The Damage Classes in TERA
Most classes in TERA are damage dealers, also known as DPS. A distinction is made between melee and ranged DPS. Moreover, some classes, like the Archer, are constant damage dealers. Other classes deal strong burst damage and are known as burst DPS.
The Warrior – Tank or DPS? Both Are Possible!
Warriors are fast melee fighters in TERA who build a special resource for combat through combos. Warriors strike swiftly and deal strong burst damage to enemies. They can switch their stance at any time and thus become tanks.
| Role | Agile DD / dodging tank |
| Combat Style | Melee |
| Equipment | Leather |
Advantages: Warriors deal a lot of damage and are highly mobile. They also have a buff in tank stance that increases attack speed. As tanks, they dodge attacks and thus prevent damage.
Disadvantages: Warriors are not very sturdy and must therefore dodge. This requires great practice and forgives few mistakes. Additionally, Warriors primarily hold their aggro through damage rather than taunt skills, like the Lancer. Many burst DPS classes can quickly steal aggro from you, leading to a bloodbath among your damage dealers.
The Warrior in Solo Play: Since the Warrior can be played easily in DPS stance, he is a true killer dealing massive damage. Therefore, he is perfect for solo play, provided you can handle his mobility.
The Warrior in Endgame PvE: As a tank, the Warrior is currently the most challenging class and is therefore less popular than the Lancer and Storm Fury. Only experienced players can maximize his potential and thus enrich the group with a strong tank. However, as a DPS class, the Warrior rocks and is among the best damage dealers in the game. However, it is quite tricky to optimally exploit his combo system and thus reach the maximum DPS.
The Moon Dancer – Massive DPS
Moon Dancers, armed with their glaives, are among the strongest damage dealers in the game. The Moon Dancer is extremely mobile and already deals solid damage in melee. If she accumulates enough markings, she can unleash even more DPS.
| Role | Burst DPS |
| Combat Style | Melee |
| Equipment | Leather |
Warning: Only female Castanics and Elin can become Moon Dancers!
Advantages: When it comes to pure DPS, there is hardly a way around a well-played Moon Dancer. The sexy warrior marks enemies with runes in battle and uses them for devastating finishers. Moreover, the Moon Dancer is great for decimating small enemies and crowd control.
Disadvantages: If you want to deal the best DPS, you need to build up energy as quickly as possible. This requires a lot of practice.
The Moon Dancer in Solo Play: The Moon Dancer dances thanks to her high mobility and her evade and control skills in the truest sense around and through the ranks of enemies. Therefore, she is a great class for solo farming and slaughtering groups of enemies.
The Moon Dancer in Endgame PvE: If you master the Moon Dancer well and can use her runes effectively, you rock the top DPS spot in any group. Only Warriors or Berserkers can come close to the Moon Dancer after the update. However, you should master your class well, so there should never be a lack of group invitations.
The Berserker – Brutal Damage, But Only With Practice
Berserkers swing with huge axes, dealing decent area damage and rely on heavy armor and charged attacks. Furthermore, they can block damage – as a DPS class.
| Role | Burst DPS / Off-Tank |
| Combat Style | Melee |
| Equipment | Plate |
Advantages: The Berserker uses fewer skills, but they are charged and hit hard. These are effective against several enemies, making the Berserker a strong weapon against mob groups. When played optimally, he has good DPS potential; in addition, he can block and wear heavy armor. From level 65, he can also act as a tank.
Disadvantages: Berserkers require some practice to realize their full potential. Timing when to charge is crucial to avoid missing the attack and ending up in the dirt. Particularly agile bosses are challenging. Furthermore, they sometimes inflict damage on themselves with certain skills.
The Berserker in Solo Play: Since he dishes out good damage and can take hits, a Berserker is a good choice for solo farming. However, be careful not to kill yourself with your skills and use self-healing and blocking.
The Berserker in Endgame PvE: A skilled Berserker player can deal very good damage with this hero. Additionally, Berserkers can withstand a lot and therefore do not fall over as often as less durable DPS heroes – at least if there is a good healer in the group who can compensate for the Berserker’s self-damage. As a defender, he is only suitable as a secondary tank or in instances on farm status.
The Archer – Easy to Play and Constant DPS
Are you looking for a relatively easy-to-play ranged DPS class? Then the Archer is optimal for you. The bowman deals consistent damage and provides constant damage from a distance. He is also quite mobile and can easily evade attacks.
| Role | Tactical Sniper, constant DPS |
| Combat Style | Ranged |
| Equipment | Leather |
Advantages: Archers are good starter heroes because they fight from a distance, allowing you to calmly observe opponents and study their attacks. Additionally, you can set traps and lure enemies into them.
Disadvantages: Archers are fragile and die quickly if they get caught. Therefore, you need to position yourself well and might have to change positions often, which can throw you off track and cost DPS.
The Archer in Solo Play: The Archer can effectively slow and hold enemies. Together with his high DPS, he can farm well solo.
The Archer in Endgame PvE: Since the Archer is so easy to play and consistently achieves good DPS numbers, he is well regarded in any group – especially in dungeons, where melee fighters face strong melee attacks from the boss. So, if you prefer a reliable class that stands well in almost any situation, turn to the Archer. Due to his constant DPS stream instead of burst damage, the Archer rarely steals aggro when the tank happens to sleep.
