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Editors note: our Terafans FAQ is a topic in ever flux. We'll try to add and update it as best as we can (adding both new footage and improving the quality as well). Any suggestions are of course very welcome. If you feel anything is missing or have a suggestion please PM me as much as possible for big chunks of text so we can keep the topic relatively 'clean'.
Thanks in advance, Ayz
Index
- General information
- Races
- Classes
- Character Customization
- Combat
- User Interface
- Game mechanics and facts
- PvE and Quests
- Player versus Player
- Social, Political System
- Gear, Crafting and Commerce
- Transportation
General information
What does TERA stand for?
TERA is an acronym for the Exiled Realm of Arborea (EME dropped this and simple refers to the game as TERA).
What kind of game is TERA?
TERA is an MMORPG with free targeting action combat, an epic story and an intricate Political system.
What is the story behind TERA?
TERA takes place, like the name indicates, in Arborea. It is made up of two continents that are in fact the backs of two titans, Shara and Arun, who dreamed the world into existence. The dream world that is Arborea is threatened by a mysterious legion: the Argon. These monstrous beasts are set on annihilating the world and shattering the dream. Would they succeed the inhabitants of Arborea and the world itself will be lost forever.
Who is developing TERA?
Bluehole Studios (BHS for short) in Korea is the company behind TERA. Their aim is to develop a triple A game tailored for both the eastern and western community. In addition the NA publisher Enmasse Entertainment (EME for short) is responsible for developing a big part of TERA's storyline and providing BHS with feedback from the western audience.
What influence will Enmasse Entertainment have in the development of TERA?
Quite a lot actually, they have been co-developing the story of TERA and providing feedback from the NA/EU community since the early stages of TERA. Therefore TERA will hardly be an imported Korean MMORPG. Instead it'll be a triple A game that appeals to a global audience.
Who will publish TERA in Europe?
Frogster Publishing will take care of TERA in Europe.
Will NA/EU have the same story arch as in Korea?
No, although they follow the same global idea. NA/EU players will have a different experience as Korean players.
What engine is used to allow for these stunning visuals?
TERA makes use of the Unreal Engine 3 that allows for breathtaking graphics.
What are the system requirements?
There are no finalized system requirements yet, however we do know the system requirements from OBT. While these are subject to change we can regard these as highly accurate.
Minimum Requirements:
OS - Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU - Intel Pentium 4, 3.20 Ghz or AMD Athlon64 3200+
RAM - 2GB
GPU - Nvidia Geforce 7600GT or Radeon X1600XT
HDD - 25GB
DirectX - DirectX 9.0c
Recommended Requirements:
OS - Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo, 2.66 Ghz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+
RAM - 2GB
GPU - Nvidia Geforce 8800GT or Radeon HD 3870
HDD - 25GB
DirectX - DirectX 9.0c
Note: Developers said GPU cards around GTS 250/Radeon 4850 or higher will render the game with ease.
Will DirectX 11 be taken advantage of?
For now there are no plans for this.
What about playing TERA on a Mac?
Currently the only operating system Tera will run on seems to be Windows leaving Mac OS X users using Bootcamp. (Works like a breeze!)
When will the next CBT start?
Closed Beta will start around halfway into February.
What kind of payment model will be in place?
TERA will have subscription based model where you pay monthly in order to play.
What is TERA's release date?
TERA will be released on the first of May in NA and the third of May in Europe.
Races
How many races are there, what is their background and what does each of them look like?
There are 6 races in TERA: Humans, Castanics, Aman, Popori, Baraka and High Elves. Gameplay (showing off all Races)
Description:
Humans in TERA are your typical well.. Humans and are the youngest of the civilized races. This didn't stop them from creating the Valkyon Federation though.
Castanics feature demon like horns and an athletic body. This hedonistic bunch usually has a mind of their own.
Aman are a draconic like race. The Amani have been enslaved for millennia and have therefore become a 'hardened' people. They value honor and pride.
Popori & Elin are the two races that inhabit the animal kingdom of Poporia. The Elin, small stature females with animal features, are shaped after their goddess Elinu and act as the ruling body of the kingdom and mentors of the Popori, male animal like humanoids, who are vivid and curious animal spirits that make up the other part of the kingdom. In spite of their 'cute' appearance neither should be underestimated as they make for both powerful allies and fearsome foes.
