TERA

 PC
User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 799 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 447 out of 799
  2. Mixed: 168 out of 799
  3. Negative: 184 out of 799
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  1. Mothhive
    May 7, 2012
    5
    Very pretty game and the combat is a nice change from traditional MMOs, but the questing is very generic and repetitive. Would've been nice for them to improve this area too, rather than just the combat.
  2. Vilelich
    May 2, 2012
    5
    The game's combat system is fun, but I can't get past the generic questing system. And from what I have seen so far it has a fairly generic end game (the political system is cool if you get into it I bet) but the instance grind and get gear end game is just so over played in MMOs nowadays. The guild wars system is nice but sometimes the open world PvP can be very abuseable by griefers whoThe game's combat system is fun, but I can't get past the generic questing system. And from what I have seen so far it has a fairly generic end game (the political system is cool if you get into it I bet) but the instance grind and get gear end game is just so over played in MMOs nowadays. The guild wars system is nice but sometimes the open world PvP can be very abuseable by griefers who have nothing better to do then camp level 10's. Let me stress the combat system is very nice but the rest of the game is very generic in every way. The graphics are very nice but graphics doesn't make the game. Also the anime art style might not appeal to some people, it appealed to me but again the game feels generic beyond the combat system.… Expand
  3. Naners
    Jul 16, 2012
    6
    A beautiful game that lacks the depth and complexity expected from other AAA releases. Aside from the innovative combat system and Mystic gameplay, very little in TERA is new, from the stagnant story and questing to end game equipment grind.
  4. Flash_Over
    Jan 21, 2013
    6
    I am late writing this review, but since I played this game extensively I will give it a score.
    I will first begin with the Pros:
    - The combat in with game is really a big plus part in this game. Live action, blocking, dodging in a way that lets you kill high level and really powerful monster if you have enough skill. I can't really describe how great this approach is the mmo-combat.    I am late writing this review, but since I played this game extensively I will give it a score.
    I will first begin with the Pros:

    - The combat in with game is really a big plus part in this game. Live action, blocking, dodging in a way that lets you kill high level and really powerful monster if you have enough skill. I can't really describe how great this approach is the mmo-combat.

    1-The graphics, TERA offers a beautiful world with smooth and incredible animations. Lighting, particles and everything visual that is taken for granted should be appreciated. A few times I stopped just to take a look around, and when you let the scenery sink in, you realize the developers did a great job.
    2-The games user interface is really user friendly and easy to get into. This makes veterans from other games get a familiar feel that is easy to pick up.

    3-Character creator and selection screen. A big thing for me in any RPG is character creation. I love creating a very unique character down to every detail. TERA offers this and it spent hours having fun playing with the options.
    These 3 points are what really stood out to me and I actually really had fun playing this game. it is in my opinion the best MMO to me released next to Guild Wars 2. Why did I stop playing you ask? We will discuss this in the Cons.

    Cons:
    1-The combat, the combat... though refreshing, fun and innovative is also part of the flaw in this game. Timing is 100% critical in this game and what really is terrible is the developers decided that your character, but finish up his/her attack/spell animation before you can do anything else. For example, if you are swinging your axe and you need to block because the boss is charging up a spell... well... 1-2 seconds can feel like forever as you cannot use your dodge or block till your character finishes the swing/cast. This will lead to frustrating mayhem. So add to this issue; the developers made it where you can only move in one direction in the game. Which is forward; so if you need to black up, your character will turn its back to the enemy to back up.(There is no walk backwards animation)In this game you must always face your enemy, specially if you are a tank. So turning your back to move out of a AOE spot will lead to your death. Taunting is a 1-2 second cast spell to taunt enemies, this is really difficult since the battlefield is always moving. All spells/attack anchor your character until the animation is complete, and this is what flaws the live action combat as it is not fluid like it should be.

    2-Instances Ques... oh the Instance/Dungeon Ques... If you are not a tank(Since tanking is really difficult because of con#1. Tanks are rare. With this being said instances Ques are incredible long for even Healers and especially DPS. As a Lancer I got instant Que's but that it not fair to the other players who need quests to wait 30-40+ minutes or longer for a brave soul who rolled a tank to Que up.

    3- Group Quests and special monsters... Most MMORPG have group quests, they are either optional to do, or they only require... 2-3 players(Since these are non-dungeon quests). TERA decided ALL group quests are 5 mans. Same thing with Elites, most games have lesser elites and powerful/boss elites. TERA has ALL 5play+elites that require a tank-DPS-Healer. As mentioned in Con#2 getting a group for a dungeon is almost impossible, so getting a group to till 1 elite for a zone quest is even more impossible. This leads you to skip good XP and good loot. However, with enough skill you can kill these monster on your own, BUT it will take you 30 minutes of constant battle to bring it down(With average quest gear.) So spending 1+ hour for 1 quest leads many player to skip these as you can do a dozen normal ones within that time for more XP.

