I love playing support classes or playing the “underdog.” In lineage 2, I have played all three Summoner classes, all three main healer classes, all the buffer classes, and the two support damage dealer/buffer classes. What is it about these archetypes that draw people to them? In the case of Lineage 2’s Bladedancer, would it be the attack speed bonuses the player gets, or maybe the awesome skill animation? What about my favorite, the less flashy Elemental Summoner? When looking at a game that has 8 classes to choose from, how do we, the player base, decide on what to play from these slim pickings?
Lately, TERA Fans has had an influx of “What class should I play?” topics being made. Of course most of the topic makers have what they liked to play in the last MMO they played, and with those likes came with dislikes. Most of the time it is hard to say just one or two classes, but sometimes three or even four may show up. What really gave me the idea to write this column was the post Auraline made asking “Where is the Mystic at right now?” In this topic, Auraline is asking about how balance and grouping is for high level Mystics in K-TERA.
After taking a look around both TERA Fans, and the official TERA forums, I came across a few topics asking the same questions or providing answer(s). After reading an interview from a level 50 Korean TERA player, It is clear parties can choose either Mystic or Priest. The player gives good insight on the Mystic heals, both targeted and orb, and how most Mystics play within a party. When a party chooses a Mystic, it is definitely not for it’s looks, but rather its mana orb. The player also goes on staying that the group has to have the competence to pick up the hp orb, but generally groups seem to pick up the orbs like kids picking up candy from a broken piñata. In short, there is no reason to have both Priest and a Mystic in a group.
With balancing, it can be a slippery slope for anyone. Some may see a skill nerf a blessing from the TERA gods, where others see it as a personal attack against them and their kind. In one patch note thread on the official TERA forum, one member feared that at higher levels the Mystic will become less desired in PvP groups, but another member suggested that maybe support will be a better option instead of damage dealing.
Unlike other classes, the Mystic is hard to follow. Is it a summoner, a healer, a buffer, a debuffer? Make up your mind! Have no fear though, there are some people who get the Mystic, and get it right. Another fansite posted a guide that goes into great details on what the mystic is, does, and how to play one effectively. Although, going back to the post made by Auraline, and the question asked. With a class like the Mystic, it is hard to say how any one way is right to play. I most likely will play heavily on healing and summons, with a side of AOE damage. The Mystic isn’t one to just roll over and become a foreboding tank, straight damage dealer, full on heals, or a flamboyant nuker. The Mystic was dubbed the “Jack-of-all-trades” and it is up to the players see that self-proclaimed title come through for itself, and be less of a burden for those who wish to play it, but do not understand the class or are overwhelmed by what it seems it can do.
For the TERA Fans community, what kind of archetypes do you like to play? Do you think it is better for a game to have many classes, some of them being almost mirrored but just a little different, or have fewer classes to make it easier to pick from and possibly make it easier to pick a race?
She wasn't used to boats. The rocking, creaking, listing and heaving did little to quell the butterflies in her stomach, but at least she was faring better than some of her comrades. Haroton, the large Amani warrior who had been selected before everyone else by Warmark, was violently retching over the side of the boat, while Ameera, the Elvish Priest, looked on and tried to comfort him. Ameera surprised Cala; for a High Elf, she showed what appeared to be signs of compassion and empathy completely uncharacteristic for her race. She spoke with Cala at length while they prepared for this journey, talking of her family home near Allemantheia, and sharing some of her aspirations. Perhaps it was her devotion to the gods and to the Titans that kept her grounded, for as a priest and healer, she was required to maintain an affinity with everyone around her to advance in her order.
They had departed from the small port just West of Lumbertown that morning, the air still thick with morning fog. When the sun burned the mists away near noon, the features of Arun were already beginning to lose definition. Cala could already see the shimmering purple tree on the horizon without the aid of her spyglass, which Sergeant Ellismin had graciously allowed the 2nd Expeditionary Force keep for the voyage. Cala guessed they would arrive at the Island of Dawn sometime in the early evening, and her sense of excitement was palpable. A new land mass... such a thing had not been seen for centuries to her knowledge. Which Titan was responsible for it, she pondered casually as she watched the waves breaking over the prow of the small corvette.
