What is the difference between
the melee classes?
There are four melee classes in TERA: Berserker, Lancer, Slayer and Warrior. What is each class like and how do they compare to each other? This overview will not only cover a bit about each class and the use of their skills, but also look at the pros and cons of each and see how they all potentially fit into different play-styles and roles. Unsure of which melee class you wish to play or just want to learn more about other classes? Keep reading!
Summary and Roles
Berserker
Wears plate armor and is the more offensive of the two plate classes. Has multiple knockdowns, charge up skills and Area-of-Effects (AoEs). Is block capable. Can sacrifice defensive stats to increase offensive stats and provide some utility. Can contribute to tanking roles and also serve as a durable and powerful melee attacker. This class relies entirely on its basic combo attack to generate Mana Points (MP).
Lancer
Most defensive plate wearing tank with highest damage reduction on blocking and a counter attack skill. Is capable of ally guarding. Has a ranged pull to bring in targets or pull enemies away from allies and a knockdown to assist in disabling or peeling. Mobility options include a charge. Controls and defends a battlefield.
Slayer
Not really a tank but can be considered somewhat of a hybrid between the berserker and warrior classes. It has some mobility but not as good as a warrior's, and some respectable damage, AoE and knockdown capabilities like a berserker but without the blocking ability. This leather class relies entirely on its basic combo attack to generate MP.
Warrior
Very high mobility but weaker defenses due to being a leather class without a block. Focuses on being evasive and has many quick attacks which include travel as an inherent component of said skills which can greatly assist in keeping up pressure on targets. Can assist in disabling opponents with its AoE stun. Also has aggro/threat building skills which can make this class be considered an evasion tank.
Summary and Roles
Berserker
Wears plate armor and is the more offensive of the two plate classes. Has multiple knockdowns, charge up skills and Area-of-Effects (AoEs). Is block capable. Can sacrifice defensive stats to increase offensive stats and provide some utility. Can contribute to tanking roles and also serve as a durable and powerful melee attacker. This class relies entirely on its basic combo attack to generate Mana Points (MP).
Lancer
Most defensive plate wearing tank with highest damage reduction on blocking and a counter attack skill. Is capable of ally guarding. Has a ranged pull to bring in targets or pull enemies away from allies and a knockdown to assist in disabling or peeling. Mobility options include a charge. Controls and defends a battlefield.
Slayer
Not really a tank but can be considered somewhat of a hybrid between the berserker and warrior classes. It has some mobility but not as good as a warrior's, and some respectable damage, AoE and knockdown capabilities like a berserker but without the blocking ability. This leather class relies entirely on its basic combo attack to generate MP.
Warrior
Very high mobility but weaker defenses due to being a leather class without a block. Focuses on being evasive and has many quick attacks which include travel as an inherent component of said skills which can greatly assist in keeping up pressure on targets. Can assist in disabling opponents with its AoE stun. Also has aggro/threat building skills which can make this class be considered an evasion tank.
An introduction to Buffering and Canceling for TERA's melee classes
Dear Warriors (or any other melee class for that matter),
Please stop whiffing.
For those who aren't familiar with the term, you may ask, "what exactly does whiffing mean?" It implies something more than just a simple miss, which could be no fault of your own. A whiff is generally more of an error in execution resulting in a miss, consuming time and potentially leaving yourself vulnerable or having other consequences. There are some times where you may want to whiff on purpose, but that's an exception and related to other tactics.
I’m sure many of you who browse TERA videos have seen many Warriors whiffing entire attack chains into the air and wondered if the animations are designed to be that long and restrictive and how this could affect game play negatively. These videos feature players who have not yet learned the art of properly positioning and spacing themselves, as well as not having a full understanding of some game systems. There's no reason to keep whiffing attacks if you’ve missed any of the hits and are no longer in range, and it's easy to learn how to avoid this.
Two important things to consider.
1: the Buffering System. TERA has extremely lenient buffering for inputs which can store successive moves of your chain significantly in advance of any perceivable intuitive link point. You can think of it as a wide queuing window, even if it isn't exactly that. One solution is to stop mashing. Time your taps and you can start, stop or continue the chain responsively based on your needs.
2: the Canceling System. A very high number of moves allow for movement skill or block canceling. Essentially, by using a movement skill or block after the animation for a skill has started, you can cut it off and transition immediately into another action without having to wait for the previous animation to fully play out. This technique allows you to reduce wasted time on whiffed attack animations. By doing this, you can simultaneously recover and reposition or evade.
Additionally, a common complaint is how many melee attacks move the player forwards as part of the move. Please don't complain about this. Despite potential initial difficulties with spacing and aiming, this is a very strong tool that you can use to your advantage if you develop a feel for it. Get a sense of the speeds and travel distance and timing. Don’t be too lazy to triangle or circle around a stationary enemy and take advantage of when the movement strongly assists your ability to maintain pressure and offense.
Dear Warriors (or any other melee class for that matter),
Please stop whiffing.
For those who aren't familiar with the term, you may ask, "what exactly does whiffing mean?" It implies something more than just a simple miss, which could be no fault of your own. A whiff is generally more of an error in execution resulting in a miss, consuming time and potentially leaving yourself vulnerable or having other consequences. There are some times where you may want to whiff on purpose, but that's an exception and related to other tactics.
I’m sure many of you who browse TERA videos have seen many Warriors whiffing entire attack chains into the air and wondered if the animations are designed to be that long and restrictive and how this could affect game play negatively. These videos feature players who have not yet learned the art of properly positioning and spacing themselves, as well as not having a full understanding of some game systems. There's no reason to keep whiffing attacks if you’ve missed any of the hits and are no longer in range, and it's easy to learn how to avoid this.
Two important things to consider.
1: the Buffering System. TERA has extremely lenient buffering for inputs which can store successive moves of your chain significantly in advance of any perceivable intuitive link point. You can think of it as a wide queuing window, even if it isn't exactly that. One solution is to stop mashing. Time your taps and you can start, stop or continue the chain responsively based on your needs.
2: the Canceling System. A very high number of moves allow for movement skill or block canceling. Essentially, by using a movement skill or block after the animation for a skill has started, you can cut it off and transition immediately into another action without having to wait for the previous animation to fully play out. This technique allows you to reduce wasted time on whiffed attack animations. By doing this, you can simultaneously recover and reposition or evade.
Additionally, a common complaint is how many melee attacks move the player forwards as part of the move. Please don't complain about this. Despite potential initial difficulties with spacing and aiming, this is a very strong tool that you can use to your advantage if you develop a feel for it. Get a sense of the speeds and travel distance and timing. Don’t be too lazy to triangle or circle around a stationary enemy and take advantage of when the movement strongly assists your ability to maintain pressure and offense.