PvP video sneak peak

My assassin "grew up" while watching Meph's pvp videos (which I just have to upload some were) and I had this idea for my own pvp vid for a while now. I have decided to finally make it happen and started recording first fights. In this post I want to share my philosophy when it comes to crafting this video: it's all about quality and entertainment.

I don't expect to be finished with the video any time soon because I want produce something that will be fun to watch. It is not about killing your opponent, but rather how you are going to do it. I don't want to give "GC+SS+DWW /lol" type of fights. I think the sneak peak video really shows that. My goal is to entertain you, not to show off skill. There is a plenty better players than me and skilled fight doesn't always mean an entertaining one.

 
PvP T3 assassin fighting T3/T4 geared Dark Templar with Ibis. In this fight I have abused the fact that Dark Templar's CCs are combo based and take longer to pull of that assassin's so I could keep him CCed all the time. The longer the fight the more armor and unholy debuffs I could put on the opponent to soften him up. The idea was not to take any damage and to really showcase the importance of timing in pvp.

I want to keep the whole pvp video in this style: 1v1 or 2v1 in the minigames. I find that minigame "duels" are more natural and interesting pvp encounters than "Kheshatta duels" (it's what most pvp videos are). In minigames you might not have the upper hand and element of surprise (like in open world pvp ganks) nor the luxury of all the cool downs ready (like in duels). The added benefit is that you will be fighting people that are already geared and activly trying to kill you. And, obviously, it's easier to get a lot of great footage in minigame because there is so much pvping going on.

I want to keep the editing to the minimum. If the fights are not interesting on their own then no amount of crazy effects going to change that. I am also collecting unique and fitting music for the video so it won't be Rammstein/P.O.D/Requiem nightmare (overused music is overused).

Also I want to put a little background story to the video (nothing major, just a fun little thing) and pay a tribute to the other assassin pvp videos that I liked. For example in this video I am referencing music from certain assassin's video and later on I will also use a little bit of his footage (can YOU name that assassin? :D It's not Meph ;p).

That's pretty much it, expect the video when Moses comes back.

Interview with Knut Avenstroup Haugen

I am extremely humbled to give you the interview with the man who paints Hyboria with his music: Age of Conan's composer Mr  Knut Avenstroup Haugen.

1/ Your musical interpretation of Hyborian era is always spot on so I guess the most important question that I want to ask you is how much do you really know about Conan and Hyboria itself? Have you came in contact with Robert E.Howard's work before starting your Age of Conan project? Or perhaps this was more "learn as you go" type of experience. Were you doing any research into Hyboria yourself or had support from Funcom's lore expert to guide your through?

I have been a Conan fan since I was a kid. I read the comic books and watched the two Schwarzenegger films. I had not read Howards’ stories though, so before I started work on the game, I read all of them. I also got a lot of research material from Funcom of course and we discussed lore, storyline, characters etc. for each area of the game.

2/ While I can imagine that artist creating concept art for the game could have based their works on already existing comics or Mr. Frazetta's paintings, you had to single-handedly craft a soundtrack to a whole world. How does one deal with such a challenge?  Where did the inspiration come from?

I draw my inspiration from many sources. I too get inspired from paintings and artwork: I love Frazetta’s paintings and I studied all the artwork and concepts for the game before I started working. Of course, I also draw my inspiration from storyline, characters etc. – anything that conveys the feeling for the area in question and the game as a whole.  I always find that listening to a lot of music is the best way to start when trying to find a “sound” for a project. I look for anything I can find that might be of help for the project in question, be it classical music, ethnic music or whatever. To find the overall feeling for the score, I think the most important factors are knowing the universe you are going to compose for and knowing what you are trying to achieve with the music. 

3/ The soundtrack to the Conan the Barbarian (1982 film) is probably the only Hyboria related musical piece that  pre-dates your work on Age of Conan. Did that soundtrack have any impact on your work? Were you aware of it? Inspired by it? Tried to create something totally different?

