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Skycastles coming to TERA on February 24
Have you recently come home to TERA? OK, maybe you never left. Either way, En Masse is betting you'll get excited about the Skycastle guild housing system that's heading your way on February 24th. The castles float above major cities and are available "to the top-ranking guilds on each server via two new ongoing four-week guild competitions that track guild points earned from dungeons, battlegrounds, and guild-vs.-guild battles," according to an En Masse press blurb. The patch will also include a new dungeon set aboard the Sky Cruiser Endeavor as well as a hard-mode version of Bathysmal Rise. [Source: En Masse press release]
Choose My Adventure: A bit of TERA sightseeing
There's no question that TERA is one of the most beautiful MMOs on the market. Its open world features gorgeous terrain, cool set pieces, and lots of variation for the screenshot-obsessed. So when Choose My Adventure's voters elected to send me exploring last week, I was more than happy to oblige. I wouldn't accomplish much Fate of Arun stuff, but at least I'd get to see some sights! I also, somehow, learned a bit more about the Warrior class and how to effectively deploy it in combat. It's been a long, hard crawl, but I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of my combo abilities and my evasion techniques. I'm definitely dying less and even occasionally having moments when I feel totally in control of the actions my character is taking and the reasoning behind them. I almost feel... good. Until the next BAM smacks me down, of course.
Sky castles and a gun-using class coming to TERA in 2015
Peer into the ball, strange bear thing with a skull cowboy hat, and tell us what future TERA holds. Or better yet, we could just read the brand-new producer's letter with all sorts of spoilers about the coming year! But the ball, that's cool too. The team is gearing up for an ambitious 2015, if this letter is any indication. Plans for February include sky castles for guilds, the Sky Cruiser Endeavor dungeon, and a 5v5 version of Champions' Skyring. Past that, TERA will host more frequent small events, a community costume design contest, the opening of the Dreadspire, and a brand new "gun-toting" class. Finally, the team promises to be better about talking to its playerbase. "As for our communication of the process -- yes, it has to get better, and it'll start with me," Producer Treeshark said.
Choose My Adventure: Air travel is not very safe in TERA
Massively multiplayer online games are collections of interlocking systems. A character's skills allow her to interact with the world, interacting with the world gives her experience points, experience points give her levels, levels give her skills, and so on. Inventory, items, professions, quests, and social interactions are also systems, layered on top of the core combat and gameplay mechanics. When you have mastery over an MMO, you don't just have mastery over skill rotations; you have mastery over all of the systems underneath. By the time a normal person hits 60 in En Masse's TERA, for example, that person can probably tell the difference between good gear and bad gear, organize a character's inventory, and use the game's menus. This is the stuff you take for granted when you've been playing an MMO for weeks, months, or years. Leaping into expansion content with a near-max-level character but little core game experience is, thus, not very smart. But I did it anyway, charging into TERA's Fate of Arun with a brand-new-yet-level-60 Castanic Warrior for Choose My Adventure. It went okay.
The Daily Grind: Is $10 a good price for a monthly MMO sub?
TERA's $10 subscription offer ends today, and that gives me a good excuse to talk about business models in this morning's Daily Grind. In case you missed it, En Masse's Elite option has been on sale for five dollars off the regular rate, and the firm is also allowing players to lock the $10 monthly fee in place going forward as long as the sub is maintained. What about the number, though? Assuming you're not allergic to subscriptions, is $10 about right, or do you think sub games should go lower (or higher)? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Choose My Adventure: TERA's Fate of Arun
As was mentioned many times during our end-of-year awards and the comments surrounding them, 2014 was a much better year for adding to existing properties than releasing new ones. Some of the biggest launches of the year came in the form of expansions like Rift's Nightmare Tide, Star Trek Online's Delta Rising, and Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadow of Revan. Choose My Adventure even took the expansion route last month by investigating World of Warcraft's Warlords of Draenor. En Masse's TERA, too, received a huge update in 2014, though it launched with significantly less fanfare than some of the other major expansions of the year. Fate of Arun introduced new zones, added new dungeons, and raised the level cap (as expansions are wont to do). It also brought a new game mode in The Coliseum, a PvP/PvE hybrid arena-type thing. Perhaps most notably when compared to the other expansions of 2014, Fate of Arun is free to all TERA players. Since TERA so often flies under the radar with MMO fans, I thought it might be fun to dedicate this month's CMA to Fate of Arun. So get ready because it's time to start slaying some big-ass monsters.