    In conclusion: Since TERA has failed to address these HUGE issues mentioned above, this has caused a lot of the player population slowly dwindle away. (Can't do quests, can't do dungeons, combat is flawed.) Which are the heart and soul of any MMORPG. These things in my opinion is why I quit and I am sure many others. To address the problem NCsoft instead of fixing these problem instead convert the game to Free 2 Play. Might as well stabbed themselves in the chest. TERA is a great game, I liked, I really did. If the problems were fixed, I would have stayed, but NCsoft failed to heed our cries. With that in mind TERA will slowly die like the rest. :(    … Expand
  5. Aralakh
    Jul 11, 2012
    6
    I never really followed this game prior to release, and only picked it up when it was on sale over at Amazon for 50% off a few weeks back. Having now played for a bit, I can say that while I feel I got my money's worth, I don't think this is an MMO I'll be sticking with in the long-term. The good: the visuals are absolutely stunning, I dare say that it's probably the best looking MMO I'veI never really followed this game prior to release, and only picked it up when it was on sale over at Amazon for 50% off a few weeks back. Having now played for a bit, I can say that while I feel I got my money's worth, I don't think this is an MMO I'll be sticking with in the long-term. The good: the visuals are absolutely stunning, I dare say that it's probably the best looking MMO I've ever played (and I have played many); achievements and reputation grinds give you some fun little things to do outside of pursuing the usual endgame MMO sort of thing; the combat breaks away from the typical MMO, and it's definitely a lot of fun having full control over your character's actions instead of simply queuing up abilities like in WoW. Unfortunately, the visuals and immersive environment really weren't enough to keep me interested.. At it's core, the game is just a whole lot of repetition, with damn near everything being a "go here, fetch this, kill that" quest experience, and it gets old horribly fast. I understand some people like that sort of thing, and that's awesome, but if you're looking for a richer questing experience from your MMO, TERA probably isn't going to satisfy you.… Expand
  6. mmrventricle
    May 7, 2015
    6
    Whereas the game is solid, when the only thing many ppl know about the game is that you can play as attractive females, the devs have done something wrong.
  7. Boomaye
    Jul 13, 2012
    5
    Being an avid consumer of RPG games since last century, I must say I am tremendously disappointed at Enmasse's Tera endeavour.

    I played the game for long enough to get 2 characters to level 15 (after a 30ish hours download of the game) and i saw no difference in gameplay from my first minute until the last i was playing. The action is repetitive, the quests are extremely dull, the plot    Being an avid consumer of RPG games since last century, I must say I am tremendously disappointed at Enmasse's Tera endeavour.

    I played the game for long enough to get 2 characters to level 15 (after a 30ish hours download of the game) and i saw no difference in gameplay from my first minute until the last i was playing. The action is repetitive, the quests are extremely dull, the plot is the same for every race/class and the so called "action oriented" battle system is just a small perk on a otherwise 3ish score game.

    sure the environment is good looking (although nothing spectacular [no grass details on the ground and realistic roads for instance]) but that's about it. This game would have scored a 7 if it had been released about 5 years ago, but nowadays, if u use the same grinding formula of koreans MMOs, your product is just gonna hit way below the curve.

