Secret world prestige classes

From an advertising e-mail sent out by Funcom:

"The Secret World is a game without traditional classes, where players are free to build the character they want by choosing from over five hundred different abilities. For players looking for a bit more direction, we have created the deck system which helps you pick certain abilities that leads to a certain play style."

From their on-site explanation:


"A deck in The Secret World is a collection of 7 active and 7 passive abilities that work well with each other. Each deck will enable the player to fulfill one or several roles, either soloing or teaming up with others. Upon collecting all 14 abilities the player is also given a kick-ass outfit, so he won't only be able to play the part, but also look the part! "

Granted, all it seems to be so far is a little helping hand to those too stupid to figure out their own character. That's bad enough in itself, coddling the idiots instead of letting them suffer the results of their own stupidity, but it's also inconsequential. Five minutes after the game comes out, the internet will be filled with guides listing every cookie-cutter build in an attempt to even the playing ground between those with more and those with less than a chimp's intelligence. In-game guides are the straw on an already-broken camel's back.

The bigger issue is the slippery slope. Give the morons a little guidance now, and they'll keep demanding more. They will demand more simplification, more obvious winning choices. What Funcom is giving the players is a set of cosmetic prestige classes. What the players will inevitably demand next and the developers just as inevitably provide is overpowered prestige classes. They will be given abilities and bonuses available only to that particular combination of 14 skills. Choosing anything else will be suicide.

So much for 'no classes'. Cretins.