TERA - First Impressions

[Qitz]

Eh, the Elin are some 400 years old so who gives a shit, also, way to ruin Lollipops with that disturbing word people who came up with it.

TERA seems neat just from combat, if their whole "Where you hit with the weapon matters" thing turns true.

From what I've heard, around 15-20, the quests takes a header straight into typical Korean Grind-fest. It is interesting, simply because Action Combat is a lot funner than server based swings, but if it doesn't have very fun quests or anything useful to do at endgame it's going to sink like the Titanic.

And this time, Rose will push it under instead of holding onto it.

 

[Sara Fontaine]

I've just finished the 4th closed beta and I have to be honest, I'm enjoying it. The combat is dynamic; keep moving or get flattened. It's incredibly risky to just stand in the same spot. I played the Archer class and I have to be honest, I feel it was what the Ranger in Guild Wars should have been. Anything gets too close, you can jump away, still firing as you go. The lack of mobility in the Guild Wars Ranger was what put me off playing it. I started a Warrior too but I ran out of time to really give a full opinion on it, so I'll wait till the 5th beta. What I can say is that normally I hate playing melee classes, but I was enjoying myself with the Warrior.

The game is pretty, of course it is; it's hard to find a game that's not these days (and the soundtrack is by Inon Zur). Yes, they've obviously made the females to look as attractive as possible, but for the first time in ages I made a male character, because for once they didn't look as if they were added in as an afterthought. I found the male Castanic to be particularly appealing.

I'll admit that the questing structure is pretty much nothing new. But it works for me to just have a quick glance and see what I'm meant to be doing. As for the story, I spent so much time doing sidequests and exploring during the beta that I don't know much, but I gathered that it's the old "Join army > fight Big Bad > become Hero" tale. That suits me fine, I'll just be interested to see how they go about telling the tale. Might focus more on story-quests in Beta 5.

As for actually buying the game, it's pre-ordered and I can't see myself cancelling it. I do intend on buying Guild Wars 2 as well, since I've been waiting about five years for it and it looks fantastic. I can't compare the two though since I haven't had the luck of getting into any Guild Wars 2 betas.

 

[Axyun]

I'm in the Beta myself.

High points:
-Best combat on any MMO to date.
-Technical graphics fit for a modern day game.
-Awesome open-world boss encounters.
-Unlike Aion, there are plenty of quests to get you to max level.

Low points:
-Bland and uninspired quests.
-Horrible NPC dialog.
-Many things outside of combat are riding on future potential.

Other:
It is very easy to reach the level cap. Some people like this as they can focus on gearing up and PVPing sooner. Some people dislike it because they want to put in the extra effort. Up to you to decide.

For those concerned about the little girl race, the publisher censored the panties and gave them all pants. Don't worry, your fake God won't send you to fake Hell if you play Tera anymore.

 

[Weaver]

I wish I was in the beta

 

[Axyun]

I'm in the Beta myself.
High points:
-Best combat on any MMO to date.
-Technical graphics fit for a modern day game.

You need to go play vindictus before you move any further with that opinion.
TERA is pretty much an open world vindictus with a lesser inspire quest log.

I don't really consider Vindictus to be an MMO. At least not a traditional one. In Vindictus you can't mix class and race. Instead, you pick one of 4 (5?) preset characters and do some minor tweaking. Which means classes and general appearances are gender-locked.

All game content, including dungeons, can be done solo and the game as a whole is more reminiscent of Guild Wars 1 than 2. I consider GW2 to be an MMO, not GW1. GW1 = Fancy chat hub with party-instance-based content. Not that there's anything wrong with that as I loved me some GW1. GW2, though, has a true open world where players can run into each other.

Finally, regarding graphics, Vindictus' are decent but Tera's are better (at a technical level). Tera's assets are more detailed with higher polygon count and higher resolution textures. Heck, the flying horse used to travel around looks better than anything I've seen on any game recently. Amazing level of detail. Too bad everything is of such high detail that the draw-distance has to be pretty aggressive.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

I played the Closed Beta Weekend 4 and I must say that the game really surprised me(this is coming from a 7y WoW player).I played a Castanic Female Warrior.

The gameplay is a mix between Vindictus and normal mmo's(action bar skills with cooldowns) and it is quite entertaining.The combat is similar to Guild Wars 2.

The questing is standard mmo(go kill X mobs,escort Y there etc).

Graphics wise I can say that it's the most beautiful MMO that I've played(with everything on max).Every zone that you choose to quest in is a different enviorement and scenery than the next,I love the variety.

The animations,character models and items in the game look fantastic(koreans really know their shizz).

End content I haven't played(only manage to get to lvl 36 in the beta,lvl 38 being the max).


All in all a good MMO with a great gameplay mechanic.Even though the questing is similar and tedious,the combat really made me push further and further without stopping.


PS: I made an album with some screenshots if you guys wanna check that out(copy the link to see them):

s951.photobucket.com/albums/ad357/Darkholow/TERA%20beta/

 

[Richardplex]

My first impression?

