The Secret World Relaunching As Action RPG Titled Secret World Legends

Funcom, the Oslo, Norway based games studio, has published more information on the upcoming "relaunch" of their conspiracist themed, modern era MMORPG The Secret World.

The Secret World, originally released in 2012, will relaunch this Spring as Secret World Legends. Tellingly, the studio is labeling Secret World Legends as a story-driven, shared-world action RPG rather than using the previous MMORPG designation. This seems to be in line with Funcom CEO Rui Casais's view that gamers are suffering from MMORPG fatigue.

But the label change isn't just cosmetic. The Secret World is undergoing profound changes to core systems including completely revamped combat, a new progression system, and updated visuals. Most importantly, all of the game's content will be made free to play. That's over 100 hours of storytelling across the full collection of missions and mysteries accumulated over the past 5 years.

The main goal of the project is moving away from the poorly received combat in the original game and towards Action RPG gameplay elements. To that end, Secret World Legends plans to monetize through micro-transactions offering additional weapon pages, extra inventory space, additional character slots, vanity items, and more. An optional Patron Program will provide paying subscribers with in-game bonuses and convenience items.

Current players of The Secret World can link their accounts to Secret World Legends to transfer their vanity items and Funcom Points. Characters, however, will not be transferred. Secret World Legends will be a fresh start for both new comers and veterans alike. The original Secret World is not shutting down and will remain playable. No new content will be developed for it, meaning it will enter maintenance mode like Anarchy Online and Age of Conan, Funcom's other legacy MMORPGs.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions about Secret World Legends, but a great place to start is Funcom's official FAQ which we've included below:

General

What is Secret World Legends?

We are relaunching our acclaimed story-driven online game The Secret World (TSW) as Secret World Legends, a shared-world action RPG with revamped combat, updated visuals, and newly designed progression systems and quest flow that is completely free to play.

Why are you relaunching the game?

We go into detail about the many reasons behind the relaunch of the game in our producer's letter to the community, which we hope you get a chance to read here. But in short, we're incredibly proud of the ways in which The Secret World has grown in terms of the depth and extent of its storytelling, and we're ready for more players to be able to experience it in full by removing the hurdles of a pay-upfront structure. It's also an opportune moment to bring this vibrant universe up to date with where we see modern action RPGs are, with some ambitious adjustments to gameplay, progression, structure, and more, which we hope will result in a more satisfying player experience overall.

How does Secret World Legends differ from The Secret World?

One major difference is that the game is free to play for everyone. But just as importantly, Secret World Legends has updates befitting a modern-day action RPG. This includes a redesigned combat system to make action feel more natural, more intuitive systems to interact with, enhanced visuals, an improved flow of quests, and improved structure of the early game for new players.

What do you mean by “free to play”?

"Free to play" or F2P means that anyone can download and play Secret World Legends without spending any money to purchase the game. All content is available to everyone and does NOT require a subscription or purchase in order to play.

Is the game free?

Yes! Everyone can play what we feel is the best shared-world RPG on the market for free!
How do I play for free? When Secret World Legends launches, you will be able to download and play the game for free via the Steam client. How much of the game is free? All content in the game is free! What about future content releases? Are those free? All content will be free: current, past, and future!

Is the game “Pay to Win” now?

No. You will be able to earn everything in the game without spending money. Will I need a credit card to play? You do NOT need a credit card to play. The game is free for everyone! If you want to make purchases in game via Steam, that can be done using the Steam wallet. Aurum and the Patron Bonus System will require a valid form of payment at the time you make the purchase.

What is Aurum and what can I use it for?

Aurum is used to purchase a variety of in-game items and services in Secret World Legends. This includes but is not limited to: additional weapon pages, extra inventory space, additional characters, exclusive vanity items, and much more!

How many characters do I get on my account?

By default, each account grants access to one character slot. Additional character slots may be purchased in game.

What is the exchange?

The exchange allows you to buy Aurum from other players for in-game currency.

Do I need Steam to play?

At launch, Secret World Legends will only be available through Steam. We plan on adding a non-Steam version of Secret World Legends soon after launch.

Which languages are supported?

Secret World Legends is fully localized in English, German, and French.

Patron Rewards Program

What is the Patron Rewards Program?

