The Secret World FAQs Compilation
The Secret World FAQs Compilation by Chrisax
1. Transportation, Run speed & speed upgrades, traveling, climbing
I am stuck, or stuck on a ladder, what can I do?
(Note that ladders are normally fixed, so the part about ladders is mostly for reference and “just in case”.)
Type /stuck in the chat window and hit return. This should start a procedure to free your almost immediately. (This will not work with ladders.)
Or use the Agartha Conduct to teleport to Agartha. (See this term further in this FAQ.)
You may encounter a situation where the system doesn’t “think” your are stuck and will just reply “your character doesn’t seem to be stuck”. (Usually the case on ladders.)
In this case, return to the character selection screen with /camp and then log in again. This should fix the situation. (Exiting TSW and restarting would do the same, but it’s longer.)
If this doesn’t work, you can try /reset that will kill you so you can respawn at a resurrection point.
If you get stuck on a ladder again after freeing you, change your clothes to the most standard ones possible (the ones you got at creation) and try again. This should also be totally fixed now.
Can I upgrade my run speed and how?
When you get enough Rank in your faction (by doing missions), you can go to the “Mobility & Tactics Trainer” in the headquarters of your secret society and buy run speed upgrades called “Quickened Anima” which come in 3 qualities: green, blue, and purple.
GREEN Quickened Anima
Speed increase 62.5%
Cost: 100 000 Pax Romana
Available at rank 2 in your faction
BLUE Quickened Anima
Speed increase 75% (total increase: it doesn’t stack with the previous one)
Cost: 500 000 Pax Romana
Available at rank 4 in your faction
PURPLE Quickened Anima
Speed increase 100% (total increase: it doesn’t stack with any of the previous ones)
Cost: 1 000 000 Pax Romana
Available at rank 8 in your faction if not bugged (confirmed by Devs; should be fixed in patch 1.02.)
The upgrades have to be performed in order (so, for example, you couldn’t skip the blue one and get the purple one directly).
Is TSW’s world divided in zones?
Yes, quite the same way as Age of Conan is. You have, classically, to “zone” (load data) from a zone to another with a cut-screen steady picture introducing the next zone. The process is similar in Anarchy Online but there is no cut-screen in AO.
You don’t really see the next zone from the zone you’re in but, thanks to a very finely handcrafted world and smart layout, this is never an immersion issue.
The same way, you zone in and out of instances, dungeons, etc. There is no necessarily a cut-screen for instances, especially when it’s in a mission.
Can I go to any zone regardless of my character powers and progression, for example visit zones that are extremely dangerous for me?
You can go to many places early in TSW, watch and explore… At your own risk.
There are nevertheless some restrictions:– at the beginning of your character, you can’t zone from Kingsmouth to Blue Mountain until you have progressed enough but it’s not totally clear.
It seems first that after accomplishing something in KM or SC, you get the right to enter BM by the tunnel. The hypothesis is that when you are told to go to Blue Mountain in the Story quest (Dawning of and Endless Night), the tunnle unlocks for you. This has to be tested better.
The second thing, verified, is that you can get a quest if you go from Kingsmouth to The Savage Coast and from there to Blue Mountain. In Blue Mountain, you’ll have to do the easy quest “Up in Flames” that you get from a skeleton, quite close to the NPC Marianne Chen (she is on the map), near the tunnel from BM to KM, North-East of the map. This quest will give you tunnel access and also the Hazmat suit.
– you can’t use an Agartha (see below about this name) portal to a zone if you have not discover it first by traveling on foot in that zone.
The exceptions, at the time of writing, are the first Agartha portals of each main area (Solomon Island/Kingsmouth, Egypt/Scorched Desert, Rumania/Besieged Farmlands), and London, Seoul, New-York.
Can I go to a main city (London, New York, Seoul) if I don’t belong to the secret society that has its headquarters in that city?
Yes, you can travel freely to and in main cities, especially for shopping or social encounters. (At the time of writing, only London offers stores but this will change.)
Do you zone automatically (like AO) or do you have to click or do something (like AoC / SWTOR)?
You either have to click / activate an item or at least confirm your intention.
From big zone to big zone, you usually move to the next zone entrance, for example a tunnel or a portal, and you are prompted with a pop-pup small window to confirm that you want to zone or refuse and stay where you are.
For instances, dungeons, missions parts, you usually have to click on an object (for example an helicopter to go to the dreaded Polaris Wreck dungeon, or a weird-looking burning door to enter malefic Hell Raised dungeon).
How do I travel in TSW? (Quick overview)
Your main transportation mean inside a zone is running / walking. Although this may look somewhat restrictive at first sight, with the way the world is designed, and the density of things to do or see, you don’t often need something else. When you only need to cross a zone though, it may be somewhat annoying. You’ll be able to upgrade your run speed at some point though.
You can walk (mostly for the look of it), run slowly, or run fast (most used). You can also upgrade your running speed a bit when you reach rank 2 in your faction.
From a zone to its neighbor zone, you usually just run to the zones connection spot: a tunnel for example, and confirm zoning.
