fresh MMO - yes thank you!

first star wars, then this

I am also in the CB of this game and love it for what it is: quick-fix arena combat. I also love their art styles and types of characters.. everything has a.. uhm.. african feel to it. This is a high quality small game (300 mb) very much worth checking out IMO. I also liked it a lot more than DoTA and LoL

Looks like another company is about to find out why there are so few big MMOs out there, its waaay more complex (unless you're doing some browser based "mmo") - that said though I do wish them all the best for the launch.

I'm also glad that they didn't add more levels, the trip from 1 to 80 is long enough. There is however now such a myriad of things to do on the way with the AA system, and the new zones are huge and open and given a gritty real feeling of openess and mysterious around each corner. AoC is to me the best "non kiddie" MMO out there (though I know PvP servers can be rough on some)

IMO Age of Conan beats AION hands down, and the expansion is great.

There will be insane amounts of stuff to do at end-game in Godslayer. New raids and dungeons, factions that you need to work and last but not least the AA-system, which is a requirement for the new high-end battles in Khitai.

Personally I can't wait for expansion - I love the mature setting and I love the non-cartoony graphics.

Great interview! For whoever asked what's new since launch of Age of Conan, check this link out:

http://www.ageofconan.com/updates/?utm_id=419

 I very much agree with this nomination - Age of Conan is a great game for both casual and hardcore players. Be aware the there's an unlimited trial (play as much as you want through Tortage, no 7 day restriction, that's a frigging lot of free MMO fun) available for a limited time on http://www.ageofconan.com/trial/. 

Pyramid of the ancients in the Khemi desert (level 28ish) is the most fun I've ever had in a single-player dungeon, ever. Period.

And for people griping about instancing: Go into the level 20+ playfields (any of them). They're huge and the instancing is quickly forgotten (Conall's Valley is a great example).

Very much looking forward to this one!

Saw this at Cologne Gamescom. Most promising MMO of all there, and this is the biggest show in Europe! Can't wait for Q1.

And DX10 is in (albeit still labeled "DX10 Test", so for those MMO inclined with a strong GPU - no reason to wait!)

Very nice post and I also want to second that: Age of Conan has progressed leaps and bounds from launch and is really worthwhile to pick up!

LoBoMau - did you clear your cache as was suggested earlier in this thread?

I have no issues either, and the game is better than ever before!

check this review out:

http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/index.php

Age of Conan for president.. or uhm.. wait

AoC improved heaps and bounds from beta to release. Miracle Patch indeed. Even the rendering improved, and massively so - its a piece of art now.

Servers are up again now after maintenance. I haven't had that "anticipation waiting I need to game" feeling for a looooong time.

Servers came up 30 mins ago or so

oh and yeah I could go on and on about the stabilty, ping times, skill-trees, fatalities, hidden quests, pvp-mini games --- but why... this game just owns the world of MMOs now.

All I have to say to Warhammer Online is "good luck, you'll need it... badly"

Age of Conan is amazing. I am totally convinced it will sell out everywhere within short, because the word is getting out on the street. I've played basically every MMO, and AoC is the clear reigning champ of recent years and I see NOTHING on the horizon to challenge it. Just like Ultima Online and Everquest also were champs - but today we are talking a mass market beyond compare to what was "the old days".

The char creation is just endless ( the characters are so different and so lifelike, and so scary, sexy, mature - its mindboggling).

The combat is insane. Easy at first, but so many combinations and skills that one can just  grow and grow and grow with game. Very much like what Guildwars did an excellent job on, but now in a "full world" setting that Guildwards absolutely did not have.

The choices and the way the game fits for everyone is very strong. One can chose PvE server and happily run around and go slow. I mean, even my mother could play this game. Then it scales up in complexity. Like Blizzard did, this game is SO easy to get into, but SO hard to master. I suggest everyone that are even remotely contemplating AoC to get the game NOW, because the skills needed to become a master are better started practied sooner than later.

Graphics - OH MY GOD HOW IT SCALES WELL. On a 8800GT it supersmooth, and very unexpected on even my portable it is VERY playable and unbelievably beautiful!

Maturity - YES, no more CARTOON GRAPHICS. No more ELVES and ORCS and TROLLS. Low-fantasy, I so like it!

Audio - unbelievable music, all written in pure 5.1 surround, meaning EACH speaker has a seperate audio stream - this is not a mix, its composed for 5.1, and the music and audio is just.. gah.

Immersion: Fantastic. If you guys thought Tortage Island areas were good, wait until you run through Conall's Valley (Cimmerian area) where there is a war going on between Vanirs and Cimmerians. Birds circle overhead, smoke rises up, you see people way off in the distance, you can climb mountains to the highest outlook points, hide in shadows. Aaaargh.

I am just typing this because the servers are down - but my conclusion is crystal clear: 10/10

THIS GAME WILL ROCK YOUR SOCKS OF IF YOU HAVE EVEN THE SLIGHEST LIKING FOR A MATURE MMO

See you all in Hyboria - I chose Culture PvP server (Cimmeria vs Aqulonia vs Stygia). Less ganking - more fun!