This week’s Friday Update is the Clan of Conan Newsletter #16 telling us all about the construction of guild cities.
The online version of the newsletter can be found here aoc gold .
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Eidos and Funcom have organized an exclusive Age of Conan GM tour for the press in a cinema in central London next week (Thursday, 13 March 2008).
Product Manager Erling ‘Lord Orion’ Ellingsen and Community Manager Oliver ‘Tarib’ Kunz will be there to show the game and it turns out we have room for a few crazy Brits at this event.
To win one of the 9 spots, all you have to do is email contest@ageofconan.com with the subject “The King is coming to the UK!” In the email, you should finish the sentence:
“I want to meet King Conan because…”
The 9 best entries will get themselves one seat aoc gold each for this exclusive presentation of the game.
Please keep in mind you will have to get yourself to the event in central London, as the contest only includes entry to the event. All the necessary details will be revealed to the lucky winners, but we have to stay tight-lipped here, because we’ve had the cops called on us a time or two for the crush of fans we attract and attendance is strictly limited. 
Good luck to you all!
1. All entries must be received by March 9th, 2008 at 12:00 GMT.
2. By submitting the entries the contestant certifies that they are 18 or older.
No illegible, incomplete, forged or altered entries will be accepted. All entries become the exclusive property of Funcom. By submitting entry, entrant represents that (s)he has the unrestricted right to submit text and that it does not infringe upon any third party’s proprietary or other rights. By entering, each entrant unconditionally assigns and transfers to Sponsor any and all rights which they now have or may in the future have to the submission including, without limitation, the copyrights therein, in any medium whatsoever. Sponsor will have the unrestricted right to use, alter, publish, display or transfer the text however it sees fit without further approval of or payment to entrant.
3. SELECTION OF WINNERS: One winner will be selected from among all eligible entries received. The winner will be selected by representatives of Funcom on or about March 10th, 2008. Decisions are final on all matters relating to this Contest. Winner will be notified by email.
4. PRIZES: Nine (9) Grand Prizes: Nine entries to the exclusive “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures”-presentation held on the 13th of March 2008 in a cinema in central London, UK. One prize (entry) per submission. The prize will be awarded and No substitution or transfer of prize permitted. Account use is subject to normal game rules and terms of service.
5. ELIGIBILITY: Contest open to individuals age 18 or older as of March 4th, 2008 who are legal residents of their current domicile, except employees (and their immediate families and members of the same household) of Sponsor, its affiliates, agents, judges and advertising and promotion agencies.
6. VERIFICATION OF WINNER AND DELIVERY OF PRIZE: Winner may be required to sign an affidavit of eligibility and liability release and, where permitted, a publicity release. Prize may be forfeited if affidavit is not returned within 14 days after mailing to winner or if prize notification letter or prize is returned as undeliverable or if 3 attempts to contact entrant by email are unsuccessful. Winner agrees to use of name, and/or prize information for promotional purposes in any medium without additional compensation.
7. GENERAL: This Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law and subject to all applicable country, federal, state and local laws and regulations. This Contest will be governed by the internal laws of the State of New York, USA. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction within the United States of America. Sponsor reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any entrant from this Contest or any other promotion conducted now or in the future by Sponsor or any of its affiliates if his or her fraud or misconduct affects the integrity of the Contest. By participating in this Contest, each entrant accepts the conditions stated in these Official Rules, agrees to be bound by the decisions of the judges and warrants that s/he is eligible to participate in this Contest. By accepting age of conan gold prize, winner agrees to release Sponsor, its directors, employees, officers, and agents, including without limitation, its advertising and promotion agencies, from any and all liability, loss or damages arising from or in connection with the awarding, receipt, and/or use or misuse of prize or participation in any prize-related activities. No purchase necessary to win.
8. WINNERS LIST: To obtain name of winner, visit http://forums.ageofconan.com on or about March 10th, 2008.
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Questions by Cody “Micajah” Bye
Answers by Jørgen Tharaldsen, Product Director for Funcom
When it comes to anticipated games, few are as sought after as Funcom’s upcoming MMORPG epic, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. With the backing of the Conan IP and their previous experience with MMOG games, Funcom has set a high bar for themselves and their competition, creating a world that will include intense player versus player and player versus environment interaction. From the screenshots we’ve seen of the game, Age of Conan looks tremendous and seems to be offering something for every player.