For easy and fast transportation between all zones, there is a system called Agartha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agartha ), inside the Hollow Earth, which is a fast network linking all zones together. It is a very convenient and powerful system, comparable to the Grid in Anarchy Online. There is no direct equivalent of Agartha in AoC (where you can use “paths” to teleport but with cooldown restrictions) or SWTOR (where you can use a galaxy map but you have to go to your ship first).
More information is provided in the next questions / answers.
Can I jump in TSW, and how high? Is there a super-jump?
Yes you can jump in TSW (space key), around 2.5 meters high, so this may be considered a super-ability you got with your powers (although not explained by the storyline). This is clearly more than in AoC and even much more than in SWTOR. This is less than in AO though.
You may have to run to jump correctly above some obstacles.
This jumping height allows you go jump over most vehicles, many obstacles, and some fences/walls but not all: you have to find the right place where jumping over a fence/wall will maybe be possible.
This also makes climbing on rocks and slopes easier.
Sometimes the jumping height is enough to jump to the lower part of a roof but it’s rare.
Some walls / fences are nevertheless too high, clearly on purpose, to be jumped over, for example, the walls of Innsmouth Academy where you must use the gates (or a breach).
There is no super-jump power or long-distance jump in itself (like in City of Heroes, for example) as this wouldn’t fit TSW world design.
Is there fall damage? Do I take damage if I fall from a cliff, jump from a roof, etc?
There is no fall damage at all in TSW. (Contrary to AoC where fall damage is severe, and like AO where fall damage was removed years ago.) This is an intended game feature, to make traveling and world exploration more enjoyable, and also prevent being killed in a fight because you are knock-backed and fall from some height.
So you can actually jump from a bridge or a cliff and just land safely on the ground below. (On the other hand, note that environment can damage you: electrified water, fire, poisonous area, aggressive magic areas…)
Like the jumping ability, this may be considered something you got with your powers.
Can I fly?
No. The world and (probably) the game engine are not designed for flying. (Pre-calculated flying animation would most likely be possible though as it is -rarely- seen in AoC and TSW uses it in Agartha when you “slip” from portal to portal. )
Are there mounts or vehicles I can use or buy?
No at the time of writing, but Ragnar posted Devs were looking into this, including, possibly, mounts, and “esoteric methods”.
Is there a teleportation power or device? What is the Agartha Conduit?
There is no real teleportation but you are given a very handy and persistent item teleporting you from anywhere in TSW (even if you are stuck) to the Agartha transportation network (with a 30 minutes cooldown): the Agartha Conduit.
You get this item in a cut-scene when you first discover Agartha at the beginning of the game after meeting your Secret Society. This item is in your inventory.
Anarchy Online players can, more or less, consider this feature similar to the possibility of “Griding” from anywhere.
It is nevertheless possible to use the death system to travel.
Please pay attention to what TSW Devs could say about this method!
In this system, when you die, you can select one of the resurrection points you discovered in a zone. So you can just do /reset to kill yourself and choose the point you want.
Is there a local, intra-zone, transportation system like taxis?
No, although it could be most likely implemented. It doesn’t seem really necessary to have one.
Is there a quick way to join my team (group) and regroup? How to travel to a friend in another dimension
Yes: when a team member enters an instance (dungeon), you get automatically a message (pop-up) asking if you want to join your teammate. If you accept, you’ll be teleported to his/her location.
Also, near the name of your friends on your friends list, or near the name of teammates in the team list, you have a button called “Meet up”. Click it and you’ll be automatically teleported to place and the dimension where the selected person is.
(Please see the FAQ “Single server technology”)
Can teammates be stuck in different instances, having trouble regrouping?
No. the system in TSW takes care of this. You will always be able to join your teammates. See above about the “Meet up” button.
Are there ladders or climbing points in TSW like in AoC? Do I need any skill to climb?
You can climb a vertical obstacle or object but only if it’s intended you can. (You can jump over it if it’s not too high, around 2.5 meters.)
There are some ladders. They work like in AoC: move your cursor over it to see the cursor switching to the “use” icon. Then get close enough to the ladder and click it. You’ll see your character ready to climb on the ladder. Up and Down arrows (A W keys) move your character up and down the ladder. When you reach the top of the ladder or the ground, you are automatically set on the place your reached.
You don’t need any skill to be able to climb (contrary to AoC).
You will not get a message “you can climb here” like in AoC, but usable ladders are highlighted.
Note that some ladders are just clickable items making you zone (for example to exit sewers).
Note that not all ladders can be used.
I am stuck on a ladder, what can I do?
This should be fixed now. But, if you experience this, try /camp to exit to character selection and then re-enter the game. The /stuck command will likely NOT work on a ladder.
In the worst case (never reported), you could /reset to die and go to a resurrection point.
If you get stuck on a ladder again, change your clothes to the most standard ones possible (the ones at creation) and try again. This should be totally fixed now.
Are there slopes you can’t climb or obstacles you can’t pass although it seems -visually- you should be able to climb / pass? (Like in AoC)
There are several, but clearly less than in AoC. If it looks like you could reasonably be able pass an obstacle, you can often – but not always- do it. Jumping helps as you can jumping around 2.5 meters high. You may need to find the “right” point to be able to pass the obstacle though.