The Patron Rewards Program is a loyalty program that rewards players with extra features, additional convenience, and in-game bonuses. It is not required in order to play Secret World Legends.

How do I become a Patron?

You can purchase access to the Patron Rewards Program in game. Once purchased, you will be granted access to the Patron Rewards Program for 30 days.

What is Patron Level?

Your Patron Level grants additional bonuses to the Patron Rewards Program. Every purchase of Aurum or month you are a Patron will go towards increasing your rank. You can view your current Patron Level, Patron Status, and all related benefits by clicking the Patron Rewards Program icon in game.

What happens when I am no longer a Patron?

All benefits associated with the program are active while you are a Patron. When your time expires, you will lose access to those bonuses, but you will keep your current Patron Level. The next time you join the Patron Rewards Program, you will be back where you left off (or maybe a level higher!)

Returning Player FAQ

Why are you relaunching the game?

We go into detail about the many reasons behind the relaunch of the game in our producer's letter to the community, which we hope you get a chance to read here
But in short, we're incredibly proud of the ways in which The Secret World has grown in terms of the depth and extent of its storytelling, and we're ready for more players to be able to experience it in full by removing the hurdles of a pay-upfront structure. It's also an opportune moment to bring this vibrant universe up to date with where we see modern action RPGs are, with some ambitious adjustments to gameplay, progression, structure, and more, which we hope will result in a more satisfying player experience overall.

How does Secret World Legends differ from The Secret World?

One major difference is that the game is free to play for everyone. But just as importantly, Secret World Legends has updates befitting a modern-day action RPG. This includes a redesigned combat system to make action feel more natural, more intuitive systems to interact with, enhanced visuals, an improved flow of quests, and improved structure of the early game for new players.

Will all content from The Secret World be available in Secret World Legends at launch?

Secret World Legends will relaunch with the original eight adventure playfields, scenarios, and dungeons available immediately. In the time following the relaunch, we will release Tokyo, Nightmare Dungeons, Raids, and the rest of the content that is currently live in The Secret World.

Will you continue developing new content for Secret World Legends?

We have plans to create all-new story-driven content for Secret World Legends in the future, which we'll be able to discuss in more detail after the relaunch of the game.

How do I link my Steam account to my old account?

Once you have launched the game, there will be a menu on the start screen that allows you to link your old The Secret World account to your new Secret World Legends account. Click this button, log into your old account, and confirm that you want to link them.

What does linking your account do?

When you link your account, you will be able to transfer over any remaining membership from TSW to Secret World Legends. In addition, you will be able to move over some vanity items from the previous game. You can also exchange your Funcom Points for Aurum.
What happens if I have an active subscription on TSW when the transition occurs?
After you have linked your account, your old TSW subscription will roll over into Patron Rewards Program time in Secret World Legends.

What about TSW Grand Masters?

Same as above. Link your Secret World Legends account to your old TSW account and you will become a Patron in Secret World Legends forever!

Will the old version of the game be playable?

Yes, the TSW servers will still be available to play. You will not be able to launch TSW via Steam though. If you are currently playing on Steam and want to continue after the launch of Secret World Legends, you can do so at: https://register.thesecretworld.com/account

Will any new content made for Secret World Legends be playable on The Secret World servers?

All new content will made exclusively for Secret World Legends.

Do I need to create a new character to play Secret World Legends?

Yes, everyone will begin Secret World Legends with a new character. Secret World Legends makes some major changes to itemization and character progression that aren't compatible with the old game.

What happens to my old TSW character?

They'll continue to live on the old TSW servers, so you'll still be able to log in and play them. You will not be able to play them on the new Secret World Legends server though. It’s a new experience and fresh start for everyone.

What happens to all my stuff?

We are implementing a system to transfer over some vanity/store items from TSW to Secret World Legends. More on this will be released as we get closer to launch.

What about my name from TSW?

You will be able to reserve a name on your current TSW account to be used in Secret World Legends. You can find out more about this process here.

What about my bonus points, Funcom points?

After you have linked your account, there will be an option to convert your Funcom points to the new Aurum. Bonus points will remain in TSW and can be used on the old server.

I don’t have a subscription - can I play when it goes free to play?

Definitely! Secret World Legends is free and available for everyone to play.

Further Reading: Official Press Release, Secret World Legends Official Site