Yes, yes, yes and yes :) Of course I knew Basil Poledouris’ scores for both Barbarian and Destroyer (1984). The original 1982 score is one of my all time favourites. A lot of Conan fans also know this music and some feel that this is the only suitable music for anything relating to Conan. The challenge for me as a composer was to retain some of the feeling of the old film scores and to make my score new and fresh at the same time. Because the world of Age of Conan is much bigger than that of the films, the score also needed to be more varied to be able to convey a unique feel for each country. When you listen to them, I think you may feel that both Poledouris score and my score belong in the same universe, even though they are different, and that’s excactly what I was trying to achieve.

4/ Hyborian empires and kingdoms are based on certain civilizations and cultures (even thou in the story itself Hyboria predates our civilization). Khitai is not ancient China or Japan, but rather a mix of Asian culture as a whole. Your music, and especially soundtracks to both Khitai and Turan, really shows that. What is your approach to creating musical pieces to those fictional kingdoms and how are you achieving this unique sound that is a blend of different music styles and cultures?

I did a lot of research into traditional music from the several real-world counterparts to the countries in the game. Like you say, this is most obvious in Khitai and Turan, even though I also did it for the rest of the game. I studied Chinese and Japanese music and instruments for 3 months very intensively before I wrote a single note for Rise of the Godslayer and I hired Chinese musicians as soloists for the score. The Khitai music is actually authentic Chinese music blended with elements of Japanese music and western classical music. For Turan I used Persian music as my main source of inspiration, but chose a more old-school approach of emulating styles and rhythms with a western symphony orchestra (in the tradition of Goldsmith and the early greats of film scoring). For Secrets of Dragon’s Spine I wanted to create a more generic and traditional Conan score and bring the essence of what I believe a Conan score should sound like, back to the game. This part of the game is highly influenced by Russian choir traditions, folk music and Russian romantic and neo-classical composers like Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Prokofiev.

5/ When creating music for the new content how are you working together with AOC's team? Do you begin your work early on and base it only on the concept art/descriptions of the zone or perhaps you begin to craft your music when the zone is in the final stages of development? I guess what I am asking really asking is where do you fit in the the development process.

I always get the chance to see what Funcom might have ready at the time I start up. Some times this is a playable part of the game, some times just landscapes and layouts, but often I get in at a pretty early stage when there is little finished content and I have to base my work on descriptions, artwork, storylines, characters etc.

[Guide] Gear: rings

In this post I will continue series on gear with a strong focus on items that are both powerful and easy enough to get.

For more gear info go to http://aoc.is-better-than.tv/ .

 

PVP

(Tier 1) Band of Force (sold by NPC)

 The most basic accesory there is. It can be easily replaced with PVE ring like The Fury of Iziel (which beats this PVP pretty much on every stat). Still it is what it is: low level, cheap, easy to get item. When it comes to power vs accessibility this is the most powerful item that is the easiest to get. Use it till something better comes your way.











(Tier 2) Warlord's Band of Might (sold by NPC)

Very good pvp ring that won't be replaced with any PVE ring for the sheer health to damage ratio. It has it all.

(Tier 3) Highlord's Band of Might (sold by NPC)

 If you compare the stats from T2 ring it almost doesn't make sense to spend hard earned tokens to upgrade your rings to those. Almost. When you will be close to maxing out your gear Critical Rating and Critical Damage Rating stats will become most precious (those are essential to proper build with Master Assassin perk). Having 2 x Highlord rings gives +20 critical rating and it's simply too good to pass up. This wouldn't be high on my priority list to upgrade, but do so eventually.

PVE

Pirate Rings (Coast of Ardashir, Isle of Iron Statues)

 Normally I wouldn't cover blue trash items, but those two have such an amazing focus on a single stat that it might pay off to get them. Forceful ring is just over the top when it comes to raw Combat Rating and it will provide you that DPS boost you might need in dungeons. On the other hand Sturdy ring might be a nice second ring that gives you armor and health you will need to power through some tough melee mobs (like those damn Tamarins in Chosain).

