TERA was at PAX West with a great addition to its popular console line up. The Ninja class is coming to the PS4 and Xbox versions of the game with all the fun and speed the class brings. We had a chance to preview some of the features with its design and here is what we found out.
TERA is known for its fantastic combat mechanics. It remains one of the best boss fight games on the market and continues to drive the style of upcoming titles. Each class has to work together to take down TERA’s foes and as an MMO that part is very important. The Ninja offers a blend of strategy and well-timed stealth attacks which can be devastating. You can only play them as an Elin, but these tricksters make for the perfect combo.
Porting the ninja over to the console means timing the attacks and stealth combos within the gamepad controller. Using a mouse and keyboard is the normal way we all play MMOs, so adapting slightly to the gamepad design was one of the key things the team needed to do. Movement is a major aspect of the class and using your porting skills to get around enemies and set them up for those bursting fire attacks is key. It was easy to move around, but finding ways to use your stealth and teleports was a bit tricky. The Ninja is not a frontline fighter but can engage from ranged or close combat when needed.
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Moving in for the kill and then much importantly, getting out of the fight when needed was the biggest advantage to the ninja. The flame bomb was nice as it left a nice gift for your opponent. As you maneuvered around a target setting up your close combat became a big part of playing the ninja. The giant throwing stars or shurikens could be used up close to boost a great combo. Knowing when to hit that point was key and if you missed, it could mean some trouble. The best part is, using the ports to get out and then throwing the stars at range.
Chi is another fun part of the ninja. As if it were a magic-using class the Chi abilities harness fire and can hit your targets with several different skills. Burning Heat throws fireballs out and can easily be mapped to your gamepadd. You also have the Fire Avalanche which causes some serious woes for any target. The more enemies you take down the faster your Chi recovers. So combining this with the fast attacks of the shuriken can make you a solid machine of damage.
The ninja does suffer if it gets caught in the crossfires. Even though it is mobile and has plenty of escape options, it does not take the heavy hits well. Nor should it, it is a damage class which is designed around stealth. TERA has plenty of other big hitters to take the heavy damage in the game.
Overall, the Ninja coming to consoles is a fun boost for TERA players. The game’s mechanics are some of the best on the market so playing the ninja is fantastic for people who like speed and bursting out a lot of damage quickly. Not the best front line class, but you are playing a Ninja after all. TERA continues to do well on consoles and this addition will bring in a whole new dynamic to how players group up to fight their massive foes. The ninja brings a sense of speed and fun to the game.
