A big point of interest was the look at the combat abilities. The stream highlighted the new gimmicks — the special weapon abilities — as well as the active and passive ability windows. The 16 active abilities on each weapon come in four distinct types designated by colored names. The builders and consumers system was replaced with energy that regenerates over time.
- White: Basic abilities with no energy cost so they can be spammed.
- Red: Power abilities that consume energy and are used most of the time.
- Purple: Specials that consume more energy but are stronger and have a cooldown.
- Yellow: Elite ability, of which players can only have one active at a time.
Unlike in The Secret World, the map in SWL will show quest markers only for the missions that are of the player’s level or lower; no longer will players see icons for missions they can’t reasonably complete yet. Also, completed missions will be indicated. Game Director Romain Amiel emphasized that missions are still repeatable, except for story missions prior to Tokyo.
As for upgrading gear, devs showed how simple it was to just feed looted gear into the piece you want to keep in the crafting window. Devs also announced that the next iteration of beta is planned for soon and will bring Transylvania’s Shadowy Forest and Besieged Farmlands in along with the blade. If you missed the stream live, you can catch all the details in the recording.