TERA puts the wraps on 2014
Even though we're well into the new year, there are some who have yet to finish saying goodbye to the old one. One of these people is TERA Community Manager Tonka, who introduces a two-minute video tribute to 2014 in the game. And the above picture is misleading, by the way: He doesn't want to punch the year in the face so much as praise it. You can get Tonka and a musical tribute to TERA's previous year after the break!
PSA: TERA's $10 sub deal ends Thursday
If 2014's new MMOs are leaving you cold, maybe an older game would perk you right up and get you through January: TERA is still offering discounts on its revamped (and optional) Elite status subscription package. Until January 8th, players can sign up for a $9.99 monthly sub that lasts as long as it's maintained. In fact, if you were subbing last month, you'll want to take advantage of the resub to lock in the cheaper price and snag the new bonuses. The Elite tier now includes a mount, experience boost, reputation boost, gold boosts, atlas and travel journal, a daily loot box, and several potions. TERA launched its first expansion, Fate of Arun, earlier in December. I don't want to spoil anything, buuuuuuut TERA fans might want to keep an eye on Massively every Wednesday this month. Hint, hint. [Thanks, Nate!]
Watch six videos of TERA's new dungeons
If you haven't heard from your TERA-playing friends, don't worry -- they're merely in the thick of enjoying the new Fate of Arun expansion. As with many MMO expansions, Fate of Arun came packed with tough new dungeons, and intrepid YouTuber Skill Graal filmed adventures through several of them. You can watch six of these dungeon dives after the break, including looks at Bathysmal Rise and Ravenous Gorge.
TERA: Fate of Arun goes live today
Ready to travel to unfamiliar lands, level past the existing level cap, and fight against new villains in TERA? Of course you are. You know what expansions are all about. Not coincidentally, that's the whole basis for Fate of Arun, the game's first expansion, which sends characters to Northern Arun for the first time. And wouldn't you know it, we have a shiny new trailer for this update just past the break. The expansion also includes quality-of-life improvements like a simplified enchanting system and a new Coliseum mode, which throws two teams of players in a race to clear through groups of enemies. You can check all of this out now on the live servers, although you might want to view the trailer first. Tradition's sake and all. [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
TERA's Fate of Arun expansion arrives in Europe today
TERA's European fans have reason to be excited as the game's first expansion, Fate of Arun, deploys today. First announced to surprised MMO gamers back in October, the content deluge includes a level cap bump to 65, new PvP modes, four new zones, four new instances, and the advancement of the game's plotline. The expansion lands in North America next week. EU publisher Gameforge has posted new screenies that should make everyone happy, though; we've included them all in the gallery below!
TERA's Korean incarnation is getting a new class this month
Have you ever been playing TERA and thought that what the game really needed was more guns? Because the upcoming additional class (tentatively translated as Arcane Gunner) brings exactly that to the game. More guns. All of the guns, in fact. There's no space for any more guns because the ladies of this class are hauling around cannons as big as they are. Yes, ladies; much like the Elin-only Reaper, the new class is limited to High Elf and Castanic women. Aside from the aforementioned huge gun, the new class will also be able to summon sentry drones and robot helpers whilst it blows everything away. There will even be new hairstyles available. No word on when the class will arrive in the game's local incarnation, although based on the last added class, it'll be four or five months. You can wait on gunplay until April, right?
TERA's Fate of Arun expansion is coming December 16th
TERA fans, mark December 16th on your calendars, as that's the launch date for the fantasy MMO's first proper expansion. Fate of Arun features a mysterious new continent, a level cap bump (65), new class skills, new dungeons, and a new battleground based around competitive PvE. The game's enchanting mechanics will also be simplified, and a new quest UI will "streamline 60 to 65 leveling, allowing players to teleport right to the action, find groups, or turn in quests from any location." Finally, you'll want to log into TERA prior to December 16th and pick up your free Northern Initiative Pack. It includes rare potions, campfires, buff charms, a white tiger mount, and more. TERA's Fate of Arun expansion will be a free content update via Steam and the game's official website. [Source: En Masse press release]
Meet the bosses of TERA's upcoming Fate of Arun expansion
Announced abruptly just before Halloween, TERA's long-planned Fate of Arun expansion is due out in December, complete with a level cap bump and loads of new zones. Today, En Masse has provided us with an exclusive poster and a sneak peek at the bosses arriving to torment you in Arun. Check 'em out below!
