So Terably good, it's IMPOSSIBRU!

Firstly, I decided to add a new label. Namely, Otherworldly Otiluke. This label will be for other games which I've played (or am playing).

So Terably good, it's IMPOSSIBRU!

You really have to give it to the Koreans. Not the northern ones, but rather the southern ones. Despite a Disney fairy tale ending up in a Kinder- und Hausmärchen, it must still be pointed out that Park "why always Park?" Geun-hye was the first female president in South Korean history in the same way Barack "always barracked by Trump" Obama became the first politician making the late Rodney King proud of being... well, black.

On a more comfortable scale, we have the K-showbiz (which happens to be far more cutthroat than Hollywood if you're to ask me). In fact, Park "why always Park?" Shin-hye will be coming to Singapore tomorrow. Just don't ask me whether you'll see me at Vivo City because I actually prefer Guts to the Beast. And no, it has got nothing to do with religious hypocrites getting pwned by some black swordsman on the run. I just happen to like broken bastards (even more so since I'm also one myself).

Then we have Tera Online. Or lesser known as that Lineage III which was never meant to be. Seriously, you don't have to be a Korean Park to know what I'm actually talking about.

And no, above trailer isn't for Lineage III.

So is Tera Online really that Terably good like what others say? After all, Steam gave a 9 out of 10.

Some things of note here

I tried going back to Neverwinter yesterday. I can't. The reason why being the zone chat in Summer Festival zone exploding into a Comedy Central. It was impossible to get myself into the mood considering all the talk about reptiles, Jews, Hollywood, and Doctor Emilia Clarke Who. The crowning moment of them all? A comment that went like "I'm an Apache attack helicopter gender-wise". I can't name the one who made that politically incorrect joke due to a global invasion of PC culture, but I really have to applaud him/her. Period.

During a chat with my (most famous) guildmate cella, he (yes, he's actually a guy b/c he said so) actually mentioned Tera Online being some sort of H-game minus the nudity and sex.

Seriously, you only need the next 10-20 seconds of your life to know what's exactly going on.

I think we really have to face up to reality. Despite having a much more conservative reputation as an ethnicity, we Asian guys are known to be closet horny. Let's just face it: Have you ever heard of someone saying no Singaporean has ever searched Daenerys Targaryen either on Google or YouTube? Either such a statement is a joke unto itself or it's bs. The SPG culture doesn't mean anything beyond the fact that every straight Singaporean guy would want to romance the actual Khaleesi herself (who happens to be only 1.57 m tall).

What to expect if you decide to take the plunge: Intro

Firstly and foremost, be mentally prepared for offensive images of boobs and ass aplenty in-game. This is if you happen to be a female gamer (and let's just face it. Real female gamers exist unless you're a sexist).

Secondly, you don't have to create a female high elf in order to satisfy your epically sexual fantasy. That is if you're a guy. Learn from me, I actually chose a male human slayer (but for some funny reason, his physique looks much more like the Incredible Hulk/that clobberin' Thing than Sagara Sanosuke. Not that the latter is anywhere more realistic anyway).

Basically, there are only two notable features defining Sonorff Argun. The first is a ronin style ponytail hairstyle, the other being my failed attempt to create a sanpakugan look. Apparently, the two images below list the difference between a female sanpakugan and a male sanpakugan.

Let's just hope that Sonorff Argun actually has that Miyamoto Musashi look.

What to expect if you decide to take the plunge: Social

If there's any notable failing in Tera Online beyond the most obvious fact that you'll see many an over-endowed Daenerys Targaryen running about (humans, elves, and pretty much the rest), it'd be the user interface for chat window. If you're looking for an idiot proof chat box, you're better off looking at some other MMO. You'll need to hit Enter and do some more stuff to configure. I've yet to try this. Which means I'm always silent in the game thus far.

However, this also means it's actually easier to do group search. There are times where you'll need to do lfg requests. So yeah, these things will pop up quite fast and easy unless you click the wrong chat tab. If you're out to do party chat, however, please don't do it in the middle of any fight. If you want to mark out any specific strategy, please be specific and do so beforehand. To put it a more sophisticated way, party chat is 100% strategy and 0% tactical.

At the same time, if you happen to join a guild (or if you're lucky enough like me, getting a guild invite out of nowhere), please check the guild quests. Unlike the standard fare, guild quests are decided by the guild leaders. Therefore, you won't be pressured to do any unless your character is good enough (at least level wise). In fact, it's quite likely that 90% of the guild quests available are for end-game characters, high elf Dany or no high elf Dany.

What to expect if you decide to take the plunge: Guilds

It's actually highly recommended that you should try finding a guild instead of creating one. In any MMO, guilds are aplenty. Simply put, there's a very real chance of you creating a guild only to see it tank like some horror show in Wimbledon 2018. So no, don't do such a stupid thing. The same goes for every MMO as well. Period.