"Wow, the girls in this game are hot. I feel my time would be better spent looking up porn for this game than playing it."

I don't see the problem with the elin, it's a cultural thing. Just a case of western audience backlashing angrily at something harmless and normal in JapaneseAsian culture that they don't understand.

Exactly. The sexualization of young girls is harmless and normal in Asian culture. Because what girls are more docile and submissive (in the bedroom)? They're the ideal.

Read my other post. Panty shots are so prevalent that it's not really seen sexually anymore. Hence, the girls are moe (girls that are cute, as in adorable) rather than loli.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I don't really consider Vindictus to be an MMO. At least not a traditional one. In Vindictus you can't mix class and race. Instead, you pick one of 4 (5?) preset characters and do some minor tweaking. Which means classes and general appearances are gender-locked.

still just 4, with Kai, the 5th only just, or about to come out in KR, i did how ever, hear after that they might release a character that you can pretty much do what ever with (the reason for the gender locking being the story they have this hard on for)

All game content, including dungeons, can be done solo and the game as a whole is more reminiscent of Guild Wars 1 than 2. I consider GW2 to be an MMO, not GW1. GW1 = Fancy chat hub with party-instance-based content. Not that there's anything wrong with that as I loved me some GW1. GW2, though, has a true open world where players can run into each other.

not gonna lie, a more open world Vin sounds cool. BUT, i imagine, given TERA's combat system you could solo most if not all of it if you have the skill as well (just a guess, not in the beta)

Finally, regarding graphics, Vindictus' are decent but Tera's are better (at a technical level). Tera's assets are more detailed with higher polygon count and higher resolution textures. Heck, the flying horse used to travel around looks better than anything I've seen on any game recently. Amazing level of detail. Too bad everything is of such high detail that the draw-distance has to be pretty aggressive.

graphics aren't every thing, but your under cutting Vin's graphics. Vin looks a lot better then a LOT of AAA games, and its free to play.

 

[Axyun]

not gonna lie, a more open world Vin sounds cool. BUT, i imagine, given TERA's combat system you could solo most if not all of it if you have the skill as well (just a guess, not in the beta)

Tera is standard fare MMO in this case. Outdoor quests are all solo-able. Then you have your 5 man dungeons and 10+ man dungeons. Outside world bosses tend to required from a party of 5 to a full raid to defeat. However the level scaling is non-linear and it is possible to take on some big monsters after you've gained only a few levels on them. Only applies to the weaker world bosses, though.

graphics aren't every thing, but your under cutting Vin's graphics. Vin looks a lot better then a LOT of AAA games, and its free to play.

Agreed. I didn't mean to make it sound like Vindictus' graphics are bad. They are very good, especially considering its a F2P game. Both games are way ahead of WoW or the current spate of F2P games. What I do feel Vindictus does better than Tera is make combat feel more visceral. Tera's combat is miles ahead of current MMOs but that's not much of a praise. MMO combat in general is really boring and unengaging. Tera and Vindictus combat works on the same principles but attacks in Vindictus feel stronger and a bit more satisfying to land. Tera opts to be slightly slower and more methodical.

 

[Jasper Jeffs]

The gameplay is fun but from what I've played it's also heavily gear reliant, which is retarded with a combat system that, without the gear advantage, requires skill. Whatever though; Koreans gonna be Korean. It feels also like it's one of those games that is hyped up to be skill-based but in reality really isn't, like COD. It's unsurprisingly full of scrubs too, both on my server and the forums.

More generally speaking, I disagree with MMOs that focus solely on end-game. TERA is like that, and everything prior is a forgettable grind. I know you can't even reach end-game in the Beta but that shit isn't going to exactly change at launch, it's gonna be a boring ass grind full of kill counters until you finally hit max level and play what you originally wanted to. I can't be bothered, so I won't be playing it.

 

[ms_sunlight]

Read my other post. Panty shots are so prevalent that it's not really seen sexually anymore. Hence, the girls are moe (girls that are cute, as in adorable) rather than loli.

Oh really. Not sexual any more? So you're honestly claiming that panty shots in media such as games and anime are not fanservice and are not there to titillate?

Eh, the Elin are some 400 years old so who gives a shit

So, they fall under the category TVTropes calls Legal Jail Bait [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LegalJailBait] eh?

Still creepy, people. Still very, very creepy!

Seriously, just because it's a toon don't kid yourself you're not being a bit of a paedo.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Agreed. I didn't mean to make it sound like Vindictus' graphics are bad. They are very good, especially considering its a F2P game. Both games are way ahead of WoW or the current spate of F2P games. What I do feel Vindictus does better than Tera is make combat feel more visceral. Tera's combat is miles ahead of current MMOs but that's not much of a praise. MMO combat in general is really boring and unengaging. Tera and Vindictus combat works on the same principles but attacks in Vindictus feel stronger and a bit more satisfying to land. Tera opts to be slightly slower and more methodical.

gonna have to take your word for that on Tera, but yeah, attacks like Stigma Hammer, or ... Karok ... just ... Karok, o.0 defiantly have that feel to em.

though with any luck Tera will avoid the rather sorry state the characters are in, in Vin (Lann is basically a liability and Evie is OP with only Fiona and Karok having some semblance of balance)

 

[Sylveria]

They have a race that is basically a preteen girl prancing around showing her panties. This is one of those games that is NOT going to help the reputation of gamers in general and MMOs specifically.