Note that you can’t climb vertical or almost vertical obstacles if this is not intended. (Especially high fences and walls)
Note again that not all ladders can be used.
How to travel fast from zone to zone, especially when zones are not directly connected to each other? For example from London to Egypt or from Kingsmouth to Rumania.
Use Agartha! Almost instant travel from zone to zone.
What is Agartha?
Agartha is a legendary place inside the Hollow Earth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agartha). In TSW, Agartha is also an almost instant transportation network to any zone.
Agartha looks like a magic place where the branches of a gigantic tree bear exit portals to all the zones of TSW.
How do I use Agartha? How to travel fast inside Agartha itself? Do I have to run inside Agartha?
The Agartha tree bears exit portals to every zone in TSW. To identify the zone it leads to, a portal shows a blurred view of a typical place of that zone . (Note that the place shown is NOT your arrival point but only a way to identify the zone.)
You only have to walk to the portal and you will get a message telling you the name of the zone and asking you if you want to travel to that zone. In some circumstances, you may be be notified that you don’t meet yet the requirements to use the portal.
To go from exit portal to exit portal, you need to travel on the branches of the Agartha tree.
To do this, you can run on the branches of the tree or use local, intra-Agartha, portals. (So, in Agartha, you have exit portals to TSW zones AND internal portals to travel fast inside Agartha itself.)
To travel faster, in front of each zone portal (exit to zone), there is a luminous “pool” which allows you to trigger Agartha fast transportation on the branches instead of running on those branches.
If you walk onto a luminous “pool”, this will open two local, intra-Agartha, portals: one to the next set of pool / zone portal; one to the previous set of pool / zone portal. These intra-Agartha portals look like brownish smoke circles.
What are the big creatures inside Agartha? Are they dangerous? Am I in danger while using Agartha?
The mechanical giants are friendly. You can talk to them and ask them questions about Agartha, and also ask them in what direction a portal is. They will show you and put a direction mark on the map.
Agartha is a safe place.
When will I be able to use Agartha?
Very early in the game, just after meeting your Secret Society main contact and choosing your first power “line”. Your contact will send you to Kingsmouth town on Solomon Island and will explain to you that you must use Agartha.
You will get a mission leading you to Agartha entrance in your main city. (London, New York, Seoul).
You can’t use an Agartha portal if you have not discover it first by traveling on foot.
The exceptions, at the time of writing, are the first Agartha portals of each main area (Solomon Island/Kingsmouth, Egypt/Scorched Desert, Rumania/Besieged Farmlands), and London, Seoul, New-York.
In some circumstances, you may be be notified that you don’t meet yet the requirements to use the portal.
Where are Agartha entrances?
In London, at the Ealdwic subway station, nor far from the Templars area and HQ.
In New York, in a warehouse room near the Illuminati HQ.
In Seoul in a bike hangar, near The Dragon HQ.
In other zones, as well as in main cities, Agartha entrance is shown on your zone map (“m” key to open it) after you discover it.
Agartha entrances are always places with magical-looking vegetation (even in buildings) and a warm orange light.
How do I get to Agartha? Is there a fast way to go to Agartha?
You have to travel to Agartha entrances as you would to any other place: run.
But you can also use a teleportation device (“Agartha Conduit”) to Agartha.
This device is given to you in a cut-scene when you first discover Agartha; it is in your inventory.
If you click this device, you will levitate a few seconds and then you’ll be transported to the Agartha tree.
This device works from anywhere in TSW (any zone, instance, mission, dungeon…)
The cooldown on this ability is 30 minutes.
Are Agartha exits safe?
Agartha entrances/exits are safe in themselves. Mobs don’t come there BUT can be pulled there.
Are roads safe? Is it possible to avoid mobs?
Roads are relatively safe as long as you pay attention to each sides and don’t aggro a mob nearby.
Most often, by staying on a road you’ll avoid most dangers but not necessarily all.
Sometimes, you have to leave the road as some mobs can “patrol” nearby or are even obviously placed to block the path.
Can you tell me the awesome big secret trick about Kingsmouth map?!
On the map, brownish buildings can’t be entered while grey buildings can be entered (at some point or always). This may help when you don’t know where to go.
Yeah, that’s all but it’s handy.
I’m new… where are The Savage Coast and Blue Mountain?
They are the two other zones of Solomon Island, with Kingsmouth. You can’t enter them before progressing enough in Kingsmouth.
For The Savage Coast: take the tunnel South-West of Kingsmouth, just follow the road near Boon, in the direction opposite to Kingsmouth.
For Blue Mountain: take the tunnel North-West of Kingsmouth, a bit NW from the Moonlight camp.
Can I swim? Is there a swim buff?
You can swim but you rarely need it. Water is usually not very deep.
Swimming is quite slow… and you have nothing like the wonderful and well-known swimming expertise buff in AO! (Private joke for AO players.)
2. Monsters rating, powers, and symbols
TSW uses two ways to indicate the relative power of monsters AND also provides information on the specific abilities of a mob by a set of icons.
The specific abilities of a mob
When you target a mob, at the bottom right of your hud, you see the name and lifebar of the mob and, sometimes, a series of orange round icons. If you move your cursor above those icons (and it’s highly recommended to do it!), you’ll see tool-tips describing specific characteristics.
