My 7 Days of Tera

En Masse Entertainment has finally released a 7 day demo for their new MMO. Tera has intrigued me since I first heard about it because it boasted an action oriented combat system, supposedly unlike anything seen in an MMO. My seven day trial is over, and I have a decision to make.

The first thing I will say after my short time with this game is that the combat is addicting. Tera plays more like a 3rd person action/adventure game than an MMORPG, and this makes for an experience that never gets dull. After reading a bit about the classes, the Lancer stuck out to me, because it sounded so similar to the Lancer I played in Monster Hunter. I played with the lancer a bit, but decided that to get the most out of this game, a faster paced class was necessary. The Warrior in Tera wields two swords, and has a style geared toward dodging and quick combos. I am told that the learning curve is steep, but was up for the challenge, so Warrior it was. 

My Aman Warrior is a happy dude.

Aman are one of the greatest races I have ever had the option to select in an MMO. I had this idea in my head when I booted the game up, that I would create a white guy with long blonde hair, typical prince'y look. But when I saw the Aman, I knew there was no other choice for a warrior. The attack animations were powerful, and I continued to feel satisfied each time I drew my blades to smash my next unsuspecting victim. I was impressed with the detail put into the armor, even at the low levels. The set i'm wearing in the picture was the one I earned from the quests in the starter area. As a player who cares just as much about the look of my armor, as I do the stats, This is a huge plus for Tera.

The crafting district had a certain charm.

While Tera's big feature is its combat, that's not even what impressed me the most. The environments created in this game are the best I think I have ever seen. While my aging computer cant quite handle this game on max settings, my first flight out of the starter area took my breath away. I looked on as I approached the capital city of Velika, and was in awe of the detail. While the approach was amazing, walking the streets didn't disappoint either. I felt like a tourist as I admired the detail put into the architecture of the buildings around me, something I have never experienced in a game before. The designers put a tremendous amount of care into the environment of Tera, and while im not a snob for graphics, it really adds to the experience. 

Garthalok takes a break.

I have only scratched the surface of what Tera has to offer to be sure. But after wasting money on so many other MMO's that I tire of quickly, i'm hesitant to buy the game just yet. The fact of the matter is, what makes an MMO last is the people you play with, and solo play can get boring quickly. Tera has impressed me a great deal in the past week, but the fact that I wont be going into it with anyone makes me worry that it may get stale. A decision will have to be made, but i'm in no hurry, Tera isn't going anywhere, any time soon. 

What is that?! a BAM?

I may have to play, just to find out what that thing is.