MMORPG: TERA has always held to having some of the best bosses in any MMO. Will the Dungeon Assault add to this experience for players?
Patrick Sun: Players will encounter brand new bosses with new game mechanics as they play through the collection of dungeons. Kezzel’s Gorge, as an example, features a forest giant hell bent on destroying a city as you deploy tower defense mechanics to take it down. Wonderholme is ruled by a maniacal caterpillar that uses a variety of confusion tactics to keep you a permanent guest at his castle. There are a lot of unique challenges players will face in Dungeon Assault that’ll mix it up from the ordinary raid formula to keep things interesting.
MMORPG: You mentioned adding some epic loot with the new expansion, what can players expect to find?
Patrick Sun: We’re introducing one new reputation set of gear, two new sets of gear dropped in the dungeons, and three new crafted gear sets that will now be the most powerful set in TERA. A lot of player complaints in the past are that sometimes the gear is not always best suited for the class that they play. The new gear coming out have individual sets geared for each class and play type, so players have the option of getting the ones that best suit them in the long run.
MMORPG: Can you give us the lore behind the Wonderholme dungeon?
Patrick Sun: Wonderholme is a mysterious castle that seems to have magically appeared out of thin air. Nobody knows how, why, or where it came from which has set researchers on a mission to discover its origins. The ruler of the castle, a disgusting caterpillar prince, started tampering with the new material, noctenium, which is how the strange rooms and creatures were wished into existence. The player’s mission is to rescue the head researcher that has been kidnapped by the lonely prince which involves putting an end to the prince’s twisted nightmare.
MMORPG: What can players expect to find in Channelworks?
Patrick Sun: Channelworks is a new 3 player dungeon that gives players the option of tackling it with any combination of classes. So if you want to enter with three mystics, then more power to you! A series of enemies and bosses have invaded the sewers beneath the Veritas District, and city water has slowed to a trickle. Players will team up with the defense sentries designed to maintain the sewers and discover who, or what, is behind this underground mystery.
MMORPG: Kezzel’s Gorge brings the defense element to the expansion. How will players battle it out with monsters in this new encounter?
Patrick Sun: The forest giant, Kezzel, is on a warpath of destruction, and players must race against the clock to take him down before he knocks down the final gate to the city. Parties of 7 players will use the weapons on their back and a series of environmental traps to aid in this tower defense. Timing and strategy will be key with drills, barricades, and cannons as players will need to manage cooldowns in between traps.
MMORPG: The Shattered Fleet adds another “Big Ass Monster” to the fray for players to tackle. How does this fight compare to some of the earlier big monster experiences?
Patrick Sun: The “Big Ass Monster” in the Shattered Fleet is a whole different animal. Normal taunts won’t work, and its attacks are unpredictable and erratic. The AoE attacks it has are larger than ever, and it even has focused attacks that can get you from very far away. Trust me on that one, as I’ve been on the receiving end.
MMORPG: The break down of encounters goes from small group to ten-man combat, was this part of the build going into the expansion?
Patrick Sun: The plan was to offer up a new series of dungeons that players could experience without having to require the biggest party. 20-man raids are great fun, but can be restrictive when you can’t get the other 19 people necessary to play. The collection of dungeons in Dungeon Assault can be tackled in groups of 3, 5, 7, or 10 so it opens up a wide variety of group dynamics and experiences.
MMORPG: Does TERA have any other plans for the rest of 2013?
Patrick Sun: There will be exciting updates for every month leading up to the New Year. We have a whole series of festivals, events, and tournaments lined up that will have unique rewards only available to those who finish all of the content.
There’ll be a big focus on these along with plans to refresh existing systems in TERA to keep up with dynamic nature of an MMO.
I’ll be sure to keep you up to date with more info when we’re able to talk! In the meantime, we welcome all players to keep an eye on the forums on the official site, Facebook, Twitter, and of course, MMORPG for the latest on TERA: Rising.