Lol seriously?

http://tera.enmasse.com/game-guide/races/elin

Jesse Cox did some video's which was where I first saw it.

Promoting Furry lolis and lieing to the online mmo community, TERA's got alot going for it already doesnt it?

World of Warcraft is as 'guilty' with worgen, and I don't see the problem with the elin, it's a cultural thing. Just a case of western audience backlashing angrily at something harmless and normal in Japanese culture that they don't understand.

Except that youre entirely wrong.
TERA isnt japanese, it's Korean.
2nd Portrayal of underage females sexuallized is a globally occuring desire, and isnt limited to asian and neither is furry so WoW isnt guilty of anything, but portayal of "loli" is certainly questionalbe

Just curious, if you see a young girl at the beach in a two piece, do you like tar and feather the mom or start charging them with flaming pitchforks? Have you firebombed any Little Miss Whatever pageants lately?

Frankly, you sound like you're overcompensating. All this rage directed at what? A race of "little girls" with cat-ears in a game you've already said you have no intention of playing because Vindictus did the combat style first? So you don't like it, a lot of people don't, a lot of people don't like rough sex from men with hairy bums, but I don't see raging about the big, bare-chested men in video games.

I also love the irony of someone bashing on furries while being named after the ultra-sexualized bunny girl from FF12.

 

[Richardplex]

Read my other post. Panty shots are so prevalent that it's not really seen sexually anymore. Hence, the girls are moe (girls that are cute, as in adorable) rather than loli.

Oh really. Not sexual any more? So you're honestly claiming that panty shots in media such as games and anime are not fanservice and are not there to titillate?

Eh, the Elin are some 400 years old so who gives a shit

So, they fall under the category TVTropes calls Legal Jail Bait [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LegalJailBait] eh?

Still creepy, people. Still very, very creepy!

Seriously, just because it's a toon don't kid yourself you're not being a bit of a paedo.

I'm not going to blanket statement and say no - your right there is tons of fanservice there to titillate people who have a thing for panties. But there is a lot of media where panty shots aren't for titilation - take the Unwanted Harem genre/subgenre/trope for example. I wish people would grow up and just accept there are panties and move on. Take Amy Rose for example in sonic. She wears a dress/skirt, and she's doing acrobatics, so of course you can see her panties, despite her being 12. I didn't think she'd have to wear trousers because panties are such embarrassing things. Like I said, being up in arms because of panty shots restricts art design, and to hold back art styles and design because we're so offended by panties is more immature than having panty shots in the first place. Maybe one day we'll accept that people *do* watch porn, they *do* masturbate, both men and women, and girls *do* wear panties. Maybe then we can move on with our lives like adults.

As regards to "Seriously, just because it's a toon don't kid yourself you're not being a bit of a paedo" - depends what you mean. If you mean your sexually aroused by loli, yeah, you are, but there is no victim in lolicon. In fact, it's a good thing (god I didn't want to get into this, but whatever). Paedophiles can work through their urges, having none of it pent up, safely with no victim. As opposed to paedophiles who don't, and have to live their lives having to suppress something they can't control (because, you know, it's a mental problem not a life choice) or if they can't suppress it, well, there are victims. There have been many cases of paedophiles switching from child pornography to lolicon/shotacon because they are so horrified at the things the children go through. So yeah, people would be being paedophilic, but they are working through their problem without there being victims.

I'm going to assume you meant that comment purely for sexual reasons. Because like I said, unwanted harem, and that tvtropes link you gave has the quote from Evangeline, who regular exposes her panties becauses she's genre-savvy about lolicons, and plays to it. Done well, as it is, it can be highly amusing, which it is.

 

[Slayer_2]

Hot girls! Quick, buy it!

Shut up penis, I'm not buying that MMO crap.

 

[SajuukKhar]

lets see another korean mmo grindfest that people will at first say has great gameplay and no grind then after about 3-5 months will only say it has too mch grind/

no new news here.

 

[Axyun]

lets see another korean mmo grindfest that people will at first say has great gameplay and no grind then after about 3-5 months will only say it has too mch grind/

no new news here.

Strangely enough the forums are replete with posts demanding that leveling be slowed down. Some zones were even being skipped by players because they outleveled them by the time they got there. In the last beta weekend, many players hit the beta level cap (38). I played a handful of hours and got to 22. And that's being my first time playing the beta.

Don't get me wrong. There's a lot that's wrong with this game. Some things the publisher is claiming they will address "soon" but we only have their word for it. However, slow leveling is not one of them.