Baraka are descendants of the Titans and have massive stone bodies with intricate runes and patterns on them. It should be noted that they are a male only race. Baraka are very peaceful and calm.
High Elves have the gift of beauty bestowed upon them. They are rather tall and lean figures and have pale skin. These aristocratic beings and their immense control of magic are sometimes viewed as vain by other races.
Besides their own look what sets one race apart from the other?
The races of TERA all have their own unique racial skills. In addition the base stats differ slightly between each race. While these aspects differentiate the races in combat, gear-sets set them apart as well. Gear aesthetics change depending on the race and sex (Aye, that makes a total of 11 different models for just one gear concept).
What links the races together?
The six races of TERA are united under the banner of the Valkyon Federation aiming to defeat a common enemy the Argon.
Does each race has its own unique starting zone?
No, the races of TERA start out at the Island of Dawn a mysterious isle that spawned, amidst the ocean, out of nowhere. The player is to investigate this zone in name of the Valkyon Federation.
From left to right: Castanics, Aman, High Elves, Humans, Baraka, Popori.
Classes
How many classes are there? And what does each of them entail?
There are 8 classes in total.
Warrior, Lancer, Slayer, Berserker, Sorcerer, Archer, Priest, Mystic.
Warrior: a fast paced melee class using dual swords. Deals quick damage and is very swift.
Lancer: the tanking class of TERA. The Lancer uses a massive lance and shield in order to protect party members and is therefore able to take a lot of damage.
Slayer: a heavy damage dealing class. Uses a two handed sword to dish out heavy blows. A slayer although powerful is in comparison to other classes a little slow.
Berserker: a two handed axe wielding destroyer. Excels at dishing out serious AOE melee damage. The Berserker seems uncoordinated on the surface but actually utilizes a set of cleverly thought out movements.
Sorcerer: the wielders of pure magic in Arborea. Rely on an arsenal of fire, ice and various other spells. These guys are able to deal a lot of damage, but have low defense. Therefore the Sorcerers favor to attack from a distance.
Archer: a natural master of bow and arrow. Excelling in attacking their enemies from afar. Archers are very swift and, in addition to their bow, use various powerful traps to defeat their enemies.
Priest: TERA's archetype healer. Priests use both AOE and single-target healing spells. Besides healing Priests are also able to dish out some nifty holy magic dmg in order to defeat their enemies.
Mystic: a healer/buffer/summoner hybrid class. The mystic can be both a buffing and off-healing ally. In addition to their powerful elemental magic Mystics are able to call upon the power of various spirits as well.
Will there be class restrictions?
Right now all six races can play each and every class.
Which class can wear what sort of armor?
Heavy: Lancer and Berserker
Light: Warrior, Slayer and Archer
Robe: Sorcerer, Priest and Mystic
Character Customization
How does character customization work? What options do we have?
TERA uses a preset system in combination with sliders (read: face only). There is a huge amount of presets which you can choose from including: Faces, skin color, hairstyle, hair color, tattoos/make up, accessories and voice.
The character customization guides you through 3 steps. First you'll need to choose a race and its sex. Secondly you pick one out of the eight classes. Having done these steps you can start customizing your character through the extensive presets system. Would you find yourself not satisfied with the look of your character you access the facial sliders to customize your character even further.
Does this mean there are no custom eye color options?
Yes, however different eye colors are linked to certain tattoo/make up options (not all race, sex combinations adhere to this unfortunately).
Are there even more features?
Yes, there are a few other features such as a gear preview tab where you can view your character in either plate, leather or cloth armor (of different quality/levels) and a template tab containing 19 templates you can draw inspiration from or use as a starting point. The template tab has a randomize button as well.
Official Trailer and Gameplay
Combat
How is combat handled?
TERA has a free targeting system in place. This means that players actually have to aim where they swing their sword or blast their magic spells. If the player fails to aim correctly the spell will actually miss. For once its about the player's skill. This allows for dynamic, intricate and most of al fun combat.
Is the recticle linked to your characters vantage point?
No, you can move your character and the camera separately. For example when fleeing from a bunch of monsters you can run northwards and aim southwards at your enemies.
How do you obtain skills?
Skill are bought at a trainer for a moderate fee.
Do skills having various purposes?
Yes, while some skills are aimed at solo play others shine in party play. There is also a distinction between PvE and PvP skills as well.
Will there be skills that are linked to one another?
