Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Although the game is, for the most part, well put together, people's views are going to vary greatly. Some people are going to love this game, while others are going to hate it. CHARACTER CREATORS: 4/5 Needless to say, the graphics in this game are gorgeous. Even on low settings, the game looks amazing. The races themselves are also quite stylized. Most races have a wide variety of hairstyles, hair colors, faces, and skin colors. However, character creation can get a little confusing when you get to the "face" and "adornment" options. The "face" option allows you to select the overall facial structure of your character (baby-faced, weathered, etc.). Each face has its own specific adornments. The "adornments" option shows you more pre-made faces, which further defines the look of your character (green eyes and a scar, blue eyes and dark eye shadow, etc.). You can further tweak the structure of the face with eye, nose, mouth, and ear sliders, but you cannot further customize the adornments (i.e. you will not be able to change the color of the eyes or make-up). Also, you cannot change any properties of a character's body (height, weight, etc.). Overall, there's a lot amount of customization options, but some players will be left wishing there was more. TAB-TARGETING MMO PLAYERS: 2/5 If you've played a lot of tab-target MMOs, the combat will take some getting used to. The main difference between tab-target MMOs and Tera is you do not need to target enemies to attack them. All you have to do is aim and shoot/swing. Tanking and healing are also much different in Tera than in other MMOs. Tanks will have to manually block, dodge, or even move out of range to keep themselves alive, while healers will have to aim at party members' characters or at the floor beneath party members to heal them. Even damage dealers will have to keep on their toes, since many BAMs(1) and bosses move around, and not all heals will come to you (the mystic class can put down motes that can be picked up for healing in the middle of a battle). Fighting big monsters in small areas can be a bit awkward, though, because of the camera; when against a wall, the camera zooms in and you will not be able to see very well. Also, accessing the UI does take some getting used to. When moving around the world and battling, the UI is not accessible by a cursor. You must press Alt, Mouse Button 5, or Esc (or a rebound key of your preference) to access the cursor so you can click on UI elements (like the menu) or things in the world. ACTION MMO PLAYERS: 4/5 In Tera, the movement is smooth and combat is a lot of fun, but combat is slightly different than in some action MMOs already out there. (See the section "players from other MMOs" below for combat comparisons between Tera and other action MMOs.) POINT & CLICK PLAYERS: 1/5 If you point and click your spells in MMOs, you will have a very difficult and frustrating time with Tera, since, by default, your cursor disappears when moving (and you'll be moving a lot during battles). You may want to try playing with a controller or look into keybinding (and possibly investing in a gaming mouse or gaming keyboard), or else this game probably isn't going to be for you. There is a combo system in the game to make playing with a controller feasible and playing with a keyboard easier. KEYBINDERS: 4/5 Compared to clickers, keybinders will have a much easier time getting used to Tera's combat system. The only problem keybinders might encounter is if you use left or right click on your mouse to move. By default, your two main abilities (usually a basic attack and a block/dodge/evade) are bound to the left and right mouse buttons, and your mouse movement is connected directly to your camera. Also, you will always attack in the direction your camera is facing, not the direction your character is facing. PvE PLAYERS: 3/5 PvE isn't much different from other MMOs out there. The main focus in PvE is questing, which can become grindy after a while. -Questing: 2/5 Tera brings nothing new to questing and will remind you of many other MMOs & RPGs: you pick up a quest, kill 10 boars, and then turn in the quest for experience and rewards. Questing has a very linear feel in Tera, especially if you're following the story quests. Some quests can only be unlocked if you finish certain quests first. If you get into the story, it can be pretty interesting, albeit a bit confusing. The quest text is actually fairly well done (and even occasionally humorous), but it is so verbose, many people's eyes will glaze over it. There is also an amazing amount of pop culture references shoved into the game, especially in quest titles. If you like traditional questing, then you won't have a problem with the questing in Tera. Otherwise, questing can feel redundant and boring. -BAMs & World Bosses: 4/5 BAMs (short for big-ass monster) are tough monsters that usually take a party to kill. BAMs and world bosses are scattered throughout the world and act as a challenge or a quest objective. BAMs will always be more challenging than regular mobs and give a lot more EXP. -Dungeons: 