The Secret World

It's not often that my writings take a ranty slant, In fact, I don't believe I have ever expressed anything along those lines here in Chaos Theory -- although I have a time or two elsewhere. Blue moons come and go much more frequently than I don my Massively-standard-issue flame-retardant garb and venture forth. But right here, right now looks to be one of those times, and I'm already suiting up. So what about The Secret World has me riled up enough to flex my woefully underused ranting muscle?

Nothing.

Seriously, I can't call to mind a single thing in the game deserving of a rant. Sure, TSW isn't perfect; there are flaws and there are things that could use improving, things that are certainly worth discussing. But rant-inducing? Nope. Too bad the same can't be said for people.

It doesn't matter how many times I've witnessed it: It never ceases to amaze me when folks trumpet their own opinions as fact while insisting dissenting opinions can't possibly exist. It's like they board the crazy train where the lines between opinion and fact are swirled together like coffee and creamer, where reality and logic are tossed right out the window. So as a public service, I'm going to derail that train.

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For all those who've been trying so hard to predict gloom and doom for The Secret World, I say Nyeh nyeh because the April producer's letter announcing Issue #7 pretty much flies in the face of all your it's-gonna-die whimperings. In fact, I can't believe we still hear them because TSW just keeps getting better and better. Where's the duct tape when you need it...

While it's true we don't have monthly updates anymore (and that's totally understandable, given the restructuring that devs certainly couldn't predict), Secret World fans are still getting frequent, and more importantly extremely fun, updates. Just look at The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn and The Last Train to Cairo; both of these issues brought interesting new storylines and a decent helping of new features. Some even say these updates introduced the best content so far. With that track record, who can't help but be totally psyched for the upcoming Issue #7?

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One of The Secret World's most unique elements makes it ripe for producing immersive experiences, even outside of the game. Set in the modern real world (as opposed to the fantasy or even sci-fi themes prevalent in our MMOverse), a game can more easily blur the line between logged in and logged out. Players can, and do, generate ways to be a part of the game while still out and about in the real world. Today, I'm going to shine a spotlight on two of these projects that use very different methods to continue immersion beyond actual gameplay.

In January, one TSW fan ran an Alternate-Reality Game (ARG) for fellow players. Using Twitter, the forums, email, and even in-game characters, this player orchestrated a full-on investigation for participants to work through. And just recently, a new site offering to immerse players more deeply into the game through imagery was beta-launched. Both projects further player involvement in the world of the game -- the stories, the conspiracies, the histories, and the surroundings -- beyond the actual game. Both received support from Funcom in their efforts to expand the fans' experiences. And both are definitely worth checking out, so I sat down with the creators to get the scoop on the why, the how, and the what's next.

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Just because you have passing familiarity with Superman and Batman doesn't mean you know jack about the real superheroes who do all of the dirty work while the headliners steal the signal light. For instance, have you met this guy? If you haven't, let reader Russell make your acquaintance.

"This is my Brawling Juggernaut in DC Universe Online, known by many as Orange Crush," Russell begins with aplomb. "Here he is in pursuit of justice, on the way to laying some Crush down on the villains of our great and beloved Gotham City!"

Will Orange Crush arrive in time? Tune in to the rest of this column after the break!

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Celebrates what, you might ask? Funcom certainly doesn't need a reason to celebrate as the studio is dubbing this upcoming weekend as a golden weekend in The Secret World, full of prizes and rewards.

First off, for every Ability Point earned this weekend, you get a free bonus point which is stackable with item store Timed Ability Point boosts. You can also earn a free month of membership for every new player you recruit who purchases the game in the next 30 days. And to top it all off, you get 30% extra bonus points every time you purchase Funcom points.

The Secret World's Golden Weekend event runs from this Friday, May 3, at 9am EDT through Sunday, May 5.