    in summary: only get tera if you enjoy grinding/repetitive games.    … Expand
  8. Jaz
    Feb 23, 2013
    6
    Decent game which now is free to play. Graphics are good -GW2 has better tho-, combat is ok but gets repetitive and thats it. Main problems No depth and no character. Nothing more to offer than lots of games out there today and lacks a lot of what those games offer. Still, i d play it since its f2p and if you dont expect too much you ll have a good time.
  9. goopyGoop
    Jun 17, 2014
    6
    Aside from pretty graphics and once original combat system, this game doesn't really have much to offer. The nonexistent storyline is shallow and boring.
  10. Kyrgsh
    Jul 17, 2012
    6
    By now, I suspect most of you have read something about the game. I'll just chime in and say that the combat is fun, the character creation is sufficiently varied, and the questing/adventuring model is utterly tedious. It's just not possible for me to enjoy running to a quest hub, picking up all the quests without reading the text, killing everything in sight, then running back to theBy now, I suspect most of you have read something about the game. I'll just chime in and say that the combat is fun, the character creation is sufficiently varied, and the questing/adventuring model is utterly tedious. It's just not possible for me to enjoy running to a quest hub, picking up all the quests without reading the text, killing everything in sight, then running back to the quest hub any longer. And then you get a breadcrumb quest to run to the next hub, where you literally do the same things over and over again. The actual act of killing is energetic, however. That can't be denied, and it shouldn't be minimized. After all, a huge part of the game is centered around killing. But, seriously, killing thousands upon thousands of foozles, only to look back and see the next guy killing those same foozles...that model is really bankrupt at this point, wouldn't you agree?… Expand
  11. Truednd
    May 22, 2012
    6
    I would have to say that the biggest problem with this game is other peoples' view of this game. This game is not an MMO RPG. It is a MMO ACTION RPG. Though some people may not know the difference between the 2, other gamers would see this as the difference between the FF Series and a game like KoA or the recently released Dragon's Dogma. In fact, having a different view of this game isI would have to say that the biggest problem with this game is other peoples' view of this game. This game is not an MMO RPG. It is a MMO ACTION RPG. Though some people may not know the difference between the 2, other gamers would see this as the difference between the FF Series and a game like KoA or the recently released Dragon's Dogma. In fact, having a different view of this game is what made the game a little more appealing to me. unfortunately, it is only by a little. This game has great combat mechanics going for it, and my first dungeon experience was probably my favorite dungeon experience in any MMO I ever played. However, it is the lack of depth in other areas of the game that makes it fall short as a great MMO, in my honest opinion. My reasoning is this: Each and every individual class is the same within its own class. To cite an example from the most popular MMO game, The Druid class in WoW can be 1 of 4 different things (even before MoP). They are either melee dps, ranged dps, tank, or a healer, depending on how you specialize the class. Tera tries to enact a smaller version of this type of feature through the glyph system. Although the glyph system is nice, it doesn't do much to deviate or specialize your class more than anyone else choosing the same class as you. An Archer is an Archer/ranged DPS. A Slayer is a Slayer/melee DPS. A Priest is a Priest/healer. Any class you choose is the play style you stick with (the exceptions being the Mystic class, which is a ranged dps/support heal class, and the Warrior class, which is a melee DPS or evasion tank), and that will only change if you decide to play another class from the beginning. At that point, you are doing the exact same quests you just did with your previous character, leaving very little room or reason to want to play as multiple characters. Everyone starts in the same area and does the same quests, no matter your race or class. Once I viewed this game as an Action RPG, I was able to enjoy it more and compare it to games outside of the MMO genre. It is a beat'em up game with RPG elements (The core of Action RPGs), with limited room outside of what the class you chose can do. I compared this game to Diablo III in my mind with this in mind. The leveling system is linear, but the game itself is still fun. The fun increases exponentially when you play with other people, which is where this game really shines. If you are looking for your first experience with a MMO Action RPG, Tera takes this role and and does a fantastic job with it. but to compare this game to other MMOs is folly, due to the fact that other current MMO RPGs offer more depth for the class you choose, as well as a better crafting system and, in some cases, quests with more of a point to them (I can't count how many times I have done quests where they directed me to the person 10 feet away. Although this happens in more MMO games, this game takes it a little too far). I will also say that the gathering system is also one of the best, but only because anything that you gather gives you a temporary buff, which I think is a great way to to promote the player to want to try the crafting system. However, this also gives it too much incentive, as people will gather things that they don't need simply for the buff that it gives them. But, that is just a case where you take the good with the bad. Out of the few things I have listed because all MMOs, no matter what type MMO they are, have too much to explain about in a small User Review post, the last thing I would like to list is the chat in the game. On the server I am on, it constantly feels like I am in Barrens Chat (for those that have played WoW). It could be said to simply turn off General chat (which I did) if there weren't any other channels for people to talk over their random BS with (which they did). Never have I seen such an abhorrent abuse of LFG chat when I am one of few people that is actually looking for a group. One could also say that you can simply use the LFG feature, but in any MMO I have played that has this feature, it seems to not be used very much as people will still use the LFG channel for better results, in my personal experience (which I still used the LFG feature and still never found a group). By all means, get the game if you are in the mood for an Action RPG but would rather play in a world full of other players, as this is one of the best. Just keep in mind that this game truly is an Action RPG MMO and it is better to put it in that category rather than the standard MMO RPG category (regardless of the few comparisons I have made of this game to MMO RPGs).… Expand
  12. Daveman
    Dec 16, 2012
    6
    Had Tera been released in 2004 instead of WoW, it would've rewritten the MMO landscape, and today's MMO market would've been a drastically different place. Unfortunately, 2012 marks the release date of a game that, in the greater scheme of things, is far behind the competition. Despite Tera's landmark action combat system - which I truly believe is the prototype for great MMOs to come - itHad Tera been released in 2004 instead of WoW, it would've rewritten the MMO landscape, and today's MMO market would've been a drastically different place. Unfortunately, 2012 marks the release date of a game that, in the greater scheme of things, is far behind the competition. Despite Tera's landmark action combat system - which I truly believe is the prototype for great MMOs to come - it is unfortunately plagued by sheer, overwhelming mediocrity in the departments of questing, storyline, and interactivity with the environment. (those that try to climb ladders and vines will know part of what I'm talking about) The PvP is even a little off - what I expected to be an even playing field where skills matter than levels or gear, I was shocked that this game, which I had expected to pioneer normalized PvP, still rewarded grind time over actual skills such as reaction speed and hand-eye coordination (though it still does this far better than any MMO to date, it's not saying too much). I gave this a 9 in my first review, but after playing it for a while, I'm disappointed to say the least that this game, which I had VERY high expectations for, didn't fully deliver like I expected. I still have half a year of my subscription to go and hopefully things turn out a lot better, but if not then Tera has lost a very hopeful customer - someone that truly believed in the greatness it could've achieved.… Expand
