CONTENTS

Fighting Back
In the harsh, brutal world of Hyboria, it won’t be long before you have to fight
something or someone. Combat in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is
significantly different from combat in other massively multiplayer games. In Age
of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, combat emphasizes action and movement.
Before fighting something, you need to enter combat mode by pressing the Combat
Mode key. Your character enters a combat stance and draws his or her weapon
(if equipped). Use the shortcut bar keys (see page 18) or the directional arrows near
the center of the bar to strike in different directions with your weapon. This will
cause you to attack.
KALANTHES’
TIP
Combat in the world of Hyboria can be
a challenge to master. Refer to
Combat System on page 36 to learn more
about fighting the enemies you meet.
Single Player/Multiplayer Elements
The first thing you should do, after familiarizing yourself with the basics
of the game, is approach the captured woman screaming for help, just above the
beach. She will give you a quest. Soon you will be on your way toward the city
of Tortage on the other side of the island. Once you reach the city, the gameplay
changes notably due to the introduction of single-player and multiplayer elements.
By talking to your trainer, you can alternate between night and day, offering
different results:
J Night time—During night time, you are in a single-player environment and do
not play with other players. This part of the game emphasizes storytelling
and your experience alone in the world.
J Daytime—During daytime, you are in a multiplayer environment. Here you can
see other players, quest with them and communicate with them. This part
of the game emphasizes group experiences.
Gameplay only takes place while you are on the island of Tortage. Once you head
for the mainland, the day/night cycle becomes dynamic (you cannot affect it), and you
are always in a multiplayer environment. There are certain exceptions to this rule.
Even on the mainland, you might find yourself visiting areas of the world where you
are either alone or with a limited number of other players.
Advanced gameplay
Game Purpose
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is a role-playing game; this means that you
will spend a lot of time advancing your character in numerous different ways. But it
is also an online massively multiplayer game; this means that a lot of the gameplay is
centered around playing with other players and helping each other reach your goals!
In the end, only you can decide how you want to play.
Questing and Leveling
Advancing your character means gaining new abilities and feats, increasing your
skills and making a name for yourself.
ADVANCING IN LEVELS
There are 80 levels of experience in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, all
reached by gaining experience points through questing and destroying enemies.
Usually questing will be the primary way for you to gain experience. This allows you
to see the world and experience the stories of Hyboria while you advance your
characters. But simply destroying enemies also gives you experience points,
depending on how challenging the enemy is.
Every time you gain a new level, you have to make a range of decisions that
impact your character’s future:
J Attributes—These are raised automatically when you gain new levels.
J Skills—You gain a certain number of skill points that need to be
invested into your various skills.
J Feats—You gain a certain number of feat
points that can be used to unlock new feats
or strengthen feats you’ve already unlocked
at an earlier stage.
J Items—Reaching a new level may automatically
unlock opportunities for you to use more advanced
equipment.
J Combos—Depending on your character’s class,
a combo might be unlocked when leveling up.
For more information on attributes, skills, feats and equipment,
see Character Overview on page 19.
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