April's Game Director letter for The Secret World is hot off the presses, and in it Joel Bylos shared some juicy morsels about the next issue in store for the horror and conspiracy-laced game. He revealed that whereas Issue #6 was spiced with an Indiana Jones flavor, Issue #7 will be sprinkled with a distinct 007 zest. Yes, Bond. James Bond.

Set in Transylvania, Issue #7 directs players to investigate the presence of the werewolves in the area, which ultimately leads them to an Orochi facility secreted away below a glacier in the Carpathian Fangs. Along the way, players get to experience adventures as a secret agent, complete with daring chases (a snowmobile one at that!), dare-devil jumps from exploding bridges, and close shaves with laser beams near sensitive areas. There's also a new auxiliary weapon to brandish -- the flamethrower.

But the new goodies don't stop there. Bylos introduced a new feature that allows for custom streaming of radio stations or playlists directly into the client as well as a some PvP changes including tweaks to the matchmaking system. He concluded with some teasers about Black Ops and Issue #8. For all the details, check out the full letter.

It's no secret that The Secret World is just a wee bit different than the majority of MMORPGs out there. Hallelujah for that, right? And one notable area it differs from the rest is how it treats gear and classes. As such, players can't necessarily bring habits and know-how from other titles and translate that into immediate success in TSW. It's no wonder that even good players can sometimes feel stumped or at a loss when navigating through builds. For that very reason, Chaos Theory brought you the first episode of What Not to Wear, a live makeover that focused on sharing hints and tips that non-theorycrafters (like yours truly) could use as a base for forging their own path.

It was a simple makeover really -- just minor changes in my focus and equipment using gear I already had in my bag and abilities I already had access to. Did it help? Did my effectiveness as a damage-dealer increase? The outcome was rather surprising.

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If you've played The Secret World for more than five minutes, you're probably aware of the fact that it has some of the most extensive outfit options of any MMORPG on the market. If you're not aware of that fact, well, you're the target audience of Funcom's latest dev blog.

It's all about avatar customization, and it details how TSW's stats are kept separate from clothing items in order to satisfy your inner min-maxer and fashion maven simultaneously. Since the game is set in the modern world, you'll find many authentic styles available to earn in-game or purchase through the cash shop. If you're a fan of the otherworldly, don't fret. There are plenty of sci-fi, steampunk, horror, fantasy, and medieval get-ups as well.

After discussing last week that build creation was on the minds of many a Secret World fan, I promised to provide some hints and tips on how to better maximize your performance in game. It truly is a topic relevant to all players, even those who aren't focused on or interested in endgame. After all, even folks (like yours truly) who are in it mainly for the awesome story may find their ability to continue with said story hampered at some point by an insufficient build.

With a limit of only seven active (eight if you have an auxiliary weapon) and seven passive skills available to use at any time, creating a build in The Secret World is not quite like most other MMOs, so you can't just automatically throw on gear of a higher level and call it good. Sure, you can eventually pound your way through many things, but you can save yourself some time and frustration by understanding a bit about how the gear works together with your skills. That's where today's Chaos Theory comes in.

What better way to inform and entertain you than to open myself up for some theorycrafting by someone who has a better knack for it? Using my little Illuminati as our guinea pig, I've bared her gear for all to see and learn what can be done to improve. With that, I welcome you to the first episode of "What Not to Wear in TSW"!

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There's probably no gulf as wide as the one between historical pirates and the pop culture versions that we venerate. As a guy who had a pirate-themed 30th birthday party, I can't say that I'm against our off-kilter brand of scallywags. Neither is reader Phinneas, who sent in our featured screenshot from Pirate101.

"These shots are of the main starting area with my fearsome pirate looking to the horizon for adventures ahead," he writes.

Best of luck to ye, laddie! May the wind be at your back, your enemies in Davey Jones' locker, and a bottle of ginger ale in your belly! Yet pirates are only the beginning of today's adventure through One Shots...