4/5 Not only are there instanced dungeons, but there are also open world dungeons that can be freely explored. However, instanced dungeons are the only dungeons with set bosses. You can either manually enter an instanced dungeon or you can use the dungeon finder to automatically find a group and get teleported there. There is a cooldown on dungeons (even lower level ones), so you have to be careful when looking for a group. -Raids: (UNRATED) There will be NO instanced raids at launch! If this is a deal breaker for you, I suggest waiting until the game implements raids (there are supposedly plans for them). There will be open-world, raid-like content though (similar to how rifts work), where you'll be automatically grouped into a party/raid to fend off invasions (some monsters needing 30 or more players to kill). PvP PLAYERS: 4/5 Some people will like the PvP in Tera, others may not. There are many ways to participate in PvP, even on PvE servers. On any server there are duels, deathmatches, and eventually there will be battlegrounds. Note: You will not be able to level up on PvP. Duels, deathmatches, and open-world PvP do not grant experience. And battlegrounds are only end-game content. If you focus entirely on PvP in games, this may not be the game for you, since you will have to complete quests, kill monsters, or do dungeons to level up. -Duels: 3/5 Similar to any MMO, duels are fights between two players. Unfortunately, some classes clearly have certain advantages over others in one-on-one fights. -Deathmatches: 4/5 Deathmatches allow players to sort into two teams (with a max of ten people per team) and duke it out. Teams can be sorted unevenly (10 vs. 1, 3 vs. 6, etc.), if so desired. -Battlegrounds: (UNRATED) Unfortunately, I can't say anything about battlegrounds, because they have not been put in the game yet. It's said that they'll be implemented later this summer. -Open-World PvP: 4/5 On PvP specific servers, you'll also have open-world PvP and guild vs guild (GvG). Because there is no targeting or factions in the game, open-world PvP works a little differently than in most MMOs. In order to attack other players freely, you must first use a skill called "Declare Outlaw" (which you can learn at level 11). Once you use this skill, you can attack any player (outside PvP-free zones), but you'll also be flagged so all other players can attack you (even if they haven't used the skill "Declare Outlaw"). Beware, there will be higher level characters going out of their way to kill lower level characters. Fortunately, there are multiple channels outside main cities, so, if you find you're continuously being killed on channel 1, try changing to a different channel. -Guild vs Guild: 5/5 Enjoyment of GvG is really going to depend on how effectively guilds use it. GvG gives guilds the potential to stage epic battles against each other, but can also be a giant gankfest if a large guild declares war on a smaller guild. GvG wars last for 24 hours before ending in a draw if a set amount of points aren't earned or a guild leader forfeits. RP PLAYERS: (CANNOT ACCURATELY RATE) Currently, there's only one role playing server, which is PvE. Although there is no PvP server, but En Masse may add one in the future if enough players shows interest in one and if the PvE server is popular. From what I can tell, Tera has some rich lore, and with the wide variety of races, RP in Tera may prove to be interesting. PLAYERS WITH ONE MAIN CHARACTER: 4/5 (RATING SUBJECT TO CHANGE) If you find a favorite race and class, there is actually little need to go back and make any alts. Unlike in many MMOs, you can specialize in all gathering and crafting areas in Tera. If you're a dramatically higher level than a friend, they will gain no EXP from mobs when grouped with you, but they will still gain credit for certain quests. Unfortunately, I can't say a whole lot about end-game content right now, since I haven't experienced it yet. But, there seems to be enough content to keep you busy for a while. There are: 5 level 58 to 60 dungeons, each with a "hard mode"; the Nexus, which sounds similar to the rifts in Rift; the political system, which lets guild leaders can run for vanarch of a certain area; and daily quests. ALTOHOLIC PLAYERS: 3/5 One of the reasons for alts is because each class plays differently (although, there are similarities across classes). Unfortunately, there is only one starting area, so you'll be doing the same quests over and over again if you decide to create a lot of alts. Even at higher levels, you'll often end up at the same areas because there is only one obvious place to go to or skipping quests causes you to have to backtrack. You can make up to 8 characters on each server (enough to make one of each class). Banks are server bound (i.e. characters on the same server will share the same bank). Also, achievements are not account bound. SOLO PLAYERS: 3/5 When playing by yourself, questing will feel grindy and you will probably have trouble killing BAMs (depending on your class and level). Some BAMs can be soloed, and, if you do happen to kill a BAM by yourself, there's definitely sense