The Exiled Realm of Arborea is the full name of the game in short known as TERA. Bluehole Studio developed and released the game in 2011. You can try it out across Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
In 2013 TERA went free-to-play. This action attracted more fans, and the community is growing strong. As of 2017, the PC community has over twenty-six million people, and over two million people play on consoles. The updates for the consoles are slower than those for PC players, but I expect that even more people will start playing it because of the constant updates and new content the developers provide.
TERA has generally received favorable reviews from critics. Mostly cited that they liked the action-based gameplay (which is its best feature), the BAM (Big Ass Monster) fights and the vast world it offers. Also rated highly were the graphics and easy-to-use Trade Broker (auction house). The only criticism the game received was toward the game's generic kill/collect/rendezvous quests combined with the fact that some searches backtracked to talking to the original NPC.
Following its release, on the Steam platform, the game became the most played on Steam for a few months. Its all-time peak regarding player population was twenty-five thousand.
The game has the standard features of any MMORPG – questing, player versus player and crafting. What is unique is the real-time battle system that the game uses for combat. It also incorporates a third-person view. The most recent patch update introduced a new “open-world boss system” as well as a new level cap of 70 and new quests.
There are seven races allied with the “Valkyon Federation.” Each one has unique racial skills.
- Aman
- Human
- High Elf
- Popori
- Castanic
- Baraka
- Elin
TERA also has thirteen classes, each having its advantages and attributes.
- Gunner
- Brawler
- Priest
- Ninja
- Slayer
- Reaper
- Sorcerer
- Valkyrie
- Warrior
- Mystic
- Lancer
- Berserker
- Archer
Some of the classes and races have a gender lock, which is something the player community is mostly against. What this means is that for example, some people prefer to play male characters, but they can only play females as that race.
The lore of the game is also fascinating. It centers upon two titans Shara and Arun. They somehow fell asleep and formed the two continents in the game, named after them. As they continued to sleep, they began to dream, and their dreams came to life. That is how the twelve god-like creatures of TERA were born, and soon a war emerged between them. After that, the mortals were formed again from the dreams of Arun and Shara. Soon the mortals fought the gods, and many of them died mortals and gods alike. Even some races were wiped out. But as some faded others emerged. Today all of the Allied races fight together against menaces “beyond their world.”
I am not a fan of the game, but I can see the appeal. There is a reason why it still has a player base of millions.