Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
TERA is Quite Different: Here are the Observations
Howitzer-DDH
Member Posts: 15
Since some think TERA is either a) Asian ginder or b) WOW clone that does nothing different except combat, I'll break it down for those that haven't had the time to read between the lines:
1) Different method of gear progression and item slots that always keeps your avatar looking amazing. This is done with a simple 3-piece armor system of boots, gloves, and chest (you also get slots for 2 earrings, 1 neck, 1 inner clothing item, 2 rings, and 8 crystal slots which break up into 4 for weapon and 4 for armor). The Chest piece of any armor set basically changes everything about the look of your character cept gloves/boots so you're never left looking like a mismatched clown like you'll see in other MMOs. Also, the amount of variety in gear is beyond ridiculous with the ability to remodel gear that you like or dye it.
One armor set has a unique look for every sex as well as race so you're not left feeling like a clone of someone else. I've come across over 70 unique chest pieces per armor types so far that I've counted on the KTera AH to give you an idea of how much variety there is and that doesn't include the legendaries and pvp stuff that is also unique and not listed on the AH.
2) Very specific classes and roles with very unique abilities. Just visit teracodex.com for details. Also, there is no 'talent' tree or the same old boring crap you'll see in every other wow-like MMO out there. This game did it different in many ways and did it better with crystals and glyphs.
3) Different way of introducing healers and hybrids than what you'll see in other MMOs. Look at Mystics, Priests (target healing/lock-ons), Lancers (active blocking), Warriors/Slayers (dodging). Here is a quick example: If you're in a PVE raid (yes, latest patch in Korea has them) or in a 5 man group and you stand behind your tank while he is blocking, you are safe. If, however, you get in between the tank and the mob that the tank has agro on, you will get your face plowed even with non AOE attacks.
This is different than other games when a mob had a lock-on it was basically a /stick command in games of old. It doesn't matter what the tank did in those games because the boss or mob would insta-turn like he had velcro stuck to you and him. Not so in TERA as movement and situational awareness are paramount. This adds a lot not only to fun factor for tanks and DPS, but for healers that no longer need to play *let's watch the UI* for the whole fight, but actually pay attn. to the game! You honestly have to just play in a good group environment starting at level 20 (Bastion dungeon) to understand this. I won't even get into PVP dynamics.
4) Very different crafting, extracting, gathering methods (gives bonuses and campfire buff tokens), with no limits on what you can craft. They did think outside the box on crafting and it is fun iff you love to craft (you can be an armorsmith, a weaponsmith, an alchemist and you get gathering skills by default at level 1 for everything). Because of how important enchanting is from mid to late levels the crafting system will always be lucrative because of sacrificial items to enchant gear. You will always be able to make big money if you're a great crafter with the ability to even make legendary gear.
5) 5 man dungeon art design and gameplay is awesome from the 4 I've seen (there are over 15 unique fiveman dungeons at launch with amazing gear INCLUDING legendary weapons and armor for all classes starting at level 20!!!). Boss fights feel epic, fun, and different, positioning matters even on trash pulls as I noted above, and looting gear drops is super-easy with autoloots to specific classes without any drama (and no ninja looting)! Since all gear except armor is quite specific to class roles it makes it easy.
6) Travel is very well done in comparison to other games. Seamless zones when you travel on foot adds immensely to immersion and when you fly there is no loading screen either. The only time you get one is if you use a scroll for a fast recall. Between flight paths and teleports within adjacent zones it is easy to get around considering how big the world is.
7) Identifying items and random bonuses on drops makes for interesting combinations of gear. You'll be using this a lot when attempting to enchant your best legendary items in the higher levels. I'll break it down like this: If you get an item that is unidentified that means it can be enchanted. Only items that have a '?' can be enchanted FYI. These enchantable items, once identified, will have greyed-out bonuses labeled as +3, +6, and +9 respectively. This means that at +3 enchants your char will have access to the item's 1st bonus, and so on. There is an art to enchanting as well.
