Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Anvil of Crom: Class selection guide]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/the-anvil-of-crom-class-selection-guide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/the-anvil-of-crom-class-selection-guide/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/04/18/the-anvil-of-crom-class-selection-guide/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Welcome, my barbaric friends, to The Anvil of Crom. Last week we kicked around the difficult dilemma of server selections for my return to Age of Conan, and with that out of the way we can delve into some of the class choices available in Funcom's version of Hyboria. Given that I'm currently playing two rangers (one on Wiccana, one on Cimmeria), this column will ultimately focus heavily on those experiences. I'll also toss in the occasional comment on assassins (my launch day character and now an alt) as well as how my rangers fare against all twelve classes.

Age of Conan is a unique title in many ways, but none are more readily apparent than the melee combat system and the newish take on traditional MMORPG class roles. If you're new to the game or newly returned, chances are you're having a bit of a time deciding which class is right for you. If you pick one based on prior genre experience, you may find some surprises in store. Hit the link below for some basic class breakdowns as well as my reasons for going ranger.

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: Class selection guide originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 18 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conananvil-of-cromanvil-of-crom-guidesassassinbarbarianclass-guideclassesconquerordark-templarfeaturedfuncomguardianopinionpvepvprangertempest-of-setthe-anvil-of-cromSun, 18 Apr 2010 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan patch notes for the 17th of July]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/age-of-conan-patch-notes-for-the-17th-of-july/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/age-of-conan-patch-notes-for-the-17th-of-july/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/age-of-conan-patch-notes-for-the-17th-of-july/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


The next weekly update for Age of Conan has been deployed, and while it's not the PvP patch, there are a number of things to be happy about this time around. Along with the expected patch notes, Funcom decided to post their reasoning behind the bigger changes in the patch, something which they hope to do every week from now on. After the break, we've made a shortlist of some of the more interesting changes, and due to popular demand we've also included the entire patch notes for your perusal.

Continue reading Age of Conan patch notes for the 17th of July

MassivelyAge of Conan patch notes for the 17th of July originally appeared on Massively on Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>17th-julyage-of-conanaocassassinbarbarianbreakingcombosdemonlogistfuncommountspatchpriest-of-mitrarangertempest-of-settotem-of-originstradeposttravelThu, 17 Jul 2008 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[AoC 23/06 patch notes: ToS and Necro AoE nerfs steal the headlines]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/aoc-23-06-patch-notes-tos-and-necro-aoe-nerfs-steal-the-headlin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/aoc-23-06-patch-notes-tos-and-necro-aoe-nerfs-steal-the-headlin/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/06/23/aoc-23-06-patch-notes-tos-and-necro-aoe-nerfs-steal-the-headlin/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

The delayed notes for today's Age of Conan patch have now hit, and there are some significant changes in store for a couple of classes. The headline of this post pretty much spoils the suspense as to which two classes they are, but we'll discuss them in detail after the break. Other big changes include a doubling in size of all bags, performance fixes (including the option to limit/disable particles) and some tweaks to NPC aggro. Hit the jump to get into the meat and potatoes of this patch -- the Necromancer and Tempest of Set changes!

Continue reading AoC 23/06 patch notes: ToS and Necro AoE nerfs steal the headlines

MassivelyAoC 23/06 patch notes: ToS and Necro AoE nerfs steal the headlines originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocaoearea-of-effectbreakingfuncomlightning-strikenecromancernerfnerfsparasitic-soul-swarmpatchpatch-notespetsstorm-fieldtempest-of-setunholy-handsMon, 23 Jun 2008 10:15:00 EST<![CDATA[One Shots: The hand is still moving]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/one-shots-the-hand-is-still-moving/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/one-shots-the-hand-is-still-moving/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/20/one-shots-the-hand-is-still-moving/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

In honor of the release of Age of Conan today, we're sharing one of humorous screenshots we got from a reader who was in the Age of Conan pre-release. (It was the note that made us chuckle moreso than the screenshot, admittedly.) This screenshot comes to us from Kerrzhe, Tempest of Set from the Set server. Kerrzhe writes:

This is the end of one of the first questlines you get when you first arrive in the Stygian city of Khemi. You're sent around town looking for a guy, and this is where he turns up. Nobody seems to mind though, they're all happy for him! It's an honor to be selected by Set's chosen, even if he did scream a little at the end.
Note: The hand is still moving.
Gotta love Stygia.

Are you playing Age of Conan now? If so, we'd love to see some of your screenshots from Hyboria! But if you're not, no worries -- we welcome screens from all over. Just send those in to us here at oneshots AT massively.com!