Cala spent the better part of the afternoon tending to her bow. She oiled and polished the unblemished yew, applied a light coating of wax to the string, and ensured the copper bands encircling the wood every few inches were tight and sparkling. This bow was nothing like the one she had played with as a child. Back then, she had used a much smaller and lighter bow, made from the more tropical woods of Wildwave Bay and Mistmoar Island. She also used physical arrows back then; narrow shafts of reed tipped with sharp and spiralled Kinte shells. Those arrows were fine for penetrating rotting stumps or mounds of wet sand piled high by Castanic children with buckets and shovels, but were no match for any real dangers which she might encounter as a member of the Valkion Federation's military. The arrows Cala shot now were manifestations of her own energy, the product of years of training and intense concentration. The bow itself served to amplify and give shape to the energy, and the release of the drawn bowstring propelled the energy from her mind to her target. Archery was almost more of a mental art than a marshal.
“Hey gorgeous!” came a high-pitched declaration from near her elbow. She was sitting up on a barrel, cross-legged and facing the bow of the boat. “Actually think you'll need to use that thing over there? Ooooh, mysterious disappearing expeditions... Oooooh, unknown dangers... hehehe!” came the snickering laughter from somewhere below her.
She glanced down with a grin to the ferret-faced Popori beside her. This was the first time he'd spoken to her, but in typical Popori fashion, it was as if they had known one another for years. “Who knows! Better to be safe than dead, isn't that the old adage?” she replied with a smile.
“Oh, hehehe, I wouldn't worry about it too much. No tree has ever done me harm! Hehehe.” as he said this, he stared out to sea off the bow of the boat. Cala followed his gaze, noticing that the sun had begun it's plummet back into the sea. In the distance, the purple tree stood towering above the water, it's trunk a gray column, twisting and rotating in segments, some sections barely holding together, others as thick as a mountain. Below the tree, spires of ancient buildings could just been seen, and what appeared to be statues of some kind of winged beings filled the waters near the island cliffs , some leaning drunkenly, others missing arms and heads. “I'm Raskel, by the way, nice to meet you, sexy lady!” the Popori said with grin so big his beady eyes were nearly forced shut.
“Cala Taar, nice to meet you too, sorcerer.” she said, looking back down at the animal spirit. His robe looked as if it concealed several sacks of grain, but most Popori's are as portly as they are jolly. The badge on his gray robe was a wheel or disk, almost matching the one slightly too big for his satchel, its points sticking out at awkward angles. “Hopefully all we'll find there are trees and a happy Expeditionary Force who decided to take some extended leave.”
Raskel's grin dropped suddenly from his whiskered face, the black bandana of fur around his eyes suddenly looking serious and pensive. “Wow... you think we could get some extended leave too? Suppose we stay on that paradise and set up a hotel! You and I,” the smile began returning, widening with every word, “we could start it up, I can cook and you can get us customers with your charm!” he began clapping his furry paws together.
Cala couldn't help but laugh, the first time in days. “I don't know Raskel, it might be hard to get customers with the military turning away all the ships heading to the place. Not to mention the VDB would be none too pleased to have to send a 3rd EF to come rescue us from our vacation!” she said, brushing a strand of pink hair behind her sharply pointed ear.
The plump Popori hiked up his puddling gray robe and turned around. “Well, I guess we'll be landing soon, I should go find Boring and bring him topside! See ya, Cala.”
'Boring', as Raskel had playfully dubbed him, was the 2nd Expeditionary Force's Slayer, a large blue Baraka who had spent nearly the entire trip with his nose glued to a thick and musty leather-bound treatise on the construction of Tulufan. His actual name was Borland, but 'Boring' was close enough for the Ferret.
Moments after Raskel had departed from her company, Cala picked up her oil-cloths and wax block and headed to the main area of the ship. She walked rather tentatively, lurching with each rise and fall of the vessel. Ameera was still tending to Haroton, though his scales had a slightly less green hue to them now. Sergeant Ellismin was above the pair, half way up the rigging, holding the mast with his legs while he held his spyglass. His wiry frame was masked in his billowy yellow muslin robe, tied around his waist by its indigo sash.
“Private Taar, would you assist me please by relaying the following to the Commander? 'The best approach will be to the south where the waters seem to churn the least. All other sides appear to have raised cliffs and waterfalls about a kilometre off shore. Advise reduction in speed as we near the shoreline, and extra eyes at the prow to watch for submerged dangers.'” said the Mystic, lowering his spyglass and addressing the Castanic Archer with a look that said “sooner is better than later”. She responded courteously, and headed off for the main cabin.
Timidly, she knocked on the heavy wooden door before her, aware of the faint voices within.
“Come in, come in.”
At a small map table near the corner of the small room stood Commander Warmark and Captain Kotcha, neither one had bothered to turn around to see who had entered. Kotcha, a young human who often dragged around an ugly, black-steel bardiche, had wolfish features and scraggly black hair which grew out of his face on his chin and cheeks. His eyes spoke of cruelty and were icy cold. His simple plate of unburnished steel and copper-plated iron gave him the appearance of a metallic tree, as he stood a good half-hand taller than the Commander.