  13. DingChavez
    May 11, 2012
    7
    Let me start by saying I am very experienced in playing MMO's from WoW to Rift to SWTOR and a few in between. Each MMO had its good points and bad points and Tera is no exception. Graphically I really like the look of Tera and the environment/enemies even though I hate the look of some races (Elin). Storyline was boring, but that is ok with me after SWTOR gave me my fill. Now when it comesLet me start by saying I am very experienced in playing MMO's from WoW to Rift to SWTOR and a few in between. Each MMO had its good points and bad points and Tera is no exception. Graphically I really like the look of Tera and the environment/enemies even though I hate the look of some races (Elin). Storyline was boring, but that is ok with me after SWTOR gave me my fill. Now when it comes to the bread and butter of any MMO is where I am the toughest critic. PVP and PVE are the two things that must be done right or failure is inevitable. In terms if PVE, Tera provides the standard dungeon fare with mobs standing around until you pulverize them for their loot. With a good amount of dungeons on U.S launch and an instance queue system in place that I would say is now a staple for any MMO, they have gotten the basics right Now in terms of actual content, I found the experiences of the dungeons themselves underwhelming thus far (I am Level 40). The boss monsters are really big, but never make me feel really any different from a standard mob. You just don't let them hit you (unless your a Lancer tank) and dps/heal your way to victory. So far none of the bosses need any explanation of mechanics or warnings really. They are all literal tank and spanks. This has created boredom to the point that a fanboy once told me that "paying attention through the boring encounters is part of the challenge" and he meant it as a compliment to the PVE of the game. Secondly I have an issue with the attributes in the game. So far every other priest that is my level can heal just as well as I can since your attributes are pretty much only controlled by the equipment you have on your character. There is no change in builds from player to player, for example: I can't stack a particular stat to accomodate the way that I play beyond 8 crystal slots that usually have stipulations on only being allowed to equip one of a certain type (like crit bonus). There are also glyphs that can alter your abilities somewhat like decrease cooldown or increase the duration of a HoT. So once I reach level 60, and have all the best gear, I will heal for the exact same amount as any other priest who is level 60 with the same gear as I have . I know what your thinking "well yea you have the same gear!", but when every single heal is the same exact number every single time and like every other player of the same class, it gets dull as hell. Also, questing is simple fetch this, or kill that which would be ok if I weren't slaying pigs or picking herbs for people. When are developers going to start making quests real quests. I rather spend an hour doing one quest that forces me to kill many things and get a massive amount of exp on the way than spend an hour doing farmer and butcher work to get the same exp. Ever since level4 I have literally gathered groups of mobs, stop, and dps them down while they try to reduce my health by 10% at most. The only time I need anyone else with me is when killing the skull monsters, and even then it only takes 3 people. Thankfully I look pretty and my spells look pretty and the monsters that I slay look pretty while doing this. And now onto PVP, This is where I think the game is really going to please the majority of people. With GVG, 10v10, and open world pvp anywhere you want it (on pvp servers like I am on) it can be really fun just questing. You always have to watch your back and be prepared to fight for your life and honor of your guild (if your in one). The classes aren't necessarily balanced against every other class but thats okay with me. Some classes seem to have an advantage over others but are also weak against others so in a way it balances out i guess. I would like to see something worth fighting for in terms of pvp instead of just bragging rights. Not sure if the game will ever need battlegrounds, could ruin the fun of open world pvp if all the pvpers are in instanced battles. The game also makes skill in pvp the most important factor (not counting level difference) which is great. TL;DR - I gave the game a seven overall based on averaging scores on Graphics (9), PVP (9), PVE (5), Combat System (7), Story (2), and Reliability (9)
    Would like better boss encounters, harder PVE, a reason to GVG or praise your guild and better things to do/reasons to run errands for quest givers.    … Expand
  14. Swampy
    May 7, 2012
    7
    I'll start with the good stuff, the imagery and the up to now unique combat system are first rate and make for an entertaining experience. However whether both these plus points can stand the test of time is another matter, and if they can't then the future doesn't look that rosey for TERA in my opinion; as aside from these two albeit significant pluses TERA has very little else to offerI'll start with the good stuff, the imagery and the up to now unique combat system are first rate and make for an entertaining experience. However whether both these plus points can stand the test of time is another matter, and if they can't then the future doesn't look that rosey for TERA in my opinion; as aside from these two albeit significant pluses TERA has very little else to offer over and above any other MMO already on the market. While there's nothing particularly bad about the game it's just more of the same generic fantasy 'kill 10 monkeywangers" go back and '"kill 10 infected monkeywangers" etc etc... don't be expecting any deep lore or story telling here, there's a lot less than Rift for example. So far upto level 20, the levelling process has been linear in the extreme, with all classes/races being funnelled through the same zones and quests (with no diversity). The other issue I have with the game is pricing, because as the sub price has been fixed using EURO's which means for a UK player the monthly sub will be variable, and presently is more expensive than it's peers in the MMO market. Now this isn't a moan or whine about not being able to afford it, or as a UK player that we should get special treatment, but an objective view on TERA's price in comparison to other games available on the UK market. It's simply more expensive than any of the big MMO's out there from a UK players perspective, and I have to ask (as will I'm sure many others) is it worth the extra cost over the competition.. my opinion is; not really! I feel that the pricing difference will be a mental barrier (it's over the 'golden' £10) as opposed to a real fiscal barrier, but I think many potential subscribers will simply choose to go elsewhere.. Rift, SWTOR, WoW, LoTRO, and even the about to be released GW2.… Expand
  15. JoeCool
    May 9, 2012
    7
    This is an interesting title. The combat is pretty interesting. The graphics style is not really my thing as it seems oriented towards immature teens, but whatever, it's pretty well done, even with the ridiculously big weapons and all the scantily dressed females. Whether the end game is really worth anyone 's time remains to be seen. Levelling seems pretty linear. Not a really great game,This is an interesting title. The combat is pretty interesting. The graphics style is not really my thing as it seems oriented towards immature teens, but whatever, it's pretty well done, even with the ridiculously big weapons and all the scantily dressed females. Whether the end game is really worth anyone 's time remains to be seen. Levelling seems pretty linear. Not a really great game, but at least it's not the same ol', same ol'.… Expand
  16. MsSpecialEd
    Jul 6, 2012
    5
    Great graphics, amazing character customization, and interesting combat. Just lacked everything else that should be in an MMO. This shouldn't make people want to play this game.
  17. joemama57
    Jan 23, 2013
    5
    Innovative, Safe, and Mundane.... all at the same time

