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En Masse highlights shiny TERA launch features
TERA is soldiering on toward its May 1st North American street date. En Masse Entertainment, the game's American publisher, has quite a few features lined up to distract you from the brouhaha going on outside the game's lush fantasy world, and the firm has updated its website accordingly. You'll find info on TERA's staged invasions, public quests, and economic system archived in the lengthy new post. The update also recaps the game's reputation system, its dungeon roster, and a few of the more interesting class tweaks to boot. Head to the official TERA site for all the goods.
Korean court confirms guilty verdict in TERA criminal trial
Multiple news sites are reporting a verdict in the long-running NCsoft vs. Bluehole Studio litigation regarding stolen Lineage III assets. According to the sites, the Korean Supreme Court has confirmed the guilty verdict in the criminal trial originally reached in 2009. The body also doled out "tougher punishment" in the form of prison time and probation for a former Lineage III department head and a team manager. ThisIsGame.com points out that there could be more bad news coming for the team that turned Lineage III assets into TERA, as the outcome of a $5.7 million civil suit is still pending. MMO Culture has published a timeline of the TERA legal proceedings, though neither website cites a source for its information. We'll update the story with more details as they become available.
En Masse releases TERA launch cinematic
It must be getting close to TERA's launch day because we can't go five minutes without a new reveal, beta review, game update, or video. En Masse's latest PR drop is a new cinematic called Beginnings that gives Arborean newbs some insights into the fantasy world they're about to inhabit. The clip shows off all seven playable races and makes a great jumping-off point for delving into TERA's lore and backstory. It sets up the conflict between the Valkyon Federation and the soulless argon army that threatens it, and the clip also hints at why players are gathering on the game's newbie Island of Dawn. See for yourself after the cut, and then check out the latest round of new launch features on the official site.
En Masse Entertainment wraps up TERA closed beta weekends
The fifth and final TERA closed beta weekend went out with a bang last weekend, heralding the beginning of the final steps toward the game's May launch. But before En Masse Entertainment opens the floodgates of open beta testing, it has decided to release some interesting details and statistics regarding the closed beta test weekends. For instance, over the course of the closed beta weekends, players formed 90,000 parties and over 3,600 guilds in order to hunt down and destroy over 7.6 billion monsters. In the process, they earned a total of over 14.5 billion gold, collected 20 million items, and bit the dust almost 2 million times. Castanics reigned surpreme as the most commonly chosen race (with Humans and High Elves not far behind), while the most popular class was the Warrior, followed closely by Sorcerer and Slayer. Of course, players can expect to blow these numbers out of the water when open beta begins on April 19th. [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
TERA's High Elves strut their stuff in a high-octane video
"We believe. We remember." Those are the watchwords of the High Elves of TERA, and they're not just talking about rock 'n roll, mind you. As TERA's launch approaches, En Masse is making a strong bid for the legitimacy of this race by releasing its High Elf spotlight video. It's two minutes of flips, ridiculously big weapons, and strong magic flaunted in the face of enemies everywhere. Once a conquering nation that operated under the name of the Children of Karas, the High Elves suffered a humiliating downfall and subsequently re-emerged as a force for good. While their aid to the good people of the world is welcome, they're not quite trusted as of yet. High Elves receive four unique racials: They can teleport to their home city, refill their mana, regenerate mana upon resurrection, and gather alchemy resources quickly. Check out the video after the jump and let us know if you'll be rolling a High Elf upon launch!
TERA recaps PAX East and a week of reveals with new video
If you're looking forward to TERA but sad about missing En Masse's demo of the fantasy MMO at last weekend's PAX East, cheer up! The firm has just released a recap video that's almost as good as being there. It was a big week overall for TERA, and the reveals included an A-list voice cast, snippets about the launch head-start period, dungeon finder and economic tweaks, and the lush Twilight Valley region showcased at PAX. TERA's PAX demo pitted players against wave after wave of argons and big-ass monsters, not to mention a nasty cuss called Subject 5005. Players who were able to whittle the boss's health down were then given a further challenge when 5005 transformed into an Argonomorph (yeah, we're not sure what that is either, but you can see it via the video after the cut). [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
TERA's new launch features section adds economic changes
TERA's May release date is less than a month away now, and En Masse Entertainment is filling the days leading up to the big event by unveiling a series of new launch features. Today's piece is focused on a number of adjustments that have been made to the game's economic system. For starters, the trade broker has been vastly improved with "robust search features," while private stores have been abolished in order to make the broker the true hub of the game's economy. Enchanters will be pleased to know that the penalty for failing an enchantment has been removed, so while an enchantment can still fail, it won't weaken the target piece of equipment in the process. And to top it off, the currency demoninations have been changed up to prevent players from having to deal with astronomical amounts of gold. The full details, as well as previous new launch features, can be found over on the game's official site.