Ring of Chthonic Nightmares (Rise of the Godslayer,  Expansion Pack Bonus)

 This is a bonus, account bound item that you can /claim as a  reward for getting collectors edition of ROGS expansion. This ring is packed with two stats that are vital to any assassin stepping through the gates of Khitai: constitution and hit rating. Without hit rating you will miss A LOT while mobs will bring punishment that will get your health down fast. Defiantly it's worth having this ring, especially if you are planning on getting a lot of your alts to Khitai (you can /claim this item for each of your character).

  

The Fury of Iziel (Thunder River, Xibaluku)

  This ring is one of the best non raiding epic rings in the game and certainly the easiest one to get. It's hard to believe that it's dropped in the old world dungeon because it's stats budget is nothing short of whatever Khitai has to offer. Because this ring gives unholy type of combat rating the assassin can take full advantage of the unholy damage debuffs. The cons to CR rating is also mighty impressive. When you are aiming for health/DPS balance (and you should for solo PVE) this ring is the best one to have and in post ROGS reality Xibaluku should pose any significant challenge.

Death's Ward (sold by Brittle Blade NPC) and Devourer's Ring of the Abyss (Ymir's Pass, Amphitheatre of Karutonia - The Devourer).

 There is little sense in comparing those rings since those are pretty much the same. If I had to pick one I think I would have went for Abyss because of slightly higher crit rating (every little bit counts). Death's Ward can be bough from NPC in Brittle Blade faction. Since we have all those solo instances dropping rares getting DW is not really at that hard. This is all around excellent ring to have both for solo PVE and when you need all the HP you can in certain raid encounters. Abyss ring drops from last boss of unchained version of AOK and it is pretty damn rare to find. The interesting thing is that this ring is bind on equip so you can either keep it for yourself or sell it for small fortune on trader.

Cang-Jai's Whisper (the road/milestones quest given on the first entrance to Khitai) Bone Loop (sold by Priests on Yun NPC)

Those two rings are all about DPSing, but are also packed with hit rating which is very helpful in Khitai. The differences are very minor and you can easily get both of them so there is really no need to pick one. Getting the whisper is much faster and easier thou: Cang-Jei will give you are quest to rebuild his temple which is,oddly enough, the road to the center of empire.. Throughout the game many bosses and mobs will drop 37 symbols that you need to place on the ground to "rebuild" said temple. You can get all the coordinations from Khitai Milestones Quest thread. However you don't really need to get different symbol every time since even placing same item 2 or 10 times will update the quest (and you need 37 updates in total). To get best drop rate you can go to Paikang and just keep killing Quillons/boss grey apes/dark legion soldiers/sharks to get their symbols and then placed them on the road and do it again. You should have 37 updates in no time. As an added bonus you can do another "grindy" epic item quest while killing same mobs (I will cover that in the next guide). The bone loop can be simply bought with rares.

Col of the Jiang Shi (sold by Jiang Shi faction NPC)

Last but not least is my all time favorite ring which is just jam packed with useful stats.  You can use it with Night Spirits daggers (see previous guide) to get absurd chance to perform fatality and crit rating is always a welcomed stat. 

This ring allows for more flexibility when putting different pieces of gear together: you can sacrifice some health on 2-3 armor pieces and still make up for the loss with this ring's jaw dropping constitution. Nevertheless it's more specialized ring, this is something that I would buy last.

[Guide] Gear: Daggers

In this post I want to start a series on gear with a strong focus on items that are both powerful and easy enough to get. Let be honest: you are not reading this guide because you have T3 crafted dagger, you are reading it because you don't..

When it comes to picking your dagger you want to check out this guide which covers main hand/offhand mechanics.

For more gear info go to http://aoc.is-better-than.tv/ .
 