For example, you may be informed that the mob is immune to a category of debuffs, or that the mob needs to be weakened many times in a given delay or will become very powerful, etc.
The further you progress in TSW, the more chances you have to encounter mobs with specific abilities, even if they are not bosses.
Sometimes, this will force you to change pour selected powers or even your equipment. Don’t run into those mobs head first!
The power and difficulty of the mobs
So, TSW uses two ways to indicate the relative power of monsters.
These two ways are relative and based on YOUR own ESTIMATED power (as there is no levels in TSW).
The estimated power is mostly based on the various ranks you got in various powers and on the ranks of items you have equipped. The formula, if any, is not known.
The word TSW Developers use to speak of the “zone” of power reached by a player or a mob is “band”. For example they says that “the mob is in the same band as you” or that “the mob is 3 bands above you”, etc.
The two ways to indicate the difficulty are:
– a symbol, on the left of the name of the mob
– the color of that symbol
The color of the monster’s name itself ONLY indicates if the mob will aggro you or not and how easily.
– White name means no aggro
– Green name means aggro
– Red name means heavy aggro (possibly from a longer distance).
The Symbols
They are, sorted by increasing difficulty:
– 3 small dots
– one big dot
– one skull or more
– crown
– skull with crown
– crown + skull + wings
And also:
– flag near the icon: a mission target that can be anything around crown and skull difficulty
– star near the icon: a rare spawn mob, usually around crown and skull difficulty
3 small dots: minor mob belonging to a group of similar mobs. Attacking one will always make its friends attack you. (Systematic “social aggro”.)
* Big dot: normal mob, stand-alone and single. But social aggro exists so if you attack a mob that is too close to others, those others mobs will attack you too, most often.
* Skull(s): a major mob, above regular ones, “elite”.
So, for example, a yellow (see below about colors) skull mob is stronger than a yellow “big dot” mob.Number of skulls (or half skull): how powerful the mob is. Usually a “one skull” mob is not a big issue solo if you have roughly the same level of power (white symbol or below, yellow)
Compared to the vocabulary in some other games, one skull indicates more or less a mob like “Elite” (SWTOR, CoH,…), Lieutenants (CoH…), or a boss more or less soloable (AO), a mini boss,…
One skull mobs are NOT like AoC “Epic” mobs (which are NOT soloable unless you are way above their level).
* Crown: a boss, usually named mob, sometimes used as missions target. Harder than a “one skull” mob. Not necessarily harder than a “several skulls” mob, but with often more tricks or more resistance to your own tricks.
* Skull with crown: a major boss, “elite boss”. Can be a serious challenge solo, or possibly an impossible task.
* Skull + crown + wings: World bosses. Theoretically require a group of 5-10 people with appropriate gear for the zone. At the time of writing, World bosses are possibly still being balanced.
* Flag symbol added: it’s a roughly a crown / skull mob but it is the goal of a (or your) mission. Usually not too hard solo if you are strong enough for the zone.
* Star symbol added: Rare spawn mobs. They are roughly crown / skull mobs and are supposed to be solo-able and drop Blue items usually. They seem to be like 3-5 per zone.
Some examples: in Kingsmouth: The Reawakened (Father Appleby), Soloman’s Omen, Mr. Freezie ; in the City of the Sun God: the Emissary of the Dead Nations ; in Carpathian Fang: General Blasius ; and many more
Symbol Colors
The scale is, from easy to hard: green – blue – white – yellow – orange – red.
Green: much weaker than you (several bands below you)
Blue: weaker than you
White: roughly same strength as you (same band)
Yellow: stronger than you, moderately (yellow and orange colors are not always easy to differentiate)
Orange: stronger (yellow and orange colors are not always easy to differentiate)
Red: clearly stronger (3 or more bands above you)
Remember this is the color of the ICONS. The color of the monster’s name itself ONLY indicates if the mob will aggro you or not. (See above in this FAQ.)
3. Death, resurrection, resurrection points, and death penalty
When do I die in TSW?
As in all MMO games, when you take more damage than your total lifepoints and you can’t he healed enough or protected enough to avoid this.
What happens when I die?
You will be teleported to Anima Well resurrection point. (An orange magic light usually surrounded by some flourishing vegetation.)
There are several of these points in each zone and there are some in dungeons and missions. In some missions, you are just teleported back to an arbitrary point near the entrance or a before a significant step in a dungeon.)
When you respawn at a resurrection point, you will be in Anima (Ghost) mode. (See below.)
When I die, can I choose the resurrection point I’ll be sent to?
Yes but only if you have discovered this point already by traveling. When you discover a point, you’ll see a message saying that you have discovered the point and telling you its name and that you can now resurrect there.
Make sure you really get the message: if you don’t go close enough to the Anima well, you may not discover it!
– If you have discovered points, when you die, a drop-down menu will pop, showing the points you have discovered in the zone and you can select the point you want to resurrect at.
– If you have not yet discovered points, you will be teleported to standard resurrection point of the zone or to the nearest one (and then you’ll discover it).
There is usually a resurrection point not far from Agartha transportation network entrances.
