The Secret World’s game director updates us on events

This was actually Issue 6, but dammit, it’s a cool enough screenshot that I wanted to use it again.

The latest update from Joel Bylos, game director of The Secret World, has given us all sorts of insight as to what’s going on at Funcom right now.

First up, The Whispering Tide event is still going on and will continue until the launch of Issue 9. You can check that link for the details we were given before the event went live, but the short summary is that it has you fighting off the Filth in Agartha. Give pure materials to the Custodians and they’ll be able to open up passage into deeper, more Filth-infected areas, and fend off more challenging foes. As this is going on for so long, it’ll be continually updated with new challenges until Issue 9 launches.

Second! Last year’s Halloween-themed Cat God event will be returning, along with a new mission series called Stories of Solomon Island. This has you reading a load of scary stories written by residents of Solomon Island and then investigating the truth behind them to complete the book of urban legends that the League of Monster Slayers began to write. As examples: did Tyler Freeborn die because he didn’t forward an email to 15 friends? What happened to Innsmouth Academy’s groundskeeper? Who is the Lantern Man? All of which sounds pretty fantastic, considering that the lore is one of the best things about The Secret World.

This, on the other hand, is probably more appropriate to the current battle in Agartha.

Third! Work on Issue 8 is continuing apace, with the Scenarios – the randomised events that test your worth to enter Tokyo – being tweaked and tested. There are a few new notes from this, too. The solo versions of the Scenarios have a soft cap, so you can bring a group with you if you need to, which means that lower-geared players will still be able to try their hand at these if they can bring a friend or two with them. The duo versions of the Scenarios are apparently the most popular, with two players splitting up to tackle the challenge and then grouping together again when bosses and the like spawn. Finally, the Nightmare solo versions are likely to be “the most difficult challenge in the game” so far.

Apparently, we can expect a further post on Issue 8 explaining – in detail – how the new Augments system works. Oh, and the difficulty level changes the lighting of the area, which is sorta neat. Normal is mid-afternoon. Nightmare is midnight.

Finally! Work on Issue 9, and thus Tokyo, is also coming along swimmingly. A load of voice acting has been recorded recently, with characters like Kirsten Geary, Bong Cha, and Richard Sonnac confirmed to return. Investigation missions are being worked on, with no hints given except “practice your origami.” And yes, there’ll still be plenty of spectacle – Bylos makes mention of “fighting a demonic entity trapped inside a pentagram on the roof of a building while surrounded by the Tokyo skyline.”

Issue 8, letting you take on Scenarios to get your Field Agent Certification and continuing the story missions for the first time since launch, is due soon. Issue 9, as you might expect, is due later.