PVP

(Tier 1) Skrimisher's Dirk (sold by NPC)

Very well balanced dagger. It's not an ideal main hand weapon (too low base DPS), but as offhand weapon it will serve you till you get a very high end replacement like pvp lvl 10 dagger (even pvp tier 2 is not better as offhand).

It used to be a much better weapon pre-stamina revamp (because of stamina tap rating), but like I wrote: it will do great as offhander.

Assassin really needs access to good weapon right from the beginning of his pvp carrier (who doesn't, right?) so I would go as far as buying one dagger from in game cash-shop to ease up your bumpy road to pvp lvl 5.

It's a keeper.

(Tier 2) Warlord's Dagger (sold by NPC)

Clear replacement for Skirmisher Dirk as a main hand weapon. It's pretty bad at everything else. Since it's a mediocre weapon I wouldn't get more than one, just keep using Dirk as offhand and you will be good.

If you don't have a good alternative this dagger can be a decent PVE dagger because it has such crushing raw DPS advantage over other non-raiding pve daggers.










(Tier 3) Highlord's Dagger (sold by NPC)

While being good upgrade to both Warlord and Skirmisher this weapon, even thou it requires max pvp lvl, it's still overshadowed by any PVE dagger which is Tier 3 crafted or better. High critical damage rating of this weapon makes worth it to get two of those, especially if you are using master assassin perk and critical rating build.

If you are non-raider then this is the best stuff you can get. You will be competitive in pvp, but far from the numbers T4 daggers can give you.

PVE

Asuran Ceremonial Dagger (culture crafted weapon)

 All around great dagger. If you can get your hands on this weapon at low price (ask guild mates to craft it for you, provide mats) it will make an awesome offhander for a long time. Getting Bel's Mirth gem in this weapon is mandatory because it will give you a fair proc chance that will grant you +1400 spell penetration. Meaning? Big ass soul detonation. Without this gem it's just a blue weapon.

Widow's Pain/Scorpion's Pray/Soulreaper (random world drop)

Those 3 daggers have two things in common: those are random drops from bags/chests and all are overpriced as hell in trader. In reality those have about 20-30g worth to them (and that's being generous), but are sold for 100-150g. Absurd price, do not pay! Those daggers have poor stats and will be replaced very fast.

Abyssal Slicer (drops: Ymir's Pass :: Amphitheatre of Karutonia - The Devourer )

Probably best dagger for new assassins. Easy enough to get and with a rough power right from the start. It drops in the new unchained version of AOK (last boss). The immunity rating on this dagger is pretty bad stat, but base DPS makes this perfect main hand weapon.

Dagger of Envy's Fury (Kheshatta :: Black Ring Citadel, quest item)

This is a quest reward for killing one of the tier 2 raid bosses. Can be done with a PUG group. If you had to raid once in your life this would be a weapon to get. Pretty much perfectly balanced dagger with nothing, but useful stats. Unholy combat rating actually gives you more damage that it says because you will be debuffing your target against unholy. Great offhand dagger to go with Abyssal Slicer and you can get them both in a day (if you are lucky). Since Envy's is a quest item you will always get it if the boss is killed. Sadly that also means you can have only one.

Edge of the Night Spirits (sold by NPC, Hyrkanians faction)

So far my favorite weapon. While the base DPS is far from being impressive the rest of the stats are pretty amazing....if you get two of these daggers. When paired up these weapons grant unparalleled critical damage rating, offhand rating and fatality rating. When supplemented with this build, full epic brittle blade armor (for offhand rating and critical damage rating) and this ring (for more fatality rating) you get absurd amount of offhand and bonus critical damage with a very high base chance to proc fatality. Those are not cheap to get and you really need proper gear set up to get the most of it, but when you do it's pays off big time.

As a bonus those dagger have a wicked, very unique look to them.

