Age of Conan at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

Each class has base stats that grow with them as the gain in level.  With no equipment or feats set, one level 50 Conqueror should look just like the next stat wise.  Through item choices, feats, and gems these two fighters should be able to alter the focus of their character allowing for one player to choose a decked out defensive fighter that could hold off the Roman army while still allowing the other player to choose an offensive fighter that could likely lay waste to that same army.  They also should be able to manipulate non-primary stats to assist with their defenses against certain types of attacks, such as physical damage, magic damage, holy damage, etc.  It is this meaningful choice that lets each player decide what works for them in their own unique way of gaming, and gives that player a tangible way of implementing it.

Another big update to items is the simplification of stats.  Not only were stats close to worthless, they were often confusing as the good items had a stat list a mile long.  This made things very confusing for the average player because you never really knew what you should be upgrading and which item was the better item.  Now when you're shopping for new gear, in a glance you can pick out the better item!

Overall, these changes gave the player more ways to further customize their gaming experience and made it a lot more user friendly.  Half the fun of playing a game like Age of Conan is in the strategic planning, and the itemization revamp went a long way in making that happen.

Crafting for Fun and Coin

At launch, crafting felt sort of tossed in as an afterthought.  It was something for players to do once they reached mid levels in game, but it was complicated, time consuming, and not particularly lucrative.  Crafting is generally used as a time sink in MMOGs but that certainly doesn't mean it can't be interesting and worthwhile!

Probably two of the biggest boosts to crafting were the itemization changes and the gem revamp.  These updates, all by themselves, gave crafting far more purpose.  Itemization changes gave crafters a reason to actually create better quality armor and weapons and actually get to see players buying them.  Gems, after a roller coaster ride of usefulness, finally have found a happy medium and are enjoying a life of balance and stackability that makes my bank super happy.

The actual mechanics of crafting remain pretty much the same with a few tweaks for convenience sake.  Minor updates have gone in such as the map showing which nodes are currently being harvested from, and drop rates being fixed a bit so we can have a shot at getting the things we need without being spammed with things that we don't need.

I would like to see crafting get a bit more attention. The drop rate on leather is atrocious, and I think that crafted food, drink, and potions really should be far superior than vendor bought items.  I have complete faith though that Funcom is watching the community closely and we can look forward to more updates addressing current player concerns.

 With the last year being so turbulent for Age of Conan, players are enjoying a period of continuity and peace.  What does the future bring for the land of Hyboria?  A new expansion "Rise of the Godslayer" is on the horizon and players are making their way back into game at a steady pace.  With this kind of momentum, we can continue to enjoy Age of Conan for a very long while.