Secret World Legends

As the Funcom sale may get more eyes on this:
The Secret World was an incredible MMO that would have changed the industry if it got more traction.
Secret World Legends was an attempt to make the original more accessible, which succeeded in a way that lost more than it gained. It's also essentially on life support, there was an attempt to extend the story past its old 'end', but that storyline cuts off in the middle of quest that was added in 2018.
That said, it is still worth picking up for one of two reasons:
A great solo experience
Unique world and story
The world and storyline of SWL is fantastic. The simplified skill trees from the original can get repetitive, but it's entirely worth that to experience the world they've built, with interesting and varied stories in it.
Lore for days
Lore pieces can be found openly (or sneakily) around maps, as rewards for killing enemies, and some requiring specific actions to find. They're interesting and well-written, but also fantastic for completionist addiction. As a long-time player, the process of completing my lore collection was one of the most rewarding things I've done in an MMO.
Optional brain challenges
The game has optional investigation missions that require you to solve actually interesting/challenging puzzles. These were designed to use an in-game browser that no longer works, but alt-tabbing to a normal browser works just fine for almost all of them.
Great for 5 friends
The few players still online have mostly been playing forever, so are in the late-game, which means it's hard to experience what the (again, genuinely interesting) dungeons along the way were meant to be like without being hard-carried by someone overgeared.
If you can miraculously find 4 other players you know to progress with together, learning each of the dungeon's mechanics yourself (and secrets, for you collectionists) is a great experience. And if you get stuck, there's plenty of guides out there to point you back on track.
It does tend to lean towards Tank/Healer/3DPS, but that's more relevant at higher difficulties, do what makes you happy, because any character can learn any skill over time, so you can always pivot to something new if the old thing isn't working for you.
The only important thing is don't spend your money
Honestly, do what makes you happy, I can't resist a good cosmetic, and if you're really enjoying yourself it might be worth the premium membership if you want it that bad.
But always remember the game is functionally abandoned by Funcom. If they started releasing more content, I'd say buy whatever you can afford to reward that, but at this stage it looks like it will never happen.

An outstanding, still relevant game. Not much as an MMO, so definitely do not play it if you're looking for a regular online experience. But as a solo, story-driven game, it's just incredible despite outdated graphics and combat system. The universe, the mystery, the lore, the overall tone, the cryptic collectible legends, the humored way off aproaching the lovecraftian theme, the investigation missions, and and the effort put by the developers on the credible and voiced dialogues throughout the entire game make it worth it and it's sad that it didn't get the recognition that it deserves.

For the story alone this game is worth the price of admission. The price being absolutely free is amazing for the story you get. I have just finished the main quest line of the entire game and am sitting at 188 hours played. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the game and enjoyed the story from start to climatic ending.
A few things you should know before playing however. This is not an MMO. It is a shared world RPG akin to Guild Wars 1. You will see people in the main hubs, but out in the world you are often alone in an instanced area of your story. People may pop up here and there but for the most part, you will be alone. Which for me, enhances the horror experience.
This game does not fully download the first time you get it. Instead it tries very badly to stream the area of the game you are in to you. This is awful, will cause lag and make you question whether or not your machine can handle a now 12 year old game. This is easily fixed by first -
- Select options from the launcher
- Click Full Client
- Set background download speed to Unlimited
- In game hit Escape.
- Select Misc
- Make sure Background Download Throttling is set to Unlimited
These steps are essential to actually being able to play the game and enjoy it.
As for what the game is. It is a unique, shared world RPG with MMO elements. The stories and missions are lovingly crafted and well told. If you want an online RPG experience in a modern cosmic horror setting, there really is nothing that comes close to competing with what Secret World Legends has to offer.
The graphics are dated, but the world building and world detail are phenomenal from such an aging game engine. The lighting is pretty damn amazing and very atmospheric. If you want realistic graphics there are other titles out there offering that. This offers an art style unique to the Dream World engine.
The downsides
- Client does not perform a full download unless you manually tell it to
- Combat takes a while to get use to and find some flow, but once it falls into place it makes sense
- The MMO elements in the shared world RPG can be frustrating but hardly game breaking
- There is a cash shop being F2P but it is unobtrusive and I did not open it and pay attention to it until I was in the penultimate zone of the game
- The story ends abruptly and likely will not see a conclusion.
Overall, enjoy it for what it is. A 12 year old project of love from a team who had a story to tell and tried their best to make it appealing to a wider audience. The story is a tale of cosmic horror, local folklore and fantastic beasts with unnerving elements and goofy moments to make for an experience like no other. It is a shame more people did not get to experience this, but if this review can pique just one persons interest and make them curious about what is inside the box, I would be a very happy bee.
Edit - To add one more thing that is not really made clear in game. All dungeons are solo-able from the appropriate level through the activity finder. To do this open the activity finder with Shift + V, click the private team box, select dungeons, then story mode and from there you can chose the dungeon you want to run. After clicking sign up you will be placed into the dungeon scaled for solo play. I found this out at level 48. I wish I had known sooner!

