Glimpse into TERA Online

Hey guys, LMS here. I FINALLY got into the Closed Beta Testing of TERA Online this past weekend. I was very happy to have the opportunity to play the game as I was really looking forward to the combat system the most. I only got to play for a few hours due to a tight work schedule this weekend, but my overall opinion is very positive of this game so far.



Character Customization
This is really great. All of the races can play any classes (which I appreciate) and there are a wide variety of aesthetic customization options to choose from. You can also choose your character's voice, which was cool. In terms of customization UI features, it was very similar to Perfect World-- you can customize various features such as nose shape, eye size, etc., to give your character a unique feel. I wish that you could customize your character's skin and hair color instead of using the preset options, but there were enough choices that I didn't mind it as much.

Here's a video that highlights the character customization system.

For the record, I rolled a High Elf Priest to play around during this CBT. I'll roll a Mystic as well, to get a feel for that class as well.

Combat, Movement, etc. 
This was really interesting. They didn't really give an explanation right away-- the game showed you a keymap guide REALLY quickly before your character started out, so I was a bit lost as to how to do things. The game automatically key-binds a handful of skills for you, including a basic attack on your left mouse click and (for Priests) a healing spell on your right. You look and turn around by moving your mouse around the screen and actually move by the ASWD keys. Any actions you want to do, including gathering items and talking to NPCs, are, oddly enough, done with the F key, for some reason. (I'm still learning not to click to talk to NPCs...)

The combat system is what the TERA videos and promos have really emphasized. It's what they call a "True Action Combat" system, meaning you'll have to aim to land attacks and move to dodge and evade attacks. When you hover over a monster, your cursor changes from a cross-hair to a... circle-like thing. And it'll change if you're in range for attacking. I wish there was more emphasis on the "in range for attack" part, because I can't tell you how many times I'd try to blast an enemy only to realize that I was too far from it for my attack to land.

The rest of the combat system was pretty straight forward; keep your enemies at bay,  move when they're about to strike (any specialty attacks are usually signaled before they are launched), etc.. It wasn't difficult but it was a nice change of pace from the typical button-mashing and standing-in-front-of-enemy's-attacks style that MMOs are known for.

Check out this video for an idea of the combat system:

I was surprised the game didn't have a talent-point system, akin to WoW (and many other games have adopted). I'd like for my character to be unique among other Priests, y'know? But it might have been there and I hadn't seen it, so I could be wrong. But I didn't see it when I played it. (If you know it's there, feel free to comment and let me know.)

Graphics
The graphics in the game are very pretty. They're detailed and lush without being too complex or too simple. My biggest problem was that they loaded PAINFULLY slowly. I was virtually on top of monsters before they'd show up on my screen. I also don't appreciate the scantily-clad equipment options for female characters. I understand that the TERA developers were trying to cater to the demographics here in the West, but really? Not everyone appreciates the short skirts and tight shirts. I heard several people complaining about it while I was in CBT so I know it's not just me. I can understand it for some classes, but at least give the Priest class some modesty! I swear I could've seen my character's underwear most of the time. Even just the option of having different types of equipment/etc would be nice.

Priest Class So Far
Granted, I only got to roughly level 8, so I don't have a variety of skills. You start off with a basic attack, a self-heal, and a mana-restore skill (which is neat, in my opinion... Why can't more games give this option?). The attacks were awesome, but closer to a mage than a priest; they were focusing more on damage output than anything else. I LOVED the Fiery Escape skill-- it launches you backwards and blasts the enemy with fire, slowing their movement speed and giving you some time to get distance between you and the monster. Very handy. I hadn't come across any major reasons to heal myself and I haven't gotten any buffs yet; if you stay away from the enemy while fighting, you rarely take damage, so I didn't need to heal myself. (The only time was when my boyfriend told me to jump off a cliff to see if I would take fall damage and nearly died. That was... entertaining.)

I also believe I saw in the TERA videos one of the Priests wearing what appeared to be Chain armor. So I thought. But when I started out, my Priest was only allowed to wear Cloth armor. I might just be a little crazy and thought I saw chain, but I sure as hell hope I can wear chain armor-- because fuck yeah, that'd be awesome.

All in all, I'd definitely say try TERA when you can. I'm going to try and get into the CBT 5 session that's coming up in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know if it gets any better! This is LMS signin' out.