The MMORPG Age of Conan, released in May 2008, received one of its biggest updates in years in April 2020. But how is the game doing? And is it still worth starting in 2020?
What kind of game is this? Age of Conan was a huge success for developer Funcom at release. With wild barbarians, brutality, and a lot of naked skin, the title was able to sell more than a million subscriptions in the first five weeks (via Hemscott).
However, due to a lack of endgame content, bugs, and a slow rollout of content, the great and lasting success never materialized.
In 2011, Age of Conan transitioned to a Free2Play model with optional subscription under the name “Unchained.” Since then, while the game has not achieved outstanding numbers again, as the statistics from steamcharts show, it is still being developed to this day.
Unique setting and combat system, but showing its age
What makes the MMORPG special? Age of Conan takes place in the harsh world of Conan the Barbarian. It has an age restriction of 18, as there are visible breasts and blood. The game’s setting is generally very dark compared to many current MMORPGs.
One special feature is the combat system, which places a lot of emphasis on combos and action. You have the choice of 12 different classes. Additionally, there are options for sprinting and climbing walls, which not every MMORPG offers.
In 2018, special Saga servers were launched, which play like limited seasons in Diablo.
What are the problems? The game has aged, and it shows in every corner. The combat system feels more static than in modern games, there are many invisible walls, and the quest system feels outdated.
In addition, there are noticeable restrictions for Free2Play players compared to subscribers, including:
- Less XP
- Fewer tokens and reputation with factions
- A maximum of gold and fewer simultaneous quests that can be in the quest log.
This leads to a feeling of very slow progress, along with some grinding.
A glimpse into the MMORPG is provided by a short video from the colleagues at MMOByte:
New update Onslaught brings new area and new items
What’s in the latest update? On April 28, the new update Onslaught was released, introducing a new area from the original short story “Colossus” from 1933. Here you will encounter the sorcerer Thugra Khotan, who wants to subjugate the world.
The update brought, among other things, the following innovations:
- New areas
- New quests
- New game modes, where waves of enemies attack, getting stronger with each wave and bringing better loot
- Various new weapons and armors
You can find the complete changes in the official patch notes.
Is Age of Conan worth it in 2020?
How many players still play Age of Conan? As usual, the developer Funcom does not disclose how many active players the MMORPG has. In the official forum, users recommend joining one of the large guilds to experience the world together with other players.
Age of Conan was released on Steam in February 2013, where the numbers can be tracked. In the last 30 days, an average of around 102 players have been playing Age of Conan via Steam.
The numbers have remained fairly stable between 70 and 140 average players since release. This makes Age of Conan one of the few MMORPGs that do not benefit from the current boom on Steam.
Who should try Age of Conan? If you enjoy trying out older MMORPGs and like a brutal world, it might be worth checking out Age of Conan again in 2020. Any fan of Conan the Barbarian should at least take a look at it.
However, if you want to try a more modern game in the same universe, you should check out Conan Exiles. Although it is not an MMORPG, Conan Exiles is one of the best survival MMOs of 2020.
