TERA : Exploring the Exiled Realm - 2

It was time to get serious. I’d taken something of a slow trip into my first proper play through of TERA, I’d lazily explored the world and fought anything I felt needed a good kicking, but I’d taken quests as something optional. That was about to change. It was time to jump head first into TERA’s story and find my place amongst all the busy people I’d seen exploring the world. I’d done a few of the tutorial levels, I’d picked up some basic skills and I’d levelled up more than perhaps I needed to at this point in the game and it was time to find out why I was here. It turns out that TERA makes a big mistake early in its infancy and it’s a mistake I usually find it quite hard to forgive in an MMO. We’ll touch on that later.

For the Federation!

You’re one of the few survivors of a bloody, horrible battle. A mysterious island has appeared and the first voyage there has not gone well. On top of unusual monsters - the like of which your collective people have never seen – there was an army waiting for you to defend something that you don’t fully understand. Your armies were all but wiped out and it’s your duty to find your ally and commander (who is presumed dead, but no proof has been found) and discover just what the dark armies are trying to protect on this doomed place. It’s a simple story and one that’s loaded with intrigue and mystery, something you can hardly say is common in the MMO world and its enough to keep you playing, to begin with at least. Discovering what’s going on is exciting and aided with occasional cut scenes.

So What’s the Problem?

The worst thing a writer can do when starting the story for an MMO is to decide to make the player character special somehow. Perhaps this is just something that annoys me, but to be told “you were one of the only survivors of this battle in which everybody who visited the island died” and then to turn around and know that the 40 other people I’ve bumped into since starting play have been told exactly the same thing is slightly annoying. Why couldn’t we be the last of a group of heroes? Why couldn’t we have come in on the next ship to the island? Why are we all being told we’re basically the sole survivor? It’s understandable, but it’s still poor writing and it bothers me, it really does. Thankfully, I haven’t come across anything else that actively bothers me, so perhaps a little more play will help to leave this “single player” storyline behind.

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Completeing Quests

TERA eases you in slowly, showing you how to do battle with slow, easy-to-dodge enemies that won’t do much damage even if you manage to get caught. To be fair, it pretty much stays that way even when you start doing work for members of the federation. The most impressive thing isn’t the challenge – the biggest of which involves travelling from one end of the map to the other on foot – but the number of quests available. At any given time during the first five or so hours of the game, you’ll find yourself with 7 or 8 quests almost constantly. Most will involve killing various numbers of different creatures, some will have you speaking with specific people, but you’ll be buying and selling equipment, running around in a party and fighting mid-level bosses much earlier than you would in the average MMORPG.

This works, for the most part, because it does feel like you’re moving forward and progressing. As you play, you’ll come across new enemies on a regular basis and will be told to visit new locations more than a couple of times. The only downside comes, of course, from the repetitiveness of the quests. More than once I’ve found myself unaware that I was going to complete a quest when really all I was doing was grinding for experience between locations. You’ll find yourself needing to do the same thing over and over again and, while that’s not necessarily a bad thing in the early moments of the game, I can’t help but feel that things are going to keep going this way as we continue, and in about five hours’ time I’m going to be ready to give up.

Advancing the Plot

You soon discover that there’s a level of gloominess to the camps in the Timeless Woods. The great leader you fought alongside is thought to be dead and only his brother believes otherwise. Everywhere you look, people are mourning those that are lost and  are preparing themselves for the battle ahead. I’m not sure if it was intention move by the developers, but having this war-ready, depressed army preparing themselves in such a beautiful natural world is an interesting juxtaposition, and it reminded me somewhat of films like Avatar. The brother makes something of a shocking discovery, the sword of the great leader, and it’s infused with demon’s magic. What could it mean? What should we do? Those are questions that will need to be answers as the adventure continues.

Playing TERA

Despite my playing for nearly 8 or 9 hours now, TERA still manages to feel quite fresh. I’m getting a little bit tired of being in practically the same location. It’s my fault though, more than the games, because I spent so long exploring and enjoying the world before continuing with the story. Unfortunately, I’m not sure TERA is the sort of game that really supports that level of interaction, at least not in the early parts of the game. I’m looking forward to discovering what’s going on with the sword, why the army was attacked and just what’s so important about this island. Next week we’ll delve further into the mysteries the island is hiding, and join some friends in battle.