TERA going free-to-play worldwide in February

Gameforge and En Masse have announced TERA will become a free-to-play MMO in February. Bluehole Studio, the developer, announced the switch in December for the US and Korea.

The free-to-play model of TERA will have two base account types: the free user and the veteran.

The free user will be granted complete access to the entirety of the MMO's game content, including the races, classes, instances, equipment items and PvP. Limitations exist for free users in "functional option restrictions," such as the number of character slots or safe deposit boxes available.

Players that acquired TERA by purchase will be ranked as veterans and will earn this status whether they were active at the time of the switch or not. Veterans will be able to keep their 8 character slots, the amount of safe deposits and will be given a special in-game title.

Both account types will be offered the opportunity to become a member of the TERA Club, comparable to the current subscription. Players with a current subscription will receive automatic club membership.

Additionally, both account types will receive further advantages "with regard to game comfort: shorter cooldown times for instances, increased experience point yields or an epic mount," as a member.

A new dungeon as well as a new arena for 3v3 combat will be added when the game shifts to F2P in February.