The Secret World's factions revealed

By Oli Welsh Published 4 September, 2009

Also, a chance to win beta access.

Funcom has revealed the first details of how player factions - or rather, secret societies - will work in its forthcoming modern-day MMO, The Secret World.

Players will start as members of the ancient Dragon, Illuminati or Templar societies in the starting cities of Seoul, New York and London respectively. The Dragons are shadowy political manipulators; the Illuminati is a decadent, greedy organisation stuffed with celebrities and power-brokers; the Templars are military and religious zealots. GameSpot has the details.

Over at the official Secret World website, you can take a personality test that will tell you which secret society suits your temperament the best. Initiates will then get a chance to win beta access to the game at some point in the future - it has no release date as yet.

The Secret World is a class-free, level-free MMO with a contemporary real-world setting, themed around urban myths, conspiracy theories and the occult. It's being produced and directed by Longest Journey and Dreamfall auteur Ragnar Tornquist, and is in development for PC and Xbox 360.

Funcom will be talking more about it, and showing in-game footage to press for the first time, at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle this weekend. We have an appointment to see it, so watch our for more coverage soon; in the meantime, you can watch the trailers and read the initial preview at the Secret World gamepage.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (13) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Eraysor #1 2 years ago

    The more Cthulhu references they ram into this the better.

    EDIT: The quiz has a spelling mistake in it; I hope their QA team does a better job on the actual game.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/09 @ 11:25

  • curtlikesmeat #2 2 years ago

    Showing footage to the press? Does that mean nothing will be released officially still?

    As many people have said before, and I hate whinging, but I fail to see to the point of behind closed doors press viewings so that the person who saw it can describe it to us in text format.

  • Bodd #3 2 years ago

    I hope their QA team does a better job on the actual game.

    Funcom has a QA team now?!

  • Gaiduku #4 2 years ago

    In development for PC and Xbox 360........ i just Microsoft finally stop being so bloody stubborn with the online policy and let at least one new MMO onto their console. I had high hopes for Champions online being playable on my xbox but nope..... i'm starting to think that its only possible if you have the money and prestige of Square -Enix to win Microsoft over in the mmo department...... but hey even FFXIV is having problems.

  • VibratingDonkey #5 2 years ago

    I get the impression this game is very early in development. Maybe the beta will start in like a year. I'm a Templar initiate btw. The evil of the world shall be purged. Hail Satan.

  • JonFE #6 2 years ago

    Took the test and I'm a Dragon! Woohoo!

  • Toothball #7 2 years ago

    I like the sound of this, but I'm sworn off MMOs due to what they've lead me to so far.

  • hiddenranbir #8 2 years ago

    PURGE THE EVIL!

  • cobaltfram #9 2 years ago

    The sad thing is that this game has been in development for what, a year now? Two years? Tornquist always talks about it on his blog and twitter, and yet we still are just getting CG. I'm sorry, but you're an MMO; CG means nothing for an MMO, or for many games in general.

  • Hantheman #10 2 years ago

    Could be intersting.

  • ChthonicEcho #11 2 years ago

    According to the test, I'm best suited to be a part of the Illuminati. I like the sound of the Dragon more, though.

    Awfully trite names, though. The idea of Templars in the modern world is getting old, the Dragon being used to refer to Oriental culture is like saying African-Americans like chicken, and Illuminati as a secret organisation of influential people is simply worn out as a conspiracy theory.

    I'm still mighty intrigued by this MMO, though.

  • Creasy #12 2 years ago

    one of the very (veeeery) few interesting upcoming mmorpgs. actually besides world of darkness the only one. (old republic has great ideas but looks awful)

  • Orange #13 2 years ago

    Sounds very interesting, just hope they deliver it on rather than the huge letdown which was Conan.