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You've heard me express my thoughts quite a bit over the last couple of months about everything from what I want to see in The Secret World (like housing and an encore to special events) to my experiences with different aspects of the game (such as sabotage missions and Issue #6). Now it's time to share yours! Yes, folks, this week follows in a time-honored tradition of community roundups, where we dive into the topics that are in the forefront of the community's collective mind.

Of course, we can't touch on everything here (that's what official forums are for), but we can explore a smattering of the topics raised. So what are TSW players chattering about lately? Among the ongoing conversations are discussions about veteran rewards, clothing, PvP tournaments, and builds.

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Amid the general bug squashing and polishing released in today's patch, The Secret World has tucked away a tasty little morsel of content: an all new lair raid encounter. A weak point between realities has been discovered out in the Kingsmouth wreckage, and groups of 10 adventurers can enter the extra-dimensional prison, The Island of Stillborn Stars, to face Eidolon of the Outer Dark.

Bits of housekeeping also included in the patch were fixes to several exploits in lairs, dungeons, and PvP as well as assorted bugs (say goodbye to area spam when anyone nearby uses a reconstructor and black screens after using the Helevator). Players will also find a brand new item for sale at the Envoy of Ca' d'Oro. For a full listing of all the changes, check out the official patch notes.

[Source: Funcom press release]

Throughout my tenure as the Chaos Theory author, I've ruminated on a number of Secret World subjects that personally interest, intrigue, or otherwise affect me. I've covered ARGs, different issue updates, sabotage quests, the conversion to buy-to-play, ambiance, and more. I've even expounded on things I'd like to see in game, like housing and vehicles. But one thing I haven't covered with much detail are areas that don't have much personal relevance to me... yet.

While it makes sense to talk most about my personal experiences, The Secret World offers so much more than what I have delved into. There really are different strokes for different folks, all wrapped up within the one world. So this week we are exploring an area that captures the attention of others if not mine: endgame.

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In sharing my thoughts with you last week about The Secret World's newest update, I admitted that I hadn't yet experienced all of it. Even with a head start, there were too few days available to really dig into Issue #6. So unless I wanted to blow through everything like a runaway train without savoring it, there was no way I could pontificate on all aspects of the update at that time.

That was then; this is now. This time around I've had full week to dive in and experience the different aspects of The Last Train to Cairo. Along with finishing up the story (which culminated in boarding the very train the update is named for), I started clawing my way up the PvP ranking ladder, secured my very own whip, and snagged a few veteran rewards. Of course, there is still more to be done; it will be a while before I am up for the challenge of the new raid boss, even with my snazzy new whip. And let's not forget banking up some recruitment bonus points by roping even more friends into The Secret World. Even so, that leaves plenty for us to talk about in today's Chaos Theory.

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Want a sneak peek at The Secret World's upcoming Tokyo playfield? You only have to sit through a 13-hour train ride to get it! OK, not really, but that's what one enterprising fan did in order to see if Issue #6's Last Train to Cairo would eventually reach its destination. If you haven't played through the new content yet, there's a climatic train sequence that involves a series of boss fights, and since players can be defeated, fall off the train, or otherwise fail to complete their objectives, the train keeps going (and going... and going).

One fan decided to stay on the train for 13 hours to see what would happen, and while she didn't make it to Cairo, she was rewarded with a visit from Funcom game director Joel Bylos near the end of her marathon livestream. Bylos subsequently ported her to the work-in-progress Tokyo zone for an impromptu tour.

Tokyo plays a significant role in TSW's overarching narrative. Players first visit it during the game's subway tutorial sequence, and the shadowy Orochi Group bases its headquarters there. While the preview shows off a rough version of the zone, complete with missing textures and very few NPCs, it also shows off a ginormous playfield and gives TSW fans reason to be excited for upcoming content updates. The Tokyo sequence starts around the 13:47:00 mark of the livestream linked below.

[Thanks Elania!]