Aye, TERA has a combo system implemented that can be accessed by hitting the spacebar whenever a combo skill is available (although this may not always be the best option). The goal here was to allow for 1. A clean UI and 2. Lessen possible confusion for players caused by having to many skills on your hand/bar.
Will there be a way to enhance your combat skills?
Yes, TERA has a glyph system in place that allows you to enhance certain skills thereby setting your character apart from others.
Are the mobs in TERA difficult to beat?
All of the monsters you fight in TERA have decent AI implemented. This makes them relatively hard to beat if you don't iterate on their actions.
Besides keyboard and mouse is there any other option to control combat?
Yes, you will be able to play TERA with a controller as well.
User Interface
How does the UI work?
Some core elements of the UI are your:
- health bar
- the radar
- the dialog box
- the action bar
- the experience bar
- a low opacity map (current zone).
As of the latest build shown at G Star 2010 the UI has a really sexy minimalistic look. In addition you can now move all of the UI elements and resize them as well.
TERA's UI has two different modes you can access which are the social- and combat mode. In social mode you'll have access to the menu bar from where you can navigate to the character window, system preferences, bags, world map, etc. In combat mode the menu bar will auto hide itself and you'll have almost all of the screen free to enjoy TERA's amazing graphics.
How are buffs and debuffs indicated?
When placing a buff or debuff on either a player or monster they will have a specific rune hovering above their heads for several seconds. In addition mobs or fellow players can attain a certain color or pattern (e.g. poisonous attacks color your foe green).
Will there be access to addons?
No, this is not a feature that is planned to be implemented. Luckily you won't have a whole lot of need for them in TERA.
Example of the UI (in social mode), buff hovering runes as well as the resting system.
Game mechanics and facts
How many character slots can one have?
Right now it seems to be 8 slots account wide. That is 1 slot for trying out each class. This is of course subject to change.
What is TERA's level cap?
The level cap will be set at lvl 60 (currently set at lvl 50)
How much of TERA is made of PvP or PvE respectively?
Right now the developers aim to have both PvP and PvE taking up 50% of the content.
Does TERA have separate PvP and PvE servers? What about RP servers?
Yes, NA/EU version will have separate PvP and PvE servers. It's not known if there will be dedicated RP servers at launch.
Is there a resting system in place?
Yes, TERA has a Condition System. You will have a 'Hearth Meter' that requires you to 'rest' (read wait) a little while at a special campfire. Campfires can be found in villages/settlements all over the world. In addition there are portable campfires that players can carry around. Players can throw charms in the campfire as well which will buff everyone in the party/nearby.
When fighting without resting for too long your Hearth Meter will drop bellow 100% and your hp/mana will suffer a debuff. However if the player rests long enough your Hearth Meter will increase beyond a 100% (to a maximum of 120%) and you will find yourself getting your hp/mana buffed.
How does the death system work?
Upon death your screen will turn gray and a window will open asking you if you want to teleport to the nearest town. you can either wait to be resurrected by a healer or use the teleport button. Upon death your Hearth Meter drops below 100% (your character will be near to useless if you don't let it recover). In addition there is a chance of breaking your enchantment crystals, you socket in either your chest or weapon, when you die.
How does looting work?
There isn't a whole lot known about looting (in regard to party play). However loot pops out of the mobs you kill. You can than pick it up by pressing the 'F' button on your keyboard.
Will there be an achievement system?
Yes, besides collecting credit for your well.. achievements some also add a certain skill or ability to your character as well. Fun fact: the achievement system is a result of western feedback.
Can you swim in TERA?
Yes, although it seems you can't dive.
PvE and Quests
What PvE content will be available?
There is an epic story arch players can discover, a big variety in quests (indicated by an '!' mark) and challenging 5-man dungeons. Gameplay
What role do quests play?
Besides helping the player level quests are an important way to express Tera's story to the player. Quest in Tera will contain lots of high quality cinematic footage dragging you even more into the rich story you'll experience.
Will there be raids requiring a large amount of players?
No, BHS is looking at balancing out challenging 5-man content. They found larger groups ending up with too much hack and slash combat and no strategic element left to keep the fight interesting.
How big is the world of Arborea and is it persistent?
Arborea is made up of two massive continents: Arun and Shara. These are divided into several provinces which in turn are divided into several subzones. Arborea houses a wide variety of environments and you'll have a hard time getting bored. The world of TERA is a persistent world, so no loading screens (perhaps between continents and teleporting).