New TERA vid explores expansion dungeon
Ready for some new TERA dungeons? They're coming in the new Fate of Arun expansion and they're also showcased briefly in the preview vid we've embedded after the break. There are four new instances including Sabex Armory (level 61 and up), Macellarius Catacombs (64 and up), Ravenous Gorge (65 and up), and Bathysmal Rise (65 and up).
Leaderboard: Is TERA's expansion tempting you to play?
I haven't played TERA in a long while. I always to meant to give it more of a shot, but for whatever reason it's never worked out. On the heels of En Masse's first expansion announcement, I'm thinking about it again, though it's going to take some doing to pry me away from ArcheAge. What about you, Massively readers? Is TERA's Fate of Arun expansion tempting you to play? Vote after the cut!
TERA announces Fate of Arun expansion
En Masse Entertainment has just announced Fate of Arun, the first-ever expansion coming to action-MMO TERA. And at least on paper, it actually looks like a classic MMO expansion, too, complete with a level cap bump and new zones. The mysterious continent of Northern Arun is finally open – and it's under siege by a soul-sucking bloodmage army. In Fate of Arun, players will explore this lost world, discover the home city of the Barakan race, fight for the freedom of the native Khirians, and take on a powerful new evil. Fate of Arun represents the first and biggest expansion for TERA to date, featuring a new level cap of 65 and the lands of Northern Arun to explore through a brand-new storyline, new quests, zones, dungeons, skills, gear and a new PvP battleground, in addition to vast systematic improvements to the gameplay experience. Producer Patrick Sun declates that "Fate of Arun will be, without a doubt, the biggest addition to the world of TERA new and returning players have ever seen." A launch date has not yet been confirmed. Enjoy the teaser pics and video below.
TERA players killed 5,000,000 BAMs during the BAM Killer event
Back in August, TERA's devs adopted a faux Kickstarter page and a funny video to solicit help in the in-game campaign against BAMs (big-ass monsters). Players who contributed to the overall BAM kill count were showered with special loot. That event came to an end last week, and En Masse has released another tongue-in-cheek video as a capstone to the festivities and a thank-you to the players. Community Manager Tonka tells us that the Mount Tyrannas server racked up the most kills but also the most deaths. In fact, over 5,000,000 BAMs were slain during the event, which works out to 165 BAMs per minute. "That's a lot of BAMs," Tonka says, wide-eyed. The outtakes at the end are worth the watch all on their own. We've embedded the video below.
TERA introduces Kickstarter-esque BAM Killer event
Instead of asking for cash, TERA has taken to crowdfunding to solicit manpower. Using a fake Kickstarter page, En Masse invites players to help combat the out-of-control population explosion of BAMs -- or Big Ass monsters -- throughout TERA before they invade our world. How dire is the situation? Watch the video below to see! From now until September 16th, players can contribute to the BAM kill count and work toward the ultimate goal of 5 million BAMs dead in 21 days. Each day players log in during the event they will receive a special loot box that will contain five federation bills and a chance to drop bronze, silver, or gold BAM tokens -- tokens that can be exchanged for costumes, accessories, and even weapons exclusive to this event. For a look at all the possible rewards, check out the BAM Killer program. [Source: En Masse press release]
TERA Korea is getting guild fortresses that float
Let's all take a moment to lament that what I'm about to share is currently specific to the Korean version of TERA. There. Now that that's out of our system, we can appreciate the fact that Bluehole's new guild sky fortresses are pretty dang impressive, even if we won't see them in the En Masse version of the game for a while. MMO Culture reports that TERA Korea is also removing side quests from the fantasy MMO's quest log and placing them in a new interface nugget called Scouting Command, ostensibly to allow for more focus on the game's main story. But you really wanted to see the guild fortresses, right? Click past the cut for the vid.
