TERA- The Crystal System of TERA

What do Crystals do?

Crystals are attached to equipment in order to improve a character’s chances of survival in a variety of ways. Crystals allow the player to improve the strengths that their class already possess, or they can be used in order to conquer any limitations the class may possess. This in-depth system allows the player to create their own style of play in a very detailed way. In TERA, Crystals are regarded as consumable items, meaning that if a character dies or if you decide to unequip the Crystal, it could be destroyed.

What types of Crystals are there?

There are two types of Crystals in TERA, Crystals for armour and Crystals for weapons. As you may have guessed, weapon Crystals offer bonuses and enhancements to your character’s offense. Armour Crystals, on the other hand, improve your character’s defensive and support capabilities. Crystals can be common, rare, or anything between. The rarer the Crystal, the more beneficial it is, and as you progress through the game, you will come across more powerful versions of Crystals that you may have already seen. What is truly spectacular about the Crystal system is that certain Crystals only activate under certain situations, adding a completely different dimension to character customisation and a much more tactical input than the simple “+10 Str” you commonly see in MMOs.

Time and place

As the sub-title suggests, these types of Crystals will only be activated once a certain condition has been met. This could be anything from being out of combat to attacking your enemy from behind. Whatever the condition may be, once it is satisfied, the bonuses are more rewarding than regular Crystals. Here are some examples of conditions that must be met for certain Crystals:

Attack from behind - the attack power of a player is increased if attacking from behind.

Knocked-down - This type of Crystal activates when the opponent is knocked down, increasing damage until they get up again. Also, certain Crystals are only activated if the PC is knocked down by an enemy attack.

Enraged - Monsters become enraged when in extended combat. Not only does the monster turn red, but also their speed and damage increase, meaning that the PC has to take appropriate measures. This is where the Crystal comes in! A PC with this type of Crystal has increased defence when the enemy becomes enraged.

A Crystal for every occasion

TERA´s world is littered with monsters with all manner of shapes and, more importantly, sizes. The size of your enemy can play an important role in whether or not your Crystal is going to work. TERA’s monsters come in three sizes: small minions, medium/regular monsters, and lastly your big, bad, and ugly boss monsters. It´s important that you mix and match your Crystals to suit the location and situation. That increased damage means nothing if it only works against small monsters and the big boss monster you´re facing makes Godzilla look like a cute puppy.

Here´s an example of a few monster-related Crystals:

Attacking small monster groups:


Domineering Rhomb
Damage is increased when attacking small monsters.


Squelching Rhomb
Increased critical damage when attacking small monsters.

Facing a boss:


Dauntless Cabochon
If knocked down by a boss monster, there is a chance to form a protective shield.


Acrimonious Cabochon
Increased critical damage when attacking boss monsters.

Crystals: a class of their own
Here you´ll find a few examples of how Crystals can be used to benefit the various classes.

Warrior


Warding Hexage
Chance to create a protective shield when knocked down. The protective shield absorbs a certain amount of damage from the enemy, protecting the player and letting them get back into combat.


Fleetfoot Hexage
Increases movement speed, even while in combat.

The Warrior’s strength lies in their speed and skill. Dodging fast attacks and attacking even faster is the name of the game for the Warrior. As Warriors only have leather armour, to increase their survivability, the Fleetfoot Hexage Crystal improves the Warrior’s dodging capabilities. Moreover, the Warding Hexage Crystal protects the Warrior should they ever be knocked down.

A Warrior needs good combat speed to get into advantageous positions and to complement their Evasive Roll and Death From Above skills. This is where the Fleetfoot Hexage Crystal shines. Although it may not be as powerful as the speed boost of the Swift Hexage Crystal, the Fleetfoot Hexage Crystal works even if the PC is in combat.

Lancer


Inspirational Rhomb
Possibility of HP regeneration for a period of time when knocked down.


Vigorous Rhomb
Constant HP regeneration. Essential to maintaining enemy aggro, thus complementing the Lancer’s role as a tank.