“I was instructed by the Sergeant to relay the following.” she said, reciting the message Ellismin had just tasked her with. Before she had finished speaking, both men at the table had turned to face her, and had stopped their mumbling over the map. “Will that be all, sir?” she asked, her hand on the door again.
“South? Velik's navel, that will take another two hours of sailing... Fine, fine,” Warmark uttered, turning back to the map and gesturing for Cala to take her leave, “tell him he can inform the ship's Captain to scrap the initial approach in favour of a southerly route.” As she turned to leave, from the corner of her eye, she caught the Commander turning his head to gaze at her back-side as she left the cabin.
It was indeed close to another two hours before the boat slowed to a halt and weighed anchor a few hundred yards from the stony cliffs of the island. The land itself was covered in flowering trees, meadow grasses, and clumps of wild flowers. Gulls, turns, and gannets created a mad polyphony of sound all about the group, as they rowed to a gap in the cliffs where other boats sat moored in the calmer waters. Thick ladders of twisted rope and wood rose from the cliff face to the top, some dozen meters up. The Baraka and Amani were the first to ascend – mainly to ensure that the ladder would hold - followed by the Captain, Sergeant, Commander, the Popori (who struggled a great deal due to his rotund physical disposition), and lastly the pair of females. By the time Cala and Ameera had reached the precipice, the others, with the exception of Raskel, had already begun to make their way to the encampment.
Raskel lay on his back, his hands on his chest, lungs heaving for air. His robe had fallen open around his belly, which rose and fell like a beleaguered blacksmith's bellows. “The...command...er...said...to report...to camp...when...you...get up...here...” the labouring ferret said, with a little over-the-top thespian flare. He hopped up onto his long feet, and said “ we'd better get over there, or else the party will start without us! Wow, get a load of this place!”
Hope you are all enjoying the Archer column as much as I enjoy writing it! We got a little bit of archer-goodness this past week, so I felt it would be good to spread the joy.
Frogster released a couple of videos this past week featuring archer and Sorcerer gameplay. You can find the article and watch the clips here:
The very first thing I noticed is that the player in both videos is not using his/her full arsenal. Not once did I see a Backstep or (dodge in general) being used, with the player happily accepting head trauma. Is this deliberate or merely a lousy player?
I also heard a great deal of rumbling about how much damage was being done, and how the archer (creatively named ArcherF) made it look easy. There is an obvious reason for that. You'll notice the archer is level 28 if you watch the vid at 720HD and full screen. You'll also notice she's killing mobs in the Valley of Titans, as it indicates in the lower right-hand corner. We know from this map that the Valley of Titans is just south of the Oblivion Woods, and Cresentia, and is north of the Velika Plains. This isn't high level stuff, much lower than 28. The level difference plays a huge role in the damage done to these mobs, in my opinion. I think it's safe to say the archer won't be constantly two-shotting things!
Speaking of two-shotting, something else struck me as very interesting. Around the 0:40 mark of the video, the archer begins setting up traps. All the information that we currently have available (which has been cleared and is available in the TeraFans wiki) indicates that this level 28 archer should have access to two traps, which are:
Toxic Trap I 22 Places a lethal Poisonous Trap on the ground. Enemies that step on the trap will lose HP gradually for an amount of time.
Cobweb Trap I 24 Places a clever Spiderweb Trap on the ground. Enemies that step on the trap will have their movements speed temporarily lowered.
Now, I'm really curious to know what traps ArcherF was using in the video... She sets up two traps side-by-side, tags one of the mobs with an arrow and lures them onto the blue trap (the green one doesn't go off at all). The mob that has not been touched yet steps on it first, and instantly dies. We see a quick flash of 713 damage to each mob, and an extra 99 to the one in the front. I suppose then, we must believe the Cobweb trap does more than it says? It clearly dealt a good amount of damage, and is capable of one-shotting fresh mobs, (due to that extra 99 damage pop).
We've never seen a mob being one-shot before, (even though this is technically 2 hits) even when huge damage numbers happen the mob seems to cling to life by a thread in all the gameplay videos out of Korea. In fact, you can see an example of this very concept at around the 1:13 mark; the same mob that died from the 713 damage plus 99 from the trap is still walking around after taking 1887. The only reason I bring this up is because some people were crying fowl that archers have one-shot traps, but technically, that isn't the case. Either way, it's nice to see some traps in action, and they look like they should be quite useful for tougher pulls.