Normally, the resurrection points are safe places and mobs ignore the people respawning there. It seems it’s not totally guaranteed though.
When you respawn at a resurrection point, you will be in Anima (Ghost) mode. (See below.)
So I died and I’m in Anima mode? What’s Anima mode?
Anima (Ghost) mode is your status when you just died and were sent to a resurrection point:
– you see the world in black and white, with strange lights effects.
– your life is very low and doesn’t increase
– you can’t see living beings or mobs (you can see mobs only when back at 10m from your body)
– you can’t see other players unless they are in Anima form too
– you can’t fight or use most items
BUT
– mobs can’t see you
– you can’t be damaged by anything
– you are, simply, invisible and invulnerable
– you can move and run
– you can use your inventory and your powers management interface
So I’m dead and in Anima mode. How do I get back into action? Do I have to run to my body?
To exit Anima mode and revive, your have two possibilities:
– you can just click on the Anima Well and revive here immediately, and then continue playing as you want. You’ll need a little delay to recover all your lifepoints.
– you can also run back to your body and resurrect near it (10 meters range): this is very interesting if you want to go back to the place you died at without being annoyed by any mob or environmental damage but you must be sure your body is at a relatively safe place and that you won’t be attacked as soon as you revive! When you are in a 10 meters radius around your body, a pop-up window asks you if you want to resurrect there (you can decline and go back to a resurrection point). You can move anywhere within the 10 meters and resurrect where you want. Mobs are more or less visible when you are there so you can estimate the risks. You’ll need a little delay to recover all your lifepoints so be careful.
Is dying and using your ghost form intended in some missions?
Yes, read/listen well when you get the mission and you can determine if being a ghost could help you. But this is very rare.
How to die on purpose?
Get killed by mobs… Or use the command /reset to kill you instantly.
Is there a penalty when I die? Do I lose points? Are my powers weakened or affected in any way?
Your powers and gained points are not affected.
There is nevertheless a penalty for dying in TSW but only under certain circumstances.
– In PvP, you never get a penalty.
– In PvE: your equipment will be slightly damaged. You can see this when examining the durability of your items. (Durability for an item is a bit like lifepoints for you.) For example an item normal condition can be 300/300 and a damaged item is 290/300 as well as 5/300, etc.
It is important to note that damage equipment works normally until it reaches zero (0/300 in our example). At zero, it should stop working.
A symbol appears on your items in the character panel when they are considerably damaged, to warn you early enough.
[At some point, it was mentioned that:
– If you come back to your body and resurrect there, as described above, you will get no penalty.
– If you decide to resurrect at an Anima well (recreating your body there, for the storyline)
But it currently seems you always get the damage penalty.]
When an item is damaged (even if it reached zero durability) you can repair it at any vendor for in-game money (Pax Romana) but, especially at the beginning of the game, you’ll likely change your items long before they need to be repaired.
So the penalty is financial but items are slowly damaged, unless you die a lot. In this case, the repair cost can become important.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: the developers showed they pay attention to the repair cost and the penalty for dying, in order to balance them properly. Constructive and clear feedback can help them.
4. Character Creation and Looks
How long does character creation take?
If you don’t really want to customize (!) and just pick standard choices, you can be done in one minute.
It can’t make a character I find beautiful! Also I don’t feel I can customize it enough! What the hell?
TSW Developers are aware of this concern and are working ri answer the wishes of the Community. They already announced that you will be able to deeply modify, customize and improve your character in-game in the future, with a first target date for the end of August. (See the details at the end of this FAQ in the question about “The Modern Prometheus, Ockham’s Razor, and Execution”).
The first use of these features will be free.
So, at the moment, TSW doesn’t try to make systematically beautiful characters. Currently, you have to do some work to find the combination that will make a pleasant or even beautiful face.
If you experience difficulties to obtain a result you like, try playing with accessories at character creation but mostly in the game. For example, various glasses are available in both the NPC stores (using in-game credits “Pax Romana”) and the Items store (using Funcom points).
I can’t create a new character because my dimension is full! What can I do to play with my friends?!
Just create a character on another dimension: in TSW all players from all dimensions can play together and chat together.
Also, Cabals are cross-dimension too and can have members everywhere.
The dimension you are asked to choose is only your “Home dimension”: it’s the dimension in which you will arrive immediately when you log on and to which you’ll return automatically and in a transparent manner when you don’t need to be elsewhere.
But you are never stuck in a dimension.
For more explanations, please see the FAQ
“FAQ: Dimensions & Single Server technology – Understanding and using them”
How many characters can I have?
You can create 3 characters, and 1 more for pre-orders with the Master or Grand Master pack.
This number may look limited but as there is no class/profession in TSW and as each character can get all the abilities available in the game, there is not need to create “alts” (alternative characters) for another class, etc.
So the 3 slots are provided with the idea of having one character in each secret society, although you can use them as they want. (If you wanted 3 Templars, for example, possibly for role-playing.)
Are there special breeds or species or anything similar available for my characters?
No; everyone is a human being from Earth.
Does character creation choices influence my power and gameplay?
No, you can look as you want to.