Interview with Joshua Alan Doetsch

 I am pleased to introduce to you, the readers, someone who needs no introduction: the man who puts "text" into Age of Conan's quest text: Joshua Alan Doetsch

1. Please introduce yourself to the readers and tell us in short what it is that you do for Age of Conan.

Hello, intrepid readers! I’m Joshua Alan Doetsch. I’m a writer originally from Chicago. Over the last few years, I’ve lived in Norway and in Montreal (where I currently live with a one-eyed cat). In two weeks, I’ll be living in North Carolina. After that…who knows? I’ve served as Lead Writer for Age of Conan for a little over three and a half years.

2. How is the content created for AOC and when do you contribute your writing to that? Are you getting an outline of the story, general theme of expansion/add-on or are you free to explore on your own?

A little of all of the above. When I first started at Funcom, I mostly received quest outlines from designers, and added dialogue (and a little story) as needed. I’ve progressively gotten more involved with more aspects of development. Over the last few expansions, the usual routine would be that the talented Narrative Designer, Karl Andre Bertheussen, and I would outline the background story and brainstorm how the lore would interact with it. Karl and I work well together, in that he gets the skeleton scaffolding of the story up (with quest design and gameplay in mind) and I try and dress it all up in as many interesting things as possible. From there, the general storyline goes to quest designers, they hammer out some quests, which eventually come back to me for dialogue. So I was most involved in the beginning and end of that process – though I’m available throughout to answer questions and brainstorm.

3. How did you get introduced to REH's work? Are you a fan or Conan stories or those are just materials that you are working with in AOC development?

Before working on AoC, I had only read a few Howard stories. But I dive into fictional worlds pretty quickly, and I was familiar with the Sword and Sorcery genre in general. I’ve become a Conan fan. When working on the game, I try and spend a little chunk of the morning reading at least a few pages of Howard’s work, to keep his language fresh in my head. I think my gateway into Howard was Lovecraft. Before my Funcom interview, I did not know they were such close correspondents, and Howard’s fiction sat in a particular corner of the Lovecraft Mythos. So, it turned out Howard was really a friend of a friend, and we knew each other better than I thought.

4. What is your approach when it comes to creative use of Conan lore? Are you sticking only to cannon stuff or perhaps you are also exploring concepts in other Conan related medias like movies and comics?

Howard’s Conan stories are the bible. We then use material from pastiches and other material only as we find useful. My approach is to stay as close to the spirit of Howard as I can (given that it’s in a different medium), but to not just mimic him. I need to put some of myself into it, so that it’s not just a mausoleum to REH, but a living storyline. If Howard’s writing is anything, it’s vibrant and alive, almost smashing through walls with its pure enthusiasm. You want to honor that, but not try and entrap it on a pedestal.

5. What are the themes or plots in Conan stories that you would like to explore more for future Age of Conan add-ons?

Hmmmm…still so much Hyboria to see. “The Queen of the Black Coast” is one of my favorite stories, but most everyone in that is dead, so it’s harder to use except as inspiration. Pelias, the mage who allies with Conan in “The Scarlet Citadel” always fascinated me; I’d love to make use of him. I’d also like to explore Vendhya.

6. Are you working with concept art artists? Are you using concept art for inspiration when writing or is it the other way around: concept artist read you stuff and they are drawing?

We all feed each other. I try to show off bits of lore and share links to related material. They, in turn, show my concept art, and that always juices me. Art, playfield environments, music, even monster sound FX…I eat all that up. That stuff gets me excited.

7. Are you actively playing Age of Conan? When playing Age of Conan how does it feel to be around a world that is partially based on your work? Do you even know how your writing is used in AOC before you actually log in and play the game yourself?

I play on and off, mostly as a Herald of Xotli. There’s enough preexisting material that I’m often playing in places I did not have a part in, but it is weird sometimes playing through something I helped write. Even if I wrote it, though, I don’t necessarily know how all the gameplay is laid out. I know how most of my writing is used, but am surprised on occasion. It’s cool to see the characters who I gave dialogue to. Most of my material is level 80 stuff, so it took me a little bit to level up to my content. I still need to play through House of Crom. I think I’m most proud of how that storyline turned out.