    I know its hard to lump all 3 of those words into the same category but with Tera, you can. I'll tell you what's innovative about it and I am sure this comes as no surprise, the combat . I am sure you have heard all about the combat in Tera and it is definitely lived up to its reputation. It's fun, engaging, fast and furious! It's    Innovative, Safe, and Mundane.... all at the same time

    I know its hard to lump all 3 of those words into the same category but with Tera, you can. I'll tell you what's innovative about it and I am sure this comes as no surprise, the combat . I am sure you have heard all about the combat in Tera and it is definitely lived up to its reputation. It's fun, engaging, fast and furious! It's nice to play an MMO where the combat is measured with skill, and not just... who has the better skill bar. The combat is one of Tera's biggest draws for sure. The other big draw... is its graphics. Everything from the world, character models, animations, and effects have been truly realized in this fantasy setting. From the moment you step onto the island of dawn, you will be blown away by the colourful world that lay before you. The artists did an excellent job putting detail in just about everything you look at.

    But how does the game play out? Well...it plays out like a great 3rd person action game would. So far, I haven't really found any flaws in how the game feels. It seems the developers put a lot of time into ironing out any game play bugs and flaws. It's a very fluent, quick, responsive game and plays surprisingly well with an xbox 360 or PS3 controller. It almost feels like this game would have been the perfect match for a console MMO (and it almost feels like they had that in mind during development).

    Also its worth noting that the character creation and class selection is a very exciting process. The amount of choices for character creation and class selection is exceptional. They include just about every major class from the fantasy realm and include a few fresh ideas. Every class has its defined role... i.e. the Warrior is a fast, agile class that deals damage at a higher rate of attack, thus making it a front line DPS fighter...but, your not "limited" per say to that role. If you do want to venture out and play a different role with your character, you can, its just might be more challenging then sticking to the pre-defined role. It comes down to how you control your character during combat that defines your role. Once again, its actual player skills that counts.

    So I got the positives out of the way, now for some of the negatives...and when I say negatives, I mean major flaws. I am just going to come out and say it...the questing is absolutely TERRIBLE!!! (or Terable..hehe..I just had to do it). It's like the game directors gave the story and quest department some time off. The quests are the most unimaginative, boring, and mundane quests I've ever encountered in any MMO. They are the generic "kill X amount of this monster and come back to me", or "talk to so and so, then come back to me"...but done in the most boring fashion ever! There's not even voice over dialogue to keep you entertained (not even with the main story quest givers!!). IMO, the whole fetch quest system (in any game now a days) is in a desperate need of a face lift...or elimated from MMO's all together.

    Next would be the tedious grind through levels...It can get really old really fast. Do boring fetch quest, gain XP. Kill several mobs, gain XP. Repeat that over and over again. Now some people may say that you can never get away from that in MMO's. I say, not true. Lets take SWTOR for example. I know the game was a big let down but the questing, story, and voice over dialogue definitely kept me engaged for some time. Even GW2 adopted voice over dialogue with cut scenes for the main story quests. SOMETHING MORE!! is my point. To put absolutely no effort into keeping your players engaged in the story and questing is probably why they lost so many subscribers in a couple of months following release. It's like they thought the combat would suffice and they left it at that.

    Final Thought: It's a great game for new players to the MMO genre. It's fast and furious combat will keep gamers engaged for a bit. Unfortunately, this game took the most basic cookie cutter MMO mechanics and slapped a new coat of paint on it. It's a tedious and boring grind through levels. The game does has a saving grace (well 2 actually), Graphics and Combat. That's it. The other draw I guess is the fact its going F2P in less then a month. You can play now up to level 28 to get a head start. That should be enough time to decide for yourself. Is the innovative combat enough to keep you engaged? or does it feel...lifeless?    … Expand
  18. Andresitooo
    May 24, 2012
    6
    To start of I played until final level (60) and did a lot of "end game"

    Positives - Phenominal graphics for an MMO and the game engine isn't terribly demanding (run it on a stock quad core HP that has a radeon 5770 HD and i play on almost full graphic for all settings with still getting very smooth FPS). Great races that seem weird at first but come together in a great manner. Great    To start of I played until final level (60) and did a lot of "end game"

    Positives - Phenominal graphics for an MMO and the game engine isn't terribly demanding (run it on a stock quad core HP that has a radeon 5770 HD and i play on almost full graphic for all settings with still getting very smooth FPS). Great races that seem weird at first but come together in a great manner. Great combat system. BEEEAAUUUUTIFUL artwork (each zone after level 25 or so looks absolutely amazing and even some before).

    Negatives- crafting system is USELESS till 60 except maybe alchemy. 2 Reasons, one its stupid expensive and stupidly hard to level and the way its build and how fast you level just makes no sense to start till lvl 60, except maybe alchemy crafting. So all the crap that's craftable from lvl 1-410 (crafting levels) is absolutly useless, even though it is a grind fest from hell to get there, really your leveling it ONLY to get to 410 plus. The ENDGAME content is retarded and repetative. You have 7, 5-man dungeons to choose from, 5 of them being repeated harder modes (lazy developers) and the other part is doing these bland and boring "daily" quests (one of them includes walking a really slow sheep for about 50 meters into town with no mobs to fight). Getting equipped can be a tedious and horrible grind (ran Fane of Kaprima dungeon 1000 times to get this enigmatic chest and saw it drop 1 time only and lost roll) and than after words i'm expect to grind just as bad to get the mats to level it up. Lets not forget the absolute bland and boring quest systems with all quests either being, Kill X amount mobs, Find X amount of items, Talk to X person).

