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Bluehole's not developing a TERA sequel after all
Korean MMO maker Bluehole Studio officially shot down long-circulating rumors about an in-development TERA sequel this week. While the firm is working on two new games -- currently codenamed Project W and Project EXA -- they "will only be similar to TERA in terms of western fantasy design," according to MMO Culture. The studio is also developing a mobile TERA spin-off tentatively titled Elin Expedition which features turn-based combat and additional Arborean lore and backstory.
TERA is creating a flying scythe-user class
TERA's taking terror and pre-adolescent creepiness to the skies with an upcoming class, tentatively called the Flying Scythe-user. Details about the new class are a little spotty due to the translation from Korean (so don't take that class name as gospel), but it looks as though the Elin-only class will be a ranged character that harnesses dark magic and flings scythes and chains across the battlefield. The Flying Scythe-user will be unlocked once a player hits level 40 on another character, emerging into the light as a level 50 toon. Some of this class' skills include chain attacks, a dark explosion, an AoE whip, spinning blades, and a dark shield. The class will be very nimble, with abilities to ignore attacks, quickly dodge, and swap places with the enemy. The class will be first available in Korea, with a presumable jump to other regions thereafter. [Thanks to Vunak for the tip!]
Frogster talks TERA Elin censorship
If you're still fuming over the decision to censor TERA's Elin race for the western market, or if you're simply an interested bystander, Eurogamer has posted a new interview that's worth reading. The site sat down with Frogster's Lucile Le Merle, who addressed the ongoing censorship controversy that manifested itself in the removal of Elin panties and the addition of both longer tights and belly-covering outfits for the characters on both the US and European TERA game servers. Le Merle says that Frogster had no say in the game's PEGI 12 rating, noting that such things are determined not by Frogster but by PEGI. "We only send a specific version of the client to PEGI, which rates it and sends it back to us with the final decision. Then we can contest it, if we deem it's not the right rating." Le Merle also touches on the cultural divide between East and West (and between anime fans and the uninitiated), concluding that ultimately Frogster and En Masse had to make changes. "In Asia their mindset is completely different. To them it is not a problem. It is not related to pedophilia. It's just part of the culture to have small, little girls that run around smiling. People just find it normal," Le Merle explained.
TERA website updates with Elin lore, video
Last week TERA's North American website updated with some new information on the game's Castanic race. Today the site examines the Elin, and there's quite a bit of lore-centric text on display in addition to a new video. Despite their child-like appearance, the Elin are actually quite dour and mysterious. "Their speech is often dark, forthright, and otherworldly, and their sense of humor can border on vicious," the site explains. The goddess Elinu originally created the Elin in the image of Arun's daughter (Arun is one of two titans who created the world of Arborea, for those of you not up to speed on TERA's backstory). The Elin generally have one goal, and En Masse says that "they repair, protect, and preserve the world they live in and love above all else." Head past the cut to view the video.
The Soapbox: TERA's rocky road to release
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. What a difference a year makes, eh? February of 2011 found me drooling over my keyboard as I devoured all the screenshots and gameplay footage leaking out of TERA's Korean launch (yes, the westernization process really has been dragging on for a year). Fast-forward 12 months and the game is losing a little bit of its luster because of certain En Masse decisions and in spite of the fact that the firm has a potentially awesome MMO on its hands.
TERA beta videos show crafting, enchanting, Elin creation
TERA's recent closed beta kickoff (and lack of an NDA) brought with it a slew of user-created video content, and as the testing weekends roll on toward the game's May release window, there will be ample opportunities to see just about every part of Arborea via YouTube. Today we've got a trio of introductory videos that show three different aspects of the game. First up is a clip that features the enchanting process, followed by a brief look at the game's crafting mechanics. Finally, TERA Hispano has uploaded some footage of the controversial Elin race. The video covers almost nine minutes on the character creation screen, and you can find it after the break. [Thanks to Axel for the tip!]
