Wait and see.

Token1337Guy

I feel inclined to post something in this forum, because I'm feeling a little more than let down by TERA.  I'll admit, I didn't look too far into it before buying it.  One of my good friends insisted it was going to be great, though, so I trusted them and decided to make the jump.  What I found, at first, was absolutely awesome.

TERA isn't the first MMO-ish game to try the action combat thing, but it's definitely the flashiest.  Combat feels very fluid, and it's very refreshing to have the accuracy of attacks based on your own skill (lag permitting).  Each class has a distinct and unique flavor.  They even have an evasion tank based on actually avoiding attacks.

The graphics are... good.  They don't strike me as amazing, but they're definitely high quality.  Places just feel empty to me.  The main city, Velika, has rolling expanses of green hills that honestly look like placeholder terrain as I fly over them.  It's jarring.

I played to around level 40 before I decided I needed a long break from the game.  I rolled on a PvE server, which at the moment does not have Guild vs Guild combat, nor does it have any other form of PvP except duels and team duels (called deathmatches).  So what does that leave me to do? 

Quests.

I know, barely any MMORPGs ship these days feeling fully complete (something I really don't like, but hey).  This, though?  It's a never ending grind to the top, at which point you get a couple of harder instances.  They're going to be turning on a Rift-styled event and the politcal system soon, but...

It all just feels so soulless.  Like the game has loads of flash, but no passion in it.  I keep hearing people telling me to read the quests.  Well, I do, and even the main story quests are flimsy at best.

My impression?  Wait on this game.  Supposedly, battlegrounds will be in by the end of the summer.  I'm feeling very burnt by EME at the moment, but I'm willing to give them a chance.  I wouldn't recommend spending any money on it until EME have shown what type of company they are when it comes to supporting a game.

With a lot of tweaks, this game could be brilliant.  Or, it'll be F2P by this time next year.

Salendrak

Sounds to me like you don't have a good group (guild) of people to play with, which is a common symptom for people who aren't enjoying the game.  This is an MMORPG, and much of the enjoyment is meant to come from your interaction with other people.  TERA is not trying to be a single player game crammed into an MMORPG like *cough* SWTOR, and you shouldn't expect that.  If you prefer strong story-driven gameplay and hand-holding progression through the levels, this game probably isn't for you.  Perhaps Skyrim would be more up your alley?

Token1337Guy

I must not have come across right, because you've got me pinned entirely wrong.  If I wanted to play a single player RPG, I'd play a single player RPG.  I wouldn't fork over a monthly fee for that.  I'm very aware MMOs are special because of the people.

I do in fact have a guild.  Heck, I'm on the RP server.  I find it a little funny that you don't see TERA as hand-holding progression, though.  Are you sure you've played?  It's a very classic quest hub based game with one clearly defined way to hit the top.

That's my problem with it.

The combat is a blast, but the rest of the game hides behind it.  The world feels cramped, even though it's so big.  This is coming from someone who avoids flight paths, too.

My main point is that if someone reading this is on the fence about buying it, they should watch and wait.  I won't be renewing my subscription after the first month expires, but I'm going to be doing that too.  This could be a really, really good MMO.  It just needs care from developers who want to see it flourish.