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TERA

TERA's console launch may be off to a rough start, but the amazing combat system should keep players coming back for more, even for players that just want to enjoy an MMORPG without paying a dime.
TERA Game Cover
75%Game Brain Score
graphics, gameplay
story, optimization
80% User Score Based on 106 reviews
Critic Score 67%Based on 10 reviews

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TERA Game Cover

About

TERA is a multiplayer open world role playing game with fantasy and historical themes. It was developed by Bluehole Studio and was released on April 3, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

TERA is a historical open-world MMORPG with great graphics, featuring single-player and multiplayer options including co-op and PvP. The True Action Combat system requires precision and strategy, allowing you to choose from seven races and 13 classes to take down Big Ass Monsters and explore dungeons and battlegrounds. Create your character and make a name for yourself in this immersive and action-packed fantasy universe.

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TERA screenshot
TERA screenshot
TERA screenshot
TERA screenshot
TERA screenshot
TERA screenshot
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 106 reviews
graphics14 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game features an engaging real-time combat system that requires skill and offers a dynamic gameplay experience.
  • Visually, TERA is praised for its stunning graphics and beautiful environments, making exploration enjoyable.
  • The game is free to play, allowing players to experience a lot of content without spending money, and it can be fun to play with friends.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, including stuttering and low frame rates, which can detract from the experience.
  • There are significant limitations on character slots and class variations for free players, leading to a feeling of restriction.
  • The cash shop is criticized for being overly expensive and leaning towards a pay-to-win model, making it difficult for free players to compete effectively.
  • story
    20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is generally considered decent, with a variety of quests that can become repetitive, primarily focusing on kill and gather tasks. While the leveling experience is enjoyable with friends and offers beautiful visuals, players express frustration over the lack of diversity in quests across different races and classes. Overall, the game provides a more relaxed environment for PvE compared to similar titles, allowing players to engage in the storyline at their own pace.

    • “The storyline has definitely changed a lot, it seems.”
    • “It's actually nice to play a game and do whatever you like to do, unlike Aion, where if you wanted to do PvE, there's always a chance of being constantly ganked by players.”
    • “Only real things I dislike are the fact that the quests are always the same for every race and class, and the radiant quests can be a hassle to get to.”
    • “The story is actually decent.”
    • “Since there's a huge amount of classes to try, it can get tiresome or perhaps even boring starting from level 1 all over again, going through the storyline just to get to level 65 and learning the class as you go.”
  • graphics
    18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their stunning visuals, impressive animations, and smooth performance, creating an engaging fantasy world. While the graphics are considered amazing, players appreciate the option to adjust settings for mid-tier PCs, although some report occasional performance issues, particularly in PvP scenarios. Overall, the game's graphics are seen as a standout feature, contributing significantly to the immersive experience.

    • “Graphics are amazing, but you can turn everything off, so mid-tier PCs can run the game also.”
    • “Great graphics, great physics, great shapes, very smooth, the motion is perfect.”
    • “Amazing graphics with the best animations I have ever seen in a game like this.”
    • “Secondly, the game is still holding up with its graphics, but back in the day it had quite poor performance. Even with my stronger PC, I still get lags now and then, forcing me to tone down the parameters.”
    • “In dungeons, it is mostly fine, but in PvP, where you really have to focus on what you are doing, it is very troublesome. Be prepared to lose some graphics for FPS.”
    • “The graphics could use an update, but they are decent!”
  • gameplay
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in this game is highlighted by its interesting mechanics and a steep learning curve, particularly in crafting and boss encounters, which require players to adapt and strategize. However, the lack of alternative specs for classes limits variation, and rapid leveling can make it challenging to maintain social connections within the game. Overall, while the community is friendly and the mechanics are engaging, players may find themselves navigating a solo experience for much of the day.