Gallery: One Shots

MassivelyOne Shots: The hand is still moving originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocfuncomKerrzhetempest-of-setwiggly-handTue, 20 May 2008 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Age of Conan beta guide: The priests]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/age-of-conan-beta-guide-the-priests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/age-of-conan-beta-guide-the-priests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/05/07/age-of-conan-beta-guide-the-priests/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Continuing our examination of the spellcasting classes in Age of Conan, today we're going to investigate the situation with the priest archetype. As with all of the archetypes in AoC, there are three choices when it comes to the priests: Bear Shaman, Tempest of Set, and Priest of Mitra. We'll give a rundown of the three of these during the early stages of the game, go over some of their class-defining spells, and stack them up in head-to-head comparisons after the break.

Continue reading Age of Conan beta guide: The priests

MassivelyAge of Conan beta guide: The priests originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 07 May 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanage-of-conan-guideaocbear-shamanbetafeaturedfuncompriest-of-mitraprieststempest-of-setWed, 07 May 2008 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Spellweaving in Age of Conan detailed]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/spellweaving-in-age-of-conan-detailed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/spellweaving-in-age-of-conan-detailed/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/29/spellweaving-in-age-of-conan-detailed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Everyone knows Age of Conan is all about the martial combat -- or at least that's what everyone seems to think. While it's true that the up-close and personal fights in Age of Conan are pretty intense, magic isn't getting the cold shoulder from Funcom.

Magic users in AoC will be able to use Spellweaving, a trance state that will allow the combination of different spells in order to create more powerful magical effects, spells, etc. The trade-off is that the longer a magic user ( in the case of Spellweaving: Demonologist, Necromancer, Tempest of Set and Priest of Mitra) stays in this trance, the more stamina they lose. Once the stamina bar is emptied, health begins to drain instead -- lose that and a digital dirt nap is your final destination. While it's possible to gain positive buffs during a spell weave, there is just as likely a chance that a negative buff will manifest itself. Positive buffs will last for the duration of the weave, while negative ones can last beyond your trance state.

Continue reading Spellweaving in Age of Conan detailed

MassivelySpellweaving in Age of Conan detailed originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocdemonologistfuncomignmagesnecromancerpriest-of-mitraspellweavingtempest-of-setTue, 29 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hands-on with Age of Conan's priests]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/hands-on-with-age-of-conans-priests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/hands-on-with-age-of-conans-priests/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/hands-on-with-age-of-conans-priests/#commentsFiled under: , ,


A lot of things about Age of Conan are different from your average MMO, but some things are also similar. The healing classes in the game are a prime example of this, as each of the three classes rely on the whack-a-mole gameplay style while adding in some new choices. In other words, they all heal, but they all deal damage in different ways. I didn't realize how different each of AoC's healers truly were until I was able to sit down with them for a couple of days last weekend.

Over the course of the recent PvP weekend I did just that: fiddled around with the healing classes in Age of Conan. While I normally don't play the healer class in MMOs, I've dabbled in the selfless class archetype known as the healer. Because of this, I know how the healing gig typically goes in MMOs, but when I started playing the healers in AoC I found myself a bit surprised.

Gallery: Age of Conan Priests

Continue reading Hands-on with Age of Conan's priests

MassivelyHands-on with Age of Conan's priests originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-conanaocbear-shamanfeaturedfuncomherald-of-xotlijoystiqfeaturespriestpriest-of-mitrapriestspvp-weekendtempest-of-setFri, 25 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twelve trails of blood in Age of Conan]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/07/twelve-trails-of-blood-in-age-of-conan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/07/twelve-trails-of-blood-in-age-of-conan/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/07/twelve-trails-of-blood-in-age-of-conan/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Over the years of its development cycle Age of Conan has seen a lot of class changes and mergers. After all this time Funcom has settled on providing players with four archetypes that each have three classes to pick from, resulting in a total of 12 classes. Each class in AoC has a specific set of skills, but none are fully pigeonholed into any singular role. We've gone ahead and created an easy-to-navigate list of the archetypes and classes offered. Funcom has released more information for some classes than others, but at this point each one is pretty clear in the role they'll play in Age of Conan come May 20th.

Twelve trails of blood in Age of Conan >>>>>

MassivelyTwelve trails of blood in Age of Conan originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last Age of Conan class interview we had a look at the Priest of Mitra, and now we're closing the chapter on the priest archetype with the Tempest of Set interview at Ten Ton Hammer. The Tempest is a mix of a few of the older classes, and will be known for its healing, AoE damage, and crowd control prowess.

Evan Michaels mentions that the Tempest's healing abilities will be increased when they use some of their offensive spells, through buff effects. For example, one particular ability will make it so that using an offensive spell will place a stackable buff on the caster that will make their next heal more potent. Tempest's will have the largest AoE arsenal of any class in the game, and we are informed that even though many of their spells are "elemental"-based, there will be no environmental limits imposed (for example, a storm type spell not being usable indoors).

Continue reading AoC class interview: Tempest of Set

MassivelyAoC class interview: Tempest of Set originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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