Age of Conan is a MMORPG from 2008 set in the world of Conan novels by author Robert E. Howard. At release, it was popular, but today hardly anyone is interested in the game. What has become of it?
The MMORPG was developed by Funcom and released in 2008 with the subtitle “Hyborian Adventures.” It transports you to the world of Hyboria, the setting of the Conan novels by author Robert E. Howard.
Age of Conan takes place in the harsh world of barbarians. You create a character and choose a class – Rogue, Mage, Soldier, or Priest. Additionally, there are 3 subclasses for each class, making a total of 12.
You enter the vast game world, where there is much to explore. You also complete quests, can craft, or compete against each other in PvP.
A special feature is the combat system, which places a lot of emphasis on combos and action. The battles take place actively, where your attack direction is important. Enemies can be hit from various sides.
Since the fights look quite brutal and nudity plays a role in Age of Conan, the MMORPG received a USK rating of 18 years and older.
This is what Age of Conan looks like:
Popular at Release, Forgotten Today
When Age of Conan was released on May 20, 2008, players had to sign up for a subscription. According to the developers, over a million players subscribed at launch – making it the largest MMO launch since World of Warcraft (via Wired).
Almost 15 years later, player numbers look sparse. On Steam, 78 players were online at peak in the last 24 hours (via SteamDB). Adding the players from Funcom’s own client, there are probably slightly more – but still very few for an MMORPG.
At launch, the MMORPG was gigantic, but the success did not last long. Due to lack of endgame content, too little content, and bugs that were not fixed quickly enough, many players left Age of Conan. Both PvP and crafting did not work properly.
In 2011, the developers switched to a Free2Play model with optional subscription and changed the subtitle to “Unchained.” You can therefore play it for free, and since 2013 also on Steam. However, Free2Play players face significant restrictions:
- Fewer experience points
- Fewer tokens and reputation with factions
- A maximum amount of gold you can carry
- A maximum number of concurrent quests
Players who want to play for free can do so, but progress is slower, and they have to grind longer than players with a subscription.
The transition ultimately did not lead the MMORPG to great success. New content came too slowly, and there were too many technical issues.
In the video, you can see the 11-year-old trailer of Age of Conan: Unchained
No Update Since 2020
Taking a look at the website of Age of Conan, the MMORPG seems very dead. The last post under “News” is from 2020, in which Funcom announced an event for the 12th birthday of the game. “It is not getting updates, which is very unfortunate,” writes a player in reviews on Steam.
2020 also saw the last major update. It was titled “Onslaught” and introduced a new area from the original short story “Colossus” from 1933. In it, you encounter the wizard Thugra Khotan, who wishes to subjugate the world. Additionally, it brought new quests, gear, and game modes.
Since then, it has been quiet about Age of Conan: Unchained. It still seems to have an active player base. A user named Gak wrote in the Steam reviews in December 2022: “The community is niche but loyal and passionate. There is no shortage of friendly players who are happy to help newcomers.”
For fans of old MMORPGs as well as Conan the Barbarian, it is definitely worth checking out Age of Conan 15 years after its release. However, you probably won’t meet many players there, and the graphics are understandably outdated by now.
Have you ever played Age of Conan or perhaps still do? Should Funcom have done more with the title? What do you think about the model with an optional subscription that they introduced in 2011? Feel free to let us know in the comments here on MeinMMO!
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