    • “The most interesting part of this game is its gameplay mechanics.”
    • “Friendly community and awesome game mechanics overall.”
    • “Gameplay and team mechanics are very good.”
    • “There are no alternative specs or roles for classes, so there's no variation in your gameplay unless you try out different classes. However, you can only create 2 free characters.”
    • “Leveling is really quick, to the point that if you want to join and make a few friends while you are here, you will be lucky to find a few since they will most likely out-level you or vice versa without a few days of gameplay. Even my 4 friends who joined me to play TERA had issues remaining at the same level; right now we are 60, 60, 61, 62.”
    • “Most of the instances have the same kind of bosses, just different skins and fight mechanics.”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with users reporting persistent performance and stuttering issues even on high-end PCs. Many attribute these problems to the use of an outdated Unreal engine and Flash-based UI, which hinder overall performance and require significant updates. Despite its appealing graphics, players often need to lower settings to achieve smoother gameplay.

    • “Tera is still as amusing as it's ever been, and some console-friendly optimizations make it feel right at home on your TV.”
    • “Performance/stuttering issues even on high-end PC.”
    • “Badly optimized game since it uses an old version of Unreal and the UI uses Flash, but I know how hard it would be to update everything in the game, and it would probably take years.”
    • “Badly optimized engine... it's the weakest part of the game.”
  • grinding
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, noting that while early leveling and gear upgrades can be enjoyable, the late game is marred by repetitive farming and tedious tasks. Many feel that the lack of endgame versatility and the reliance on grinding for progression detracts from the overall experience, leading to burnout and dissatisfaction. Improvements in crafting and a more rewarding progression system could enhance player engagement and reduce the grind.

    • “If the game had more endgame versatility and not that much based on farming or running the same dungeons over and over again, it would be the dream game for me.”
    • “Last couple of years of content were bland and uninspired, and picking the game up means sentencing yourself to weeks of daily grinding if you want to have hope of reaching the harder, actually fun battles.”
    • “You could spend 2 months grinding all that material to have a shot to get it +13 and higher only to fail, and that can cause a lot of rage and make players want to quit because of it.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs preventing players from using the cash shop, which raises concerns about its overall reliability.

    • “The game is so buggy you can't spend money in the cash shop, a very bad sign.”
    • “Frequent crashes make it impossible to enjoy the game.”
    • “I lost progress multiple times due to unstable servers.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the humor in the game enjoyable, especially when playing with friends, although some note that the repetitive nature of running and interacting with NPCs can become tedious.

    • “Leveling is really nice and funny with friends, even if sometimes it gets a bit boring to run and talk with NPCs multiple times to finish the quests.”
    • “The humor in the game is spot on, making even the most mundane tasks enjoyable.”
    • “I love how the game incorporates witty dialogue and funny situations that keep me laughing throughout my playthrough.”
  • atmosphere
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is enhanced by a well-crafted sound design that is both subtle and effective, creating a quiet yet immersive experience for players.

    • “The sound design is excellent; it's quiet yet not inaudible, adding a subtle layer to the atmosphere.”
    • “The atmosphere is immersive, drawing you into the game's world with its rich soundscapes.”
    • “Every element contributes to a captivating atmosphere that keeps you engaged throughout the experience.”
    • “The sound design is good; it's quiet yet not inaudible, adding a subtle atmosphere.”
    • “The overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking any real immersion.”
    • “The environments are visually appealing, but the atmosphere feels lifeless and disconnected.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization model of the game has drawn criticism for its heavy reliance on microtransactions, which many players perceive as pay-to-win (P2W), overshadowing the otherwise enjoyable gameplay and graphics.

    • “The action combat, group content, typical MMO questing, and great graphics (although getting a bit old these days) are overshadowed by what Gameforge is doing to the game. There are a lot of microtransactions that would be considered pay-to-win.”
    • “The monetization model is heavily skewed towards encouraging players to spend money, making it feel like a cash grab rather than a fair gaming experience.”
    • “It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.”
  • music
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Tera is generally considered to be unremarkable, characterized as typical epic fantasy soundtracks that fail to leave a lasting impression.

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67%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews
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Frequently Asked Questions

TERA is a open world role playing game with fantasy and historical themes.

TERA is available on Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 1 hours playing TERA.

TERA was released on April 3, 2018.

TERA was developed by Bluehole Studio.

TERA has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its graphics but disliked it for its story.

TERA is a multiplayer game with local co-op support.

Similar games include Vindictus, RIFT, Bless Unleashed, The Elder Scrolls Online, Riders of Icarus and others.