One of the interesting issues in the MMO genre is the often glaring divide between players who generally prefer PvE game play and those who prefer PvP. The ostensible goal of most games is to quietly nudge players into PvP content once the end game raiding experience has largely exhausted itself. That doesn’t always work for those who simply do not care for ‘killing’ other players.
Enter TERA’s Coliseum mode, a new twist on PvP that doesn’t actually involve taking out the opposing team but rather focuses on two teams facing off against one another in a race to kill monsters.
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Coliseum is a competitive mode that places two teams of three players each in opposition to one another in a timed battle to kill as many BAMs (Big Ass Monsters) as possible within a given time frame. Set up to cater to players from levels 60-65, gear is equalized on entering the match which consists of three five-minute rounds.
As a round progresses, teams will also earn skill tokens. During the 45-second break between rounds, team leaders can distribute these tokens in one of three ways:
- Use tokens to purchase team buffs
- Use tokens to spawn additional BAMs for the other team to kill
- Use tokens to debuff the other team
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Teams will need to utilize all of their collective skills in a number of different ways to ensure victory in the end. The more strategic the game play, the more successful the team. Coliseum play is designed to challenge players to make the best, most efficient use of their cooldowns, pacing and sheer DPS to bring down monsters and to stay alive while doing so. Death, after all, only slows down the remaining survivors.
Lastly, balance will be key. While a pure DPS team may kill monsters quickly, there is the off chance that ‘glass cannons’ will be brought down in a single hit. Maintaining teams with balanced abilities that take advantage of each player’s skill will be imperative to winning a match.
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Coliseum looks like a lot of fun and a great way to bring reluctant PvE players into competitive PvP gameplay, albeit in a different way than most would expect. TERA players will be able to try out the new game mode when the free Fate of Arun expansion goes live on December 16th.
What do you think of Coliseum mode? Is it something that would interest you as a player? Let us know in the comments.
