TERA

The Exiled Realm of Arborea a.k.a. TERA is a fantasy MMORPG developed by Bluehole Studio. The game originally released in Korea in January 2011 and was brought to NA and EU players in May of 2012 by En Masse Entertainment and Gameforge. The NA/EU version originally required a subscription to play but in February 2013, the game re-released as TERA: Rising and became free to play. It was later made available to players on Steam. While there is no longer a subscription, players can still pay a monthly fee for "Elite Status" to receive extra benefits including extra dungeon entries, special mount and in-game discounts as well as other items. TERA has since been released in China, Russia and for South-East Asia and in 2018 for game consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One.

On August 2020 it was announced that the En Masse Entertainment will shut down and give the publishing right of TERA's Console version back to Krafton Console Department. In addition to this, the game would receive an Enhanced Graphics Mode for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X (Xbox Series S included), with cross-generation cross-play between PlayStation and Xbox Players.

TERA is under constant development with new content added almost monthly.

While in-game purchases are not required to play, the store offers multiple items including costumes, consumables, loot boxes, boosts, mounts and pets.

Gameplay
TERA has same features as many other MMORPGs. Players can embark on quests, gather materials, craft gear, enter instanced dungeons, and engage in Player Vs. Player combat. Game has "themepark" style MMORPG leveling in open world doing quests until player reaches level cap.

Players can choose one of many unique classes for their character. Furthermore TERA uses classic "Holy Trinity" class system where class roles are divided to damage dealer (also DPS, from damage per second), healer and tank classes. Each role is imperative to a group's success within TERA's dungeons.

What made TERA special from previous games is its action-combat battle system; player must aim their combat skills to hit a target. Also player can utilize defensive skills such as dodges or blocking attacks, and positioning to gain the upper hand in battle.

There are seven playable races in the game and 12 classes. All classes from game release, which include Archer, Berserker, Lancer, Mystic, Priest, Sorcerer, Slayer and Warrior are available for any race and both genders. Some newer classes are gender and/or race locked, including Reaper, Gunner, Brawler, Ninja and Valkyrie.

Each class is designed to work both solo and in a group, but there are four main character focuses: tank, melee damage, ranged damage, and healing. When you team up, your character will be more effective as your teammates’ strengths enhance your own.

Lore
Ages ago, in a realm torn apart by war and strife, Arun and Shara chose to flee and start new lives. Using their immense power, they shaped a new universe and turned their backs on the constant struggles of the old one. They set aside their implements of war. Shara flung a ring into the sky and it burned brightly and illuminated their world. Arun and Shara laid down to rest and began to dream.

Their tears formed the seas and their bodies became the continents. Their breath created the winds and their minds dreamed up all manner of creatures and plants. From the heart of each titan came a spring that became the Fountain of Shara and Fountain of Arun. These fountains were the rawest source of primal power in their new world.

The Valkyon Federation
The Valkyon Federation is the primary government in the world. It's an alliance of races, unified against a common foe, and strengthened by trade and defense pacts. The seat of government is in, though and  also house major military commands. The federation is governed by continental exarchs, ruled by provincial vanarchs, and administered locally by either bureaucrats or military leaders. The Valkyon Federation has close “unofficial” ties to the Mysterium, an order of scholars and arcanists based in Allemantheia.

The Argon Invasions
The first argon invasion took the world by surprise. Otherworldly and powerful, the motives behind the argon attack remain unclear. Destroying or reshaping everything in their path, they aren't interested in resources, vengeance, or any other tangible motive. Their cold, inexorable advance was stopped only at great cost and by unifying the races of the world.

Though the world endures other troubles, a wary eye is kept on the argons as they reshape Northern Shara into a nightmarish, alien landscape. Small units of argons have been seen far south of their “borders,” and some within the federation believe the argons are positioning themselves for a final, fatal strike, while the allied races are distracted by internal and external conflicts.

Mobile games
There are least three mobile games based on TERA.

TERA M by Netmarble was released in 2017 in Korea. TERA Origin was released in 2019 only in Japan. It's really a remake of TERA M, which failed on Korean market.

TERA Classic from 2019 which uses Unreal Engine 4, newer version than TERA itself. Developed by Lantu Games. The game is published by Kakao Games in Korea, and Chinese version in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau by Black Beard Game (BBGame).

TERA Hero (aka TERA Frontier) is gacha style game developed by Red Sahara Studio using Unreal Engine 4, released on Korean market 2020. Kakao Games owns the global rights for TERA Hero.