Party / Group Guide

[Sairu]

Groups


What Are Groups?


[ltr]Parties (or groups) are a way for TERA players to team up and tackle challenges like BAMs, dungeons, or roaming world bosses. Parties are also a way to complete "regular" quest content quickly, and in good company. [/ltr]


[ltr]There are different ways to join a party—you can either create your own or join an existing one. Where do you find people to group up with? That will depend on what kind of party you want to join. There are pick-up groups (PUGs), "small" parties, and five-player parties. You can access the Looking for Group (LFG) option at any time by pressing the Y key.[/ltr]


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Pick-up Groups



If all you want is a quick party to do some adventuring, you've got some easy options for finding other players.


If you're looking for quest help, you can link the quest title in an open chat window by selecting the quest title with CTRL+Left click and ask for help from anyone in the chat channel. You can also type /locationto link your current position.


[ltr]You can also ask in the LFG chat channel ( you can add this to any tab by selecting Tab Options, and checking LFG. LFG messages display in bright blue text). To access the LFG chat channel, type /u or use the cursor keys to cycle through the available channels in your chat window.
When using the LFG chat channel, try to compress as much information as you can into a single message. Many players use abbreviations to get more information in their listings. For example, if you're a level 28 slayer looking for a Sinestral Manor dungeon run, you might type: L28 Slayer LF SM.[/ltr]


[ltr]TERA also has a built-in system to help you find players. You can access this system from the action bar's Social menu or directly by pressing the Y key. Once you've decided you want to group up and have opened the LFG menu, you'll see a list of parties and what they're looking for. If you can't find exactly what you need, you can create your own Looking For Group listing on this menu. To do this, select the create button, enter your search criteria (area, level range, classes), and click confirm. [/ltr]


[ltr]Once a party is advertised, any player on the server can apply to join. The party leader will receive a whisper with the character's name, above which will be the character's race, class, and level. You'll have the option of accepting or declining this application, based on whether you think the character will benefit your party. Once the LFG has five players, the listing will close itself out.[/ltr]



[ltr]Two- to Three-Player Parties[/ltr]



[ltr]The easiest way to form a party is to hook up with just one other player and tackle normal monsters or quests. Unless a quest is sending you against giant monsters or specific dungeon content, a three-player party of similarly-leveled characters can complete almost any content in the game.[/ltr]


[ltr]Forming a small party is less about character classes and more about play style. Fast, complementary skill sets and a focused approach are key. To invite someone you know to a party, type /invite USERNAME in the chat window.[/ltr]


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[ltr]Five-Player Parties[/ltr]



[ltr]Five-player parties are your best bet for big-ass monsters (BAMs) or dungeons. Full parties can accomplish just about anything, but players will still need to pay attention and stay on their toes. We suggest always having a tank and a healer in a party of five to increase the chances for success.[/ltr]


[ltr]Character Levels[/ltr]


[ltr]XP rewards in groups are based on the level of the opponent defeated, the total levels of the characters involved in killing it and their levels relative to one another. Groups with a wide level range are not a good idea if the lower level characters are looking for good XP and loot.[/ltr]


[ltr]Differences in character levels are especially relevant in dungeons, or when fighting BAMS. If a character is more than 4 levels higher than the dungeon or monster, the chances of decent loot drops goes down dramatically.[/ltr]


[ltr]However, working as a team grants an additional 20% XP bonus when killing monsters, regardless of the number of characters.[/ltr]


[ltr]Instance Matching[/ltr]


[ltr]If you're in the mood to tackle a real fight—right now—you might want to try Instance Matching. The Instance Matching menu can be accessed by selecting the red door icon under your Compass.[/ltr]


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[ltr]When you open the Instance Matching menu, you will see a list of dungeons you are eligible for based on your character's level and gear. You must meet the minimum level and gear restrictions (average gear level, based on items equipped and in inventory) to be matched with a party. If no names are displayed, your character is in-between dungeons and cannot use the Instance Matching system. You character can still enter a lower-level dungeon normally, however.[/ltr]


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[ltr]Instance Matching will group up people based on the needed roles. A party will consist of one guardian class (or tank), three damage dealers, and one healer. You can enter Instance Matching with your own party (provided you meet the role and level requirements), or be queued up into a party of players from multiple servers. [/ltr]


