Age of Conan Classes Overview

Eurogamer has published a three-page overview of the class archetypes and roles available to players in Funcom’s Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The soldiers:

Guardian: The Guardian is the tank of tanks; a heavily-armoured warrior designed for group defence. It can pair one-handed weapons with a shield, or use a polearm to attack multiple enemies at once. In offensive terms, it makes interesting use of Age of Conan’s unique combat system, with attacks that deplete stamina (the resource for physical attacks) or create vulnerabilities in enemies’ shielding. Shield guardians specialise in soaking up damage, while polearm-bearers are expert at taking down multiple enemies with huge knock-back strikes. Tanking can be more dynamic and fun in Age of Conan than many other MMOs, and the Guardian will always be in demand for groups.

Dark Templar: An evil blend of plate-armoured warrior and magic-user – a sort of bad Paladin – the Dark Templar is one of Age of Conan’s many interesting hybrid classes. Wearing shields and one-handed weapons, the Dark Templar can leech health from enemies for limited healing spells, and even convert damage dealt into health top-ups. If that sounds overpowered, note that many of the Templar’s abilities also have damaging side-effects. Bizarrely, it will also gain buffs from damage dealt to members of its group. This class will need careful balancing from Funcom to work, but for students of the unusual, it’s probably the most interesting experiment in the game.

Conqueror: Rapidly gaining a reputation as one of the most able solo classes in the game, the Conqueror is a powerful all-round front-line fighter situated somewhere between Guardian and Barbarian, and quite similar to Lord of the Rings Online’s Captain when in a group. It wears heavy armour but no shields, and can dual-wield, but just as important as its melee attacks is its range of commanding auras that boost groups of allies, and detract from enemies’ power. If you want to deal more direct damage than a pure tank, but want the security of plenty of armour and hit points, the Conqueror is a fine choice.