Why Age of Conan Was Ahead of Its Time – And Why It Still Matters Today

Age of Conan General Discussion
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Hello Funcom & fellow players,

I want to share something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. As someone who has played World of Warcraft for 20 years (sad but true :sweat_smile:), but recently gave Age of Conan a proper chance, I’ve realized just how far ahead of its time this game really was — and how much potential it still has today.

This isn’t just nostalgia talking. I believe Age of Conan holds unique systems, mechanics, and world-building elements that are not only relevant in 2025, but in many ways more innovative than what dominates the MMO market now.

1. Age of Conan vs. World of Warcraft – Back Then

When AoC launched in 2008, WoW was at its absolute peak. Blizzard had accessibility, simplicity, and momentum on its side. Meanwhile, AoC pushed high-end graphics, complex combat, and a more mature setting.

Why AoC struggled at launch:

  • Heavy system requirements (many of us literally couldn’t run it well).

  • Launching head-to-head with WoW during its prime.

  • A community not yet ready for something so different.

What made AoC unique even then:

  • Directional combat & combos (ahead of tab-targeting).

  • Cinematic storytelling (Tortage still blows me away today).

  • Guild Cities – basically “player housing” years before WoW even attempted it.

  • Solo dungeons – which WoW only added much later.

Back then, WoW felt easier to digest, but in hindsight AoC was already experimenting with design ideas that are now seen as modern MMO staples.

2. What We Can Learn from WoW’s Evolution

The WoW story itself proves a key point:

  • Blizzard ignored its community for years.

  • Players built Nostalrius to prove the demand for Classic WoW.

  • Blizzard was forced to create Classic servers, and later struggled to balance Retail vs Classic.

  • Today, projects like Turtle WoW and Project Epoch show how passionate communities still fight for the MMO experiences they want.

But here’s the real question: Do players really have to break your game to get your attention?
I don’t think so.

Funcom has an opportunity to listen before that point. Age of Conan doesn’t need private servers to prove it has a dedicated fanbase — the passion is here, in groups like Age of Conan Unchained on Facebook, in forum threads, and in returning players like me.

3. Why Age of Conan Still Holds Up in 2025

Here’s why I think AoC is still incredibly relevant:

  • Solo Dungeons: A core feature in AoC long before WoW added “Scenarios” or “Torghast.” Perfect for modern MMO players who value solo-friendly content.

  • Guild Cities: WoW is only now experimenting with “Player Housing.” AoC had a superior version over a decade ago. Expand this, and you have a killer feature.

  • Exploration: AoC’s world design feels rich, mysterious, and meaningful — closer to Vanilla WoW than Retail’s “theme park” design.

  • Unique Combat: Sprinting, dodging, hiding, climbing. These mechanics can easily be modernized to feel fresh again.

  • Transmog & Cosmetics: Already in AoC, but ripe for expansion. Players love customization.

  • PvP: With the right community push (streamers, events), AoC could revive PvP scenes, just like Classic WoW PvP servers exploded at launch.

4. Opportunities for Funcom

I know resources are limited, but not everything requires a massive budget. Here are low-cost, high-value steps Funcom could take:

  1. Improve onboarding after Tortage. Tortage is phenomenal, but the quality gap after it can discourage new players. Small improvements in pacing and story flow could fix that.

  2. UI & polish. Mods like GigaUI show what’s possible. A modernized UI goes a long way.

  3. Texture & graphic updates. Even light reskins or polish make the game shine. (See my other forum post with upscaled textures).

  4. Reuse assets from Conan Exiles & Dune. Animations, armors, even mechanics could be ported or adapted.

  5. Small raid/dungeon experiments. Even just one or two bosses using reused assets would excite players.

  6. Open the door for modding. Provide APIs or allow limited client modding. WoW’s addon scene is half its staying power. Imagine AoC with community-driven polish and creativity.

5. Direct Comparisons: AoC vs WoW

  • Instanced Content: AoC was criticized for it, but WoW has fully embraced instancing. This is no longer a weakness.

  • Combat System: AoC’s directional attacks and dodges feel clunky today, but with tweaks (e.g. like Conan Exiles’ dodge system), it could become one of the most exciting MMO combat models.

  • Exploration: AoC captures the mystery of a dangerous world better than modern WoW zones.

  • Progression: AoC classes feel complex, maybe too button-heavy — but trimming redundant abilities could modernize it easily.

  • Community Features: Guild Cities > WoW Garrisons / Housing. This is AoC’s ace in the hole.

  • Graphics: Outdated, yes — but the art direction is beautiful. In dungeons like The Forgotten City, the atmosphere is unmatched.

6. Why Listen to Me?

I’m not a long-time AoC veteran. My highest character is only level 72. But that’s exactly why my perspective matters: fresh eyes.

