Still not signed up for the beta? Well, what are you waiting for? Use the application form found on the Age of Conan website and enlist into the army of barbarians (and other types, I’m sure) who willingly offer their sword-arm for the good of virtual Hyboria. Right now Funcom is conducting technical beta and this involves, among other things, letting people in based on their computer specifications so we can see how their systems react to the game. The next step is general beta which will involve more gameplay-specific testing. As we move closer to launch, we will constantly escalate the number of testers.

(sign up for the beta here!)

This month we take a look at some of the many weapons and armor sets you will be able to equip in Age of Conan. We’ll illustrate how equipment is based on the cultures of Hyboria, and through screenshots we hope to give you some idea of the level of graphical detail we put into all this equipment. Be sure to check out the short video clip we put together showing you how the inventory system works in Age of Conan.

(read more...)
(check out the video...)

If one region could be said to house every nightmare of the frozen north, it is here. Dark legends walk, stalking the misty paths with ichor-wet fangs and trembling claws, seeking human prey. Mortal foes abound, from the loose-fleshed doppelgangers who slay through illusion-aided hunts, to the corpse-white mystics of Hyperborea.

(read more...)

The Frost Swamp, violated by the foul magics of invading Hyperborean sorcerers, has spawned horrors as a reaction to its wounds. Chief among these are the monsters known to Cimmerian hunters as Flesh Eaters, which in recent months have risen from the icy wasteland of the swamps, each possessed of only the basest animalistic cunning, and hungering for the flesh of men.

(read more about the Flesh Eater and the Frostcrawler)

Funcom is proud to present the Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures comic magazine! Created by the talented people over at Dark Horse Comics, it tells a story that ties into the game perfectly. Several hundred thousands copies of the magazine have been produced, mostly bundled with various gaming magazines, and we have now put the entire 23 page PDF on our website for your downloading pleasure!

(get the complete comic book here!) (PDF - 11.6MB)

Every month website MMORPG.com will interview one of the many talented people that work on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures here at Funcom to create a developer profile, which is then posted on their website. This month, audio director Morten Sørlie is featured. MMORPG.com sat down with him to pick his brain about everything from his childhood to what he does at Funcom.

(read the developer profile)

Every month we try to bring you some selected press coverage from
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. If you find something you would like to tell us about, please drop us an email. This is some of the coverage over the last couple of weeks:

31.05.07 — Feature on Spillmagasinet (Norwegian) w/ video
31.05.07 — Feature on VG Nett (Norwegian) w/ video
30.05.07 — Feature on Computerworld (Norwegian)
30.05.07 — Interview with Pål Frogner Hansen at WarCry
29.05.07 — Interview with Jørgen Tharaldsen at ActionGamer
28.05.07 — Hands-on preview at Gamestar (German)
25.05.07 — Exclusive screens w/ stories at WarCry
25.05.07 — Letter from the Game Director at CVG
08.05.07 — Age of Conan featured on BBC
07.05.07 — Age of Conan featured on G4TV

More news on the Community Site!

Every week we give you an update on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures by posting our special Friday Update on the community website. Here are some of the Friday updates we've published recently:

25.05.07 — Class preview: Dark Templar
18.05.07 — Developer Diary #3
11.05.07 — Class preview: Bear Shaman

More news on the Community Site!

Take a look at this month’s exclusive screenshots! We’ve added six screenshots of the Frost Swamp region, illustrating a great contrast to the often lush and green environments we’ve featured previously. Feel the cold shoot up your spine as you gaze upon this barren place that only some of the foulest things of this world can call home.

(check out the new screens)

This month we’re featuring an in-game location video from the Frost Swamp. A lone adventurer is wading through the slimy waters of these frozen swamplands, obviously on the look-out for the dangers this place holds. Suddenly a Flesh Eater shoots up from under the ice-cold water and goes into a full attack. Will the adventurer defeat his foe?

(The video will be available exclusively at Gamespy, Jeuxvideo, Gamigo, InsideGamer, Goha, Multiplayer and Juegaenred until next week when it will be posted on the community site)

This month we bring you an exclusive wallpaper themed according to this newsletters’ primary focus: the Frost Swamp. The wallpaper comes in four different sizes.

(check out the new wallpaper)

Just because we are such incredibly kind people here at Funcom, we have decided to give away free loot every month. All you need to do is send us an email and hope for the best. Every month we pick out three people who will be sent a bunch of exclusive loot such as inflatable Conan swords, the Age of Conan comic, games and even hardware.

These three people will also receive a guaranteed place in the
Age of Conan beta test!

If you want to be one of the lucky three who gets Funcom loot delivered in the mail, you will need to send us an email and include your full name, your home address, and your telephone number in order to be eligible. You must also keep the subject of the email "Age of Conan May Newsletter Sweepstakes". Those who enter and get picked out will have the opportunity to receive one or more exclusive prizes such as:

•  Concept Art print signed by the artist
•  Dreamfall: The Longest Journey PC game
•  Full-colored Age of Conan comic book

Send us an email by June 27th and you might get lucky!

No purchase necessary. Prizes are three (3) inflatable swords, three (3) comic books, three (3) copies of the Dreamfall PC game and one (1) Concept Art print signed by the artist. Odds of winning dependant on number of entries. Competition open to residents of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., and U.S. (except Rhode Island and Puerto Rico). Drawing will be made by random draw in Oslo Norway one day after the entry deadline. Any applicable taxes or customs fees are responsibility of winner.
Entry to this competition is void where prohibited by local laws.

This month we honor Russian community site www.ageofconan.ru, operated by Goha.ru who also feature a translated version of this newsletter on their site. We feel that this site is doing a great job at bringing together the Russian fans of the game, and we greatly value the fact that they are translating our content into Russian so that even more players can tap into the great world of Hyboria and Age of Conan. The site is doing a fantastic job with both presenting updated news and featuring content gathered from the community site. Keep up the good work,
fellow Hyborians!

http://www.ageofconan.ru

Have a suggestion for Community site of the Month? Email us now!