“Tera” is a game I have often stared at from a distance when it first came out and wondered “How fun would it be to play a game with combat entirely based on action?” I played “World of Warcraft” for so long, it was hard to imagine a game where I could actually move, attack and actively defend myself against enemy attacks in order to block, or at least mitigate, damage. A game where I could do combos with my attacks to do more damage-though this isn’t necessarily a new feature to massively multiplayer online games; see “EverQuest II.” All of this changed last month when “Tera” went free-to-play and I was able to jump in after purchasing the game itself a few weeks before.
The difference wasn’t remarkable by any means, but I believe the transition was probably one of the smoothest in terms of the sheer quality of handling both old and new players. New players have access to absolutely everything the game already offers, with nearly no restrictions, aside from the small annoyance of having only two character slots. You’ll never have to buy more character slots because if you decide you don’t like a certain character class, you can easily delete it and start a new one. However the option to buy more character slots, up to eight, is available to you. Those who are founders such as myself have no limit on character slots and have a few special perks, but none that put us at a clear advantage. In the end, what you get is the same game as before, but with a few perks if you become a Founder or Elite. The cash shop is there but it offers little aside from extremely cosmetic items and a few typical things, such as experience boosts, which are increasingly common in F2P games, as well.
Mostly, the game is worth getting into now if you wish to experience the more free-flowing type of combat that requires constant interaction and awareness of your surroundings. It is incredibly satisfying to defeat a giant monster after waging a hard-fought battle, dodging and blocking massive attacks and putting all your weight into crushing it. This type of combat is becoming frequently used in other new MMOs being developed as well, such as “WildStar.” So, it’s a good way to preview this type of combat for minimal price. The game hasn’t been expanded much since its U.S. release last May, but the endgame is still extremely deep thanks to the political system in place for players who are interested in that type of thing (think “EVE Online”). However, you may encounter slow points thanks to a below-average questing experience.
