During our time at E3, we stopped by En Masse Entertainment's impressive TERA booth to learn how players can earn a seat of power in the action MMO.

Politics in Action

After whetting our appetites, the folks at En Masse sat us down for a hands-on demonstration of what it takes to remain in power. I selected my class along with three other companions and received a crash course in our roles and abilities. As the group’s archer, I was responsible for providing a constant stream of ranged DPS.

Once in game, we hit F5 to activate our special Vanarch posse mounts and followed our benevolent Vanarch Landon. The quest itself was rather simple —track down and kill a big hulking monster. I guess the idea is that by ridding the community of epic-level mobs it promotes peace and a sense of tranquility in the neighborhood.

TERA’s combat system was intuitive and easy to catch on to. Combat skills and abilities were on the familiar hotkey settings (1-0). Using my character’s special abilities to build combos was straightforward. I especially enjoyed my class’s unique attacks that allowed rapid firing arrows and building attack power to launch a massive strike. When I inevitably landed aggro on some wandering enemies, I found my character’s ability to do a melee swipe with my bow before jumping backwards extremely useful.

Despite a couple of close calls, our group prevailed and our Vanarch remained in office.

Closing Thoughts

The question with TERA is if its reach exceeds its grasp. If En Masse can deliver on these innovations, it will have proven that TERA isn’t just a localized version of a game imported from Korea. The idea of expanding the role of politics in an MMORPG is long over due and could create a whole new dynamic for players to enjoy. Based on what I saw at E3, TERA holds a lot of potential and will definitely be a game that I’ll follow over the next few months.

Christopher "Aurum" Wyatt