For instance, if you want to get +3up on an item, you usually start with white items of 'like' type and tier. You need items of similar type and tier because as you enchant something it requires a sacrificial item to be consumed in the process. You will also need enchanting dust. This dust comes in three types: white, blue, and gold dust. The dust variance is that higher level dust like gold has a higher chance of success. You will basically ignore enchanting until like level 26 I'd say. Then from 26 to 40, just do white dust enchants and don't bother going higher than +3 on items (otherwise it's too expensive).
Above 45 you can start doing +6 because you might be using items longer as it naturally takes longer for you to level / gear up, right? Well, depending on your income, you can alway start using blue dust when you get to about +5 to increase your odds of enchanting success. You will use white items from 1-3 enchant, then green items from say 4-5, and then rare items from 6 and up. Eventually you will need legendary items to go to 9 and above!
I won't bore you with more details as there are many great guides out there on the subject of TERA enchanting, but needless to say that enchnating in this game is hard and fun and rewarding. There is always a chance of failure, too, as you can lose 1 rank if you do something wrong like try to use cheap white dust and a crap item to enchant a +6. If you don't know what is right and when, you'll pay! I love that.
8) Very well-done auction house system where all items are delivered to you via that menu and not a mailbox you have to run to. No timers to wait to receive or list items after sale or purchases. It is all very nicely streamlined with all the features you would expect to see.
9) ENORMOUS amount of bank space. I haven't seen anything like this in any MMO. You literally have like 5-6 bank tabs that holds probably 150 slots each tab? It's ridiculous how much you can store and it is all free right from level 1.
10) Crystal system.. This is just fun, period. Having the ability to modify your abilities with the uses of crystals is like enchanting your gear without permanently tying it to the gear allowing you to flip crystals depending what you're doing. These crystals also have a chance to break on death adding some risk to it which is great. You can find rare and better crystals off BAMs, dungeons, and other areas I haven't discovered yet. Some crystals give you a 2x crit modifier when hitting something from behind, some give you +x damage when attacking a target that has been knocked down, some give +MP regen or +HP regen or +DEF on a boss. Many different variations.
11) Glyph system (learn at 20) - these glyphs are slotted to your skills. They cost about 5k to 10k gold each and each glyphed ability will take up a certain amount of points. You gain 1 point per level after level 20 and at 20 the game gives you 10 points to distribute for the first few glyphs you've bought so remember if you bought like 15 glyphs for all your skills at 20 that's great, but you'll only be able to use the advantages of 2 or 3 until you level up more. These modify abilities based on your playstyle and change them to either be faster, follow up another attack with higher damage, decrease cooldowns, etc. It adds a lot of depth to an already fun combat system.
12) Leveling is fast, but not too fast. Once you get to the mid 30's it slows down but really not ever so bad that you feel you're getting nowhere like I remember in L2 or AION. This is not the quintessential asian MMO grindfest or I sure as heck would stay clear of it.
13) The game engine and the detail. Just wow. no words here except it is phenomenal and even on max with forced nvidia control panel 16xQ CSAA it runs at a smooth 50 to 60 fps. This tweaked unreal 3 engine is just the best I've seen in any MMO to date. You can PVP with 40 PEOPLE ON THE SCREEN WITH NO LAG. It is a sight to behold and world pvp will be quite amazing!
14) Cross server PVP BG and LFG dungeon tool at release. I don't need to say more about this. Needless to say on KTera it is widely used and one BIG thing is once the dungeon finished it zones you outside of the dungeon itself which means you're not just sitting around in a city. I love this part of it. It keeps you in the world, not just static in one spot unless you like to just sit outside of a dungeon?
15) BAMS - means Big Ass Monsters. These are meant for small groups or, if you're good, you can solo them! They are like mini raid bosses all over the world and reward with nice gold and crystal drops, potions, and a huge amount of XP if you're -3 / +3 levels of them. This is something I just love about this game. Enormous bosses that challenge you as a player and you find them in every zone. You can always choose a diff way to level by going BAM hunting if you want to get around questing for a while.
