TERA Online, most popularly known simply as TERA, is a Korean made high fantasy MMORPG. Tera stands for The Exiled Realm of Arborea. This game was released in Korea in January of 2011, and the following year it was released in North America and Europe. Initially released as a PC MMO game, later in 2018, the game was brought to consoles, particularly the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. EN Masse Entertainment was responsible for bringing it to console in Europe, North America, and Japan, while Game forge continued to publish the PC version. However, in September of 2020, EN Masse Entertainment seized operations, thus handing over the game’s e PC version solely to Bluehole Studios to run. 

Come November, TERA intends to release cross-platform support for consoles. It feels like TERA is looking to slowly transition fully into a console MMO from the looks of things. However, this may be wrong, considering that the PC version is still coming up with updates and improvements to the gameplay. Its latest update came in August 2020 when Tera upgraded to 64-bit, which means new system requirements, better performance, and better graphics. 

A Brief Origin Story

The very name of the game raises one’s curiosity, begging the question of what The Exiled Realm of Arborea is. Two titans of immense powers created Arborea. Since the beginning of time, the Titans, Arun, and Shun were destined to be at war endlessly. Somehow, when they met, they fell in love with each other and decided to create a new realm of peace called the Exiled Realm of Arborea. This realm was created while they slept; the essence of the realm was to keep away the forces of chaos. As the two titans continued in their slumber, they began to dream, and the content of their dreams became a reality. 

The first surrealistic thing that happened was that the titans’ bodies became the matter that formed Arborea’s two eponymous continents. Next, we see that the different classes of beings were created. First came the 12 demigods, then the mortals and all the other races of the game. The mortal races have been in an all-out war with the god. It is impressive that this game’s developers created their own philosophy of creation, as the fiction of some celestial beings’ imaginations. 

Race, Class, and Possibilities

There are seven races in the game, namely the humans, the Castanic people, the Amman, the High Elf, the Popori ( the dog people), the Ellins (barbie doll-like girls), and the Barakah( massive stone people). Added to these races, and typical of most MMOs, the game also runs a class system. There are thirteen classes; initially, there were eight classes, but the latest update added five new classes. These classes are gender and race locked, making it difficult to preview some of them until you select the appropriate race for such a class. For instance, you can only preview and play as a Valkyrie if you are a Castanic female or an Ellin. The reason for this, I believe, is because of the background lore of each race. Each race has its own unique mythology, cultures, and abilities. It is challenging to play this game without noticing the highly sexualized nature of the characters; I found myself wondering whether the sensual dances of the High Elves and the Castanics were necessary. However, anyone familiar with Korean MMOs is unlikely to be moved by this, since most Korean MMOs are known for sexualizing characters.  

Concerning the roles and classes, Tera features 13 classes, each equipped with peculiar combat styles, skills, and weapons. They are The Archer, the Berseker, the Lancer, the Mystic, the Priests, the Slayer, the Warrior, the Reaper, the Brawler, the Gunner, the Ninja, and the Valkyrie. Once you have selected a class to play in, you are then allowed to customize your character. There are 24 different starting processes to choose from when customizing your player. However, if you are not feeling very creative, you can select the randomize option to course through randomly chosen customizations. Once this has been completed, the character is then dropped straight-on into the conflict-torn starting area. In recent versions, the starting zone and quest have been streamlined to allow faster leveling.

Jump into Action-Bathed Combat, MMO Style

Speaking of Combat, Tera delivers typical MMO practices of killing, interacting with NPCs, collecting items and gems, exhort missions, skillset, etc. However, Tera still manages to carve a niche for itself through its combat system. Tera is the first game to introduce and popularize active action-based combat. TERA is unlike most MMOs, which use the tab targeting combat style, where players select targets using the tab key. In Tera, which uses a Non-Target combat system, players aim their combat skills to hit a target. 

Also, in Tera, combat is all about mobility. Enemies usually telegraph their attacks giving the players enough time to deploy a defensive technique. They can dodge, block, teleporting, rolling, or move out of the line of attack. Most times, a successful block is enough to absorb the hit from opponents. Although, when you are playing BAM ( Big Ass Monsters) quests, you may need to do more sidestepping due to the heavy blows dealt by the BAMs.

In terms of quests, Tera features standard quests that can either be enjoyed solo or in groups. While most of the quests can be played solo, you cannot finish a Dungeon quest without a group, this is due to the high amount of mobs and how hard they hit. The game boasts a robust PvP and PvE modes. The Karma system used in the PvP makes it very fun to play. The PvP server allows for team matches of 10 players on each side, where you battle to the death and can stake gold on the outcome. I love that the PvP matches are made solely for combat’s sake. There is no special reward except the satisfaction of victory.

Final Thoughts

In the middle of battling it out, you may miss out on how beautiful the scenery is. The game seems to need a touchup in terms of graphics. However, for a 2012-style fun, it is doing pretty damn well. The texture is merely unique. The beauty of the scenery is best enjoyed when you fly across town in the flying horse; the sight can be breathtaking. This, combined with the unique combat style, leaves much to be enjoyed when playing this game.