I didn't have to wait to fight, making things much better. I was amazed how quickly the game brings me from guide island to the main match. Scoring my first mount just after the beginning isle is crucial; letting me get around the massive world was paramount (no pun intended) in maintaining my attention. Finding quests to level up me is easy too, making building my character into a powerhouse quick and painless. I kept playing and kept building, staying hooked the whole time. The game never left me in the dust, and that I appreciated it. That is another foible of MMOs which Tera Gold does well to avoid: new players like me will not feel behind the curve.

What is not as enjoyable, however, is the technology surrounding that combat. The game cannot hide its age however; I immediately see noticeable chips in the armor. Everything looks dated, from the environments to the character's animations. Six years worth of patches and upgrades, while effective, can only go so far, and this console edition of TERA doesn't do well in hiding the game's age. There is a very last-gen sense to the game, which will turn some players off right from the jump. I didn't mind the dated visuals after a while, but they're certainly evident from the get-go.

While the world might not hold up to modern standards, TERA's personalization package absolutely does. I get a ton of choices right from the jump so as to build the specific character I want. Gender, race, color scheme, class, you name it I can change it. Some races don't have genders, like the Baraka, but that is one of just a few limitations. I will say that the dearth of 3 classes available on PC, valkyrie, ninja, and gunner, is unsatisfactory however. I can only hope Bluehole makes them accessible to the console crowd soon. Luckily they are not a huge loss, as the available courses like the Berserker, Lancer, and Priest give me plenty of approaches to play.

Moving into this review I was fearful TERA Online would stick too tightly to the standard MMO tropes. I feared that I would make a personality, slog around the tutorial, and ultimately be bored after a few hours. None of that buy Tera Items occurred. Rather, TERA did a wonderful job of pulling in, keeping me about, and gaining my respect. It's not an ideal title, as six years of existence have produced a couple of inevitable quirks. None of them break the encounter, however, making TERA a no-brainer to get at least a trial run. PC-caliber MMOs used to be a pipe dream, but today with games such as TERA Online, they're a reality.