The Arcane Engineer (Gunner) – Ranged Damage from a Secure Position
Arcane Engineers are a ranged class that works with a heavy cannon and has a robot as support. The skills of the Arcane Engineer focus on massive burst damage.
| Role | Burst DPS |
| Combat Style | Ranged |
| Equipment | Plate |
Warning: Only female Castanics, Elin, and High Elves can become Arcane Engineers!
Advantages: The Arcane Engineer is a nimble ranged fighter with heavy armor. Therefore, she forgives many mistakes and doesn’t fall right away when she takes damage. She deals good (critical) damage when played well. Her robot heals her and can send enemies flying. Additionally, her playstyle appeals to fans of shooters.
Disadvantages: The Arcane Engineer needs a quiet spot to effectively unleash her skills and build her willpower. If she has to run too much, she loses DPS. Her optimal rotation requires some practice.
The Arcane Engineer in Solo Play: The heavily armored ranged fighters are good soloists. However, make sure that no monsters knock you over or otherwise disturb you while shooting, as this class generally prefers to shoot.
The Arcane Engineer in Endgame PvE: The Arcane Engineer needs a secure position to unleash massive damage from there. Therefore, she thrives in a good group with a strong tank. If an experienced player plays the Arcane Engineer, her DPS potential is good. However, if you don’t know much about the class and don’t know how to position yourself, you will achieve little good DPS numbers and rarely find a place in groups.
The Blade Dancer – Complex Mix of Melee and Ranged Combat
Blade Dancers are melee fighters who can also strike from medium range. They are the only class that can do such. Blade Dancers build on combos and thus unleash their full potential. However, you need to practice a lot until you reach this point. You can only play Blade Dancers when you reach level 40.
| Role | Mid-Range DPS |
| Combat Style | Melee and Ranged |
| Equipment | Leather |
Warning: Only Elin can become Blade Dancers!
Advantages: Blade Dancers have a high range for melee fighters and are mobile fighters with combos and area attacks.
Disadvantages: To unleash their full potential, they need to maintain a self-buff. Additionally, Blade Dancers are more oriented towards short fights rather than long battles, as their attacks have long cooldowns.
The Blade Dancer in Solo Play: When you are alone, the many control skills, short damage spikes, and the self-healing of the Blade Dancer will serve you well.
The Blade Dancer in Endgame PvE: If a Blade Dancer is played well, she can achieve good DPS. However, this requires a lot of practice and good timing. This class is therefore only suitable for experienced players. It is still rarely played (source: Moongourd).
The Wizard – Burst Ranged Damage
Wizards are strong ranged fighters, much like Archers. However, instead of dealing constant DPS, the Wizard focuses his potential in powerful damage spikes. Therefore, he is known as a so-called burst DPS class.
| Role | Burst DPS |
| Combat Style | Ranged |
| Equipment | Fabric |
Advantages: Wizards are ranged fighters with high damage spikes, good damage effects, and are mobile. Their protection skills make them almost invulnerable, but watch out for cooldowns.
Disadvantages: Wizards require a tough skill spam for top DPS. If you do not master the rotation well and have trouble maintaining the limited mana resources, you will only achieve mediocre DPS numbers. As a ranged fighter with a robe, they are very vulnerable to melee attacks.
The Wizard in Solo Play: Here too, the Wizard must be played well to reach his full potential. Additionally, the long cast times stand in his way. There are better solo classes in the game.
The Wizard in Endgame PvE: In a group with a good tank and an experienced player, the Wizard can deal good DPS.
The Destroyer – Mobile DPS Class with a Random Factor
Destroyers are quite agile fighters with two-handed weapons. They deal significant damage and achieve solid damage potential.
| Role | Burst DPS |
| Combat Style | Melee |
| Equipment | Leather |
Advantages: Destroyers play intuitively; their combo attacks flow well. Their mobility is great, and the skills fire off directly. When they hit critically more often, they deal good damage.
Disadvantages: When playing with this class, ensure that you use your combos sensibly and always keep your buffs in view. Otherwise, you will lose a lot of DPS.
The Destroyer in Solo Play: The Destroyer takes out his opponents well, is very mobile, and can freeze his enemies.
The Berserker in Endgame PvE: In the endgame, the Destroyer gets even stronger and can further increase his DPS with new skills.
The Ninja – Simple DPS Class
Ninjas are fast melee damage dealers. They are easy to learn and use a special resource that they build up during combat, using it for their strongest attacks. Ninjas are quick to master and deal average DPS outside of their bursts.
| Role | Burst DPS |
| Combat Style | Melee and Ranged |
| Equipment | Fabric |
Warning: Only Elin can become Ninjas!
Advantages: Ninjas are relatively easy and direct to play. You move quickly with them and can use a dynamic playstyle. When trouble arises, you have good defensive skills at your disposal. When fully charged, you can unleash devastating bursts.
Disadvantages: Overall, outside of their bursts, Ninjas fall behind other DPS classes. They deal only average DPS.
The Ninja in Solo Play: Ninjas have useful control skills and can keep themselves alive with defensive skills. Therefore, they can indeed be used for solo farming, but there are better classes for that.
The Ninja in Endgame PvE: The Ninja falls behind the potential of other DPS classes, but since he is easy to play, average players can consistently achieve medium-good damage.
Next, we will continue with the healers and supporters!