TERA announces open beta and head start schedules
TERA's May 1st launch date is just around the corner, and we all know what that means: open beta testing and head start events ahoy! En Masse Entertainment has released a full schedule for the events leading up to the game's launch, so players can go ahead and plan when to call in sick to work. Players who have pre-ordered the game will be able to log in between April 13th and April 17th in order to create their first characters, thereby ensuring that they get the names they want. The game's open beta test will begin shortly after, and pre-order customers will once again get a one-day jump on the competition as they will be able to log in beginning on April 19th. On April 20th, the beta will open to the public, and it will run for three days until April 23rd. And finally, pre-order customers will get one final head start on April 28th, allowing them three days to explore the world of Arborea before the floodgates open to everyone on May 1st. So hone your blades, string your bows, and ready your spells, Arboreans. We'll see you on the other side.
En Masse adding dungeon finder to TERA
Love it or hate it, the dungeon finder has become synonymous with the modern-day MMO. Further evidence in this regard comes via En Masse Entertainment's latest website update, which trumpets the addition of dungeon finder mechanics to TERA. En Masse says that in addition to the standard group-making functionality, its version of the dungeon finder will give players "significant bonuses for grouping, and even send [them] extra rewards when the last boss falls." TERA's dungeon loot drops have also been increased across the board, in some cases up to double and triple the rates from past beta weekends. Hit up the official site for more details, including a comprehensive list of the game's dungeons.
Michael Hogan and Claudia Black head TERA's voice-acting cast
Last week we told you about En Masse's casting of Colonel Tigh, er, Michael Hogan for voice-acting work in its new TERA MMO. Now the company brings word that Claudia Black will be joining Hogan in the recording studio to bring aspects of TERA's fantasy story to life. Hogan will lend his talents to the Valkyon Federation's formidable Commander Samael, while Black (best known for her role as Aeryn Sun in Farscape, as well as voice-acting stints in Dragon Age and the Uncharted series) brings her considerable charms to the role of Commander Freya of Allemantheia. If you want to see Hogan in action behind the mic, check out the clip after the break. Finally, En Masse says to keep your eyes and ears peeled for more TERA voice-acting reveals later this month.
Weekend warrior: Two days with TERA's beta berserker
This all feels very familiar. The gorgeous Asian aesthetics, the sexed-up avatars, and the hordes of high school tykes runting and squealing in global chat take me back to September of 2009 and the opening gyrations of the themepark orgy that was Aion. Only this time, there are no angel wings, there's but one faction, and the game's called TERA.
PAX East 2012: TERA hands-on
In the service of Massively's ongoing PAX East 2012 coverage, I spent some time today in and around the TERA booth, ogling the pretty trailers and getting a seat in a group press demo to tackle some fun high-end content in the form of a five-player encounter with an Argon boss. Read on for an overview of what I saw!%Gallery-152724%
Amazon offers exclusive mount for TERA pre-orders
With TERA's May launch coming up in under a month, the window to pre-order the action MMO is shrinking daily. Those who are loyal members of the En Masse Army have a tough decision to make at this juncture: Where should you pre-order? Amazon hopes that you'll choose it, of course, and has a unique bonus to tip your favor in its direction. Amazon has worked out a special deal with En Masse to entice players to its store. Those who pre-order with Amazon.com will be guaranteed an in-game horse mount that's decked out in all manner of wicked-looking armor (note that the armor appearance gives no armor bonuses.) It's called the Pinto, and it won't be found anywhere else. In addition to this special mount, pre-orders guarantee a three-day head start to the game, name reservations, and in-game gear. There's added incentive to getting in on any of TERA's pre-orders if you haven't already, as they'll secure your spot in the next beta test, which is scheduled for April 20th. Also be sure to check out a new teaser trailer after the jump that was released exclusively for Amazon for those looking to learn a bit more about the game.
The MMO Report: Shut up about Mass Effect edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey tells everyone to stop whining about Mass Effect 3's ending, laments the loss of the "online" part of Warhammer 40K: Dark Millennium Online, touches on the World of Darkness keynote, and outlines The Secret World's preorder plans. He also reveals the identity of one of TERA's key voice actors: Michael Hogan (of Battlestar Galactica fame), who will play Samael in the final game. Finally, he pulls one measly letter from the mailbag and debates which class he represents in TERA. Enjoy the full MMO Report after the cut!