I miss the old Secret World. Combat was better. User Experience was better. Now its story and world exploration is the only reason you should play this game, and they are GOOD. There is a living world out there, no matter how dead it looks from the player count. You can visit Kingsmouth and feel like you have spent a summer there before.

I've played this game on and off since the original "The Secret World" came out. I loved the original, but it had significant performance issues on my hardware at the time that prevented me from playing regularly.
A couple of years later I picked up Secret World Legends, as I missed the immersion and amazing storytelling of the original (and had better hardware). I was pleased to find that they had kept the role-playing and world building intact. However, Legends combat and character building system was a significant downgrade from the original's skill trees, and resulted in a less satisfying combat experience than I'd remembered.
However, even though I preferred The Secret World, I have to say that this game is worth the time to download and try it out. The story alone makes it worthwhile. It's not really an MMO at this point, more a single player experience due to the low population count, but most missions can be accomplished solo. The graphics and performance are somewhat middling for a game in 2024, but the designs, writing, and acting are so good that the glitches don't really break your immersion.
It's also unique gaming experience - there's still really nothing out there like it. The world is incredibly vibrant and horrifying, the characters have extensive backstories, and you're constantly discovering new twists. Plot lines can stretch over hours. It's like the best parts of the x-files, lovecraftian horror, and dc comics happening all at once. It will suck you in, and it's one of those games you'll keep coming back to - despite it's issues. It's very easy to put in dozens of hours and never feel like you're grinding.
All in all, by today's standards, this is a 7/10 game - but it's one I recommend that everyone try at least once. In its own way, it's a forgotten masterpiece that displays a depth and ambition far beyond what passes for gaming worlds these days.

I will never get how the playerbase for this game is so small nowadays. I'm relatively new and jesus christ, this game has some unique quest designs and riddles.
If you ever wanted to go for a lovecraftian game, while still having satisfying combat and classic MMO-elements, this is what you're looking for.
Many riddles are genuinely tough to figure out, and it's such a nice change from "oh the riddle to the solution is on the desk next to it with a flashing quest marker".
The microtransactions are debatable, but they're nothing that truly takes away from the game experience.
All in all, i absolutely recommend letting yourself get immersed in this game, especially so to make the multiplayer dungeons more colorful and lively again.

I have very fond memories of playing Secret World when it first came out. I had never played anything like it before. The game stands out with its unique blend of storytelling, puzzles, and immersive gameplay.

One of the most captivating aspects of Secret World is the plethora of puzzles that require you to figure out mysteries or learn something new. The game challenges you to think outside the box and often requires you to go beyond the game itself. I particularly enjoyed the meta nature of it, where you would have to visit websites of fictional companies to solve puzzles. This added a layer of realism and depth that I hadn’t experienced in other games.

A word of advice: try not to ruin the experience for yourself by looking up the answers online at walkthrough sites, at least not until you are truly stuck. The game can be challenging in many ways, like teaching yourself Morse code to solve one of the puzzles. In the end, the effort is worth it, and the sense of accomplishment you get from solving these puzzles on your own is incredibly rewarding.

The atmosphere in Secret World is another highlight. The game does an excellent job of creating a dark, mysterious world filled with rich lore and intriguing characters. The attention to detail in the environments and the narrative is impressive, making every location feel alive and significant.

The combat system, while not the main focus, is engaging and offers a variety of skills and abilities to experiment with. The flexibility in character progression allows you to tailor your playstyle to your preferences, which adds to the overall enjoyment.

In conclusion, Secret World is a game that offers a unique and immersive experience. Its combination of challenging puzzles, engaging story, and atmospheric world makes it a standout title that I highly recommend to anyone looking for something different in the MMO genre.