Preventing reinventing the wheel

Great, thanks, Newbiesshoes.

What about general play? Any good dos or don’ts you would recommend to learn about?

Point still stands.

You are correct, Nordavind. I didn’t know there’s a wheel thingie. Guess I’ll find out about that!

There isn’t a wheel thingie in this version of the game. What newbieshoes is referring to is a system that has gotten streamlined in the relaunch because it was too obtuse. (In my personal opinion, anyway. Some disagree.)

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Well, no. The Ability Wheel was in The Secret World, the legacy game. It’s gone, and we just have some simple ability pages…

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There are a bunch of guides on the forums; check this list to see what might interest you.

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The friend of mine who told me about this game said that they really streamlined it from the first game, and she felt the same about some of the first game; that parts of it were obtuse, but she just didn’t use that terminology. So I guess they did streamline, heavily.

It really depends on who you ask and your own experiences. I admit I’m in the minority for actually liking the changes, but in the end I do reccomend to check for yourself.
The story and characters are untouched (And with the latest expansion, there’s more of it then in the old game) and that’s what’s the main draw for this game.

Thanks very much!

One other quick question, if it’s okay to post it here.

The concept of tank, DPS and healer, as they apply to the usual MMO scenario, are they relevant here? I mean, I like playing a healer, so I’ll probably go that route, but is the game more solo centered or will I need to consider good builds for healing in groups?

They are relevant, though in much later content a number of tanks choose to heal themselves. That said, healer weapons can double as damage, one of them quite good damage, so you can adjust as needed pretty easily due to Anima Allocation letting us change how healy/tanky/damagy we are with the same base gear.

That’s interesting. In a lot of MMOs, yeah, you are expected to be able to do some DPS as a healer, but you really need to focus primarily on healing builds for end-game groups. So this seems a bit different. I like it, too.

Actually at higher levels it boils down to “Go sustain or go **** yourself” with DPS checks geared towards 4 DPS.

The thing you really need to know here is that this game is all about the story until you hit the End Game Grind. Just about anyone can do just about anything. It helps to think of this more as a really, really action oriented visual novel. The Classic Trinity mostly shows up in Dungeons, Raids, Lairs, and other types of very high level content. For the entire Story portion of the game, you get Story Mode Dungeons, which are easy, forgiving, and mostly there so people can really ENJOY what’s going on without having to worry about Power Gamers rushing everyone through or the brutal, on your toes at all times, mechanics that you see in the Elite versions of those same Dungeons (Elite Mode is a higher version of the Story Mode dungeon with lots of additional challenges thrown in. They can be TOUGH).

Another note: Each weapon comes with an attached ‘Gimmick’, a kinda/sorta mini-game that can empower your abilities. In my experience, the key to lasting happiness in this game is to find the ‘gimmick’ that resonates best with you. They range from idiot-proof (pistols/hammers) to complex (elementalism) to potentially fatal (Assault Rifles).

Well, that’s certainly a different approach, but a welcome one. I hate the Elitist thinking when you’re NOT playing in Elite mode that makes you feel like you’re not fit to even eat dirt much less be a part of the group. I understand being geared up and all, but I mean, really? I don’t have 2 xtra DPS because I’m not wearing such-and-such chest amour, so I’m out? Sure, why not! Whatever.

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Okay, just so I am clear here, Newbieshoes, by “Go sustain” you mean be able to hold your own? and by “geared towards 4 DPS,” are you using “4” as in how many or as a level, or that one has to have their gear set for DPS or they are out?

Welcome to secret world Stark =).

SWL is both group and solo oriented. It’s main selling point is its story telling, which for an MMO is amazing, and hard to find any competition for (imo) unless you compare it to solo player story based games. If i had to talk all things SWL i would still be typing this in two days, so i’ll just geek out a bit about Story =P.

Story content is primarily aimed towards soloing, and doesn’t require top tier gear in any way. If you wanna really get the best of this part of the game (i can’t recommend it enough) take the time to investigate everything you come across. Listen to the cutscenes, they are brilliant. Read the hand-in reports, they give you the flavor of your faction. Talk with NPCs, each topic can be asked for more info until it greys out. Don’t just race through the story mission, but let the other missions lead you there. SWL has this way of giving you small pieces to the puzzle in almost every word and detail, but you won’t see the connections for a long time until suddenly everything clicks.

As for the missions, try and drop the idea of mission hubs that you might be familiar with from other MMOs. Take a mission, follow it to wherever it leads you, hand-in the mission (you rarely return to an NPC), then look around to see what is nearby. You will often find you end up circling back for any missions you left at a previous location like this.

A little fun extra that some immensely enjoy, and others happily ignore. Simply observing the world can give you small pieces of lore too. Some mobs will actually show their life cycle if you pay attention. While the game does spawn them in the regular “boop here is a respawn”, they also illustrate them coming forth from whatever is their source =)

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4 as in the number of DPS roles in the group that are typically required to meet DPS checks.

Most important advice I can think of:

1.) Your gear is completely flexible up until it hits Legendary which is currently the point of no return. It takes a while to get there so don’t worry about poor early game gear choices.

2.) Join a cabal, your friend plays so maybe there already in one, but not only will this help you make the right choices but it also greatly increases the rate of progression.

3.) In light of point 2 try not to rush through the story you will regret it even if your a dungeon loving endgame fanatic! It is not the same when you go back the second time.

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There is one dungeon that’s got extremely strict DPS checks quite a ways in to the Elite levels. Strict to the point of overtuned, likely, so players attempting that dungeon in the E7-E10 range are likely to need one self healing tank and four DPS to finish it, rather than a healer, a tank, and three DPS.