Age of Conan: Unchained is a unique MMORPG set in the gritty, brutal world of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian. With a darker tone and mature themes, it stands apart from the traditional fantasy MMORPG landscape. While the game has seen its highs and lows since its 2008 release, it still offers a deep, immersive experience with fast-paced, action-oriented combat that’s rarely found in the genre. However, like Conan’s world itself, the game is not without its challenges, both in terms of gameplay and polish.

Story & Setting (8.5/10):
The world of Hyborian Age is unlike any other MMO setting. Forget the high fantasy of elves, dwarves, and wizards—Age of Conan places you in a gritty, violent world of barbarians, ancient gods, and sorcery. It’s a mature game, filled with brutal violence, sexual themes, and a darker, more realistic tone. This isn’t a sanitized, fairy tale world, but one that reflects the brutal survivalism of the Conan universe. From the deserts of Stygia to the frozen plains of Cimmeria, each region feels dangerous and alive with its own culture and history.

The game’s narrative is surprisingly strong, especially in the early levels. The starting zone, Tortage, offers one of the best early-game experiences in any MMO, with a fully voiced storyline that feels engaging and personal. Your character starts as a slave, and through a series of quests, you fight your way to freedom. The narrative design in these first 20 levels is immersive, with personal quests that help you feel connected to the world. However, after Tortage, the narrative quality starts to dip, becoming more of a traditional MMORPG structure, with less emphasis on story-driven quests and more on grind-heavy objectives.

Combat System (9/10):
Where Age of Conan truly excels is its combat system. Unlike many MMOs that rely on tab-targeting and cooldown management, Age of Conan features a more action-oriented system. You control your attacks with directional strikes, chaining combos together for devastating moves. The combo system adds a layer of depth and skill to combat, requiring players to not only press the right buttons but also pay attention to positioning and timing. This dynamic style of fighting makes every encounter feel visceral and engaging.

The game also incorporates active blocking and dodging, which gives combat a tactical feel, especially in PvP. Fighting against other players is intense and skill-based, as both movement and precision play a major role in success. The game’s Fatalities—brutal finishing moves that trigger after defeating enemies—are a nice touch that adds to the immersion of being a barbarian warrior. These violent executions serve as a reward for mastering the combat system and keep the fights exciting.

However, the system can feel repetitive at times, particularly during long grinding sessions, as some combos can become muscle memory rather than strategic decisions.

Classes & Progression (8/10):
Age of Conan features a solid variety of classes, divided into four archetypes: Soldier, Priest, Mage, and Rogue, each with its own unique set of subclasses. Whether you prefer the brute force of a Conqueror, the necromantic powers of a Demonologist, or the stealth and agility of an Assassin, the game offers something for everyone. Each class feels distinct, with varied abilities and playstyles that complement the action-focused combat.

Class progression is fairly traditional, with a leveling system, skill trees, and attribute allocation. As you progress, you can further specialize your character, focusing on offense, defense, or hybrid builds. However, the game’s progression can feel a bit grind-heavy at higher levels. After you leave Tortage and hit the mid-game, the pace slows down considerably, and leveling can become a repetitive cycle of questing and mob killing.

PvP & PvE Content (7.5/10):
Age of Conan’s PvP system is one of its key selling points. The game offers open-world PvP, mini-games, and Siege PvP, where guilds can build and defend their fortresses. The siege battles are one of the most exciting features, with large-scale combat between guilds vying for territory. These battles can be chaotic and thrilling, with the game’s real-time combat system making every fight feel high stakes.

However, the balance between classes in PvP has been an ongoing issue, with some classes feeling overpowered while others struggle to compete in certain scenarios. Despite this, the skill-based nature of combat ensures that player ability often trumps class advantage, though gear and level disparities can create frustrating matchups.

On the PvE side, Age of Conan offers traditional MMO content like dungeons, raids, and world bosses. Some of the later raid content is well-designed and challenging, but the endgame PvE doesn’t quite reach the heights of other MMOs like WoW or Final Fantasy XIV. Group content can sometimes feel thin, and while dungeons are fun, they don’t innovate much beyond standard dungeon crawling mechanics.

Visuals & Sound Design (8.5/10):
For a game released in 2008, Age of Conan’s graphics still hold up remarkably well. The environments are lush and detailed, with impressive textures and lighting that create a strong sense of atmosphere. The game’s art direction leans into the darker, more realistic tone of Conan’s world, with brutal, war-torn landscapes, ancient ruins, and menacing fortresses. Character models and animations, particularly during combat, are well-done, and the variety of armor and weapons adds to the visual appeal.

The sound design is equally impressive, with the clashing of swords, the cries of battle, and the ambient noise of cities and wilderness all adding to the immersion. The game’s orchestral soundtrack is fantastic, capturing both the epic and tragic nature of Conan’s world, with tribal drums and haunting melodies that perfectly fit the tone of the game.

Monetization & Free-to-Play Model (6.5/10):
Age of Conan: Unchained follows a free-to-play model, but it comes with certain restrictions. Free players are limited in terms of access to certain dungeons, raids, and character slots. There’s also a cash shop where players can purchase cosmetic items, mounts, and some convenience features. For more serious players, a premium subscription unlocks more content, including expanded inventory, additional class options, and more progression rewards.

While the free-to-play option gives new players a good introduction to the game, it’s clear that the premium subscription is needed to experience everything the game has to offer. The cash shop doesn’t feel too intrusive, but some players may find it frustrating that key content is gated behind a paywall.

Performance & Community (7/10):
Age of Conan’s performance has improved over the years, but it still suffers from occasional bugs, crashes, and optimization issues, especially in large-scale PvP battles like sieges. The game’s population has also decreased significantly since its peak, making some areas feel sparse or underpopulated. However, the dedicated player base that remains is generally helpful and friendly, and there’s still an active guild scene for those looking to participate in PvP and group content.

Conclusion:
Age of Conan: Unchained is a unique MMORPG that offers a gritty, mature experience with an emphasis on brutal combat, deep lore, and a dark, immersive world. Its action-oriented combat system sets it apart from more traditional MMOs, and its detailed recreation of the Hyborian Age is a treat for fans of the Conan universe. However, the game is not without its flaws—performance issues, a grind-heavy progression, and the free-to-play limitations can detract from the experience.

For those who can overlook these shortcomings, Age of Conan provides a memorable and intense adventure that’s worth exploring, particularly for fans of the genre looking for something different.

actually good game. It has so much good game play and mechanics. but it is kind of old engine i guess.
but i don't want to continue the game without casilda's reward :( i feel robed.

Looks like a fairly good game but I cannot get used to the combat layout & interactions. Just because of the pricing alone, it is Not for me.

cant even get pass the log in