Are there ethnic / races choices and do I have to pick specific ones to belong to a given society (for example, Asian for The Dragon)?
You can create a character with the (human) skin color and “ethnic” looks you want (in the limites of the character creator of course). Your look doesn’t influence your powers or the society you want to join.
Can I choose my skin color independently from my facial aspect?
At the time of writing it seems there are some restrictions; for example you can’t create an Afro-American character with a very pale skin color.
When do I choose my name?
When you are happy with your character, you give him/her a name (not already taken) and start playing. This name is actually your “nickname” in TSW vocabulary. (See the question below.)
If you pre-ordered the game ( http://www.thesecretworld.com/buy ), you were able to reserve one character name if you took the optional “Master Pack” or “Grand Master Pack”. (Grand Master including a lifetime subscription: you won’t pay for your subscription anymore. You will, nevertheless, have to buy expansions when they are available.)
How are names structured? Are there first and last names?
You have [first name] [nickname] [last name].
[nickname] is the one that you can reserve if you feel so, and it’s the one commonly displayed above your head, in team windows, etc. It’s your “main” name and it has to be unique (two players can’t have the same nickname).
First and last names can be anything and don’t have to be unique. Only nicknames are unique.
How does character creation looks like?
It’s somewhat resembles Age of Conan and SWTOR: you choose between several options to compose your face: head general shape, nose, eyes, lips, jaw, haircut and facial hair (for males), some makeup, etc. It is nevertheless simpler than in AoC.
Can I choose my size (tall, small,…) or body shape (fat, slim,…)?
No, this is not supported. It’s a choice made for technical reasons, likely (our understanding) for performance and also to assure clothes will work correctly for all characters.
Do I choose my powers / weapons / class / profession at character creation?
Definitely NOT. Character creation is only about your physical look and first clothes.
You will be able to choose powers, change them, switch them, as well as weapons all along the game. It’s even a main part of the game.
Also you don’t have to choose a class or profession because there are none. There are specialized roles of course (being a healer, a tank, a high damage dealer,…) but you can be any of them at any time, as long as you have acquired the corresponding powers / weapons: the more you progress, the more your spectrum of possibilities widens.
You’ll first choose some first powers and general directions when you meet your secret society.
Do I get any power or weapon at creation time?
No. You will find a weapon (shotgun) at some point early in the game before getting to your secret society headquarters. You don’t have to stick with it at all; it’s only for a first fighting experience.
In the headquarters, you’ll be able to pick your first weapon and you’ll receive the first corresponding powers and equipment.
Where can I get (more) clothes?
At character creation, you are offered some clothes you can pick freely (one piece for each clotting slot). In the game, there are stores that sell clothes. The main one is, at the moment, in London (Pangaea store near Ealdwic subway station).
Developers want the players to have a huge choice in clothing and look customization.
You can always change your clothes.
Can I change my clothes easily? Where, when, and how?
Anytime, anywhere. The clothes you own are stored in your character panel (“c” key then Dressing Room menu). You only need to open the panel and select what you want.
Do clothes take room in inventory?
No. They belong to your character and are “stored” in your character’s panel without taking any room. (Contrary to Age of Conan, AO, or SWToR, for example.)
Are my weapons visible when I’m not fighting?
Yes but it is nevertheless very easy to equip or un-equip your weapons. The Gear Manager (which will be explained in another FAQ) can even do that -and more- in a few clicks.
Can I change my look like haircut etc. once in the game?
Not at the moment but as this is available with The Modern Prometheus, Ockham’s Razor, and Execution (see the questions about these features in this FAQ). The target date for a first introduction is the end of August.
Is there nudity in TSW like in Age of Conan? It’s not that I’m interested, you see, but I have children…
Yeah, yeah… Well, total nudity or even nude breast (like in AoC) was made impossible by making some clothing slots mandatory: you need to have something in them.
Standard underwear and some “light” clothes are available (like in AO or SWTOR).
Mobs can be nude. (Some female mobs are naked.)
At the moment there is no naked or almost naked NPC and most NPC’s wear perfectly ordinary clothes. Note that you don’t get naked when switch clothes.
Is there a “social tab” or “vanity tab”?
No, because there is no need for any. You do not wear any visible equipment, except your weapons that you can anyhow un-equip, so you just look as you look.
Can I choose the voice of my character?
In TSW, players’ characters don’t speak in cut-scenes, so no voice is available.
Are there emotes? Do the choices made for my character influence emotes?
Yes, many emotes are available.
Type “/” in chat windows and then TAB to see the list. (Another FAQ will contain a macro creating an emotes window in-game soon.)
Your character choices don’t influence emotes in general but some emotes seem to be slightly different for males and females and a few emotes may be reserved for a gender, like the tap dance which is for female characters only.
What are The Modern Prometheus, Ockham’s Razor, and Execution? How will this help with the look of my characters.!
The Modern Prometheus, Ockham’s Razor, and Execution are the first answers from TSW developers to the concerns and wishes about the look and customization of characters.
A target date for their introduction in the game is the end of August. (Exact date to be confirmed later of course.)
