Before the release of TERA in Europe, we were informed that Battlegrounds were not going to be implemented anytime before summer and this still remains. Nontheless, players were looking forward to all the other content present in the game and didn't take it that much to heart.
 

But during the Open Beta of the game and unexpected event took place, which we all remember as the "censorship debate". There the blood spilled by killing monsters and players got reduced to not mess with the PEGI 12 rating the game received in Europe.

As the reduction of the amount of blood ingame was not enough, Guild Banners also known as Guild Emblems or Guild tags, which are tera gold used ingame by Guilds to stand out, had been also removed, since Frogster struggled with several EULA violations which inappropriate Emblem designs evoked.

For the most part of the 10 days the game has been officially launched (over two weeks if you calculate the headstart for pre-orders), alot of players have reached the level cap of 60 by now and the Guild Wars made their appearance, turning all of Arborea into a warzone.

Only a few days ago the number of concurrent Guild Wars on the most populous PvP Server with the name Essenia was around 600, strengthening TERA's PvP focus as a Game.



Now with the upcoming patch, blood is returning in as an ingame option. Players will again be able to adjust the amount of gore on three different levels, depending on their taste.

Guild Emblems make their appearance too! It was a weird feeling for everyone that belonged to a Guild, to be running around with nothing but the name tag above their heads. Now all players part of a Guild, will be able to wear their embelm proudly.

The patch though is not only bringing back "lost" features but is also contributing to a better gameplay experience by intoducing the political system. Guild Leaders will be able to nominate themselves as Vanarchs on specific regions and make a campaign to get as many votes as possible.



The feature will be split in the three following phases:

Application phase starts on the 16th of May at 12: 00 CEST
Voting stage starts on the 23rd of May at 12: 00 CEST
Ruling stage starts on the 30th of May at 12: 00 CEST

So after a rather weak start, TERA seems finally to try and get a grip on the European market by having Frogster make small yet positive changes to their product.

Source: mmosite

If you've thought that a bit of political campaigning and intrigue was all that was missing from your complete enjoyment of TERA, have we got good news for you. It's almost time for the vanarch election wheel to start a-turnin', so start polishing your speeches!

Players elected to the vanarch position will reign for three weeks over their province. Vanarchs get to turn their whimsy into mandate by setting and collecting taxes and choosing which specialty shops to open up. They'll also be accruing fame (or infamy) for themselves and their guilds. Of course, not just anyone is worthy to rule o'er the masses: In order to be eligible, candidates must be the leader of a level three guild with at least 20 members, must have reached at least level 50 on their character, and tera gold must pay a fee of 3, 000 gold and 100 Catharnach Awards.

Sound like you? Registration for vanarch candidates opens up on Friday, May 18th, at 9: 00 p. m. EDT and runs 'til Friday, May 25th, at 9: 00 p. m. EDT. After registration week comes a week of voting, and then three weeks of sweet, sweet power. Registration for the following reign opens up in the second week of the on-going vanarch's office, so if you're interested in getting to the top and staying there, you don't have a lot of time to rest on your laurels.

If the mantle of power isn't made for your shoulders but you still want to flex your political muscle, be sure to vote! Each game account gets one vote per continent on a given server. Are your fingers itching for a ballot? Next week TERA's game guide will be updated with some more juicy details on the political system. Knowledge, after all, is power.

Source: massively

Your first few moments in TERA will likely be filled with confusion. The game's prologue, which aims to show you what your chosen character will be like at level 20, is a bit on the chaotic side. You're simply dropped into an intense battle with a wide collection of abilities and asked to fend for yourself. Sure, there are NPCs around to help guide you, but for the most part, you're stuck sorting out mechanics that are far beyond your current level of comprehension. It's a bit overwhelming.

Luckily, once you're done staggering through the opening, things get a bit simpler. You're give your lame starter gear, a quick cinematic that explains where you're going and why you're going there, and a couple of core skills with which to kill the many odd monsters of the game's starting zone. MMO fans will find themselves in much more familiar territory once this occurs, as TERA's starting zone is similar to any other starting zone in any other MMO and skills are acquired one level at a time.



TERA's opening moments, from the exhausting prologue to the run of the mill starting zone, do not do the game proper credit. Jogging around a neutral, safe island with a dozen other players and knocking off weak, boring enemies that don't do much in the way of defending themselves doesn't really help establish why this game is such a big deal, or why it's any better than the MMOs people are already playing. In fact, you wouldn't be exaggerating if you called the early moments of your TERA career "uninspiring".



However, everything changes once you hit level 20. At 20, you can run the game's first instance, Bastion of Lok. And in this instance you will develop the addiction to action combat possessed by all TERA fans-the thrill of dodging a boss's massive attacks and of kiting groups of mobs into tight packs for the sake of your tank. Bastion of Lok is not a complicated instance; but serves as the game's first true eye-opener; BoL shows you the game you've been hearing about since before TERA made it to North america.

Things just get more interesting from there. As you push through the levels that follow 20 and lead toward the game's current cap of 60, you'll face off with plenty of boring, grindy mobs. But you'll also spend a significant portion of time grouped with other players, working together to lay out "BAMs, " or "bad-ass monsters. " It is these moments of quick, high-stakes combat that helps set TERA apart from the pack. Put simply, no other MMO currently on the market is offering players the same level of excitement you'll find in crushing a powerful roaming BAM.



TERA's world is beautiful. The development team has wielded Unreal Engine like some sort of MMO fantasy generator, creating a vast, gorgeous world packed with tiny details and interesting monsters. The capital cities are especially well done, though they seem to be built more for aesthetics than convenience. Everything in the game has been treated with the utmost attention to detail, from the rotating gears of Velika to the trim on your character's itty-bitty armor bikini. It is one of the best-looking games on the market, by far. If you're attracted to eye candy, TERA is your game.

TERA isn't without its problems. The PVP system, as currently organized, leaves a lot to be desired. At the moment, it's mostly a noob-antagonizing gankfest. TERA's quests are also not particularly interesting, with the overwhelming majority relying exclusively on killing a certain number of nearby monsters. The presence of BAMs certainly helps to punch up the questing experience, but cannot alone stop TERA from feeling very grind-heavy. The combat in TERA is certainly fun, yet even cool mechanics and smooth animation can get old after a few hundred mob kills.



However, there is a very, very cool game hiding underneath TERA's boring hub-quest-grind progress system. And when that game surfaces - as it does in difficult boss encounters or in attempting to solo a BAM with nothing but a shield and a positive attitude - it is essentially unmatched by the other titles on the market. TERA is a game packed with fun, memorable moments, you just have to be willing to suffer some boring moments as you work towards the cool stuff.



As for the other elements you'd expect to find in an MMO, TERA has them all. You can buy and sell items through the game's brokerage interface, upgrade and customize your gear with crystals (and aesthetic-only changes), collect mounts and make new friends. You can join a guild, teleport around the world and participate in the wasteland that is general chat. If you're the crafting type, you will find plenty to do in TERA-the game doesn't require you to learn any specific professions and allows every character to tera gold gather and craft to their heart's content.

Overall, TERA is a compelling MMO with engaging combat mechanics. It's nothing revolutionary in terms of other MMO tropes, but the game's satisfying monster battles and reflex-heavy instances represent a nice shift from the ability skillsets of traditional MMOs. If you can get through the initial grind and make it to your first instance, you'll find a wonderful game waiting to be explored. TERA is one of those games that is very familiar, but still unique. And as the game grows, things will only get better.

8/10

Source: mmosite