Finally, I just wanted to remind folks that this video is not using the latest version of the client. The updated version (which hasn't yet been seen in any clear gameplay videos) likely looks a good deal different than from what Frogster is demonstrating here. That includes interface elements, and quite probably the odd 'archer-charging-a-shot-facing-one-way-and-shooting-in another' glitch seen around the 2:10 mark. The arrow goes goes where your reticle is, but it still just looks odd.
I consider myself a dedicated healer. MMO after MMO, I'm drawn to the various support classes that keep behind enemy lines, buffing, debuffing, and quietly saving the day by keeping my group's health bars the satisfying color of life: green. While not partied, I make sure I gather and craft all kinds of gear that will help further my quest to turn everyone's health bar a beautiful shade of green. If I am to pass by a poorly clothed melee ally, struggling with a red health bar and too many monsters to handle, I quickly dart in to ensure their health bar fades to green.
So naturally, I want to turn all the health bars in Arborea green! And I will do it.
However, given the unique nature of TERA, us healers will have to go about getting the job done in a much different way than we've ever experienced. In a game with a non-targeting system, how will we keep our party's health bars as green as possible? Well, the answer, which I've been able to act out in three separate tests of the game, is a fun one.
TERA's priests are equipped with an arsenal of abilities unlike any other game's priest. Our two bread and butter heals, a HoT and a heal, require us to be standing very close to the player we're trying to heal. Both heals are AoE and take the form of a glowing circle in front of the priest. In order to be healed, players must be within that circle when the heal is cast. The radius of these healing circles varies from heal to heal, so we certainly will have a lot to consider when making a split second decision about which heal is appropriate for any given situation.
The nature of healing in TERA also mandates that we spend some amount of our time in melee range. Yes, clothed in robes and with only a staff to protect ourselves, priests in TERA will have to be running in and out of melee range in order to paint our groups green. But no worries; not too far along in your journey as a priest, you will acquire a group shield skill. How exciting! Or at least, I think it is!
As we reach higher levels, priests gain an actual targeted heal that must be aimed at an ally using the game's aiming reticle at a high MP cost. When we will absolutely need to use this skill, however, is only speculation for now as the North American tests so far have only allowed testers to reach a maximum level of 25. Given difficult, high level content with very angry monsters, there may definitely be times we will need to heal a specific party member as quickly as possible.
While some may consider priests to be too boring and traditional to enjoy, I can already see that TERA will break that mold. Priests will have to be incredibly active to be successful, paying attention not only to our beloved green bars, but also the monster's actions and our group's positioning. The unique situation healers will face in TERA will provide lots for me to gush about ;D
Good morning, TERA Fans! Official interviews are great for learning about TERA's core features, and a fanatic like me going on about how wonderful the game is leaves you wondering if there's a bias involved. However, if you want to know how the game really is who better to look to than two anonymous nerds?
Ripten.com did just that! After learning that two nerds had been playing at the TERA booth all day, Dave Oshry asked them for an interview about the game. Check it out here or at Ripten.com!
Quote
That’s right, six hours with hardly a bathroom break. While hanging out with the guys at En Masse to talk about the latest news they had recently announced about their highly anticipated true-action MMO TERA, I was alerted to the fact that these two guys had been playing the game non-stop all day. As the convention was coming to a close, they refused to leave the terminal, so naturally, I interviewed them!!
From this point on, the guy in the blue shall be referred to as Nerd 1, and the guy in black as Nerd 2. While conducting this interview, these guys did not stop playing the game for one second, or even take their eyes off the screen . . . even the guy who wasn’t playing.
DO: Somone told me that there’s been two guys on this console all day, is that you!?
Nerd2: Haha well, we we’re playing together but they made me move so this kid could get on, so now I’m just watching him play.
Nerd1: But yah, we’ve been here since like 11am
DO: Wow, that’s hardcore . . . so what MMOs have you played before and why are you so into TERA right now?
Nerd1: Well, I played World of Warcraft for years, thats pretty much the only one, and I’m into TERA right now because for PvP and PvE it’s more skill based.
DO: So you mean its not just pressing buttons in a rotation and waiting for cooldowns?
Nerd1: Yah, in WoW I’m basically my friends personal healer. I heal by pressing a button and spinning in a pretty circle. Here, I actually have to aim my heals and dodge attacks and get into the battle.
DO: Interesting, How else is it better than WoW? I played WoW for almost five years, and only now is it starting to feel old
Nerd1: I still like WoW, but these graphics are amazing, the environment, all the races and classes too, its very well balanced
Nerd 2: Its beautiful, its perfectly rendered
Nerd1: I also like how the PvE monsters follow your every move. They actually will watch you jump, they try to encircle and flank you, the AI is no joke. Also, this game takes skill, you can almost solo a boss by yourself if your that good
DO: So the AI is actually proper? They don’t just path and go through the motions?