    Bottom line leveling from 1 - 59 is amazing experience even though the quest system is super bland i still had a blast. Level 60 "endgame" is a repetative and EXTREMELY boring super grind fest. I actually canceled my supscription and wait for an expansion that maybe puts REAL endgame content but i'm not holding my breath. There's a reason why Korea Tera is loosing popularity after only 2 years of it being out. BTW all future content is also handled by Korea so whatever is decided to be done will come out in korea first and than reworked for the U.S. In Korea Tera very little has been done since it started. YES i know that they still got the Nexuses coming which is like a smaller scale version of rift... go in to a random Nexus with random people and just kill a bunch of monsters).    … Expand
  19. dylanland234
    May 7, 2012
    7
    Tera's beautiful landscape, clever combat system, and addictive game play kept me coming back more often then not. The sheer vastness of this world is breathtaking. This port of the japanese title was a very good decision, and i will be a loyal fan for years to come.
  20. IvanRic
    Jul 15, 2012
    5
    The first 8 or so hours were fun for me. I really didn't get a chance to group much, I played more solo than anything, but even the solo-ing was fun. After about level 25, I don't know what happened, but I just lost interest. I hoping to get back in it again, I really want to give it another try before deciding if I should keep playing or not.
  21. darkcerb
    Jul 14, 2012
    5
    The amazing combat is highly exaggerated, every melee character lunges forward dramatically in an animation you can't interrupt meaning you'll 5/10 move past your target in pve and in pvp? a flailfest as fun as wading through sewage. graphics are great sound is decent story is UN-interesting and poorly told. Tera is also ported over from korea and carrys with it the heavily grind centricThe amazing combat is highly exaggerated, every melee character lunges forward dramatically in an animation you can't interrupt meaning you'll 5/10 move past your target in pve and in pvp? a flailfest as fun as wading through sewage. graphics are great sound is decent story is UN-interesting and poorly told. Tera is also ported over from korea and carrys with it the heavily grind centric gameplay, it must be remembered that en-masse are a localization team only, not the developers what this means is a far longer wait for any content from the primary game and heavy censorship. All in all skip this game friends try out secret world and guild wars 2 for better games overall.… Expand
  22. hcookie
    May 20, 2012
    7
    Let's get this out of the way, Tera Online breaks some new ground and delivers what 'gamers' want...well a certain demographic anyways. The Real Action combat is quite fun and makes every encounter not so repetitive. The Boss fights are refreshing just because you need to be on your toes throughout the encounter. Unfortunately, bad ping rates will murder your enjoyment for what amounts toLet's get this out of the way, Tera Online breaks some new ground and delivers what 'gamers' want...well a certain demographic anyways. The Real Action combat is quite fun and makes every encounter not so repetitive. The Boss fights are refreshing just because you need to be on your toes throughout the encounter. Unfortunately, bad ping rates will murder your enjoyment for what amounts to a twitchfest.

    Other than that, Tera Online is MoTs. More of the same monsters, more of the same 'let's copy world of warcraft'. The Leveling is poorly balanced, since you tend to out level the zones very very fast. Aside from the MoTs (More of the Same) gameplay, what Tera does deliver is an over abundance of boobage and panty shots.

    No other game ever made has more stripper wear than Tera Online. Fantasy chainmail of women is well known for it's lack of ... 'protection'. More Chain than mail, if you get what I mean...>nudge< >nudge< >wink< >wink<

    On the other hand, the inclusion of the Elin race is already attracting unwanted attention, not only from gamers but from the most detestable segment of society, Pedophiles. In fact, i'd bet if the FBI would catch more Pedophiles in Tera Online than all their previous sting operations combined.    … Expand
  23. JudgmentJay
    Jul 23, 2013
    5
    My review is probably going to sound like many others. Here's the tl;dr version: Combat is great, but the rest of the game is mediocre.

    I played as a sorcerer in the Korean/Japanese beta tests, and I was slightly underwhelmed by the combat system that everyone seemed to love. For the North American release of the game I decided to go with Warrior, and it was a night and day difference.    My review is probably going to sound like many others. Here's the tl;dr version: Combat is great, but the rest of the game is mediocre.

    I played as a sorcerer in the Korean/Japanese beta tests, and I was slightly underwhelmed by the combat system that everyone seemed to love. For the North American release of the game I decided to go with Warrior, and it was a night and day difference. Combat was much more involved and skill-based, especially where BAMs are concerned. Tanking was especially fun and fulfilling.

    Another praise-worthy aspect of this game is the graphics. It's easily the best-looking MMO out there. Some of the environments are jaw-droppingly awesome. There was a small issue with view distance and object pop-in, but I can overlook that. Music is good, but no tracks stand out in particular. The English voice acting on the other hand is terrible. Super terrible. Cringe-worthy even.

    So we have awesome combat and superb graphics... what else is there? Not much unfortunately. Questing is as generic as it gets, from level 1 all the way to level 60. Do a few kill/collection quests at one hub, move to the next, rinse and repeat infinitely. Soloing BAM quests was fun at first, but the novelty wore off quickly and they just became tedious. Dungeons are decent, especially toward the end-game. Some of the bosses are pretty challenging. I didn't do any hard mode dungeons, but I imagine they're VERY challenging. That's a good thing.

