Our final entry in the class skills features follows the same format as our previous one for melee classes. This one covers TERA's support classes: Mystic and Priest. What is each class like and how do they compare to each other? This overview will not only cover a bit about each class and the use of its skills, but also look at the pros and cons of each and see how both fit into different play-styles and roles.

Continue reading if you want to learn more about these two classes, to broaden your understanding.

You may have seen our previous entries in the class skills overviews covering the archer and sorcerer, but this time I'm changing the format a bit. There are four melee classes in TERA: Berserker, Lancer, Slayer and Warrior. What is each class like and how do they compare to each other? This overview will not only cover a bit about each class and the use of their skills, but also look at the pros and cons of each and see how they all potentially fit into different play-styles and roles.

Unsure of which melee class you wish to play or just want to learn more about other classes? Keep reading!

A common question that people ask is, how will tanking work in an action based Role-Playing Game (RPG)? In traditional style MMORPGs, as most of you know, it involves tanks that build threat, hate, enmity, whatever… using their attack and taunt skills. As a result of this, the mob focuses on that player, and in most situations, everyone else is pretty free to do as they please aside from dealing with positional Area-of-Effects (AoEs) or mob adds. TERA does have the traditional aggro and taunt systems, but what about special attack patterns, target switches and projectiles in an action combat system? What can you do beside relying on building and maintaining a numeric value?

There have often been many complaints about Mana Point (MP) pools, MP regeneration, MP restorative skills and items in prior MMOs. Some games even attempt to abandon the system and switch to pure cast-time (CT) and cool-down (CD) balance with certain skills requiring meter charging gained from combat. So how is it handled in TERA? Different classes have different MP generation and recovery systems which can basically be broken down into 3 aspects.

Next in our Class skills overview series is the sorcerer. In addition to myself, we're featuring guest writer Valaka this time around, to provide more opinions. Disclaimer: This is a basic overview of the practical usage of currently known sorcerer skills with my commentary. This piece is not intended to cover basic values and numbers, but rather to explain general pros, cons and situational purposes.

Want to know more about their attacks, movement, recovery and utility skills? Read on.

Here is a basic overview of the practical usage of currently known archer skills with my commentary. This piece is not intended to cover basic values and numbers, but rather to explain general pros, cons and situational purposes.

Want to know more about their attacks, movement, recovery and utility skills? Read on.

Hitbox collision versus hitscan detection; what does TERA use for targeting? Both!

While some actions performed follow styles of arc, linear, or projectile type and require hitbox collision to register, other skills follow a hitscan style mechanism. For those don't know these terms, think of hitbox collision as objects having to travel and touch each other, while hitscan is registering that a hit has connected if the reticle is over a target's hitbox at the time of activation. This is a bit of a simplified explanation, but other factors can influence this including latency and netcode design. Many other games have been known to use one or both of these systems.

However, certain skills in TERA which follow the hitscan system have something additional about them that you will want to be aware of. Read on to find out what it is!

Different games have handled this in different ways in the past, including practically instant turns and facings with continuous updates, delayed updates in intervals, a turn speed independent of aim speed in which your shots won’t actually line up until your character’s facing catches up, or not actually adjusting facing at all until one performs a movement or action. So how does this work in TERA?

Upon initial research, many people look at a few charts of starting or low level base stats and immediately think “Oh no! Why is Archer so overpowered?” Fastest move speed? Highest base damage? How can any class compete? Aren’t they basically invulnerable? Would anyone be able to catch them? How could they balance a game like this; they must have no idea what they’re doing!

Advantage versus disadvantage is not talked about too much within the realm of MMOs, because of the nature of traditional role-playing game combat systems. However, due to the emergence of TERA as an action MMO with hybrid elements from other genres, this is an important concept to be aware of and put some thought to.

People are used to thinking about moves in terms of just cast times and cool downs. When the cast time is finished, the ability instantly takes effect, and you are back to neutral status where you become free to move and act as you please. When the cool down is over, you are ready to go again. However, when you get into many action systems, there are mechanics and phases of animations, such as startup, active and recovery time, that you should pay attention to.