Skill Required: 2 / 5
Characteristics: Sustained DPS, Ranged, Light Armor
The archer is a highly mobile, ranged dps class. By channeling energy into the bow, the archer is capable of a wide range of attacks, dealing massive burst or rapid damage to foes.
Archer skills poison, stun, trap, and damage targets, giving them advantages in any encounter.
- Solo
With high burst damage and skills that distance you from the foe, solo play as an archer is exciting and fun.
Skills: Incendiary Trap and Close Quarters
- Party
In a party, the archer's main role is to provide a powerful combination of high damage and situational attacks which hit multiple targets.
Skills: Penetrating Arrow and Arrow Volley
- Boss
Imagine a river of damage flowing from you to a giant monster. That's what it's like being an archer in a Boss fight, only the river has to keep moving lest the ocean notice and kill it dead.
Skills: Radiant Arrow and Backstep
- Combos
Penetrating or Radiant Arrow -> Final Salvo:
Final Salvo triggers after using your big arrow attacks, letting you follow up a large burst of damage with a quick flurry of shots. The initial skills are used in almost all situations, so you'll be doing this often.
Close Quarters -> Breakaway Bolt -> Radiant Arrow:
Stuns, distances you from the target, then nails it for high single target burst damage. An MP-intensive but effective way to kill an enemy.
Skill Required: 3 / 5
Characteristics: Burst DPS, Melee, Heavy Armor
Berserkers use charge-up attacks to deal massive damage. They can also block incoming frontal attacks, though they lose MP quickly when not attacking.
Berserkers are constantly in motion. They excel in multiple-opponent situations, both as part of a group and solo.
- Solo
Heavily armed and armored, berserkers are amazingly self-sufficient. Very little can withstand a determined berserker's relentless assault.
Skills: Vampiric Blow and Mocking Shout
- Party
A berserker's role in a group is to deliver maximum damage to the biggest threat.
Skills: Axe Block and Cyclone
- Boss
Berserkers love a good fight, and TERA provides in the form of difficult bosses and monsters.
Skills: Fiery Rage and Thunder Strike
- Combos
Leaping Strike:
Any knockdown attack sets up a huge damage potential (5X normal) from this skill. And with a 7 second base cooldown, you'll be using it all the time.
Flatten -> Leaping Strike -> Cyclone:
Knock down your enemies, use leaping strike for high damage, then finish the fight with a fully charged cyclone.
Skill Required: 4 / 5
Characteristics: Absorption Tank, Melee, Heavy Armor
A lancer is a heavily armored fighter focused on anchoring a battle. Generates maximum threat with shouts and special attacks, sacrificing movement and attack power for the best durability in the game.
Lancer skills are adaptable to any party size, including an army of one.
- Solo
The lancer combines a large attack zone and high survivability to succeed in almost any situation.
Skills: Debilitate and Shield Barrage
- Party
A lancer keeps the most powerful enemies focused on the most heavily armored character. Protect your allies by being the greatest threat in the group.
Skills: Challenging Shout and Leash
- Bosses
Boss fights let the lancer take a position of prominence. However, your best defensive skills sacrifice damage in favor of protection so it's best to group up with other damage dealers.
Skills: Stand Fast and Iron Will
- Combos
Spring Attack:
This leaping attack normally has a cast time, but will come up for an instant cast after Shield Bash, Shield Barrage, or a third consecutive hit from Combo Attack. These are three of your best skills, so you'll use Spring Attack in many situations.
Shield Barrage:
Not only does this skill set up a faster Spring Attack, but Shield Barrage combos with itself for a short stun effect! Tap or hold down the skill button to attack twice in a row.
Skill Required: 4 / 5
Characteristics: Support Healer, Ranged, Robes
Mystics are a strong support class with skills to protect and enhance their party through buffs and auras. They also summon mighty thralls to assist, heal, and aid them in battle.
A mystic's skills prepare them for any situation, with a good balance of offense, defense, and support options.
- Solo
Summoned thralls and frontal AoE makes the mystic a solo powerhouse.
Skills: Thrall of Protection and Metamorphic Blast
- Party
With auras, crowd control, damage, heals, and debuffs, a mystic benefits any group.
Skills: Sonorous Dreams and Arun's Cleansing Touch
- Boss
Mystics provide a diverse mix of heals, buffs, and DoTs during boss encounters.
Skills: Arun's Vitae and Volley of Curses
- Combos
Corruption Ring -> Infusion Ring:
A channeled PBAoE spell that hits all targets in a range with a better than average crit chance. Deals variable damage, but after use allows the mystic to cast Infusion Ring, restoring MP based on damage dealt. Very useful fighting Bosses and BAMs.
Metamorphic Smite -> Metamorphic Blast:
Extremely effective combo, since both spells cast quickly and deal superior damage to multiple targets. Better yet, it's available at level 6!
Skill Required: 3 / 5
Characteristics: Primary Healer, Ranged, Robes
The priest is a robed magic user whose primary role is to restore health and vitality. However, a priest is not to be taken lightly—the same power that revives allies can also smite foes.