But despite all the hype and anticipation surrounding the game, Funcom has kept a tight lid on Age of Conan and has withheld a lot of information concerning the classes in the game. While short class previews have been published for several of the in-game classes on the official website, many questions still remain unanswered about the classes. Fortunately, the staff at Ten Ton Hammer is hoping to alleviate some of those worries.
Starting with today’s Dark Templar interview, Ten Ton Hammer will be running in-depth bi-weekly class interviews with Funcom’s Product Director, Jørgen Tharaldsen, in an attempt to iron out all of our questions before the game’s release in March 2008. As the first in this series, the Dark Templar interview explores the evil nature of the Dark Templar, his specific class combos, whether this class is a hybrid, and much more!
So grab your axes, don your armor, and prepare yourselves for some dark magic….the Ten Ton Hammer AoC class interviews have begun!
Ten Ton Hammer: On the official site, the Dark Templar is described as essentially “an evil warrior.” What sort of visual and gameplay characteristics make him evil? Does this class choice affect the NPCs that the player might meet, making them hesitant (or eager) to work with such an evil being? Will other players be able to see that a certain character is a Dark Templar when they see them on the battlefield?
The Dark Templar will definitely be identifiable on the battlefield when he calls upon his dark magic.
Jørgen Tharaldsen: In Hyboria the divide between good and evil depends on the eye of the beholder to a large extent, but the Dark Templar is indeed marked by all the dark forces he is dabbling with. Even though you would call him, or her, evil, the world itself will not react to the Dark Templar as evil. This means that the NPC’s won’t shy away, or treat a Dark Templar any different than they would another class. Given the extreme freedom we have within the game when it comes to customization and choice of armor it might not always be possible to spot a Dark Templar in action, but the trained eye should quickly mark him out when in combat. The Dark Templar will be right at the front of the action, and you will see the dark magic surrounding him.
Ten Ton Hammer: Being a melee class, the Dark Templar will certainly have a variety of combos to work with. Will there be class specific melee combos that only a Dark Templar will use? Or will those combos access some of his dark magic?
Jørgen: Yes, the Dark Templar will for sure have class specific melee combos, and also class specific fatalities (by the way; there really aren’t any cross-class combos in the game). The Dark Templar has five core combo lines, with a total of 18 combos in total (from level 20 to 80), and another five combos which can only be obtained from certain feat choices. Many of the combos will directly tap into the dark magic, and many of these effects are first triggered when performing a combo in the right manner (i.e. some of his life drain abilities will only kick in after successfully drawing enemy blood). In general he can also run two core kinds of spell lines; namely Auras and Soul Covenants. The choices you make at various times also ties into the general damage output.
The Dark Templar can also remove his shield, and instead focus on holding magical talismans in the offhand, which will give him additional combat effects like bonus damage or procs. He won’t actually make any attacks with that offhand and gets absolutely no benefit if not using a shield and not having a talisman equipped.
Since his many magic attacks have different effects, it becomes a choice for the player what to focus on in different situations, and this need to “go with the flow” will be evident as you learn his many forms of attacks and buffs.
Ten Ton Hammer: In some of the other class descriptions you’ve gone through on the main site, you’ve listed some “top-tier” abilities that your classes can choose from or transformations that might occur when a class gets to a high-level. Will the Dark Templar have access to “top-tier” abilities and can you give us some hints at the top-tier abilities for the Dark Templar?
Hyboria is full of evil and dark entities, the Dark Templar is always looking for the one that can best serve his needs.
Jørgen: We have ensured that every single class will get special “top-tier “ abilities, and the Dark Templar is no exception. This is an important aspect of the RPG evolution in the game, and as a player you can expect new stuff all the way to level 80. A lot of this evolution is also tied to the feat system in Age of Conan, like mentioned above. In addition the Dark Templar naturally has a whole host of dirty tricks up his sleeve, and many are based around dark magic. As this class is the only one outside the Mage Archetype who can wield dark magic, it makes for an interesting fighter with both the ability to wield damage and tank.
