I've been playing this some in between 2 other games' alpha and closed beta. Some things about this game impress me, while others leave me kinda "meh". There are a few points I'd like to hit quickly, some good some bad.

1. Funcom claims the game has no levels. It has a sort of leveling system, but it's pretty open to progression choice. If it had "no levels" I should be able to walk to Carpathian and kick it, but in the first 40-60 hours as a new player, that's just not possible. The options during progression I did find fun, however... points come in at a decent pace and I was consistently looking forward to that next expensive-ap skill that would really "make" my playstyle.

2. I understand arguments wherein people complained only having 7 active skills make for some relatively boring combat. On that issue, I'd argue A) You can swap out abilities you've bought any time you're not in combat (in pve) and B) In most mmos most of the fights only involve using a handful of abilities, some you just spam one or two. I've logged "alot of miles" swapping out abilities for different encounters and the game has an active dodge function, too, which isn't just there for show.

3. The game's not only for adults... it's for smart adults. You can, if you like, google a number of spoiler sites. I have not, although I have asked a few questions in cabal (guild) chat. The puzzles, especially investigations, and really much of the game overall requires (demands?) a degree of logic and problem-solving, as well as real-world knowledge. I find this great while others may not.

4. Is the game "grindy"? I suppose it's about as grindy as you want it to be... I've advanced through to finish the main story progression and am involved in fleshing out ql10 gear with appropriate stats to suit my builds. I don't feel like I've had to "grind" although the option to grind is certainly there. Being in a cabal of experienced players, I likely won't have to do every nm 20 times to get what I want for gear, but others who just want to pug probably might. I guess that's a choice to play a mmo solo... never did get that.

5. End game. There are no big raids, and the game's not advertised as such, yet. I'd like to see more content besides nm difficulty or basically other 5-man stuff. There are rumors stuff like this is coming.

Overall, it's a positive experience. I'm not so infatuated with it that I can't put it down and I suppose that's good. I haven't really come to a point I was disgusted with it either, so I can't hate on it. The overall story is "just ok" imo but I'm pretty critical on that subject in any game. I'll be subscribing for one more month at least, and seeing what happens.

First raid is tentatively scheduled for October.

Raid in New York

But the fun does not stop there. In the next few months a whole new Raid is coming to The Secret World! Disaster has struck New York City, and the players will need to travel there in groups of ten, to investigate the threat and deal with whatever lurking horror awaits them.

The Raid keeps true to The Secret World formula of deep storytelling combined with challenging action. The players start in the New York subway system and find themselves in a makeshift camp of survivors. Shocked civilians huddle together to catch the latest news. Some are trying to escape the area, while others have broken down completely after the loss of loved ones.

The police are out of their depth, and even the tanks rolling through the streets and fighter jets flying overhead may be outmatched by the dark forces attacking Times Square and New York City. The brutality of The Secret World is about to spill over into the real world, filled with unsuspecting ordinary people, and it is up to the chosen of Gaia to set things straight.

The new Raid is not filled with boring trash monsters, but instead tells a riveting story leading up to an epic boss fight at the end. The clash will give two full teams of players a fight that will test them to the fullest, both as individuals and as a group. Superb team coordination combined with a mastery of many different abilities will be the keys to success.

Will you be joining the ones standing victorious in the heap of rubble which once used to be Times Square?

Tokyo

The future however holds much much more for The Secret World.

In early 2013 the first new playfield will be introduced to the game. Now players get a chance to revisit Tokyo, and see the havoc wrought to the city by the initial incident there, which they experienced in the introductory sequence of The Secret World.

Players start in the subways of Tokyo, and get to play through the flashback in reverse this time around. The incident was the catalyst for the darkness which is rising around the world, and the players can dig deep into the story to discover some of the truths beneath the veil.

After traversing the subways the players venture forth into a quarantined and filth infested part of the city. Here the unfortunate people have been affected by the corrupting filth, and driven to the same madness and mutations as seen in many other dark places across the globe.

The filth infected are not the only enemies here, but the players also get to square off against new monsters from the myths and legends of Japan as well as the technological creations of the Orochi corporation, which has its headquarters in Tokyo.

The area will be dominated by large buildings and form a huge modern urban playfield where the players can enjoy new missions and encounters – Where they can both fight new enemies and explore this devastated part of Tokyo.

The events in Tokyo constitute the ending of act one in the overall story of The Secret World and the kicking off of act two, so make sure you are ready to face the challenges awaiting you there, as more and more of the truth is revealed.