Are the zones linear?
Wether a zone is linear depends on the said zone. There are big open field zones as well as rather linear zones. Luckily the space you can wonder of in a linear zone is pretty seizable.
Are there sanctuary hubs?
Yes, Arborea houses a total of 3 capitals and 2 towns in addition to numerous other small villages. These are respectively: Velika, Allemantheia, Kaiator, Castanica and Pora Elinu.
Player versus Player
What kind of PvP content will be available?
Not much is known about it. We do know the following:
- Duels, which take place between two consenting players anytime, anywhere
- Deathmatches, free-for-all, or group matches for glory and honor
- Battlegrounds, large-scale group matches where commanding officers direct and influence the battle (5v5 and 10v10 for now)
- Player killing on full PVP servers
Social, Political System
Will there be unique emotes for each race?
Yes, character emotes have been implemented (e.g. each race and sex has a unique /dance emote). To which extend the emote system goes is unknown. (several Castanic emotes starting at 00:45)
Will there be housing? If so what is known about it?
Housing has definitely been confirmed and is in the 'making'. Most doors you see in either Velika, Allemantheia or Kaiador will grant access to housing. Unfortunately that is all we know about housing for now.
Is there a guild system in place? If so what is known about it?
Yes, players will be able to ally with each other and form a guild. In fact its an important part of the game as guilds will either ally themselves with each other of wage war against one another. Several things known about the guild system:
- Standard activities like chat, join/quit commands, titles, etc.
- The ability to run for the highest political offices
- Titles that Guildmasters can bestow on members
- Guild housing, available in the three main capital cities (Velika, Allemantheia and Kaiator)
- Guild housing, tiered based on the size, clout and wealth of the guild
- The ability for members to return directly to a guild house from anywhere
- Maximum size of 300 members
- Option for a custom guild emblem (guide by Vann)
What is the Political System?
Not much is known about it. We do know the following:
- Provinces have leaders called Vanarchs
- Vanarchs can run for the office of Exarch
- Political power includes adjusting tax rates, instituting in-game rules, and more
- Politicians receive special privileges and equipment such as mounts
- Elections (where players will vote)
- Events related to the system
Gear, Crafting and Commerce
What types of gear are there ingame?
Currently gear is divided into three categories: robes, light armor and heavy armor. In addition there is a distinction between common (white), uncommon (green), rare (blue) and legendary (orange). Items will also feature different ranks (the higher the rank the better your item will be).
How many gear slots will there be available?
Currently there are 8 gear slots (weapon + chest, boots, gloves, two rings and two trinkets). Both your chest and weapon will have 4 enhancement crystal slots (thats 8 total). EME plans to add two extra gear slots (resulting in a possible total of 10 slots).
Are there ways to enhance ones gear?
Yes, there are Enhancement Crystals players will be able to put in their chest and weapon slots. These crystals can break upon death though.
In addition to this system there is a dyeing system and the ability to change gear models. The last system is referred to as Fusion Enchantment. You combine 2 pieces of gear an enchantment reagent and forge them together into a new improved item.
Is there a crafting system in place? What about gathering for that matter?
Yes, both of these features are implemented, though little is known about them. Confirmed professions are: alchemy, blacksmithing, tailoring and leather working. We know that crafting will be a 'one-step process' as well. EME also stated that crafted items are on par with similar lvl items found in dungeons. Gameplay Crafting and Gathering
How is item distribution handled?
Right now there are several options to distribute your items. You can either trade items, use your homunculus (a personal shop pet) to sell them for you or use the Auction House. The Auction House will feature a bidding system in case you regard the initial price to high.
How is the currency system set up?
Right now there is only 'gold' with the upcoming patch planned in Korea gold will be divided into gold, silver and copper.
Transportation
What methods of transportation are available in TERA?
Currently players can either walk, use a mount, teleport between cities, teleport using scrolls or use the pegasus express. The Pegasus horses are replaced by dragons in harsher environments like northern Shara.
What about mounts?
All the races currently have access to the Valkyon Warhorse (a steel armored, brown furred steed). Mounts are an instant summon right now. You can acquire your first mount at lvl 20 (210k gold) and a higher rank (presumably faster and more elaborate looking) at lvl 40 (2100k gold). Right now TERA sports a variety of horse and big cat mounts.
Great source of info .