En Masse reveals TERA crafting guide
Crafting probably isn't the first (or even the second) thing that springs to mind when someone says TERA, but thankfully Bluehole and En Masse didn't opt to leave the system on the cutting room floor when designing the new fantasy MMO. En Masse recently released a fairly detailed tradeskilling guide, and while it won't tell you exactly where to get rare materials, it does give you plenty of info on the basics. TERA features six different crafting disciplines, and your character can learn them all at any time. There are no training costs; all you'll need to worry about is finding patterns and raw materials. Crafted items are usually better than random loot drops, but generally you'll be outpacing your gear every five levels, so you'll want to upgrade fairly often anyway. There's a lot more info on TERA's tradeskilling system at the official website.
The Daily Grind: Do you like beta weekends?
I'm not sure when this whole "beta weekend" craze began, but with The Secret World now joining the likes of TERA and Guild Wars 2 in parceling out its pre-release access, it's safe to say that staggered testing weekends are the new norm. Personally I'm not a fan, as my weekend gaming time ranges from limited to non-existent, and if I'm hyped enough to play a marketing beta, I'd just as soon play it several hours a night. It's especially aggravating in the case of Guild Wars 2 and TERA, both of which can't even be bothered to turn on their testing servers every weekend! What about you, morning crew? Do you like beta weekends? 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!
TERA sheds some light on open beta as test weekends draw to a close
TERA's launch is now just beyond the horizon, and that means that it's almost time for the game's closed beta testing to draw to a close. Specifically, it means that this weekend will mark the fifth and final closed beta test weekend, so En Masse Entertainment has put up a new blog post discussing what was learned from CBT 4 and what players can expect from CBT 5, open beta, and launch. One thing that the team is looking at very intently for open beta and launch is the difficulty of the starting experience -- or perhaps more appropriately, the lack thereof. Players have long said that the starting experience is not challenging enough, and the team has been listening. On top of that, En Masse has been working on a number of other changes as well, including tweaks to the enchantment system, some additional equipment and skill options, and even an entirely new tutorial zone that "serves as the precursor to the current Island of Dawn experience." The full details, of course, can be found in the official post over at TERA's official site, so go on and read up and we'll see you in in Arborea again soon.
En Masse shares new TERA argon lore, screens
If you've been tooling around in En Masse Entertainment's infrequent TERA closed beta weekends, you might have caught a glimpse of the game's fearsome argons. If you haven't, well, suffice it to say that the argons are Arborea's big nasties, and in terms of lore, all of the world's races are banding together to fight the argon threat. While we're on the subject of lore, we've got some more of it for you today courtesy of En Masse's latest press dump. You'll find plenty of backstory on the argons after the break, and you can also see some fresh screenshots in our gallery below. %Gallery-88481%
TERA PvP battlegrounds won't be in at launch, delayed until 'late summer'
TERA fans who were looking forward to proving their mettle in PvP battlegrounds at launch are in for a bit of disappointment. En Masse community manager Minea stopped by the forums a few days ago to give fans an update on the game's development, and in doing so, revealed that battlegrounds will not be in the game when it launches in May. But before you take to the forums to kick up a frenzy (please don't), keep in mind that just because battlegrounds won't be available at launch doesn't mean that they're not in the works. Minea goes on to announce that battlegrounds are planned to be added to the game "late this summer." We hope that the extra development time will allow battlegrounds to be nice and polished when they finally hit the live servers. Until then, though, players will have to make do with open-world PvP and guild-vs-guild battles.
En Masse bringing TERA and sci-fi surprise to PAX East
PAX East 2012 is swiftly approaching, and that means that it's about time developers start announcing their plans for the show. Today, En Masse Entertainment joined that steadily growing roster with an announcement that the studio will be showcasing its upcoming action-based MMO TERA at the convention. Attendees will be able to get a look at a never-before-seen area of the game, so fans of the title would do well to stop by En Masse's booth to have a go-'round in the world of Arborea. To top it all off, the studio ends the announcement with the cryptic remark that it "will also have some new details to share that are sure to excite fans of modern sci-fi." We're not sure whether this means that TERA is going to be getting some sci-fi flavor or En Masse has a new project to announce or what, but we can't wait to find out. Of course, Massively will have its own presence at the show (including yours truly!), so even if you can't make it to Boston for the con, you can bet that we'll be bringing you all of the delicious, juicy TERA news that you could possibly ask for. In the meantime, though, just hang tight for a couple of weeks. We're sure it'll be worth the wait. [Source: En Masse Entertainment press release]