Ten Ton Hammer age of conan gold : When it comes to worshiping particular gods, it sounds like the Dark Templar really doesn’t care what sort of demon being he makes his pact with. Will player controlled Dark Templars be able to choose a god that they make their demonic pact with? If not, how does the Dark Templar stand out in the darker Conan storyline compared to the classes that worship Set or any other vile god?
Jørgen: That is entirely correct, a Dark Templar is not bowing to any one god or demon, but to the ones who at any given time can give him the best (or worst *winks*) beneficial powers. We have not made direct god encounters a part of the gameplay when it comes to worshiping though, so don’t expect, for instance, that a “Monty Python-like” hand of god will come down. A lot is therefore explained through other aspects than pure encounters. This is done on purpose; making such encounters worthy enough would be tricky to pull off for each individual class.
When it comes to the role of the Dark Templar in the bigger storyline of Hyboria, it is a great archetype from lore and one we’ve worked hard on so players can enjoy the role of a sorcerous warlord from the Hyborian age. This class seeks to carve out their own kingdom, lead their own armies and fight for their own personal glory. By not tying them to any specific god or mythos we allow players to determine what type of dark powers they sell their soul to – demon lords, elder gods of pre-history or viler unnamed gods of Hyboria. The warlord aspect really identifies them, for they wield both the soldier’s sword and armor with the sorcerer’s foul magic. They contrast well with the holy powers of the Mitran Priest, the alien powers of the Herald of Xotli and more martial based soldiers. Playing the role of a Dark Templar warlord well will give a totally different insight into the Age of Conan storyline. But it is in the player-generated side of the MMO we expect the Dark Templar to really stand out as it rewards power hungry players who feed off battle, almost in the literal sense. And who knows, maybe they’ll get that chance to forge their own kingdom in the brutal world of Conan age of conan gold …
Ten Ton Hammer: The Dark Templar, while being a solid melee combatant, seems like he falls into a sort of hybrid-class when compared to some of the other melee classes like the Guardian or Barbarian. Is this a correct assumption? What sort of benefits will a Dark Templar bring to a group-oriented situation? You list one ability - “Martyrdom” - in the class preview, but how else will a group benefit from a Dark Templar compared to the other melee combatants like the Guardian or Barbarian?
Melee combat is the Dark Templar’s first priority despite being able to wield awe-inspiring magic.
Jørgen: Well, I guess that is partially true, but the Dark Templar is first and foremost a melee class, as his primary abilities are with one-hand edged and one-hand blunt weapons. He can also equip a crossbow at level 50. However, in essence, he shares the role as tank with two other classes in the game. Still, he has been given several special abilities that the other tanks cannot access, for instance his dabbling with dark forces and the constant stream of life he can drain from enemies (or give to his team). As a consequence we have given the Dark Templar less health than the other two tanks (but still way more than other classes). A well performing Dark Templar can therefore, at times, be quite self sufficient, allowing the healers in a group to be a bit more “careful” on buffs on them compared to, say, a Guardian. That is also a weakness, of course, for by securing most for himself the Templar also has less to spare for others, in many cases.
We have tried to ensure that our tanks, in general, are good damage dealers. This is in order to ensure that there can be more than one tank in a group. There are also some other aspects about the Dark Templar I find intriguing, and I think Templars played by skilled gamers have interesting ways of shifting combat outcomes. For instance, we have a mode in the game called Frenzy, and a Dark Templar going into this mode can deal around 150% extra damage, so say you hit 100 normally you would deal 250 with this running. On the other hand that gives (approximately, differs from class) three times the damage if someone hits you, so you would need to time the attacks carefully. Since the Dark Templar also gets increased life drain (and more), when hitting with this kind of extra damage it means that a correctly timed Frenzy can really bring the Templar back into the fight, giving you the upper hand when you were about to lose.
Ten Ton Hammer: Finally, is there anything else you’d like to tell the Ten Ton Hammer readers about the Dark Templar?