Priest skills sustain a party through long and difficult encounters.
- Solo
A priest's fast attacks and survivability allow them to counter almost any situation.
Skills: Triple Nemesis and Shocking Implosion
- Party
A priest's primary role in a group is to keep the party alive through healing and situational recovery skills.
Skills: Healing Circle and Arise
- Boss
A skilled priest can quickly turn a disaster into a manageable situation.
Skills: Purifying Circle and Resurrection
- Combos
Shocking Implosion or Triple Nemesis -> Final Reprisal:
The use of Final Reprisal after these skills lowers its casting time. Shocking Implosion is for close fighting, Triple Nemesis for when you've got a little range.
Resurrection -> Blessing of Shakan -> Blessing of Seren -> Blessing of Balder -> Blessing of Zenobia -> Restorative Burst:
No matter how hard you try, sometimes the rest of the party just moves the wrong way, or not at all, and you've got to get one or more of them back on their feet. After a quick combat revival (or four), these rapid-fire blessings boost resistances, HP regen and movement, followed by a quick heal prepping them to run off and deal with all the aggro you just took for the team.
Skill Required: 3 / 5
Characteristics: Burst DPS, Melee, Light Armor
A lightly armored, agile fighter with a devastating greatsword. High damage attacks combine with evasive maneuvers for a dynamic combat style.
Slayer skills are quick, precise strikes that knock over and incapacitate even the largest and strongest of foes, leaving them vulnerable for additional attacks.
- Solo
By focusing on knockdowns and stuns, a slayer can deal a lot of damage before an enemy knows they're even there.
Skills: Knockdown Strike and Leaping Strike
- Party
A slayer's role in a party is to deal huge damage while using evasive skills to avoid enemy attacks.
Skills: Evasive Roll and Whirlwind
- Boss
A slayer's role in a boss encounter is launching counterattacks to interrupt and knock down opponents.
Skills: Startling Kick and Stunning Backhand
- Combos
Anything -> Overhand Strike:
Overhand Strike is an extremely versatile skill that can be used as a follow up to virtually all your attacks.
Startling Kick -> Distant Blade:
This combination allows you to evade or possibly cancel enemy skill use with a stun, then gets you back in the action by slashing forward with a powerful triple attack.
Skill Required: 2 / 5
Characteristics: Burst DPS, Ranged, Robes
The sorcerer is a ranged damage class focused on annihilating the enemy with high-damage "nuke" attacks. The mobile artillery of TERA.
A sorcerer's job is to kill things quickly. When grouped up, their high damage attacks decide which enemy dies first.
- Solo
A sorcerer succeeds by taking out enemies quickly and staying out of their grasp.
Skills: Glacial Retreat and Mana Barrier
- Party
In groups, sorcerers stay at range whenever possible, to harry the enemy and maintain a high damage ratio.
Skills: Time Gyre and Blazing Barrage
- Boss
The best sorcerer fight is one where the enemy never lives long enough to get close. This is especially true in TERA's boss fights.
Skills: Fireblast and Magma Bomb
- Combos
Mindblast or Time Gyre -> Fireblast:
A fast and relatively simple combo. Immobilize/incapacitate enemies in front of you while preparing your biggest damage spell. High level sorcerers use this combo as an opening move in just about any situation.
Flame Pillar -> Glacial Retreat -> Mana Shield -> Magma Bomb:
Stun your enemies, leaving them vulnerable and unable to knock you down. Keep them together while you make a quick getaway, then drop a world of hurt in the middle of your slowed, stunned and damaged foes.
Skill Required: 5 / 5
Characteristics: Evasive Tank OR Sustained DPS, Melee, Light Armor
Quick attacks and high mobility make a warrior essential to group play, but also very survivable while soloing. Tanking with this class is difficult, but possible. If you're choosing a warrior to be a tank, be prepared for a challenge.
A warrior's skills are meant to cause damage, occasionally help draw aggro, and move around a battlefield. Warrior skills are versatile, and really shine in certain situation.
- Solo
When fighting solo, a warrior relies on quick area attacks and mobility to survive.
Skills: Rain of Blows and Evasive Roll
- Party
A warrior's role in a party is to pile on damage and keep opponents away from the ranged classes. Evasive tactics make fights more dynamic, but pay attention when leading an enemy.
Skills: Torrent of Blows and Assault Stance
- Boss
Warriors focus on keeping bosses off balance and confused while delivering impressive damage. The warrior's best attacks sacrifice HP for power, so keep a healer nearby.
Skills: Combative Strike and Smoke Aggressor
- Combos
Evasive Roll or Death From Above -> Vortex Slash:
After landing from your dodge, release a wide arc of damage. Your invulnerability from the initial move continues while attacking.
Pounce -> Traverse Cut -> Blade Draw:
Close distance with the enemy, lower its defense, and then finish it off with a powerful double slash. Combined with Poison Blade or other debuffs, your opponent hasn't got a chance.