8. Could you talk a little about your "creative process": how the stories are actually put together? Do you have a rough outline and a lot of notes or does it have more of a "creative flow" vibe to it when you just sit down and crank out stuff out of sheer inspiration?

I take lots and lots of notes, some very random. Those go in several files, and get filtered to projects or playfields they most fit (or go into more general files I can sift through if I’m looking for a little something to throw in what I’m working on at the time). I do most of my work on a program called Scirvener (it’s a mega-document made of smaller documents, so it’s really easy to organize the massive amount of text in one place). I tend to read a bit of Howard, here and there, and I’ll jot down ideas or lore from that. I’ll also snatch words or phrases of his that I like, and sprinkle them into the game whenever I can, to keep it all flavored right. Quests tend to be outlined, but I have a lot of leeway in how I develop the story in them.

9. Your work clearly shows a fascination with the works of H.P.Lovecraft. When writing stories are you taking inspiration or referencing other non-Conan authors?

Yeah, I definitely pushed the HPL angle. I do try and include other author inspirations as they occur to me. Poe always works his ways into the cracks of my work. For Conan, in particular, I often reference heroic epics. I have a copy of both Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh on my work desk. I leaf through them a lot for rhythm and language. I use a lot of mythology too. If you write anything, you can’t go wrong with knowing mythology. They’re the stories and narrative patterns that we get handed just for being a member of the species. We own them the moment we’re born. They’re a sort of lexicon of the language of storytelling, so they’re good to know.

10. Are you doing any research into actual history when writing Conan stories? It's obvious that REH based many of his "Hyborian Age" concept on it.

The beauty of the Hyborian Age setting (and one of the reasons REH came up with it) is that he could reference history, and use it for inspiration, but no one could call him on inaccuracies, because it comes from a fictional point of pre-history. My research follows a similar pattern. I use it for details and ideas, but I don’t have to stick to it hard. No one can tell me that the Mongol details in the Hyrkanians are wrong, because the Hyrkanians are not Mongols. I researched a bit of Asian mythology for Khitai, but I also referenced others, because Khitai is not Asia. It is before Asia. It is a refracted echo of what Asia will be.

11. Tell us what you are doing outside Conan related stuff.

I also do writing on The Secret World. Outside of Funcom, I have a novel available called Strangeness in the Proportion. I’m also doing a lot of short story writing, for various anthologies, and some pen n’ paper rpg writing. You can check out links to all that at joshuadoetsch.com.

[Guide] Assassin Builds

The following are most standard builds that are commonly used with short description.

Player versus Player

Classic "Bomb" build (http://is.gd/ICwsBQ)

Probably more popular during 1.6 patch series this build strongly focuses on delivering massive detonation damage. This can be deadly versus under geared opponent.

Avatar Hybrid/General (http://is.gd/qzFhOH )

While packing a little less punch than classic "bomb" build this variation brings supreme protection against knock backs making it deal choice for larger scale pvp such as minigames. With this build you can pretty much go entire 20 minutes of the minigame without being knocked back even once (rotating excellent balance and avatar).

Lotus Hybrid/General [reverse hybrid] (http://is.gd/2r68e5)

This build switches the focus of the end tree feats on Lotus side which results in slighly less physical resilience (due to loss of HP leech from avatar), but has an advantage of a superior anti CC abilities. With both Lotus Overdose and Excellent Balance running you are virtually immune to every CC in game.

Tribrid (http://is.gd/ZPAZPT)

Some swear by "tribrid" builds as being the best for PVP. With this one you will lose some of the spike in damage, but gain access to more anti CC feats.

Player versus Environment (solo)

Solo PVE Hybrid for Khitai (http://is.gd/x7u1TL)

This is perfect build for leveling up in Khitai. At first you will need Atrophy to "soften up" your opponents a little.

