Real life

In a blog post prefaced with a spoiler alert, Senior Designer Tanya Short delved into The Secret World's upcoming Halloween event that was initially mentioned when The Cat God went live. Players already know that Halloween plays prominently in the game, as holiday decorations abound throughout Solomon Island, and Ragnar Tornquist himself likened it to Christmas in terms of holiday importance for TSW.

The official spook day content will be released around October 15th. According to Short, players can look forward to a more light-hearted experience than the main plot. In fact, she states, "Halloween should be more like 'an episode of Buffy.'" The storyline will begin in Kingsmouth and will flesh out a couple of cat characters who have been waiting in the wings as well as add depth to the stories of two known characters. Stonehenge is also in the spotlight, and players can get a Head-O-Lantern for a limited time.

For more details (and a close up look at Irusan, King of Cats), check out the full dev blog.

Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't... I hope!

Sometimes you just have to go with what the director says, not because that's who's in charge but because that's who can see the performance as a whole. We mere actors must trust that the director knows what s/he is doing. That said, I had my doubts about your last set of directions for this next act of Choose My Adventure.

Although some of you cautioned me to beef up before moving along to the Savage Coast in The Secret World, the actual vote steered me otherwise. The Savage Coast? That sounds so... well, savage! So after biding my time with missions, exploration, and Polaris while waiting for the final vote, I hoofed it on over to the edge of Kingsmouth and into the tunnel once the polls closed. Boy, it's a good thing you also voted for me to group up because those bugs can bite!

Between my adventures in Kingsmouth and those in the new region, I gained a deeper appreciation for the intricacies and uniqueness of TSW. And I learned that I am not, in fact, the star of this show! Let's shine a spotlight on this week's adventures and see who really is.

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Besides various tweaks and fixes, The Cat God offers two new missions: The Binding and Dogs of War. The Binding is an investigation mission that takes you to the City of the Sun God in Egypt, while Dogs of War focuses on the conflict between the vampires and their allies. For full details about the changes, check out the patch notes.

The Cat God, for whom the update is named, will make a personal appearance in October closer to the Halloween holiday. A special Halloween event will run through the end of October and the first week of November and will include the beginning of a new storyline and a new villain. We'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

You're darn tootin' I'm going to end them! That's me, taking up arms against the hordes of zombies. Or more accurately, chopping them off, along with legs, heads, and anything else that gets in the way of my blade! If you have zero interest in fighting reanimated townsfolk with flesh dripping off of them, then The Secret World is probably not the MMO for you. However, if you don't mind dicing, slicing, slashing, shooting, chopping, blasting, or otherwise obliterating said undead, then Kingsmouth really is the place to be! If zombies were a cash crop, that little town would be swimming in the moolah Scrooge McDuck-style.

For the second act of our co-production, Choose My Adventure undertook a massive scenery change. Instead of the concrete jungle of NYC where we began, the story played out in the sleepy streets of a quiet new England town. Well, quiet if you don't count the lip-smacking of the zombies gnawing on everyone. Armed with my rifle, my sword, and of course, your directions, I set off to explore, ameliorate suffering, and eviscerate the hordes of evil in The Secret World.

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It is a tale told by an Illuminati member, full of sound and fury, signifying... something?

The stage was set. An air of conspiracy permeated the theater as trappings of The Secret World hung from the balustrade and peeked from the corners to taunt the audience. Discerning eyes could spot a triangle here, a cross there. A soft buzzing could be heard, an undercurrent of sound. But something was missing. The show couldn't go on without... aha! The star!

The final task before starting this Choose My Adventure production was the selection of just who will bask in the spotlight. As director, you took on this task. Would it be a martial artist from the Orient or a proper English knight? Would the stage ring out with the sound of shots or metal upon metal? After much deliberation, you finally found the one. With her hair aflame, a sword in her hand, and a rifle within reach, the young Illuminata was perfect for the lead role.

Now, it's opening night. A hush falls. The curtain rises. All eyes turn to the stage as you start to wonder, "What on earth did I get myself into?!"