of accomplishment afterwards. But, many BAMs are very difficult or tedious to solo (taking a lot of time, skill, and observation). You'll be missing out on one of the greater aspects of the game if you simply ignore BAMs (and in certain zones it's difficult to continue questing because of the amount of BAMs). Finding a group for BAMs can be difficult, though, since few people use the LFG option at lower levels. For dungeons, there's the dungeon finder, if you want to automatically be put in a group. GROUP PLAYERS: 5/5 As with most MMOs, playing with friends and guildies is often more fun than going it alone. Questing isn't as grindy, mostly because you and your party will end up blowing through the quests. BAMs and world bosses can be a lot of fun, while still being challenging (depending on the group makeup). The game has even made gathering feasible in groups, since all party members can gather the same node at once. ACHIEVEMENT HUNTERS: 4/5 There are tons of achievements in Tera, many of which give titles and some even give awards. Beware though, not all achievements are attainable after certain points (like the achievements earned from completing low-level, repeatable quests cannot be completed after you out level them). Also, many achievements will be practically unattainable for many players because many require you to be the leader of a guild and participate in the political system. MODDERS: 1/5 Tera does not support add-ons and En Masse has stated mods are not allowed client side. On the positive side, you can rearrange and resize most UI elements. PLAYERS FROM OTHER GAMES: -Monster Hunter's combat is very similar to Tera's combat. BAM and boss battles in Tera will remind you of hunting monsters in MH; you will have to watch for hints on when and how the monster will attack. One of the main differences, however, is that in MH you have a very limited amount of abilities per weapon, where in Tera, you'll gain over twenty different skills for each class. If you loved Monster Hunter for its combat, I would highly recommend giving Tera a try. -Vindictus also has similar combat to Tera. There are even areas in Tera where you will have to attack the environment, like destroying barriers (although these situations are far less than in Vindictus). Unlike Vindictus though, Tera is mostly an open world; there are instanced dungeons and areas, but most of your questing will be done out in the world. -Dragon Nest has similar but slightly different combat than Tera. Both are action MMOs, but there is two main differences between the two. In Dragon Nest, ranged classes can run around and do their basic attack at the same time. In Tera, you cannot attack and move at the same time--you will automatically stop moving when you start attacking (although, some skills will naturally move you forward or backwards when attacking, and you can move in between attacks). Dragon Nest also feels much more face paced because your attacks are faster and your movement is quicker compared to Tera. -Aion has a very similar look to Tera. The graphics, the in-game cut scenes, and the menus all resemble Aion. However, don't be fooled by appearances, this game does not play like Aion. Where Aion's movement system sometimes felt clunky or stiff (unless they improved it since I played years ago), Tera's feels a lot smoother. Don't make the mistake of thinking Tera is an Aion clone. -Guild Wars 2 and Tera are very, very different games. It's like trying to compare an apple and an orange. Yes, they're both fruit, but they have completely different properties. If you're looking for Guild Wars 2, then wait for Guild Wars 2. Do not expect Tera to be the same thing. -Tera is not World of Warcraft. With that said, Tera is an MMO, and thus has many similar elements to the many MMOs out there. For example, questing in Tera is going to feel a lot like questing in WoW (although Tera is much more linear feeling). WARNINGS & REMINDERS: -This game is pay to play! You will get your first 30 days free, but after that you must sign up for a subscription in order to continue playing. -If you have very bad internet, you'll probably find this game infuriating. Lag completely kills the combat in this game, especially in PvP and against boss monsters. When fighting a BAM, you need to be able to quickly dodge or block if you're any type of melee class and a healer will sometimes need to perform quick heals to keep a party alive--with lag, this is near impossible. (I personally have bad internet--download speed of about 2.6 Mbps--and I can play without too much frustration, but it's definitely not optimal.) -Although warriors are considered tanks, they will not be able to queue in the dungeon finder as tanks until the next big patch (they will only be able to queue as DPS). CONCLUSION: It seems like Tera is going to be one of those games that people either love or hate. I personally love it, but I've been waiting for this game for over a year now. Your enjoyment of this game is going to depend on if you like the combat and who you're playing with. (1) BAM: a tough monster that usually takes a party to kill (short for big-ass monster).