Jørgen: In Age of Conan we have tried to make all of the classes interesting and intriguing, and I think the Dark Templar is a great example of that. He is a tank, which you know from most all MMOs, but he is also something more. In this Q&A I have just touched on some of the aspects surrounding this class, but as a player you will soon enough figure out the entire depth by yourself. *smiles*
Suffice to say becoming a Dark Templar is a journey of power and death, dark magic and self-focus. I am also pretty sure the Dark Templar will be a worthy challenger in PvP. For instance the Frenzy / drain attacks will lead to many an enemy death, but also many a death for the Dark Templars themselves. *winks*
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It’s a hat-trick of major awards for Age of Conan as we pick up Gamespot’s Best Massively Multiplayer Game of E3 award.
Here is what they had to say in giving the award:
“Aside from letting aoc gold players savagely kill their enemies, Age of Conan apparently will have plenty of other intriguing features, like a substantial single-player game that will let players bring their first character from level 1 to 20. Players will also be able to ride a fully controllable horse who won’t just act as rapid transportation–these mighty steeds can be riding into battle while players use mounted weapons to crush their pitiful pedestrian foes. Players can even join advanced character classes that can do things like lead armies into battle and take control of huge siege engines to bombard their enemies back into the Stone Age.
But let’s face it–one of the game’s main attractions is its brutality. Developer Funcom makes no bones at all about how the game will likely receive an M rating for its graphic violence. Rather than fear the dreaded descriptor, the studio has embraced the mature themes set down by Howard in his novels–stories of dark, lush jungles hiding armies of savage warriors, rather than impoverished beginners killing rats in the hopes of one day purchasing a rusty dagger. Age of Conan made an impressive aoc gold showing at the show this year and based on what we saw, it’s the most promising massively multiplayer game in development today.”
You can find their entire awards feature here
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Looking for Conan, the game that intrigued them so. If you’re going to Paris for the Festival du Jeu Vidéo, read this for more details.
If you’re going age of conan gold to the show, Age of Conan will have its own stand where you can come by and play the game. We’ll also be doing presentations on the game at the stand, and there’s a prize giveaway for beta keys and NVIDIA graphics cards. Either way, stop by and say, age of conan gold “Bonjour!”
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YouGamers.com paid a visit to the Edinburgh Interactive Festival and posted a nice article on the Age of Conan presentation there.
However, Funcom pointed out some unique aspects to their hairy-chested offering, citing that these facets will help lift the title above the masses and draw in the punters. For example, they were particularly keen on pointing out that this is all about the world of Conan and if you’ve ever read any of the books, then you’ll know what you’re in for: no elves age of conan gold or gnomes, just hacking off heads, drinking beer and shouting “Crom!” at every buxom women that dares cross your path.
Check out the whole article on Yougamers.com.
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Stephen ‘Weezer’ Spiteri aoc gold has put up his latest ‘Mitra’s Method’ article at AoC Warcry. And this time it’s even more special than usual!
It’s the ‘Age of Conan Beta Journal Entry #1′!
You can find that here age of conan gold .
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King Conan arrives tomorrow.
Word may already age of conan gold be trickling out, but we anticipate more as we free the journalists from our dark dungeons of despair. As part of the last push to launch, on Tuesday, at a movie theater here in Oslo, we presented the game to an eager and hungry crowd of journalists and some lucky fans.
If you want some idea of what went on, we’ve tracked down a video of the complete presentation from the enterprising young lads at TenTonHammer. All that was followed by a massive launch party at a newly-established Viking village in Holmenkollen.
Secondly, we love seeing what our fans can do. Very soon, we will throw open the gates and you will be free to make videos, take screenshots, and do everything else you can imagine with the game. As just a sampling of this, we’ve selected some of the finest player-made videos to be featured here on the community site. We can’t wait to see what you guys come up with once the game launches!
(Please note that these may contain adult/not work safe content, music, etc.)
