From:
http://www.thesecretworld.com/news/enhanced_player_experienceThe Secret World is a deep game, with an original story and a host of choices for character development. A lot of its innovative content can be quite challenging, but it is such features that make The Secret World a unique MMO, and we are very proud of them.
Some of these features can be extra challenging to new players though. We wish to introduce the Enhanced Player Experience so both new and experienced players can focus more on enjoying the great stories and puzzles of the game, and then take on the more brutal fights and challenges when they feel ready for them.
The update also brings many quality of life improvements and develops the starter experience so it is easier to grasp essential game mechanics.
The Enhanced Player Experience introduces a host of improvements all across the board, and here are some of them:
Snappier CombatsThe time it takes to kill many of the monsters in The Secret World has been reduced. It is now quicker to take down regular opponents in the Adventure Zones. This change is most easily felt in the early parts of the game, because combat difficulty used to ramp up quite quickly after players left Kingsmouth. The change will help players who are most interested in the story and puzzle solving progress through the game.
Those who enjoy exploring the deep game system of The Secret World, and who like to hone their character into an unmatched killing machine, need not be worried though. Because the challenging Dungeons, Lairs and camps of Nightmare monsters are still as tough as ever!
Enhanced TutorialPlayers now get to choose two starter Weapons when they get to their Secret Society headquarters. Each Weapon also has a detailed description of its strengths, and what roles the Weapon is specifically good for.
How to use Builders and Consumers is explained in more detail, and players learn how this mechanic works with two Weapons. The starter Decks now help players see the advantages of choosing Passive Abilities from all sorts of different Weapons.
Improved RewardsThe flow of good gear has been improved. Missions now give rewards better suited to help players through the main storyline. They get a steady flow of good weapons to choose from, and more Rare (Blue) Weapons and Talismans as they finish Story Mission chapters or Adventure Zones.
The rewards from regular Missions now give Talismans which mainly increase damage output and health, as this is the type of gear a player needs the most to progress through the game. In short - doing Missions and Story Missions will now supply a player with all the gear needed to play through the main story.
The Opening of TokyoPlayers who have finished the main Story Mission in Transylvania may now continue the story for free in Venice, and then move on to Tokyo. They can travel through the Venice sewers and make their way to Tokyo via the subway before they enter the city. Any player must still own Issue #9 to continue the story in Tokyo itself though. The Council of Venice has reduced the amount of training needed to progress to Tokyo. Players now only need one mandatory training session in the virtual reality training facility.
Ability RebalanceMany of the over 500 Abilities in The Secret World have been tweaked or rebalanced in this update. A special focus has been given to the Elite Abilities. Many of them have been strengthened considerably and a few have had their effects updated and improved. Several of the Elite Abilities have not been as powerful as we had hoped, but after the rebalance they have received a significant boost.
Area of effect (AoE) Abilities have received a more general change. They have had their damage slightly reduced, but at the same time they now hit one more target. This change has been made to make single target Abilities a more viable option compared to their AoE counterparts.
Quality of Life The Secret World has also gotten a whole host of other improvements. You can now easily travel quickly between Anima Wells on any main Adventure Zone map, by using Anima Leap. You pay a small fee to travel quickly around , and no longer need to die and pay repair costs to teleport to an Anima Well.
The maps themselves offer even more helpful info than before. Each Mission, Vendor, Dungeon Entrance, NPC, Anima Well and Transition Point is now marked on the map with an icon. The areas where the tough Nightmare monsters are found are now also clearly marked on the maps. Each such monster has a special effect around its health bar, so they are easy to recognize.
More info has also been added throughout the game. You can now more easily see the power of a monster. Its power rank is shown with a number above its health bar. The players can compare this monster power rank with their own skill rank, to see which enemies they should take on.
Players can now directly see the strength of their own gear. Everyone has their own Effusion Rating (similar to Gear Score in other games) which shows the combined strength of all Weapons, Talismans and their Glyphs.
We hope everyone will enjoy this host of enhancements. If you are looking for a deep Massively Multiplayer Online Game with a story unlike any other, The Secret World is ready to embrace you with open, tentacle sprouting arms!
