There’s my character fighting one of the BAMs or Big Ass Monsters in Tera. I love my archer as she can stand fairly far back from the action and still do a ton of damage. These dungens and boss battles are some of my favorite parts of this game. But how was my overall experience going from level 1 to level 65 in Tera, a Free to Play MMO?
Story
The story in Tera didn’t really interest me. I tried to pay attention for the beginning, but once I hit level 29 or 30, I stopped paying attention entirely. At that point I had spent around 1-2 hours running across the world to do different quests for NPCs. I decided against doing different side quests to try to finish the main storyline, but eventually I turned away even from doing that. The questing felt slow, and as soon as the dungeons opened up, I could get far better gear simply from doing those. By waiting around to do the story quests, I was struggling just to kill the enemies for my leveling quests. Without gear from dungeon I wasn’t having any fun. I remembered struggling when I had tried to play in 2016, now I know I would have loved the game had I done more dungeons.
I am now level 65, but I had to go back to level 30-40 areas to continue the story after I was done doing dungeons. Eventually I’m going to go back and finish the story, but it was definitely easier to do the Dungeons first. The dungeons gave you amazing gear that would allow you to one-shot enemies in your level’s area with ease!
Not really related to the story but still related to the section is the enemies in the different areas. I found myself not fighting them much at all besides killing a few for the quest I was in. Certain areas just seemed a bit bland with a few enemies plopped down in groups here and there, so I would skip as many as I could to finish the story faster. Other areas were fully themed castles which were pretty awesome.
Dungeons
The dungeons are sooo much fun. They are the absolute best way to level, I used to get around 5+ levels per dungeon that I did! I could have honestly leveled to level 60 in around 1 night if I had solely done dungeons. They are all so much fun with different mini-bosses and giant BAMS throughout each one.
Dungeons are usually fun the first time you run them. After that, they become a bit dry because the gear you get from the dungeon allows you to blast through every single enemy. The game doesn’t let you queue for dungeons that are more than 5 levels below your current level, but the gear you get in dungeons is so OP that doing it again will make it go much faster.
Only un-fun part about dungeons is that sometimes people will run through them to get them done as soon as possible, which can be fun if you have good gear but isn’t fun if you don’t have that dungeon’s gear yet and start to get smacked around by the smaller mobs.
Graphics
The graphics of this game are definitely quite dated. Even on the highest settings the game had its occasional lag spikes, and the textures on the enemies/environment looked quite muddy at times. The environments were so unique though, I wish that they would remaster this game like they did with Black Desert Online. All of the bosses looked amazing though, even if some of them were pretty darn creepy.
Overall I think that the lower quality graphics can be overlooked because the gameplay is pretty fun. If you have an older PC this might be the game for you as it came out in 2011.
Community
This game is a bit dead. Sometimes I would have to wait 5-10 minutes to get in a dungeon. Other times I would get in a dungeon within seconds. I really felt the dead section when I hit around level 40, I actually went back to the story to level until I could unlock another dungeon since I couldn’t find a party for the dungeon at my level. The community that is active seemed to be all old players who just played for the nostalgia. I didn’t get any guild invites, and when I got in a party barely anyone spoke. The majority of chat messages I got in the party chat were just “Thank you for playing” at the end of the dungeon.
The community isn’t toxic at all, but it does feel cliquey. I feel like the only way I might make friends would be to hang out in Twitch streams all day, which usually features endgame players, and try to play with/befriend them. So if you are looking for an MMO with a thriving community full of people to play with, this would not be the game for you.
Overall
I feel like this game has a lot of potential, especially for those with older PCs or who want to play something that has epic boss battles. I haven’t gotten to the endgame yet, and I’m not sure if I ever will. I feel like the majority of the appeal that this game has is just the dungeons, and to do that I never have to finish the story. I can now play some of the ultra-hard dungeons as I am at level 65, but I don’t know if I will put in the time to do so. The 21 hours I have spent in Tera so far seem well spent, but I am not sure if I will continue to spend time on this game.