* The City of Tortage
* The City of Tarantia
* Beta Gameplay Footage
* Character Creation
* The “Break the Chains” Quest
* Herald of Xotli footage
* Conquerer footage
* The mighty Tempest of Set in PvP
* Guardian footage
* Spinezor has a nice selection of class videos
* A Bear Shaman in PvP
* A small selection of some of the fatalities
Have you made something cool? Do you want internet fame and glory? Let us know in the forums
Finally, We’ve dispatched our elite undercover agents to the very factories now churning away night and day, producing copy after copy of Age of Conan. We snuck away pictures and an exclusive movie of the production underway, so you can see that the King is coming, boxes are being packed, very nice people in factories are hand-packing your Collector’s Edition before it leaps into a box and embarks on its journey to you. The wait is almost over, Conan fans, as you can see in these pictures and in this short aoc gold video.
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The elves are an ancient race, their origins shrouded by the mists of time and legend, a culture that was old when even the long-lost Acheronians roamed Hyboria.
“What has happened here, Gwindor?” the elf asked his brother in disbelieving tones.
“Great evil,” his similarly somber brother answered. “All the trees have been uprooted, every plant stripped away, and the hoofprints mark a great flock of them. Aye, the most terrible beasts to roam Hyboria have been here.”
“Clop narls, then?”
Gwindor nodded somberly.
“Clop narls.”
–The Song of the Woods, Robert E. Howard
The elven peoples stick to the trees and woods aoc gold , looking askance on all outsiders that dare to show their face in the sacred groves. As the world faces doom and the rise of Thoth-Amon, the elves have withdrawn to their great cities in the trees, where endless debates ring through the nights. What role should the elves take when the humans may end an Age once again?
Elves are attuned to magic and the natural world like no other people in Hyboria. Their priests sing inspiring songs of the forest, soothing even the most savage of beasts, while their graceful paladins call upon the powerful goddess Ayewin for protection. The most capable of these can even call down the Wrath of Ayewin, a magic so powerful that all enemies are instantly destroyed simply by casting it.
In Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, players will find that the elves provide the most satisfying play experience. Their graceful nature and beautiful appearance will often garner a few coin from passers-by simply by existing and elves are granted first access to all taverns in the land, while others may have to wait for an instance to open up just to get in, and their exclusive, elf-only tree cities provide a relaxing respite from a wearying world. Elves also gain mystical protection from other adventurers, such that none may raise their hand or weapon to an elf, unless that elf has already attacked them.
Elven culture is one of embracing the natural world, especially the trees and plants within it, while the elves as a people value beauty and music, often composing epic poems and reciting them on the march to inspire their friends and terrify their foes. A particularly beautiful flower or tree may inspire hours of reflection and composition, with small circles gathering to hear particularly inspiring works before battle. Roleplayers will find a wide array of bright and colorful clothes and elven equipment is known for its magical effects, be it flaming swords or be it a full set of brightly glowing armor. Elves have a natural glow about them and the radiant and overpowering beauty of an elven princess may stun all that gaze upon them, even for a moment.
Those going off to battle shun the mammoths and rhinos of the more earthly races. Instead, elves are the only race that can utilize the Giant Bumblebee mount, the only flying mount available in all of Hyboria. These bees will be lifelong companions, as well as ferocious opponents in battle and handy in sieges, as they can fly right over the walls of the enemy keep.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the life of an elf is one of beauty and serenity. Spells are sung in beautiful melodies that bring tears to the eyes of other races. As a player, you will have the option of choosing from all four of the archetypes, as elves embrace the magical world as part of the beauty and wonder of Hyboria. Those who choose the way of the sword may choose from the Paladin, Dark Templar, or Conquerer classes. The priest and priestesses of Ayewin are extremely powerful, whether in groups or on their own, while those of a shadier disposition may choose to follow the path of the Bard. Lastly, the Necromancer provides age of conan gold a little darkness for those preferring to stay out of the light.
The classes an Elf can play are:
Soldier: Paladin, Dark Templar, Conquerer
Priest: Priest of Ayewin
Rogue: Bard
Mage: Necromancer
See Also:
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Screenshot of Elf
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Elf Character Creation Video
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WarCry is now taking your questions about Age of Conan and will answer some of them at a later time.
How you can submit your questions is explained here age of conan gold .
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