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After a number of delays, first because of company restructuring and then because of a serious potential exploit, The Secret World's second update is finally live and ready for players to experience. Digging Deeper introduces TSW's first new weapon -- a rocket launcher -- as well as new missions and new nightmare modes for two dungeons, The Facility and Hell Eternal dungeons. Characters interested in a new look will also be able to change their 'do at Ockham's Razor in London and get a facelift from Dr. Anton Aldini in Brooklyn.

Players will also see new loot bags dropping from all region bosses. These include various goodies like blueprints to summon the boss, epic items, and unique raid puzzle pieces. More information about this update can be found in the official patch notes.

Trond Arne Aas, who stepped down as CEO of Funcom the day before The Secret World launched, is back in the spotlight. Norwegian authorities are investigating Aas for allegations of insider trading.

An anonymous source reported to The Escapist that Aas' position change to a chief strategy advisor allowed him to attempt to sell off company stock without attracting scrutiny. As of press time, 650,000 of his 1.5 million shares have successfully sold. Stocks were valued at $17.60 a share when the game launched on July 2nd, but were worth $2.17 as of yesterday. Investigators are questioning whether Aas sold his stocks based on insider knowledge or if it was just coincidental timing.

After two delays already, The Secret World players may have already suspected what Funcom recently announced -- the second monthly update for the game has been postponed yet again. Hopefully, the third time's the charm.

This third delay stems from the same exploit initially found on Tuesday that forced the second one, which pushed Digging Deeper back by one day. Apparently, more time is needed to remove the issue and thoroughly test the client. Issue #2 -- with its rocket launcher, new make-up and hairstyles, and additional missions -- will be deployed to live servers next week.

O MJ, MJ, wherefore art thou going MJ? The secret is out... er, in. I am off to the land of conspiracies. And no, I don't mean high school.

Going into this vote, many a Massively staffer thought that one game was a shoe-in and would have a decisive win. Well, we were partially right: The win was definitely decisive, but if we were putting money on it, we would have empty pockets right now! With a resounding shout that nearly leveled a section of al-Merah, you have declared that The Secret World will take center stage during this Choose My Adventure series. It just goes to show that you can't necessarily predict things, especially when a passionate fanbase rallies together.

Although this game choice is admitted unexpected, I am very excited to play this out with you. Many of you already know I really enjoy playing TSW. In fact, a few have expressed concern over this. Let me ease your thoughts a bit. Am I familiar with things about The Secret World? Yes, I am, but so are many of you. Do I love parts of it? Certainly! Do I know or have I experienced all there is to the game? Not in the slightest. And besides, remember that I won't be playing as I would play; Choose My Adventure is all about you telling me how to play your way. Trust me when I say we'll explore things in a whole new way because you will be directing each scene. So what's my first line?

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Fans looking forward to the already delayed issue #2 in The Secret World will have to wait an extra day. Funcom just tweeted that Digging Deeper will be deployed on live servers on Wednesday, September 12th, instead of the 11th. The extra day is meant to ensure that everything is working as intended. According to the announcement, the downtime details are currently unknown but will be announced via the usual channels when available.

This week I have quite the selection of tasty video tidbits for you to enjoy. What better way to spend the weekend than staying inside away from the nasty pollen and wasps, watching amazing gameplay videos hosted by yours truly and his band of fellow pixel-heads? That's right! You don't even have to buy MMOs anymore! By simply clicking on the "continue reading" link below, you step into an expansive world of MMO exploration, teeming with sights and sounds unlike you have ever seen or installed before! Why should you go through the trouble of standing in line, purchasing a box, spending two days installing it on your massive PC, pulling up that huge plastic chair, waiting for the game to patch, and attempting to make a character who doesn't look like a 17 year-old pop-punk band member only to find that you suck at PvP?

The simple answer to your problem is to watch us play ALL OF THE GAMES! Which games, you might ask? Well, this week I have some Piggy action as he streams Fallen Earth, followed by Richie with some Guild Wars 2, Mike with some more EVE Online, World of Tanks and Tribes: Ascend. And I follow it all up with a trip through Wurm Online to view the mystery behind the Puzzles deed and then chat with Illyriad CEO James Niesewand about his game's new patch! Check it out!

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