16) Zone level variation - Because the world is so big, you can literally level to 40 and have skipped 4 or 5 zones because you've been doing other things like BAM hunting, dungeons, crafting, or just going a different path. This adds tons of replay when you're making alts. You're not just always going to go from point A to B to C like you'll see in stale MMOs like SWTOR.
17) Guild vs. Guild warfare and PVP betting - yes, finally a game where you can officially declare war on another guild. This means all of them will be red to you, but other players won't be. It reminds me of UO when warring guilds were orange. Good times. Also, you can place wagers for items or large amounts of gold for 5 v 5 or 10 v 10 deathmatch duels. This will add a ton of fun with consequences for those that put their money where their mouth is.
18) Guild rank and praise system - You'll notice this later in the game UI, but when you praise a guild you get 1 point for that guild. It can be your guild or someone else's guild. This is one of the factors in how the game's political system plays out. PVE or PVP guilds can control continents in the game and levy taxes or rulesets for certain zones. I don't know enough about this yet but it adds for a dynamic and fun element I haven't seen since Shadowbane.
I could go on, but honestly I'm just surprised at how short-sighted some people who simply play CB1 or CB2 are and think they know the game. There is a lot to TERA. A lot more than what you guys will see initially and again I've been playing it to the 40's so far and it is just fantastic in every sense.
Comments
I'd like to add attention to detail to the list, almost every zone has the grass or trees swaying, they are not static and all the zones look incredibly amazing and as you level you experience the versatility.
Not to mention you have weather as well, youve got zones where its raining and zones where it is snowing and in the desert youve got dust blowing, in spooky areas you've got fog moving about or mist, etc, its the little details that make the biggest difference.
In the high fantasy zones you've got little particles that float about the air and lots of animal noises. When you fly through a tree leaves scatter about, when you run in the desert dust comes up from your feet, etc,etc.
I'd also like to point out you have only one bag slot, not 5 bags you need to mingle through and you have an auto-bag sorting setting you can toggle on.
The UI is fully customizable you don't even need to go to the settings, just move the things around the screen as you please, for further customization you have to go into the menu though.
Edit: The deathmatch system, on PvE or PvP servers you can form group duels with any players, from 1v1-10v10 and you can place bets on the outcome.
Edit2: TERA, despite being developed in the east, is not a typical grinder like Aion, by level 22 I found I had so many quests left over I couldn't even accept anymore without getting rid of some quests. This allows you to pick and choose which quests you feel like doing in each zone(apart from the few story ones), rather than just having to do them all and then running out eventually like you did in Aion.
Edit3: There is no global cooldown in TERA so rather than watching your skill bars or spam tapping your keys you watch your character because the time he/she takes to get into position for the next attack is the cooldown. Some moves when used in a combo will trigger much quicker and have different animations, these combos are somewhat customizable.
Very good information and much of it I was unaware of. Thank you for the post.
is it true that theres skill/stat which increases animation speed and therefore action speed ? if its so then its combat system sounds even more Chuck Norris.
Let's internet
Great read. Thanks. Especially the immersive, seamless world and crystals breaking on death bits peaked my curiosity.
My brand new bloggity blog.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqgyFDOIjrA
This is an attack speed video I found from googling.
She starts off at about 1 attack a second, then half way through the vid changes and uses a higher attack speed, 24% I believe its stated... its visably faster.
http://www.terafans.com/topic/7483-attack-speed-in-eqs/
A thread about attack speed.
Thank you Howitzer for giving me things to look forward to and that list, for all I've seen in TERA, is on the money. I hope others take a look and see for themselves, as much as NA/EU beta allows.
This feature of the game is great and there are about 10 elements of the UI you can scale seperate from each other, along with moving them, via one of the graphics settings.
I also singled this quote out because if someone who just logged into TERA wants to see the quality it has, hit alt and spend a few minutes playing with the option menus. I was surprised at just how many there were and wondering how many different things I was going to have to keep track of in this game.
btw, deathmatches and the UI it has... should be in every single MMO from now until eternity regardless of PvP or PvE server.