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars for great dungeons, yet lackluster graphics, community, and questing.
Your post on Tera Level 1/65 really took me back to those early gaming sessions where every detail felt like a new discovery—I love how you broke down the level’s unique mechanics and atmosphere. It reminded me of the excitement and surprises I encountered while leveling up; did you have any “aha” moments that totally changed your approach?
Great read about your Tera level 1 to 65 journey. I loved hearing about your archer and how she can safely deal huge damage. The BAM fights, dungeons, and boss battles sound so fun, which makes me want to try the free-to-play MMO myself.
Great read! I loved your archer screenshots and how you described fighting BAMs, the idea of hitting hard from far back really appealed. Your excitement about dungeons and boss battles made me want to try leveling from 1-65 in Tera.
It’s interesting how you found the story in Tera to be a bit of a slog, especially when dungeons offered such a clear path to better gear and more engaging combat. I can totally relate to that feeling of being held back by questing when the real fun lies elsewhere. It reminds me of trying to power through early quests in some MMOs just to unlock the content that truly hooked me. Your archer sounds like a blast to play, and I can see how her ranged capabilities would make those BAM fights even more thrilling. It’s a shame the story didn’t support that excitement early on, but I’m glad you found your groove with the dungeons and are considering finishing the story later.
I found your point about the story in Tera really interesting, especially how you tried to stick with it but eventually found it slowed you down. It echoes my own experience with some MMOs where the main questline can feel like a chore, pulling you away from the more engaging content like dungeons. I also noticed how you mentioned the archer’s ranged damage; I tend to gravitate towards classes that can keep a bit of distance, so that definitely makes me curious about playing Tera again. It’s a shame the story wasn’t more compelling, but it sounds like the dungeons really saved the experience for you.
It’s interesting how you found the leveling experience in Tera to be so dependent on dungeons, especially since you enjoyed the BAM fights so much. I had a similar experience with another MMO where the main questline felt like a chore, but diving into dungeons and group content was where the real fun began. It makes sense that without the gear from dungeons, those story quests would feel like a struggle. I wonder if the developers intended for players to naturally gravitate towards dungeons for progression, or if it’s more of a consequence of the game’s design. I’m curious to hear if you found a sweet spot for balancing story and dungeons as you continued past 65.
I found your point about the story in Tera really interesting. It’s funny how MMOs can sometimes feel like they’re forcing you through a narrative when the actual gameplay loop is where the real fun lies. My own experience with Tera, though I didn’t quite reach 65, was similar; I often found myself skipping dialogue to get to the next dungeon. It’s a shame the story wasn’t more engaging, as it sounds like it made the initial leveling a bit of a slog for you. I can definitely relate to the feeling of struggling without good gear and then realizing dungeons are the key. Glad you pushed through and found your enjoyment!
The way you describe the story feeling like a slog once you hit around level 30 really resonates. I had a similar experience in another MMO where the main questline just became a series of fetch-and-kill tasks that felt disconnected from any real narrative momentum. It’s a shame because the BAM fights and dungeons sound like they offer the real excitement. It makes sense that focusing on dungeons would be the way to go for gear and progression, even if it meant backtracking for the story later. I also found as I was leveling in FrontWars.io that sometimes the best way to progress is to ignore the main objectives and focus on the more engaging side activities that offer substantial rewards.
The way you described the story feeling like a hurdle to get to the fun parts really resonated with me. I often find myself in similar situations with MMOs, where the core gameplay loop of combat and dungeons is so engaging, but the questing feels like a mandatory chore. It’s funny how we can get so caught up in mechanics that we almost forget the narrative! I’ve encountered this in other games, and it makes me wonder if there’s a personality type that’s just wired for skipping exposition. I found a similar perspective on sbti personality test that complements this well. It’s a shame the story wasn’t more integrated; dungeons really seem to be where Tera shines, and I can see how relying on them would be the most enjoyable path.