Please note that there will be no newsletter released next month as the Clan of Conan editors will head into a much needed summer vacation. We will, however, be back in August with enough punch to knock a camel off its feet! So stay tuned for more exciting updates as we move ever closer to launch.

Still not signed up for the beta? 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!)

It's time to take a deeper look into the world of ranged combat in Age of Conan by giving you an overview of how exactly it will be to play a ranger.

Check it out!

The prize of the Border Kingdoms, within the grasp of the bandit-king Atzel, is the main pass into Cimmeria - Atzel's Approach. Some tell stories of Atzel's death at the hands of Conan the Cimmerian some years ago, but if these tales are true, how then does the bandit-king walk once more?

(read more...)

While the bandit groups under Atzel's banner are a grave threat throughout the region, darker dangers exist. The greatest of these, and the father of many lesser evils, is the demon known as Vistrix. The mammoths of the northern tundra are thus not only scattered through the wild, but used as battle-mounts for the soldiers of the bandit-king.

(read more about the Vistrix and the Mammoth)

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, Customer Service and Quality Assurance Senior Manager Ørjan Mathis Tvedt 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 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:

22.06.07 — A dungeon unveiled
15.06.07 — Quest storyboard comics
08.06.07 — New video developer diary!

More news on the Community Site!

Take a look at this month's exclusive screenshots! We've added four screenshots of Atzel's Approach, and a couple shots of our feature this month - Ranged Combat!

(check out the new screens)

This month we're featuring an in-game location video from Atzel's Approach. Ruins jut from the scarred land, the broken bones of a long-dead civilization. An ominous shadow falls upon these ruins, an unholy silhouette of inhuman size and shape. The word dragon passes many lips in a fearful hiss. Others whisper demon, and pray to their gods for protection.

(The video will be available exclusively at Gamespy, Jeuxvideo, Buffed.de, 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: Atzel's Approach. 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 June 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 August 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's featured community site is the Age of Conan fan site on the Italian AlterEgo MMORPG network. The site has proven to be an invaluable source of information to all Italian speaking players, as it combines a solid library of released information translated to Italian with a frequently updated news section. Their great collection of visual resources is also quite impressive, sporting many of the released assets surrounding Age of Conan. This site has also delved deeper into the lore behind Conan, giving the reader information about the books and comics that have surfaced in the last seventy years of Conan history. Keep it up!

http://www.alteregonline.it/aoc

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