I rolled a priest in Tera the other night after a few months of being badgered by Jay to do so. After EverQuest, EVE, Rift, and Project 1999 I felt there was nothing to lose by trying another MMO. Especially if it's free.
So, I will give my short version of my experience:
I'm out of touch with MMOs.
Here's the longer version:
I am blown away by how streamlined this game is. I am moving from quest hub to quest hub along with everyone else who's around my level quickly and easily. I had no idea how to play the game when I downloaded it yet I'm already a third of the way through the levels. There is a radar and minimap on the screen that makes finding quest givers and targets as easy as it could be. The only way it would be any easier to find what I'm trying to do would be if I could just press one button and have it autopilot me over to the goal. My lousy sense of direction is legendary... yet I'm having no trouble at all finding my way around.
The "action based combat" is cool. I've been thinking about MMOs beyond 'tab targeting' for a long time and it's fun to see how it works out in the wild. The combat feels like it could be sped up a lot and still be easy to play, but I understand why it is the way it is. I'd like to see a MMO with the high energy pace of a Diablo III, but this is a step in the right direction regardless.
The gear feels limiting. You only have chest armor, gloves, boots, rings, necklace, earrings, and your weapon. I don't understand why they wouldn't have more slots. Would pants break the game? How about an off hand slot? Obviously, these are design choices that I'm sure were well thought out, but it feels like Duplo vs Lego right now.
All the chat channels are filled to the brim with garbage.
I play on a PvP server (Mount Terranis) and have only had 2 PvP experiences. First, a guy one shotted me while I was going back to town. There is no death penalty at all, so it was pretty much a poor man's gate. I went scouring over the logs to see what I lost... turns out I lost nothing at all. I was actually glad I got blasted because it put me right where I wanted to go. The second time was a slayer jumped me while I was questing and I won. I fought back from behind and learned my way in a long duration slug fest that ended when someone passing by saw me about to land the killing blow and decided they'd like to finish him off without saying anything and then ride off.
So, let me explain how PvP works on a PvP server. You can do a quick quest to be marked "Outlaw." That quest turns your name red. You can always undo the "Outlaw" status at any time. While you're an outlaw you can attack anyone and be attacked by anyone. You're also not welcome in many places, but I don't have a clear understanding of where you are and aren't allowed as I've seen red names in Lumber Town, so who knows? You also get some sort of buff that makes you tougher as an outlaw and that's probably because of what I saw in my second PvP experience. You fight one guy it could end up being 10 guys.
Shockingly, people still get their jimmies russled by PvP even without a death penalty. You have nothing to lose by being killed, so what's the big deal? I can't figure it out, but there are mad people in area chat all the time, so I guess it has some effect on people. I don't get it.
The form of PvP I am not involved in is GvG (guild vs guild). You can declare war on other guilds and fight them anywhere... including towns. This feels like the EVE Online model of hisec pvp, but our guild is pretty much a group of guys from the stream that are learning the game... no need to get our faces punched off in town.
The game is absolutely beautiful. That's pretty much all that needs to be said about that.
There's no reason to group between 1 and 21 from what I've seen. Even named mobs that con red can be easily solo'd at this point. I don't plan on grouping at all in the world. I hear that dungeons are worth doing, so I'll give them a try, but I wouldn't have to if I didn't want to. Is that okay? I don't think there's another option. Gone are the days of needing other players to get things done. Going straight from Project 1999 to Tera has made that difference very pronounced.
Is it worth playing? Yes. The price is right, the visuals are cool, and the action based combat is fun. Is this the compelling experience I've been looking for? I doubt it. It's just a fun way to pass some time. I don't expect my time invested in Tera to ever outpace time invested in other RPGs MMO or not. MMOs aren't built to be lasting experiences anymore.
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