[ltr]While you're waiting for the party to fill out, you can still craft, quest, or explore. Once your party is full, you'll be notified and given an option to teleport to the dungeon entrance.[/ltr]


[ltr]It's important to remember that when using TERA's Instance Matching system, certain dungeons have a wide range of levels available for matching. If your party has more than a five-level spread between any two members, the chance of meaningful loot is drastically reduced. Whenever possible,TERA's dungeons should be played with parties of equivalent and appropriate levels.[/ltr]


[ltr]Roles Within the Party[/ltr]


[ltr]One important party aspect is understanding the roles each character plays. There are three main roles—tank, damage dealer, and healer. [/ltr]


[ltr]The role of a tank is to attract and hold the attention of the most dangerous opponent in a battle. You'll know you have a BAM's attention when you see a red circle on the ground. In addition to the red aggro circle, a character might also be sporting a purple one, indicating they're the target of an enemy skill. This typically ends up on a ranged combatant, but it's not uncommon to see a particularly effective tank with both.[/ltr]


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[ltr]The best tanking classes in TERA are the lancer and the warrior. You'll want one in your party. Tanks should use any skill they have that increases aggro (the lancer's Taunt is a great example, as are the warrior's combo attack and Rumbling Shout)[/ltr]


[ltr]While the tank attracts attention, the damage dealers concentrate on bringing the enemy's health down as quickly as possible. Damage dealers use high damage attacks to grab aggro—sometimes to the tank's dismay![/ltr]


[ltr]TERA's two types of damage classes are melee and ranged. Melee classes include berserkers, slayers and warriors—these classes get up close and personal. Our ranged classes are sorcerers and archers—they tend to hang back and attack at a distance. You'll typically want two to three damage dealers in your party, preferably a mix of melee and ranged. [/ltr]


[ltr]Healers are a key class in any fight. They concentrate on supporting the team and keeping everyone alive while enemies focus on the exact opposite. Healers in TERA don't just hang on the outskirts of battle; they're in the thick of combat just as often as they are out of it. They can also attract an enemy's attention with targeted heals—if you want to stay under an enemy's radar, use passive heals like circles and motes.[/ltr]


[ltr]Priests and mystics need to always be aware of their surroundings. These two classes also have an additional perk of being able to summon party members to their location. All balanced parties need a healer.[/ltr]


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[ltr]When Things Go Wrong[/ltr]



[ltr]Sometimes, the tank dies. This isn't always the end of the world, as long as you've got your healer ready to help. But what happens when the healer dies healing a tank or damage dealer? Things can get real bad, real fast.[/ltr]


[ltr]While any class can use a resurrection scroll, they have long cast times and can be interrupted by attacks. You really don't want this to happen, since the long cooldown makes using a scroll a "once-a-dungeon" activity for most characters. Someone's going to have to take aggro, and keep it long enough to get one of these key roles back on their feet. Get that enemy away from your fallen friends as fast as possible, and make sure someone can help them.[/ltr]


[ltr]After a resurrection, a character's stamina will often be at or around 0%. Low stamina affects HP, MP, and attack power, and you're little more than a walking target until this gets addressed. If you have time to rest up at a campfire, do so. But as long as you're not actively fighting, an Arunic Panacea potion will restore your stamina to full. As for your HP, you should make sure your healer is nearby, or you'll probably be dead again real soon.[/ltr]


[ltr]Leaders and Loot[/ltr]


[ltr]The party leader sets the loot options, accessed through the Party Leader menu. There are two types of loot options: round robin and free-for-all.[/ltr]


[ltr]Round robin will distribute loot to party members equally. Leaders can set additional rules for which types of items are sent to which party members, and so on. A very common set of exceptions is round robin with rare and superior items distributed via dice rolls, but only to classes that can use them.[/ltr]


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[ltr]Free-for-all takes the nice, orderly distribution and tosses it out the window. First come, first serve rules here.[/ltr]


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[ltr]After the Action[/ltr]




[ltr]Once a dungeon is finished (either successfully, or disastrously), it's a good idea to have the party leader reset the instance. Using the reset instance function will repopulate the dungeon and move all characters outside. This is not to say you can enter the dungeon again right away—most dungeons have a cooldown period—but your group can stay together and do other things instead of disbanding. NOTE: Make sure all loot has been distributed properly, and that all players have completed necessary quest steps before resetting an instance! Once you do, your instance completes, and any progress ends.[/ltr]