Nerd1: Exactly, TERA is skill based while WoW is all about gear and rotation and group comp. In TERA theres no need for a gearscore and having to get geared. There’s no way to get carrried by pressing 2 buttons here, you have to get involved and be skillful. You actually have to get in there, it feels real, your not just going through the motions
DO: Absolutely, I can see you’re really into it (I LoL to myself)
Nerd1: Hell yea, the collision detection is awesome, everything is just awesome, I can’t wait for it to come out
Awesome indeed. So awesome that I even filmed these guys playing TERA for a few minutes, enjoy.
So, do you agree? Is TERA the future of MMO’s while games like WoW are the past? Only time will tell, but no matter what you think, it looks like TERA is the real deal.
-HD- TERA Online by Bluehole Studios. No release date set. Shows all of the classes. Archer, Lancer, Warrior, Elementalist, Slayer, Berserker, Sorcerer, and Preist. Official American Site: tera-online.com Great Fan Site: terafans.com
While this isn't the biggest news, today I found a little quiz on the Korean site, posted by CM, Lime! A quick run through google translator and I was able to get the jist, so why not play along, TERA Fans?
My attempted translation and understanding below!
Below are a healer, tank and damage dealer.(?) The goal is to figure out what each class is and what letter they match with! There are hints below.
Responses should be in the format of: ex) G-9, H-4, L-6
*Hint 1. A, B and C are all necessary roles. (? >.<)
* Hint 2. To help you guess each class, there are red arrows pointing to a hint!
Guess the correct answer through a comment! ^ o ^ The correct answer will be published on Sun, January 17th at 14:00.
Personally, I find this mildly confusing, but I won't get into it here as not to ruin any surprise for anyone xDD
Also, if my translation just makes no sense and is completely wrong, please tell me! :] Though we've been getting help here and there, we still need a site translator!
While this isn't the biggest news, today I found a little quiz on the Korean site, posted by CM, Lime! A quick run through google translator and I was able to get the jist, so why not play along, TERA Fans?
My attempted translation and understanding below!
Below are a healer, tank and damage dealer.(?) The goal is to figure out what each class is and what letter they match with! There are hints below.
Responses should be in the format of: ex) G-9, H-4, L-6
*Hint 1. A, B and C are all necessary roles. (? >.<)
* Hint 2. To help you guess each class, there are red arrows pointing to a hint!
Guess the correct answer through a comment! ^ o ^ The correct answer will be published on Sun, January 17th at 14:00.
Personally, I find this mildly confusing, but I won't get into it here as not to ruin any surprise for anyone xDD
Also, if my translation just makes no sense and is completely wrong, please tell me! :] Though we've been getting help here and there, we still need a site translator!
While this isn't the biggest news, today I found a little quiz on the Korean site, posted by CM, Lime! A quick run through google translator and I was able to get the jist, so why not play along, TERA Fans?
My attempted translation and understanding below!
Below are a healer, tank and damage dealer.(?) The goal is to figure out what each class is and what letter they match with! There are hints below.
Responses should be in the format of: ex) G-9, H-4, L-6
*Hint 1. A, B and C are all necessary roles. (? >.<)
* Hint 2. To help you guess each class, there are red arrows pointing to a hint!
Guess the correct answer through a comment! ^ o ^ The correct answer will be published on Sun, January 17th at 14:00.
Personally, I find this mildly confusing, but I won't get into it here as not to ruin any surprise for anyone xDD
Also, if my translation just makes no sense and is completely wrong, please tell me! :] Though we've been getting help here and there, we still need a site translator!
Filed by TERA Fans News at 12:03 am under Uncategorized Tagged Archetypes, Attack Speed, Awesome Skill, Buffer Classes, Dislikes, dps, Healer, Influx, Lineage 2, Mana, Mmo, Mystic Column, Mystics, Orb, Orbs, Slim Pickings, Slippery Slope, Speed Bonuses, Summoner, Underdog
Toxic Trap I 22 Places a lethal Poisonous Trap on the ground. Enemies that step on the trap will lose HP gradually for an amount of time.
Cobweb Trap I 24 Places a clever Spiderweb Trap on the ground. Enemies that step on the trap will have their movements speed temporarily lowered. 
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Below are a healer, tank and damage dealer.(?) The goal is to figure out what each class is and what letter they match with! There are hints below.
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