    As for end-game... there isn't a whole lot. A number of 5-man dungeons and their hardmode counterparts as well as a completely broken world raid component called the Nexus. I say broken for a couple reasons. One reason is that you barely have to do anything to get credit. You hit a monster once and then you can literally just stand there doing nothing. The other reason is that due to the sheer number of players participating FPS rarely goes above 10... even with graphical settings on the lowest preset.

    The last thing I'll talk about is Enchanting. Enchanting is the reason I'm through with this game. It's the most frustrating mechanic I've seen in an MMO. I don't mind long, hard grinds. I don't mind ridiculous gold sinks. Enchanting is both of these, but what makes it unfun is the fact that your time and money can result in absolutely nothing due to the chance of failure. Each time you upgrade your armor/weapon, the chance for failure for the next level increases. Toward the max level of your item, the chance for failure is ridiculously high. If they removed the chance of failure and just increased the time/money needed for each level I'd be fine with it. There's nothing more frustrating than grinding for hours for the gold/items needed for enchanting only to have 10 failures in a row. I'd probably be more willing to endure it if there was something greater than 5-mans to work toward.

    In conclusion, this game was a fun distraction, but the end-game just isn't there.    … Expand
  24. sterlingwriter
    Jul 21, 2012
    7
    As an MMO veteran who has played tons of MMOs dating back to Ultima Online, I really enjoyed playing TERA. The hands-on combat is refreshing and fun, and the world and character models are gorgeous. I have so many screenshots of the world as I was exploring, and many of them are being used as my desktop background. If you do the quests, leveling and acquiring gear upgrades is fun andAs an MMO veteran who has played tons of MMOs dating back to Ultima Online, I really enjoyed playing TERA. The hands-on combat is refreshing and fun, and the world and character models are gorgeous. I have so many screenshots of the world as I was exploring, and many of them are being used as my desktop background. If you do the quests, leveling and acquiring gear upgrades is fun and you rarely feel like you are stuck grinding, or being starved for upgrades as you level to 60. For a Korean MMO, this one is the least grindy I have ever experienced. Unfortunately where TERA is suffering right now, is mainly with their billing system, and lack of end game. I've placed more help tickets with their customer service trying to get various billing errors resolved (double billing, sub discount not applied, billing failed, etc) than I have ever placed with any other game I've ever played. Trying to sub to this game has been more frustrating than maintaining a PlayOnline account with FFXI, and that should say something. I have a normal Visa credit card in good standing, so the problems seem strange to me. Regarding end game, the Nexus events were added to give max leveled characters something to do, but it's usually scheduled at times I can't play, and when I can join in, it's a lag fest and not very fun. Also, the political system feels out of place on my server, which felt very low population last time I logged in. Not even all the territories have Vanarch's at the moment there, which is unfortunate. I may revisit this game in time, but until the billing system isn't such a mess, and there's more to the end game, I don't have a reason to be playing right now.… Expand
  25. Olvenskol
    May 18, 2012
    6
    I got bored quickly. The game is simply too much of the same old MMO formula. The actiony combat is fun, but that was about it for me. I can't see this surviving as a pay-to-play model with the amount of competition it has.
  26. wuwei
    May 18, 2012
    6
    High production values, very good looking. Innovative combat. But extremely linear and repetitive. Once you've maxed 1 character, you've done pretty much everything in the game. If you want to make another char, you will do the exact same quests down to the step to level up. Endgame consists of grinding quests for reputation points and running the same 3-4 dungeons over and over again for gear.
  27. Quorina
    Apr 29, 2013
    5
    Combat is excellent and is the defining feature of this game, the F2P is also great and doesn't nickle and dime you, but the questing will simply bore you to death. 95% of the quests consist of "kill x" with maybe 4.5% of the remainder "collect x" quests. Got bored of it pretty quickly after getting an archer to 28. However, the game does offer a challenge via dungeons and BAMs (Big A$$Combat is excellent and is the defining feature of this game, the F2P is also great and doesn't nickle and dime you, but the questing will simply bore you to death. 95% of the quests consist of "kill x" with maybe 4.5% of the remainder "collect x" quests. Got bored of it pretty quickly after getting an archer to 28. However, the game does offer a challenge via dungeons and BAMs (Big A$$ Monsters) so for the price of 0, it is worth a try.… Expand
  28. effataigus
    Aug 28, 2012
    6
    Great game in many respects. Combat is fun and the whole game is beautiful. There are legitimate challenges to be found solo, and group content was fun. The non-tab targeting is a breath of fresh air. This is what I wanted Diablo III to be. I haven't made it t the endgame, so no comment there.

    Downsides: Very limited character power customization. Character customization is    Great game in many respects. Combat is fun and the whole game is beautiful. There are legitimate challenges to be found solo, and group content was fun. The non-tab targeting is a breath of fresh air. This is what I wanted Diablo III to be. I haven't made it t the endgame, so no comment there.

    Downsides: Very limited character power customization.

    Character customization is pretty good, but your look will be dominated by the chestpiece you're wearing.

    Too many powers cause you to lose control of your character for a length of time, and it is never clear exactly when that time is over. I understand that this is an integral part of the combat system, but I feels very clunky even if it makes the animations prettier.

    Tiny text and the wide variety of items makes inventory management a bit of a drag (though not much worse than most MMOs, I suppose).

