TERA is among our most hotly anticipated MMOs right here at IGN. With a colorful art style, inspiring visuals, with an action-based combat system where your positioning relative for a enemy truly counts, TERA is impressive on all fronts. En Masse Entertainment, the North American publisher with the Bluehole Studios game, have provided us the low-down (that's slang for "information", or "soulful a feeling of early blues" depending about the context) within the world of TERA, and now we will dispense with that soulful a feeling of early blues forthwith.
The arena of TERA.
Looking with the map above, you may see two landmasses – Shara and Arun – together with the Island of Dawn inside the middle. "Shara and Arun are not only continents; they're the sleeping types of two great titans," Executive Producer at En Masse, Brian Knox, informs us. "The races that survive each, too as the gods they worship, were dreamed into existence sometime ago by these fantastic beings." The Island of Dawn, meanwhile, rose up through the sea far later under very mysterious circumstances.
It is within this island that players begin their journey. "Almost immediately, characters face creatures they'll see in other parts on the world," Knox informs us, "but that are still unique and special on the setting. From giant, ambulatory trees called ghilliedhus to creatures as seemingly innocuous as pigs." At GDC earlier this coming year we got a possiblity to mess around around the Island of Dawn for the little while, therefore we discovered that in Tera Items, trees and pigs are total jerks. We also found out that for all of the jerkiness on the local fauna, the landscape they inhabit is exceptionally beautiful.
In film above you'll see lots of ruins, a campsite, plus a giant, floating tree with things (probably magical!) orbiting a corner. The real treats are, however, inside the background. The entire island seems to get encircled by waterfalls that is usually seen from all within the landmass. Keep an eye out to the wrecked pirate ship balanced precariously for the water's precipice. We really, really hope we are able to go there, though for the whole "raging currents" thing, it can be unlikely.
Just north on the Island of Dawn, a brown line cuts a swath from the two continents. According to Knox: "Long ago, the "children" of Arun and Shara warred against themselves. These powerful gods used powers and weapons unmatched before or since—and one went completely from control." It took the sacrifice of your god called Balder to cease the fighting, and that it was his selfless act that heralded the "Age of Mortals," which could be the period in which the experience takes place.
Spiritwood, showcased from the video above, will be the zone players enter shortly following your Island of Dawn. It is much darker, with torches lighting the road, and stony constructs dangling from tree branches. It is home to some location often known as Crescentia, which plays a central role in the series of quests. "The Devan bandits have virtually taken over," Knox explains, "and all of us have lost something…or someone." Devas – the race with the invading bandits – look similar for the Castanics (one with the playable races) though, as Knox informs us, "They may appear like Castanics, even so the two peoples parted ways sometime ago."
This final video above displays Deadwood Bog. "That area's part of any zone known since the Tuwangi Mire," says Knox, "a place inhabited by strange humanoids in the same name. Seemingly without culture or resources, the Tuwangis have somehow adapted "frogs" into any volume of uses." At least one in the uses includes makeshift balloons. You know, in case you require a frog balloon. Although this zone is not as visually striking since the Island of Dawn, pausing film while one with the totem poles is on display shows precisely how detailed the art really gets.
The geography has gameplay applications, too. Due on the nature in the action-based combat, using objects inside the world reveals strategic options. "We've come up with a world where ducking behind a rock is really a viable solution to avoid being hit by a panic attack." Knox says. "At exactly the same time, climbing standing on top of the stone idol may get you outside of reach of any lot of mobs, but also beyond range for your individual attacks"
Much in the world still remains a mysterious, needless to say. The large zone inside northern section of Arun, by way of example, is larger than any other within the map, and clearly borders the top brown scratch. We inquired about this area: "Like any classic adventure story, there's always a bit more to know in Tera XBOX Items than sometimes happens in just one release…. hypothetically speaking, certainly." Sounds like post-launch content to us.
