During his time at the Game Developers Conference, Editor-in-Chief Darryl Gangloff got a taste of combat in a new TERA demo.

During my visit to the Game Developers Conference, I had the opportunity to get my hands on a new TERA demo and play through a portion of the Smuggler's Hideout instance with Producer Chris Hager and Associate Producer Stefan Ramirez. With these two guys playing as the main tank and healer, it's safe to say we took down one of the dungeon's huge bosses and emerged victorious. Of course, I like to think my damage-dealing skills helped out a little bit.

Before we dove into the demo, however, the producers took a moment to discuss the depth of TERA's combat. They explained how the team has focused on the enemy AI, the user interface, the combo system and “big ass monsters” to make TERA's skill-based action combat stand out among a sea of other MMOs.

An overview of TERA's combat

Ramirez kicked things off by giving me some enemy AI pointers. Each boss is going to have tells that will warn you of their next move. For example, a change in eye color could mean that you'd better get out of the way to avoid a major attack. Many enemies also have phases, such as becoming enraged.

“Monsters act like us,” Ramirez said, noting that many perform combinations of heals, dodges, blocks and summons. “Our AI creates a dynamic encounter every time.”

For the next lesson, Hager pulled up a screenshot of a cluttered user interface from World of Warcraft. “TERA's UI is much more simple. We have all the stats you need,” he said, referring to items like the health bar, mini-map and the abilities bar.

Players have the option to drag around each piece of the interface and put it anywhere they'd like on the screen. “You can customize the UI for your playstyle,” Hager said. “You eye is drawn to the center of the screen, which is where the action takes place.”

Ramirez then discussed the game's combo system, which allows players to chain together abilities to be faster and hit for more damage. Whenever a combo becomes available, the next ability in the chain pops up in the center of the screen. The player can then either hit the spacebar or press the ability's hotkey to continue the combo. “Our combat has a console feel to it,” Ramirez said, commenting that the game supports the use of controllers.

“TERA puts combat in the players' hands,” Hager said. “No two encounters are exactly alike.” To demonstrate that the game's action is based mainly around skill, Hager rolled a die to show how randomly you could win or lose in other RPGs. Players will need knowledge and practice to survive in TERA.

Lastly, Ramirez showed off some of the “big ass monsters” in the game. Why? Because everyone likes big ass monsters. Some of these creatures truly tower above a party and will make for some interesting fights.

Smuggler's Hideout demo outlined on Page 2.