Tera Online: Tim Burton Called

Tera Online
Mashup Video of my Priest in Popolion

  

 

My favorite game zones lean toward shire-like or Germanic folksy landscapes. I typically despise frozen zones and desert wastelands. In my experiences, they often lack imagination in their visualization – icy empty or parched empty…blah. Rift’s Shimmering Sands was a desert exception and GW2’s snow covered Frostgorge Sound delighted me and was the end-game zone I enjoyed best. 

Until recently, the only dark/haunted zone I’ve enjoyed was WOW’s Darkshire. Tera Online's Popolion replaces it as my favorite spooky zone.  When I first arrived I thought, “Ugh, the gratuitous spooky zone.” However, I was pleasantly surprised when I exited the township.

I think Tim Burton must have called to ask for his imaginings back. The area is so deliciously Burton-esk, it was love at first sight. Not to be left behind, Johnny Depp was there as a Blood Lord and Helena Bonham Carter, a Blood Maid. Well, not really or intentionally identified as such but could have been them all same, right out of Sweeny Todd. Popolion is perpetually twilight, something else I’m not fond of but this is hands-down my favorite Tera zone so far.

Now playing a Priest, I got to experience healing Sinestral Manor (SM) with more options at my disposal. Let me tell ya, it’s infinitely easier to do. For reasons unknown to me, the average player doesn’t seem to be capable of picking of healing motes to help themselves, even when they’re dropped at their feet. *sigh*

On my Priest, I had three really good runs through SM. It is a bit annoying that the dungeon matching system will put you into a partially completed instance without alerting you before the fact. You enter with a slew of quests that require a start to finish run for completion. Luckily, I had back-to-back good groups.

The entry way to SM is littered with Big Ass Monsters (BAMs) which keeps the area lively. It’s definitely not an ideal place to go AFK. I hide behind a cluster of trees near the one of the walls to avoid BAMs being pulled to the entrance by players carelessly riding by them. I learned that the hard way. The first time I did SM on my Mystic, I was existing the instance and before the location had finished rendering, I was killed by a BAM playing footsie with players and roffle-stomping NPCs.

The only thing I found annoying while questing, were all the interactions with Jelena who had nothing but snide comments from the 1st quest to the encounters with her inside SM. I wanted to slap her. Here I am risking life, limb and crystals to help out and she’s got nothing but lip in return.

Sadly, I’ve completed my stay in Popolion. I’m level 28 and riding off to the next zone. I hope it’s as interesting as the previous ones have been.

 

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Comments

[lostforever]

Tim Burton is the name that came to my mind as well when I first landed in Popolion! Nice zone and I quite liked the art design. Its things like these that keep my playing Tera. They have some nice touches.

I was level 30 when I got to Popolion, so only did the main quest and skipped all the rest. Did I miss anything? I was 32 after few SM run and I was lucky with couple of yellow items.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

Great minds think alike! *smile*

Only a cute quest to unearth what happened to a Blood Maid's husband that eventually leads you to opening his coffin and kicking his ass, then returning to the widow with the bad news. :-)

When I was leveling up the Priest right after the Mystic, I realized there is way more content than needed to out level each zone so I started skipping some of the more mundane yellow quests. This way it's not as repetitive if you have more than one character.

[lostforever]

You are right, great minds do think alike :)

I am also skipping lot of content on my Lancer if they are below my level. In fact I have completely skipped the zone after Popolion. This way I have something new to do on my alt.

I am thinking of either Priest or Mystic for an alt. Which one would you recommend please? I do like to solo quest BAMs.

thanks

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

Hmm Interesting idea skipping the next zone. I traveled to the hub and picked up quests. It's the dreaded wind swept bare zone and doesn't look nearly as appealing as Rift's equivalent so I was a bit discouraged. I might follow your lead and skip it as well.

I would say it depends on if you want to heal groups. Straight up solo against mobs much higher than you the Mystic's tank pet realy stands up to a beating. He may expire (20 minute duration) but he's yet to die in a fight.

However, healing the instances with players running face first into content and not bothering to pick up the vitae motes, the priest is the best option. There's a lot less micromanagement going on so you get to see the sights and encounters more because you have the AOE and HOT skills on top of an AOE cleanse.

Priest solos very well too but not sure it can pull off a BAM. Your heavy hitting damage skills are on 4+ sec cool down. The ever present and spamable skills require close contact something a clothie doesn't want to entertain messing with a BAM.

So if mostly solo and occassional group I'd go Mystic. If you want to main heal groups, especially instances, I'd go Priest which is why I changed from the Mystic to Priest.