In order to join a guild, it's best that you start planning once your character is nearing the level 65 cap. My experience so far is that doing normal pre-level 65 dungeons doesn't require much apart from having an actual brain. Trust me, I'm no Daigo, Justin Wong, or Kiyomatsu. More than gaming with my (somewhat retarded) reflexes, I get things done with my brain. Quite a bit like Archer.

If you're lucky enough to get an invite from any guild, just accept it. The guild leader is most likely anything but an idiot. You don't expect a mentally disabled person to run a guild just like how one doesn't expect a moron to be the 대통령 of 대한민국. Yes, I know about Sewol and Rasputin Choi. Let's not get into it, shall we? If you want to be an agent of justice, let Guts do it for you. He's been doing it since that fight against Nosferatu Zodd proved to be prophetic.

Okay, I'm digressing here (since I identify myself as a bastard rather than a leader). The thing is... well, I was quite honored (not to mention fortunate) as well to get a guild invite from a mid-sized guild. Trust me, the Korean blokes at Bluehole know a thing or two about what constitutes a large, medium, and small guild. To the people at Nagas with an Attitude (hope I got the exact words right since my brain has been running on borrowed energy for the last few days), thanks very much for giving me an actual reason to try slaying stuff with a slayer.

What to expect if you decide to take the plunge: Gameplay

Lately (or not so lately), it seemed that there were gamers wondering where the game would go. Before I joined in the fun as one of hardest characters usable, Tera Online was actually more challenging. The reason why may possibly be due to a business decision being made. The fanbase may think it's stupid, but there's a reason why any studio should be run by businessmen. It's called making money, whether or not we like it. It's one thing to retain your audience, quite another to grow it. I don't have to tell you why such a decision shouldn't be seen as gaming-related per se.

With that being said, it took me quite some time to get used to it. Unlike Path of Exile, the learning curve wasn't that steep. In PoE and Neverwinter, you execute hits based on your preferred combo sequence. For Tera Online, it's quite tricky especially at first. You have to gauge correctly the hitting range. Otherwise, your attacks will fail miserably. A tell tale sign would be the blue crosshair icon (for melee) and a flashier crosshair (for range). If you're not one to spot the circle 10 out of 10 times, then the only other way out is honing your gamer's instinct. Don't laugh, I know what I'm talking about here. I don't really execute hits like Griffith, I actually do so like Guts.

Tera Online actually utilizes a Diablo style UI when it comes to the power tray. If you're still used to the Neverwinter type UI, then your brain needs to operate at the highest alert possible. So far so good, I'm still using my middle finger on the W key with three other with my ring finger alternating between keys 1 and 2 while the index finger is alternating between keys 3 and 4. As a result, I can no longer execute hits on a rapid basis. I need to think on my feet and execute them accordingly. Hence, your default right click skill (if you can call stuff like evasion rolling as one) should be of paramount importance. Revolve your gameplay around what your right click does.

At the same time, your movement is a must. Assuming you're a tank, it means your back will be exposed in the worst possible case scenario (and trust me shit happens in this game in the same way crit happens for slayers). Assuming you're a dps, it means you're definitely screwed once you're forced (or even worse still, moving without thinking) into a corner. If you're fighting in open space as a tank (most notably as a berserker for the wrong reasons if the community can be trusted), either you'll need to find a wall or (even better still), try spamming any move that will hit everything within a 360 degree range. If you're using a dps, just try dodging out from the corner (be warned, though, that this tactic won't work if the mob is surrounding you this way). Get to know what your dodge/block (or whatever stunt Ciri is famous for) does for you. Even more important, please get to understand in which manner of circumstances will an attempt jailbreak screw you. The most straightforward way to do this is asking whether your character thrives better in open space or back against the wall. If you can't be bothered to think, move, and position, then this game is not for you. And to think why some section of the gamers are wondering why the game has gotten easier (not that such statements should be a lie).

When it comes to the moveset, don't be greedy. Chances are that you'll only be able to execute two types of combo sequences, three at the most. For me, I prefer sticking to one combo sequence. If you only know how to press spacebar, it's actually quite okay so long you'll be forced to learn why not to. More than the so-called Tera 3 hit rule, assigning each attack to a specific purpose is arguably the most vital aspect. More oft than not, consistently pulling off the 3 hit rule is a feat nigh impossible (if not, impossible altogether). Personally, I recommend slotting no more than 5 attacking powers (excluding the whole left and right click powers). Out of the five, I slotted three direct damage powers with one of them being my 3 hit rule. Two others are meant to be buffs while Retaliate is definitely a must (knockdown can be very deadly for any hdps build).

Note: I'll most likely be going back to Neverwinter more often. The current double seals and shards event is too good to pass up. At the same time, let's just call it an alternate means to discipline myself.