See the problem with TERA is, what you described above. TERA is a Korean MMO with no Universe that people are familiar with. SWTOR, WOW, Guild Wars 2, Lord of the Rings Online, Star Trek Online, these all take place in a universe we either grew up with as a kid or comes from a another line of games we played with.
TERA on the other hand is a no name game from Korea with no history, no franchise to base itself off of and no real advertising. People are going to login and wonder why the heck little girls with bunny ears are running around, which is why its going to take a big flop when it launches.