Just not worth my time anymore.
Cools ,thanks,just found something too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8kz-qEr_Hw ,so its true and im shocked.
Let's internet
Awesome list, some of the stuff I didnt know and its really good to read.
The ones who say its a WoW clone saying all games released after WoW are WoW clones, ive seen people on forum and ingame Darkfall people saying they copyed things from WoW lol.
Tera is alot more different as game and way better realistic graphics then ancient awefull looking cartoony graphics that WoW have.
Tera looks very promising indeed. Hope frogster don't screw it up.
Hope to build full AMD system RYZEN/VEGA/AM4!!!
MB:Asus V De Luxe z77
CPU:Intell Icore7 3770k
GPU: AMD Fury X(waiting for BIG VEGA 10 or 11 HBM2?(bit unclear now))
MEMORY:Corsair PLAT.DDR3 1866MHZ 16GB
PSU:Corsair AX1200i
OS:Windows 10 64bit
You've always got En Masse to turn to should frogster screw things up, see the awesome GM thread just to see why En Masse is great.
Yeah, TERAs graphics sure are realistic.....
I dunno how you can say that WoW graphics are awful I love WoW graphics they are faithful to the series I think, short from the dark look of the cinematics ( *finger crossed* one day... ) its the only other art style that would fit, look up uncanny valley.
Dont get me wrong I love TERA graphics which also are not realistic ( look up uncanny valley from above suggestion ), but WoW is very good in my books graphics wise as well.
WoW was decent some years ago when I was using a 17" monitor. Since then I've upgraded gradually to a 26" monitor today. The game does not scale at all and all the low poligon armors and vistas look archaic in that size and resolution.
Well maybe he's moreso implying WoWs graphics are not top of the line in detail and quality, but sure they do have their own style that appeals to people. I also like WoWs style, but TERAs literally are top of the line in detail.
I depends what resolution you use and even tho I think it does fit quite well, its a stylized approached, its not realistic, the animations look spot on, even on a 12 polygon squirrel pet its so life like. I have a 37" screen and I still enjoy the style, I am not looking for smooth edges, I really dont know how to explain it, to me its the style that defines the IP, its like being in the WC3 world ( which it is obviously ).
Increase in animation speed is part of character progression, so yes it does.
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
Your sarcasm aside, compared to other MMOs i'd say they are as realistic as it gets.
I think we can keep shouting until we are Blue in the face. But some people will never understand that TERA is a good game...
When I took the flight from the capital city to the lumber town I flew though some kind of portal which triggered a loading screen.
Appart from that, great read.
It depends how far you need to go, I went between two cities within the lumber town area and that didnt go through the portal I guess the logic behind it is, if its gonna be ass long just use the portal otherwise go manual that is my guess.
Hate the way gamers act like if you like your current mmo you are playing you must hate WOW lol I Love Tera and I am sure I will love the New expansion and play wow again in the Future. You dont have to Hate just enjoy whatever you want.
story of my past 2 weeks lol
You go through that portal even form lumber town to main city its just way shorter. Its basically to speed up the rid or else it takes way too long for your horse to fly there. But its not a loading screen, because if you cang et the camra angle right you can see out side the portal sometime, happen once when i was going from island of dawn to main city. Its like a hyper drive for pegasus XD
Yeah I have seen this also playing Ktera, It's kinda tricky to get the camera angle right while in the teleport portal but you can see tree's zipping by when you do.
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
The reason I say this is because if you're on the starter island and look to the edge of your vision you'll see crashed ships. After leaving the island for the mainland I travelled outside the city and found a high place. Lo and behold there were the same crashed ships in the distance towards the starter island area.
CBT1 ended before I could verify but I always wondered if they were the same and reachable.
Just not worth my time anymore.
The first time i left starter island during CBT 1 i was constantly messing with the camra and i mange to get it so i saw ouside of the tunnel and saw blur tree for a bit before i move it out of position again.