Tera Guide

Enter the free-to-play world of Arun and Shara to join the Valkyon forces and battle against the Argon invasions. Select from 7 classes, complete quests in a beautiful world, discover loot, craft new items and level up your skills.

Follow my step-by-step guide on installing, configuring and optimizing Tera in Linux with PlayOnLinux.

Note: This guide applies to the Steam version of Tera. Other versions may require additional steps.

Tips & Specs:

Try SteamPlay before using this guide as Valve now uses a fork of Wine called Proton and should run most Windows games.

To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux Explained

Mint 18.2 64-bit
PlayOnLinux: 4.2.12
Wine: 2.20-staging

Wine Installation

Click Tools
Select "Manage Wine Versions"

Look for the Wine Version: 2.20-staging
Select it
Click the arrow pointing to the right

Click Next

Downloading Wine

Extracting

Downloading Gecko

Installed

Wine 2.20-staging is installed and you can close this window

Downloading Steam

Go To: http://www.steampowered.com
Click Install Steam

Do not click "Install Steam Now"
It will automatically install Linux Steam
Select Windows Steam instead
click "Windows" under the green button

Navigate to your desktop
Click Save

PlayOnLinux Setup

Launch PlayOnLinux
Click Install

Click "install a non-listed program"

Click Next

Select "Install a program in a new virtual drive"
Click Next

Name your virtual drive: tera
No spaces
Click Next

Check all three options:

• Use another version of Wine
• Configure Wine
• Install some libraries

Click Next

Select Wine 2.20-staging
Click Next

Select "32 bits windows installation"
Click Next

Configure Wine

Applications Tab
Windows Version: Windows 7
Click Apply

Graphics Tab
Check: Automatically capture the mouse in full-screen windows
Check: Emulate a virtual desktop
Desktop size: 1024x768
Click Ok

PlayOnLinux Packages (Libraries, Components, DLL's)

Check the following libraries:

• POL_Install_corefonts
• POL_Install_d3dx9
• POL_Install_tahoma
• POL_Install_vcrun2008
• POL_Install_vcrun2010
• POL_Install_winhttp

Click Next

Note: All packages will automatically download and install

Installing Steam

Click Browse

Navigate to your desktop
Select: SteamSetup.exe
Click Open

Click Next

Click Next

Check: I accept the license...
Click Next

Click Next

Click Next

Click Install

Click Finish

Updating Steam

Click the "X" to close Steam login

PlayOnLinux Shortcut

Select Steam.exe
Click Next

Name your shortcut: Tera
Click Next

Select "I don't want to make another shortcut"
Click Next

PlayOnLinux Configure

Back to PlayOnLinux
Click Configure

General Tab
Arguments: -no-dwrite -no-cef-sandbox
This fixes any missing font problems and the Store problem (Windows needs to be set as Windows XP)

Note: Click the + to download other versions of Wine. Click the down-arrow to select other versions of wine

Display Tab
Video Memory Size: Select the size of Memory your video card/chip uses

Close Configure

Launching Steam

Select Tera
Click Run

Note: Click debug to see errors and bugs

Click "Login to existing account"

Login

Click the Store
Search for TERA

Click "Play Game"

Uncheck "Create desktop shortcut"
Uncheck "Create start menu shortcut"
Click Next

Click Finish
Wait for 40 Gigs to download

Click Play
tera38.png

Optimization

Tera can run slow even with newer video cards due to the UI and streaming content. I found that playing in "Windowsed(fullscreen)" helped improve the frame rates. Also removing the GUI with Ctrl+Z helped to gain some frames per second.

Adjust:

• Screen ratio
• Resolution
• Fullscreen
• Windowed(fullscreen)
• Windowed
• Auto-adjust effect level while in a group
• Effects Level
• Lurid Display
• Presets
• Specific Graphic Details
• Adjust Texture resolution
• PC view distance
• PC limit
• Character
• Shadow
• Distan environment detail
• landscape
• Effects Distance
• Background Quality
• Background Distance
• Character Effects Quality (field)
• Character Effects Quality (dungeon)
• Travel effects
• Lighting Enrichment
• Real-time Optimization

Click Apply
Click OK

Conclusion:
I was able to run Tera on 3 different PCs with different video cards and play co-op with my daughters. The frame rates were bearable as long as you were not in the huge city. Even then, you can crank down the Video settings to gain a few more frames per second. I ran Tera on a Nvidia 750 Ti, GTX 9520 & GTX 1060. After reading the AppDB page, some gamers noticed that the GUI was causing some processing exhuastion. So I was able to gain some frames per second by disabling it with Ctrl+Z

Gameplay Video:

Screenshots:

 

The steam store will not display. I added the two switches to arguments but the steam store still will not display. I used the POL steam install. I wounder If that might be the problem. Maybe the POL version of steam isn't working right.

 

Make sure windows version is Windows XP
I'm still having problems with the game running slow in random areas. My daughters account runs great... not sure what that is about?
I matched all my video settings to her video settings

 

I already got it working. I forgot about the xp thing. You'd think the wine devs would have fixed this after all this time. I tried 64 bit, but It seems that wine staging 2.20 or the POL version isn't packaged correctly as something for the fonts is missing and wineconfigure can't display it's dialog box.

 

Yes, I've been dealing with this problem for a long time. Not sure why Wine isn't steamwebhelper compatible with Windows 7. But as long as you can download the game initially, once its in your library, you can switch it back to Windows 7.

There is a Steam packages in PlayOnLinux you can install during a manual installation. it will include the -no-dwrite command for fonts.

I didn't try Tera in a 64-bit virtual drive/Wine, please let me know what the performance is like.

 

As I said I was unable to get 64 bit wine to work as the package is brok. It might work If the package had the proper depends. Whether this is the fault of winehq, Kubuntu or POL, I don't know. If Kubuntu, then hopefully when 18.04 comes out wine will be fixed so both the 32 bit and 64 bit packages will work.

 

It's finally patching now. BTW: In case you don't know it is possible to install to a different drive when using POL. If the game ask you the location to install. When making a shortcut launch icon you need to select browse and navigate to where you installed the game, so that POL can find the excutable. Of course you still need a little space on the system drive so POL can make a small wine bottle and make the launch icon (s) there, else you couldn't make the link to the rest of the install.

 

I clicked play to see if it would work and it went to the character creation screen. I didn't install direct x or anything as I know that the newer versions of wine already have those installed. I only told it to install vcrun 2010. I did not install vcrun 2008. I will try playing in a bit. I like the music so far.

 

Yeah, surprisingly its a pretty fun game. Has all the typical MMO RPG elements, but some of the mini-bosses are pretty cool with multiple attacks.

No wonder I didn't try a 64-bit Wine and virtual drive. I couldn't remember why...

 

Now to try the game.

 

Why? What changed?

 

I just meant to try playing the game. It plays good and I didn't add everything you said. Just vcrun2010 and steam. Everything was either already in wine or added by steam when I played the game.You should checkout the wardrobe If you haven't already there are some cool outfits and mounts. There is a bunch of kid stuff in there, so you will have to look a bit.

 

Are you having any sluggish performance?

I still am... using Wine 2.20-staging with CSMT on and of, but still getting low frame rates.