The Modern Prometheus will be an extreme plastic surgery clinic in Brooklyn, lead by Doctor Aldini. It will offer a total makeover of your characters. A lot of new base heads, noses, eyes, chins and mouths will be available. As well, it will be possible to add or remove wrinkles or freckles. According to Ragnar Tørnquist, Senior producer, you”ll be able to become “a whole new person”. Changing sex doesn’t seem included but Ragnar Tørnquist enigmatically mentioned that “the good doctor is working on some experimental concoctions for that particular ‘problem’”.
The first use of this clinic will be free. Others will require a payment in Pax Romana (in-game credits).
Ockham’s Razor will be an establishment in London on the border between Ealdwic and Darkside. operated by the aging triplets Ockham. It will offer a lot of new hair styles, eyebrows, and facial hair (for men) in “all the colours of the rainbow”, including new mustaches, Ragnar Tørnquist mentioning even “epic” ones .
The first use of Ockham’s Razor will be free. Others will require a payment in Pax Romana (in-game credits)
Execution will be re-located in Seoul instead of London. It will offer “an extensive variety of tattoos, scars and other body modifications”.
At the time of writing, it has not been specified if the first use would be free. We can assume it will, based on the decisions taken for the two other services. (?)
Where can I find the announcement of The Modern Prometheus, Ockham’s Razor, and Execution by Ragnar Tørnquist?
5. Maps & understanding the coordinates system
Are there maps? For everything?
Yes, you open the map of the zone you’re in with the “m” key.
TSW maps are handcrafted maps, looking like the maps of a tourist office brochure. They are not generated from world data but your position and movements are visible: you are the yellow arrowhead.
Maps show main points of interest and major NPC’s.
Maps can be on purpose very vague (Besieged farmlands, for example, that show no actual building)
They display missions areas or spots.
They also show teammates positions.
Some solo instances or instances don’t have maps, likely on purpose. (?)
Can I select what mission is shown on the map?
At the time of writing, no, all the missions you have in the zone will show up.
Do I see enemies on the maps?
No, only teammates. (Unlike AO but the same as AoC or SWTOR.)
Can I place my own markers on a map?
Yes, you can place markers on the maps and give them a name by r-clicking the map.
Can I zoom on a map?
Yes, with the mouse wheel when your cursor is over the map or with the “magnifiers” icons on the map. You can also move the map by clicking and dragging it.
Can I see a map of another zone than the one I’m in?
No, at the time of writing, you can only see the map of the zone you’re visiting.
How does the coordinates system work?
For AO and AoC players: TSW’s coordinates system is similar.
Coordinates are made of 3 numbers, like : “1526.3 894.5 y 22.4” (For people liking mathematics, it’s x, z, y, but only “y” is specifically indicated)
y
High
^ North
| z
| /............
| /....Land....
| /...surface...
| /............
| /............
West ___|/_____________> East x
/............
/|...........
/ |
South |
Low(Yes, I know, picture in the making…)
The first number (x) increases from WEST to EAST: for example, 300.2 is more in the West than 1456.2 which is more in the East.
The second number (z) increases from SOUTH to NORTH: for example 40.7 is more in the south than 1486.2 which is more in the North.
The third number (y) is the altitude, increasing from low to high: for example 3.5 is lower than 23.6.
How do I get my coordinates?
Press the F9 key (function key on your keyboard). It will display your coordinates in chat, plus some information. Note that SHIFT F9 displays more information, useful to Developers, when you send a bug report.
Your coordinates will be displayed as explained above: “ x, z, y” “1526.3 894.5 y 22.4”
Give me a damn example, I’m lost!
Fine; you’re not alone. Let’s go step by step.
1) Let’s suppose your friends tell you that they are at “1526.3 894.5 y 22.4”
1526.3 indicates their West to East position
894.5 indicates their South to North position
y 32.4 indicates their altitude
2) Get your own Coordinates: press F9 and look at the reply in chat window
Let’s suppose you are at “1120.2 2135.3 18.5”
1120.2 is your West to East position
2135.3 is your South to North position
2.4 is your altitude
3) Compare the numbers
West to East position:
They are at 1526.3 and you are at 1120.2.
As your W to E coordinate is lower than their coordinate, this means your are more to the West and they are more to the East.
You must travel to the East to meet them.
South to North position:
They are at 894.5 and you are at 2135.3
As your S to N coordinate is higher than their coordinate, this means your are more to the North and they are more to the South.
You must travel to the South to meet them.
Altitude:
They are at 32.4 and you are at 2.4 so they are a bit higher than you… Pay attention to hills, cliffs, mountains, canyons when you travel, so you don’t end up at the same point as your friends except they are 30 meters above you!
So, in this example, you have to travel South-East and gain some altitude to meet your friends.
… And if your friends are smart… they will tell you about some landmarks near their position !
Can you tell me the awesome big secret trick about Kingsmouth map?!
On the map, brownish buildings can’t be entered while grey buildings can be entered (at some point or always). This may help when you don’t know where to go.
Yeah, that’s all but it’s handy.
6. Dimensions & Single Server technology – Understanding and using them
Does “Single Server technology” mean that all players can play together regardless of their location in the World?
Exactly. It’s doesn’t matter if you’re from America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania or what your country is: all TSW players are able to chat, meet, interact and play together.