Because their heavy armour reduces their movement speed, the Lancer relies primarily on healing to survive on the battlefield. Skills like Challenging Shout maintain enemy aggro, and the Lancer’s mighty shield is used to neutralise a high proportion of enemy damage. As a result of this damage mitigation, even the smallest amount of HP recovery is effective for the Lancer, more so than any other class.

Slayer


Savage Cabochon
Increase in critical damage when attacking from behind. Major difference between critical damage from the front and from the back.


Triumphant Cabochon
Power increase when landing a critical hit.

Slayers pride themselves on their wide attacking areas, usually fighting face-to-face with the enemy. Because of this, it´s easy for a Slayer to slip behind their enemy and deal some backstabbing damage! This is where the Savage Cabochons Crystal becomes useful.

The Triumphant Cabochon Crystal adds even more damage to the Slayer’s attacks when a critical hit is landed. Together with the increased chance of critical damage from rear attacks, this leads to true devastation.

Berserker


Defiant Hexage
Increased damage when HP is below 50%.


Persistent Hexage
Increased critical damage when HP is below 50%. The increase in damage affects all attacks when low on health.

Berserkers are very unique in that they can sacrifice HP in order to gain MP. Couple this with the above Crystals, and they can be in complete control of when their Crystal capabilities are activated. High damage threshold and strong armour mean that they gain real benefits in sustaining damage. With skills like these, it´s hard to see why you would ever want to be healed!

Archer


Cruel Rhomb
Damage increase when attacking a knocked-down target.


Venomous Rhomb
Strong poison effect when landing a critical hit on a knocked-down target.

Archers can attack enemies from near or far, and they are unique in their constant barrage of attacks. They can protect themselves with various traps that can slow down or even stun enemies, leaving them open to being knocked down. When they are in this state, that’s when the Archer can benefit from the above Crystals. Because the Archer can unleash a constant stream of damage, they have an increased chance of landing a critical hit. So they can really turn up the damage counter and add status effects at the same time!

Sorcerer


Cunning Cabochon
Increases maximum MP.


Glistening Cabochon
MP regeneration when landing a critical hit from behind the enemy.

Sorcerers are very dependent on MP in order for them to deal out the damage they want. Like the Lancer, the Sorcerer can also gain constant regeneration – only this time it´s MP, not HP! A different approach would be to increase their maximum pool of MP, allowing them to last longer in battle, and only worry about MP regeneration once out of combat with skills like Mana Infusion.

As a result of long cast times for powerful spells, the Sorcerer sees fewer critical hits than other classes. However, with the cunning use of the Flame Pillar skill, which deals multiple hits, and the Glistening Cabochen Crystal, the Sorcerer can increase their chances of critical hits and thus their MP regeneration.

Priest


Infused Hexage
Continuous MP regeneration.


Warding Hexage
Chance to create a protective shield when knocked down. This Crystal is exactly the same as the Crystal seen in the Warrior section above.

Major MP is consumed when the Priest has to heal himself or his allies. It is vital that the Priest has enough MP to execute his role. What use is a healer if they can´t heal? This is where Infused Hexage comes in, allowing the Priest to constantly regenerate MP, so they don’t have to worry about how much MP is being consumed during combat.

As a result of the Priest’s cloth armour, they have to find alternative methods to boost their defensive capabilities. The Priest has fast self-healing spells, but, should he be knocked down, he is very vulnerable to attacks. Like the Warrior, The Priest can also use the Warding Hexage Crystal to neutralise some damage when in this state – then they can get up, heal themselves, and get back into the action.

Mystic


Infused Hexage
Continuous MP regeneration. Mystics need all the MP they can get their hands on!


Resolute Hexage
Decreased damage received when HP is less than 50%.

Mystics can be very versatile in the way they act in combat. Summoning creatures, casting beneficial magic to help allies, and directing negative spells towards enemies are just a small part of the Mystic’s arsenal. The Mystic’s spells either consume MP upfront or deplete their mana pool gradually. Either way, Mystics need to be careful it doesn´t run out completely.

Mystics also need to avoid receiving damage when their MP is too low, otherwise they will find it very hard to heal themselves. This is where the Resolute Hexage Crystal comes in handy, decreasing enemy damage should the Mystic be low on HP.