These tips are fairly rudimentary, covering how to do basic functions like changing channels, zooming, opening up a new hotbar, and other things that you may find helpful as you learn the ropes.
If you’re curious about how the PS4/Xbox One port compares to the original PC game, check out my TERA console review. Spoilers: It’s exactly the same, but a year behind in patches.
How to zoom your camera out
You do not have to stick to the basic zoom level! Panning the camera back is a must, especially for dungeons.
Press the touchpad and then press L2 to zoom out or R2 to zoom in on PS4. I am not sure what button the touchpad equates to on Xbox One, maybe Select? Zooming should be controlled with LT and RT on Xbox One.
How to change channels
If you’re trying to kill a quest mob but are sick of competing with other players, you can switch channels to quest in peace.
In order to change channels, press the Options button to open the menu and then the triangle button to choose your channel. On Xbox One, press Start and then Y.
How to access your mounts and pets
TERA treats pet and mount summoning as skills, and as such, they can be found in your skill menu. Pets can be found under ‘Pets’, and mounts can be found under ‘Riding’.
How to access your pet inventory
If you’ve got Totes or another inventory pet, you will inevitably need to access its inventory. In order to do so, you need to add the special ‘Pets’ command to one of your bars.
You can find the ‘Pets’ command under the ‘Special’ category in your skill menu.
How to unlock the third hotbar
Oh yes, my friend. There is a third hotbar, and it is not that blasted wheel.
Here’s how you do it step by step:
Open the main menu Go to System Open Options Under ‘Control’, find the ‘Show extra shortcut tray’ option Enable it
After you’ve enabled it, you’ll have a third hotbar to work with when holding the L2 (or LT on Xbox One). You are going to need it.
How to expand your inventory
There’s actually a quest right when you enter Velika the first time that leads you to one NPC who can expand your inventory, but you can also just talk to the bank teller in Velika to expand it.
Inventory expansions get pricey; don’t go crazy on them at the start.
Crystals and you
If you’ve played up to at least level 20, you’ve definitely been bombarded with seemingly random items with weird words like “cabochon” in their name. These are equipment-enhancing crystals, and they are going to be a part of your life during your entire time with TERA.
The game gives you class-specific crystals from gift boxes while leveling, which you can attach to your armor and weapons for bonuses to defense, damage, healing, and so on.
Keep your gear stocked with appropriate crystals, especially once you start getting into dungeon running.
The best spot for the wheel (Button UI)
After messing with it and trying different combinations, I have to say that R2/RT is by far the best button to bring up the Button UI.
You’re going to be pressing so many buttons in combat that you need the wheel to be as easy to use as possible. If you have the third hotbar enabled, you can’t use L2 for the wheel. R2 is the natural option as it won’t tie up your other fingers while you’re trying to move, and you don’t have to double press to activate the skill.
I recommend keeping items and less-used skills on the wheel, rather than critical skills. If you do decide to move it to R2, consider moving your primary attack skill to R1 or whatever’s most comfortable for you.
Enhancing equipment
The game gives you a very brief rundown of enhancing your weapons, and I’m just reminding you that it is muy importante.
Whenever you get a new Avatar weapon while leveling, be sure to enhance it to +9 to get the additional damage bonus. Use the auto-enhance feature for easy enhancing.
TERA’s endgame is basically built around the enhancement system and boils down to getting more pluses, which is far more of a task than doing it while leveling. Think of enhancing your Avatar weapons as a learning experience with training wheels on.
How to use emotes
I’m going to be super honest here: I was disappointed there are no direct emote buttons to add to the hotbar and spam.
You’re going to have to do it the same way they do on PC, by typing out /dance, /sit, and all that fun stuff. It’s best to just play with a keyboard on-hand. Not for this specifically, but to communicate with other players.
Don’t open the cash shop in Velika
Let me save you the headache and tell you the game very well may freeze if you open the item shop while standing around in Velika. I’ve had this happen three times. Just don’t do it. Go somewhere else.
That’s about it for my tips for now. There’s a lot to know about TERA, but much of it is learned simply by playing the game. If I think of any other tips as I push through the console version, I’ll be sure to add them here to this guide.
