Big Ass Monsters! Or BAMs, if you prefer the slightly less exciting version of the term. This is what the folks behind TERA are calling what can best be described as “world bosses,” though you may find more of a similarity to the giant creatures in the Monster Hunter games.

Basically, beginning around level 18 or so, you’ll be able to seek out these BAMs either alone or in a group and attempt to defeat them. Unlike world bosses in your typical MMO, I was able to find tons of the first type of BAM found in the game, the Basilisk, in their designated hunting grounds of the Oblivion Woods. These creatures have a boatload of HP and hit like a truck, but if you’re skilled enough, you can solo some (or maybe all?) of them.  

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I’m pretty comfortable with TERA’s combat system at this point, but even so, I opted to roll with a group for my first go at a Basilisk. While this creature isn’t the biggest monster you’ve ever seen in an MMO, he will definitely give you a run for your money. Like TERAs normal creatures, BAMs have their own special attacks and tells for those attacks. The difference is, reacting poorly to these tells and taking a hit can spell certain death for all but the hardiest of classes. The Basilisk moved around a lot, forcing our party to reposition frequently, and he had a number of devastating attacks at his disposal, including a conical flame breath attack, a claw swipe, and even a move where he’d leap high into the air and come crashing down on the party. I got familiar with that last one by the tail end of the fight.

With a party of four, I’m not going to say the encounter was altogether challenging as it wasn’t. It was a pretty straightforward fight for me as a Warrior, though I imagine there may have been a lot more to it for the tank as he had to manage mitigating the Basilisk’s special abilities. I think what will really set these creatures apart is the challenge of soloing them. A simple search on YouTube will bring up tons of videos of other players soloing Basilisks and boasting about how fast they were able to take him down. TERA’s action combat ensures that a really skilled player may be able to take down creatures that would otherwise shred them apart in a toe-to-toe fight, and I feel this potential to solo these giant dangerous creatures will end up being the primary draw for people looking for a challenge.  

Have you fought BAMs during the various TERA CBTs? What was your take on the experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below!