Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Based on the events and characters of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian stories, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is a fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that immerses players in a gritty, sprawling universe filled with groundbreaking, brutal combat, dangerously intoxicating magical abilities, and the social and cooperative gameplay features that MMORPG players crave. Set in the later years of Conan's life after he becomes king by his own hand, the game revolves around the fragile state of Conan's rule in Aquilonia. Surrounded by enemies and hostile nations, Conan's reign hangs by a thread and in the end it is up to the players, either alone or with the support of their guilds, to turn the tide for or against the embattled king. Massively multiplayer gaming for the adult gamer, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is one of the most eagerly anticipated MMORPGs in recent years, as the Conan series has become well-known and beloved across a wide range of media. Firmly rooted in the wild, bloody, violent and sexy Hyborian universe, players can expect a graphically beautiful game that is faithful to both the barbarian hero from Howard's writings and the Schwarzenegger-influenced version from books, movies and comics. Available Cultures and Classes: Although Age of Conan includes a wide range of races, playable cultures are currently limited to Aquilonians, Cimmerians, and Stygians. In each of these cultures, players can choose from a number of archetypal character classes, though the available classes and their subclasses are not necessarily the same in each culture. For example, the archetypal classes for Aquilonians and Cimmerians are Rogue, Priest, and Soldier, while Stygians are represented by Rogue, Priest, and Mage. There are further differences in the subclasses of the three cultures. Below you will find the basic breakdown of all three cultures: Aquilonians: Internally divided but united against their barbarian neighbors, the Aquilonians live a life on the fringes of society. Their kingdom, with its prosperous cities, enlightened culture and religious freedom, is known as the "Flower of the West." But despite all this, and despite the power of King Conan I, it is a land where cultural conflicts and unrest are always a threat. The Cimmerians: The Hyborian Age is coming to an end, and the northern barbarian clans of the Cimmerians know that their time will soon come to an end as well. King Conan I of Aquilonia is himself a Cimmerian, though not typical of his people. Although his life is filled with wanderlust, his clans do not care about what happens outside their clan territory. Stygians: The Stygians are masters of the magical arts and are ruled by their consuming worship of the serpent god Set. They are masters of the occult and devilish sciences. They learned long ago that true power lies in knowledge and pacts with dark forces. Thanks to this single-mindedness, they are the only culture that harnesses the secrets of the mage class and the power that comes with it. Single-player and multiplayer modes: unlike most MMORPGs, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures offers both an extensive single-player experience and deep, overarching multiplayer gameplay. This is an atypical feature for MMORPGs, but it has its purpose. Players enter the game as simple galley slaves with no memory of their past, and spend the first five to 20 levels of single-player action building the skills needed to survive in the game's multiplayer levels. During this time, you'll traverse a variety of varied environments including jungles, deserts, mountains, valleys, dungeons and cities full of NPCs, beasts and monsters before eventually leveling up and returning to the home of your chosen culture. Since the only character-related decisions players have to make at the start of the game are their appearance, clothing and culture, this single-player mode is important for deciding what class and subclass you choose, and thus the influence your character will have in the larger multiplayer part of the game. Levels 20 and above are multiplayer-only modes. 20-40 introduce players to guilds. 40-60 deal with large-scale battles. 60-80 lets the player interact with King Conan, and levels 80 and higher represent the endgame. This is where the gameplay changes, as the social aspects of MMORPG gameplay come into play on a large scale. Real-time combat inspired by FPS: Traditionally, MMORPGs have used a mix of automatic and turn-based features in their combat systems, but Age of Conan eschews this and instead takes inspiration from FPS/action games. Firmly rooted in the brutality of the Hyborian universe, game developer Funcom has created an action-based system that not only makes it feel like you're actually in combat, but also requires the player to participate in it. This means that there are no simple targeted attacks. Players can attack and d