Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Review
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The major element that makes Age of Conan stand out from its competitors is its delightfully bloody combat system. There's no watching the status bar, clicking auto-attack or spamming special abilities. Combat in Age of Conan is more akin to an action game. Players control the direction of their attacks via the "1", "2" and "3" keys (and later get two more directions attached to "Q" and "E"). They also develop "combos" that do extra damage, place status effects, trigger some funky powers or provide the occasional insta-kill fatality. Players can protect themselves by using three "Shields" that can be rotated via some finger-twisting use of the "Control" key or slaved to other hot keys. Spellcasters aren't left out the fun either as they develop a similar "spellweaving" system that can drastically enhance the power of their magic at the cost of an occasional deadly backfire.
The difference in the play experience as a result of Age of Conan's combat system is profound. Since both players and mobs are all subject to a collision system and most powers are directional in nature, it makes even low-level combat a fascinating tactical challenge and multiplayer PvE against powerful opponents in the larger dungeons a completely different, joyously frenetic scrum filled with people desperately trying to coordinate movements, combos and spells for maximum effect. Properly managing mana or stamina reserves to take on three NPCs or a big boss monster and finishing off a battle with a beautifully animated decapitation or dagger to the throat just never gets old.
