Some of you may have heard about TERA Online going free-to-play last week on February 5th, marking the change from En Masse's subscription-based model to a free-to-play model. In addition to the monetary change, the game's name also made a minor shift and in celebration of all of this, we're giving away a free Sleipnir mount and Arkai masks...some expensive cash shop stuff.

If you don't want to pay for digital goods like anyone else, there's a chance you could win one of these items by leaving a comment or message on our Facebook page. It's really that easy. We'll be giving away one Sleipnir mount and three Arkai masks.

Unfortunately, there's a word count I have to fill out, so instead of leaving the article like this I'll spend approximately two more paragraphs talking TERA: Rising.

The game launched last May as part of a series of new-generation MMOs focusing on high-end visual effects, high-fidelity character designs and non-targeting gameplay. All these hyphenated descriptors helped set the game and several other games in the MMO genre apart from everything else on the market. While a robust political feature, intense boss fights and non-linear fighting all helped give TERA some legs to stand on, it wasn't quite enough to justify a long-lasting subscription-based model.

Nevertheless, the game could potentially seek extended life through the free-to-play medium, which has helped stave off closure for other MMOs such as DC Universe Online, Champions Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online. If the game seems remotely interesting or if the graphics have a modicum of enticement for your visual palate, feel free to grab the game from the Official Website.

En Masse Entertainment sent out word today that the high-end, graphical powerhouse known as TERA Online has officially gone free-to-play. With the change in the monetization model also comes a change in name, with the game now being called TERA: Rising. It now sounds like some sort of Dark Knight tie-in.

TERA made waves thanks to its non-targeting combat systems, next-generation graphics and unique character classes. The game launched with a subscription model but given today's tight economic climate it just wasn't sustainable in the long run unless they changed the name to World of Warcraft or EVE Online.

Chris Lee, CEO of En Masse Entertainment commented about the change from pay-to-play to free-to-play, saying...

I haven't had the chance to dive into the free version of the game yet, but there are some really noteworthy systems about TERA that I think a lot of gamers will enjoy, especially the political system that allows a player to take control of a region and govern with an iron fist or with an air of leniency.

I imagine as a F2P title TERA may garner a lot more support as the competition is quite stiff in the non-targeting MMO arena, especially with games like C9, RaiderZ and Dragon Nest racking up massive followings and lots of positive feedback.

You can grab a digital copy of TERA: Rising right now, for free, by visiting the Official Website.

No more subscriptions? Well that sounds like a hearty option for success. En Masse Entertainment announced today that TERA Online, the new generation MMORPG from Bluehole Studios, will no longer require subscriptions from everyone, but instead gamers can choose an “Elite” status by paying monthly for perks or buying goods from the cash shop if they can't afford a monthly bill.

Chris Lee, CEO of En Masse Entertainment commented about the recent payment model change, noting...

This same method was also applied to previously sub-based MMOs, such as Champions Online, DC Universe Online, Star Trek, The Lord of the Rings Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Star Wars: The Old Republic, just to name a few.

The new payment options will coincide with brand new content being made available. Giving gamers plenty of new things to do while they don't pay a dime to do it. This includes new dungeons, PvP battleground map, and new PvP modes.

Free-to-play gamers will have access to all of the game's original content with no level or time restrictions. However, those who pay $14.99 for 30 days of Elite status will gain access to additional equipment, quests and perks, similar to every other F2P title out there.

You can learn more by paying a visit to the game's official website.

The action RPG TERA is about to get a bit smaller. Developer Bluehole announced today that they'll be merging the game's eleven servers into three.

The four PvP servers will be combined into one currently unnamed server. The same will be done for the six PvE servers. The sole role-playing server, Celestial Hills, will be untouched.

Bluehole advises players to take several precautions before the server merges begin. The cap of eight characters per server will apply even after the merge so if you have more than eight spread across several servers of the same type, you should delete the excess. Players are also advised to redeem level 60 Reward Scrolls, remove any sales from the auction house, and think of a few backup character names in case someone from another merged server has the same name.

Servers merges are typically done in games that are losing players. The servers become too sparse and this causes additional players to leave because there's no one else to engage in group activities with them. This seems especially damaging for TERA, considering its player-run politics.

“We’ve got several metrics to measure server activity—and many of ours are below the mark,” said producer Chris Hager in a letter to players. “We’ve also been listening to the issues our players have been having in the game: lack of resources, lack of groups, extended wait times for dungeons, and so on. We feel that the best way to address these problems is to increase the number of simultaneous players on our servers."

TERA first launched in Korea in January 2011. It debuted in North America and Europe in the first week of May this year.

En Masse Entertainment is opening up their action MMO TERA to visitors. New players can now try out the game with a free seven-day trial.

To start a TERA trial, create an En Masse account and then enter the code "TERATRIAL" on your account management page. After the code has been entered, the timer on your trial starts ticking. During this week of free play, you'll be able to level eight characters to level 23 on one server. You'll have access to the full game, other than a few restrictions on chat, trade, and PvP.

If you'd rather not spend all that time downloading the trial, you can get a free trial of the trial. The TERA demo, available here, launches in your browser. You choose a warrior, sorcerer, or lancer and then dive into the game's prologue. The demo features about a half hour of gameplay.

TERA, if you're not already aware, is a game that mixes MMO and brawler mechanics. Players can aim, dodge and block attacks in real-time. Your twitch skills matter as much as your stats, which is a rarity in MMOs. Another interesting aspect of TERA is the political system, which allows players to govern a province based on their ability to defeat other players in battle or round up votes.

The MMO launched on May 1st in North America. En Masse says that players have killed almost 22 million enemies since launch. The average player is said to play over 4.5 hours daily. Hopefully that means there will be plenty of other players around to help you out during your awkward first moments in the game.

Featuring a song that sounds like it came right off the Tron: Legacy soundtrack and in-engine visuals that are just astounding, the new cinematic for TERA Online easily puts itself in the running for one of the coolest game trailers of 2011.

Usually MMOs don’t have blockbuster game trailers and they usually aren’t very good, but Bluehole Studios’ action-oriented, next-generation online RPG really pushes the boundaries, especially with the following trailer.

Pretty freaking awesome, right? Well, if that’s not enough and you need a little bit more to hold you over as you wait for the game to release, feel free to also scope out some HD gameplay screenshots below.

I’m pretty sure this is going to be one of the few MMOs coming out in 2012 that will legitimately push most PCs to the edge when it comes to the high-end visuals. You can sign-up for the beta or just learn more about the character classes and gameplay by paying a visit to the Official Website.

En Masse Entertainment sent out word that the upcoming non-targeting, action-oriented, visually stunning MMORPG, TERA Online, will be arriving or rather, will go live sometime in the spring of 2012. In addition to this news eight new screenshots were also released.

TERA Online or The Exiled Realm of Arborea is a fast-paced, combat-heavy MMORPG that sees players teaming up in groups to take down massive bosses or own up on a group of mobs standing in your way. The combat is a lot unlike other games currently on the market, but could be compared to Vindictus in some degree. To ensure that the game offers up the highest quality of gameplay and manages to stay unique to its premise, TERA was delayed from a 2011 release and moved to spring 2012.

According to Chris Lee, publishing VP of En Masse Entertainment…

In addition to a revolutionary combat system, there will be a player-driven political and economic system, as well as plenty of character customization options and lots of great vistas to soak in. You can learn more about TERA Online by visiting the Official Website and don’t forget to scope out a few of the new screenshots below.