Every time I open my Origin client to play one of my Bioware games, I see the lady in red from my The Secret World launcher. While I’ve hidden the other Origin games I don’t play, that one has remained on the screen. I have considered playing it a few times lately, but usually in small windows of time. There is no way I’m getting in to play without a major investment in time to update the game. Well, today is when most people, including my husband, have the day off for the 4th of July holiday. I don’t really get holidays, being my own boss, but my boss game me the day off today. I clicked the Play button on The Secret World.

My initial forays into the game were the typical frustration that you hear over and over again from new players to the game. I have a friend who is having a lot of fun playing it right now, and bloggers I follow really love the game. So today, I will take the plunge and launch back in to see what has changed.

It has been a very long time since I last played or updated the content. There are what, 11 chapters now? As I sat and watched (well sit and watch…still) the 4.85 GB of content on the progress meter slowly tick up, I have been looking for blogs and tips and tricks for the game. If you are a fan of the game, I’d love to see links in the comments with your go-to sites. MassivelyOP’s Chaos Theory has a lot of good information and seems to be one that has stayed current with content. A lot of the search results are for tips and tricks from a few years ago, and I’ve heard that the game has changed a lot of things since those early days.

I’ll have to see how the game has handled things like gear and inventory now that it is a free to play game. One of my biggest pet peeves in free to play MMOs is having to pay cash for inventory space. I really hope that mechanic doesn’t annoy me out of my desire to try this one again. If it were up to me, loot would consist of cash and special items, not the stuff we all “fondly” refer to as vendor trash.

Well, the updater is still ticking away and I’m done rambling for now. Guess I’ll eat something, buy groceries, take a shower, walk the dog, and then see if I can finally start a new character. I have a really fast Internet connection speed, this would be a multi-day project for a friend of mine in the sticks who has wireless. Egads!

Edit: Finally got to launch the game. I had previously started Templar and Dragon characters back when you could only have two. Now you can have three and I started an Illuminati. OMG, Varric! Well, not Varric Tethras, but Brian Bloom his voice actor. I love that voice!

I sent out a call on Twitter asking for “go-to” TSW sites. I’ll add them as I see them for any of you who may be starting, or trying again, the game. Some are from before the Enhanced New Player Experience was released, but I assume will still be relevant.
Pro-Tips from Rowan’s I Have Touched the Sky blog
Info on various builds: TSW Guides
Whoever compiled all of these missions is a wonder: TSW Missions guides
This Wiki site also has a lot of mission location information: The Secret World Wiki
If you want to know what various clothing items look like Sephora’s Closet has a lot of them
Another recommended site to find help when stuck on quests: TSW Database