You are no more isolated from your friends from another country or continent.
You don’t have to open an account or create characters on different servers to play with your friends.
But when I create a character I’m asked to choose a “Dimension” between several other dimensions… Will I be separated from players who are on other dimensions? Is a dimension like a server in other online games?
A TSW dimension is not a server where players are isolated from other servers. There is only one server for TSW and dimensions don’t isolate players. Here is how it works…
Inside the Single Server, the whole world of TSW is duplicated on several “dimensions”.
Each dimension is a “clone” of the TSW world. And players are able to move freely, and in quite a transparent manner, from dimension to dimension, from clone to clone, as they need. They will have the feeling to just travel in the same world.
Also, you can chat with someone (names are unique in all TSW) on another dimension as you would chat with someone on your dimension. It’s the same command. Inside Agartha, the transport network (see FAQ: TSW Transportation, Run speed & speed upgrades, traveling, climbing, general chat is cross-dimension.
The dimension you are asked to choose is only your “Home dimension”: it’s the dimension in which you will arrive immediately when you log on and to which you’ll return automatically and in a transparent manner when you don’t need to be elsewhere.
The players have the choice of “Home dimensions” to allow better technical performance and also to specialize a bit some dimensions, for example to allow people using the same language to be immediately together a soon as they log on, or people with the same interests, for example role-playing, to be also by default with each other… if they want to.
But you are never stuck in a dimension.
I was not created on the dimension I wanted to be on, what can I do?
Warning: it seems that, if, to create your character, you double-click your first empty character slot, instead of selection a dimension, your character will be automatically created on the “first” dimension, Cerberus, or maybe now (?) the first listed dimension considered “not full”.
So, do NOT double-click an empty character slot and select dimension manually!
If you are not on the dimension you wanted, remember this has little important but you can contact Support (preferably by email or with the Support chat function on your account pages, explain your situation and ask for a change.
So how can I team with people on another dimension or do a raid with them?
By just clicking a button: near the name of your friends on your friends list, or near the name of teammates in the team list, you have a button called “Meet up”. Click it and you’ll be automatically teleported to the dimension where the selected person is. It’s almost as simple as zoning from a zone to another.
As long as you are teamed, you will all travel and zone inside the same dimension.
If you zone to a zone where your team is, you’ll land automatically on the good dimension.
And what happened when I leave a team in a dimension? Am I immediately kicked out of that dimension?
No, you will be returned to your Home dimension in a soft and transparent manner: the next time you zone, you will actually be sent to your destination but on your Home dimension and no more on the one you were visiting.
What happens if I’m disconnected while I am in a group in another dimension?
You should be returned to the dimension where the group is, if the group still exists. (If you stay disconnected for a very long time, you may leave the group automatically though.)
Can I send in-game mail and items to someone on another dimension?
Yes, the in-game mail system is cross-dimensions so you can send or receive messages or items to and from someone on another dimension.
Is the players market system limited to each dimension or can I make business with people from all dimensions?
The market system is also cross-dimensions, so when you put an item for sale, it will be seen by all TSW players. You have nothing special to do to make it visible in all TSW.
This should allow a strong and healthy economy.
Note that you can’t restrict your sales or shopping to a specific dimension, and there is no reason to want to.
Can a cabal (guild) have members from several dimensions? Is there any drawback for a member who wouldn’t be on the dimension where the cabal was created or where the cabal has most members?
A cabal can have members from any dimension. All members will have access to cabal chat channel; all will have the same features available and all will share the same cabal bank.
A cabal person able to invite new members can also directly invite people who are not in the same dimension without traveling to them.
Can TSW teleport me from a dimension to another without my agreement?
No, you will not be teleported unless you actively decide you want to go to another dimension. You will be automatically returned to your Home dimension as described above in this FAQ but only if you decide to zone.
Can someone have the same name as me on another dimension?
No, your name is unique in TSW.
Can a cabal have the same name as my cabal in another dimension?
No, like players’ names, cabals’ names are unique for all TSW.
Is the language of the game affected by the dimension I’m in?
No, your client will always use the language you have chosen.
Is PvP possible between people from all dimensions?
There are 3 forms of PvP in TSW: Fight Club (free for all PvP for relatively private fights), Battlefields (opened rounds by rounds), and Warzones (persistent, always up).
Fight Club and Battlefields: you can join them with friends (or enemies) from any dimension.
Warzones: this is almost the only restriction in the Single server technology: you can only use the warzones of your own Home dimension.
Martin Bruusgaard, TSW Lead Designer explained the reasons for this choice:
“First of all, in order to ensure that players have a good time and aren’t locked down by lag, we have a player cap in these zones. The cap is currently set to 225, reserving 75 slots for each secret society. If we only had one warzone for all the dimensions, very few would be able to enjoy this form of PvP. Keep in mind that this is not an instanced mini-game, but a persistent area. There is only one of these per dimension.
Secondly, we want to create a really good PvP community in each dimension, and we believe the meta-game around PvP is more interesting if you get to know the other players around you. We’re hoping that you will learn who you can trust, which cabals that always backstabs, who you can ask for help, which cabals are known for being fantastic in PvP, etc. “
Recent Comments