    The stamina system is a little baffling and completely unfun for me (arbitrary mechanic that rewards standing by a fire and not doing anything).    … Expand
  29. Old_Skewl_Gamer
    Sep 18, 2013
    6
    Good combat, 0 depth, dying community and low population, terrible class balance. This is a language port from Korea. I played for awhile before it went F2P. Not worth a 2nd look.
  30. Vayra
    Dec 19, 2013
    7
    Tera. Once an MMO with sub fee, today it has been around for awhile as a F2P. How does it fare?

    - Free to play Tera’s content is entirely free and at first glance there isn’t much Pay2Win to be found. This feeling lasts until you find out about the existence of Tera Club membership in combination with endgame and the immense grind associated with it. To what extent is Tera free to play    Tera. Once an MMO with sub fee, today it has been around for awhile as a F2P. How does it fare?

    - Free to play
    Tera’s content is entirely free and at first glance there isn’t much Pay2Win to be found. This feeling lasts until you find out about the existence of Tera Club membership in combination with endgame and the immense grind associated with it. To what extent is Tera free to play then? To be precise, it is f2p to the extent you feel you want to grind for stuff. The Club membership will easily cut this time in half with daily reputation, gold and XP bonuses, a free means of teleportation and faster mount. Other things in the store are mostly cosmetic, consumable and temporary bonuses. Tera actually does very well keeping the P2W out, and making the cash shop a shortcut to ‘buy time’. So far, all seems well.

    - Gameplay & Mechanics
    The best part of Tera comes to light during combat. Tera’s combat mechanics are interesting, largely skill-based, fast paced and require true aiming and dodging. Especially melee classes are extremely fun to play, while casters feel somewhat slow and sluggish due to cast times and animations. Good players can be separated from the bad by watching their rotations and how they act and move around, which is a great thing. Unfortunately, this mostly shows itself in PvE, as the PvP of Tera is grossly unbalanced and bland because there is no form of matchmaking available; in PvP this results in unbalanced teams where several players possess gear that outclasses everything else, making winning and losing very much the luck of the draw. In PvE, it becomes clear from the first hour playing that you are dealing with a Korean style MMO. Lots of grind, uninteresting narrative, and lots of quests that involve going from A to B and killing X monsters. The good combat mechanics make the grind bearable but levelling is incredibly repetitive. PvE endgame involves dungeons, which is where the nice loot can be found, but there is also a daily event that potentially drops much more loot than can be gained from dungeon runs. There are several tiered sets of gear and weapons, and only by doing the most difficult dungeon can the best ones be obtained. All content before this final dungeon however, is surprisingly easy and not really worth doing as the daily loot event gives better stuff. A missed chance, because this basically means that endgame Tera consists of two or three dungeon runs and a daily event, plus whatever else you would choose to waste time on (because there is no useful reward to it).

    - Community
    Tera’s community is one typical of MMO’s, not surprisingly harsh or surprisingly friendly. There are many established guilds, but the transition to F2P and the changes it has brought, are gradually but surely destroying the community. One major flaw in the game is that essential items to upgrade best-in-slot gear pieces have been phased out of the normal economy and are actually now only scarcely available. This is where Tera has gone horribly wrong. EnMasse, the publisher of Tera in the U.S., is doing a far better job at managing the game’s economy than its European counterpart (GameForge). Customer support from Gameforge is horrible at best, and after playing for a year I can safely say the situation will not ever change. Gameforge is in fact the largest issue Tera EU has, as it is a company with no interest whatsoever in what the community thinks, wants and needs. In the past year, many decisions that have proven detrimental to the game have been pushed through and the effects are still felt to this day. For example, if you are not sinking all of your time (and cash!) into this game, do not ever expect to get to the highest gear tiers. And for a game like Tera with limited end game content, this is deadly.

    Conclusion: Tera is a great pick up to experience and play a few classes, as it has a refreshing take on combat, fun, varied classes and smooth gameplay. Other than that, Tera is an MMO lacking in many aspects for which almost all credit goes to the publisher Gameforge for crippling the endgame economy. With the latest content update (which adds a whole new gear tier), things may change, but given the publishers stance on things in the past, I have little hope. The game world is full of great potential places to explore and grind, but Gameforge has stripped the loot tables to push essential stuff to paid alternatives and most places you visit are a time sink and nothing else. One big piece of advice would be, if you play, don’t sink too much money in it too early, because there is a fair chance you’ll find it was not worth it.

    Graphics: 7/10 Good visuals, nice art, but very poorly optimized
    Sound: 6/10 Nothing special
    Gameplay: 9/10 Great combat mechanics, almost make you forget the endlessness of the grind
    Community/Publisher: 5/10 Gameforge needs to do a much better job satisfying the community, EnMasse (NA) is doing a far better job. If you play this, consider NA servers    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

77
#77 Best PC Game of 2012
25
#25 Most Discussed PC Game of 2012
12
#12 Most Shared PC Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 41 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 41
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 41
  3. Negative: 0 out of 41
  1. DarkZero
    Aug 23, 2012
    70
    Tera sure makes promise on the "true action combat" that it so advertises, but that change alone to the MMORPG formula isn't enough to flip the genre on its head, especially when you've forgotten about other aspects of it.
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  2. GameCritics
    Aug 22, 2012
    75
    That being said, Tera is in surprisingly good shape for a game so early in its life cycle. The journey to level cap is mostly entertaining, endgame content is available, and the core gameplay elements are solid.
    Read full review
  3. Gamers' Temple
    Aug 13, 2012
    68
    Action-oriented combat and interesting graphics aren't enough to overcome what is overall a rather bland experience.
    Read full review
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