Solo PVE Hybrid for Khitai [advanced] (http://is.gd/ICwsBQ)

As you get better gear your can switch to this build for faster killing. It is "bomb" build so it can be used for PVP as well. With avatar running and detonation and both DWW/GB you can leech absurd amount of health to out-live any mob in Khitai.

Solo PVE Hybrid for Khitai [kidney shots] (http://is.gd/bLgRV4)

This is my current build. With maxed out AA tree and brittle blade set I have a lot of offhand so I have decided to further upgrade my build with offhand chance. I am using kidney shots to to stack them with other damage buffs to create...pretty much a ball of death. My combo is the following: kidney shots + avatar + liberation + gray lotus + path of enlightenment. With this I can survive absurd pulls or by pass intended game mechanic for solo bosses in hardmode/unchained versions of dugeons (like killing Accalia in her camp in DMH unchained).

Player versus Environment (dungeons)

Avatar Hybrid (http://is.gd/Y3tNJ7)

This is a build for longer fights and it provides both sustained damage and a nice spike. You need a good tank and gear/perks for this or you will over-aggro. Good build for clearing up dungeons that have trash mobs (like AOK).

Tribrid (http://is.gd/40UDtb)

In this build you still get to keep some of the spike damage (DWW/GB) but your are getting a major upgrade to your anti aggro.

 Player versus Environment (raids)

Overkill (http://is.gd/66s6Bs) by Shahir of Destiny Crom EU

If you are looking for more laid back raiding experience or (like me) getting constantly aggro in raid encounters this build will "fix" it all. If you also have cover of the dusk perk then you have 5 very potent anti aggro tools at your disposal which will make up for lack of skill/gear/bad tank. In more extreme situations you can also use this build in group dungeons.

Classic Raid DPS, Magic Based (http://is.gd/fsYYRc) by Shahir of Destiny Crom EU

The supposed "golden standard" of raid speccs that will put you on top of the DPS charts. Tried and true.

This Week In Hyboria #7

A lot has happened in Hyboria in the last few week, but I won't be covering the official news since all of you probably know by now that Joel is "the master of it all" now. Yeah, it means he is the new Game Director for Age of Conan.Lets jump into less known news

The Archaeology of AoC

An interesting thread poped up at Destiny Guild's boards covering some of the Conan comic references in Age of Conan. Worth checking out for interesting visuals

source: http://www.destiny-aoc.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3899&p=36548

The Queen of the Black coast

Dark Horse has made a real gem: Conan animated comic featuring Belit. This is truly a work of art and the voice over is fits the setting perfectly. Of course don't expect "Pixar" level of animation, but it beats simply "reading" the comic by far.

source: part 1, part 2, part 3 and 4, part 5, part 6

Making AOC videos

Community manager gave out few hints about what is permitted when creating AOC videos from legal stand point. Seems like everything is ok as long as you don't create video to "bring  across questionable points of view or statements". So in my book that pretty much means: kick ass russian bear shaman videos - OK, Hitler videos - NOT OK.

source: http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=2011147&postcount=8

AOC: Dragon's Spine/Crawling Chaos quest line

For those of you that really are stuck in Dragon's Spine here is the full walk through with witty commentary.

source: http://youtu.be/Y1ElcL0o0dw

Age of Conan – Secrets of Dragon’s Spine: Theme

You can now listen to outstanding SDS Theme on Knut Aven Strouphaugen's website along with other musical gems like Nighttime Journey through the Eiglophian Mountains. I think that Knut yet again made a theme that fits the zone like a glove. Whatever I might think about Turan add-on it's musical theme is a great stuff and I can only hope K.A.S will keep making music for AOC in the future.

source: http://knutavenstrouphaugen.com/music/

Into the whole RP thing?

Glad to see RP slowly crawling back to Age of Conan. To scratch that ichy niche you can go to  http://www.aoc-rp.com/  for forum, guides and articles. I am attributing this resurgence of RP soley to people coming back to AOC since it's the RP community that suffered the most after the server merges (with RP tag being removed completly from AOC servers.

source: http://www.aoc-rp.com/