anything other than a tank in another mmo.
It is easy to die in other mmos if you stand still and get hit by a boss mob soquite franky what you are saying here is ridiculous.
Caveat Emptor
TERA have 11 servers and just 2 of them have an high pop, wait a month to talk about why ¨tera is a real MMO¨.
Just not worth my time anymore.