  • I’ve lived through 20 years of WoW.

  • I’ve seen Blizzard ignore players, and I’ve seen what it took for them to finally listen.

  • I’m part of the MMO generation still searching for that “Classic” feeling.

And when I play AoC, I feel it.

Conclusion: AoC Deserves Another Chance

Age of Conan isn’t just an abandoned MMO — it’s a hidden gem that was too far ahead of its time.
Today, the MMO market is chasing exactly the kind of features AoC already had: solo dungeons, player-driven worlds, meaningful combat.

Funcom, please hear this: your community is still here. We’re ready to support, discuss, and help. Even small steps could breathe life back into this masterpiece.

Let’s not let Age of Conan remain forgotten. Let’s bring it back to the conversation where it belongs.

:fire: I would love to hear feedback from other players. What are your fresh ideas? What do you think AoC does better than WoW, and what would you want to see updated?

Funcom, I hope you’ll join the discussion too.

Edit: I found this jewel, that showcase some of what is being talked about perhaps it being possible.
They Put Age of Conan Maps in Conan Exiles!!!

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TL;DR:

  • Age of Conan was ahead of its time with features like solo dungeons, guild cities, and directional combat years before WoW adopted similar ideas.

  • AoC struggled at launch due to timing (WoW peak) and heavy system requirements, but its design is still unique and relevant in 2025.

  • WoW’s history (Nostalrius → Classic WoW → private projects) shows that passionate communities can revive entire MMOs. Funcom could avoid Blizzard’s mistakes by engaging directly with players.

  • Small updates (UI polish, texture work, onboarding improvements) + opening the door for modding/API support could give AoC new life without huge costs.

  • AoC still offers something WoW doesn’t: a more mature world, fresh combat ideas, deeper exploration, and player-driven systems like Guild Cities.

  • The community is here. The passion is here. This gem deserves attention again.

Links ; Class Concepts! Post yours! - Age of Conan / General Discussion - Funcom Forums
Some Upscaled Images from AoC Funcom you made a beautfiful game - Age of Conan / General Discussion - Funcom Forums

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At the top of my head there’s one change so easily as modifing some text that can have caused hundreds or thousands of players to prematurely stop playing the game. That would be a good start.

Today its 50/50 chance that the game will select either Fury or Crom FOR you. The information about playerbase on each of the realms say the same thing, while fury is completely omega dead, and crom has all the action. So a player can get Fury as default option, think to themselfes “hmm” is fury really IT? So they check the menu and see both servers have same population. This is a warcrime but sadly just a sidenote to all the incompetancy in play here :sweat_smile:

Also raidfinder is a terrible design. How much content do we have post T4? As soon as you hit level 80 you start doing raidfinder and get yourself a shiny set of t4 gear. Then what? You cant do t5 cos you havent learned the game enough to have that skill or knowledge. So then you create an alt, do the same thing again, then log out, forever

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Wel said, warrior…

Warriors… we need a call to battle on this one!!! :dagger::bow_and_arrow::axe::crossed_swords:

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Oh, & one more thing…

Do Funcom representatives even pay attention to these forums? :thinking::face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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I can’t stand Group Finder or Raid Finder…

Bring back the days where you could die in a 6 man dungeon, rez out, & then zone back in!!!

Now, because of GF, if you die in a 6 man dungeon, you better hope the healer don’t die & you better not rez out because if you do, you’re not getting back in that dungeon :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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That is a solid feedback, something I am not experienced enough to talk about, so thank you so much; these are small but important key moments that can help with onboarding espcially considering the fact of the end game, it is very important to get to know the game (I know for a fact that WoW Raiding has and still have a very similar problem) for new comers it is very hard for them to know What to do after raid finder as Raid finder and harder tiers are not at all close to be the same thing.

Not just the raid issue you adress, but also the fact with the server choice, that actually happened to me aswell, I thought the game wasnt alive until I landed on Crom.
Crom is a very diffrent experience than Fury, that is a fact. So yes, a solid change could be made here.

and as I read your thread I am getting very curious to what the text you are refering to is

I value your feedback

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Yeah the text being the information about population on the servers. It should reflect the actually activity on the server.

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I would like the guild cities to expand for player housing. Lots of RP opportunities there as well as abilities to use the architect recipes for decoration. Can even create more for interior features like curules, tapestries, fur skin rugs, etc.

I would like to see new dungeons for all level brackets. I think we are okay raid-wise until population is in significant numbers to push a T7. But maybe that’s just because I’m a full T6 Bear Shaman so it’s not a priority for me? (I still play because my guild does try to do different dungeons!)

Crafting Revamp - what was that supposed to be? I am curious and yet it was abandoned.

I would like some kind of completionist log in-game for all quests and quest-givers or objects which give quests. Instead of having to talk to every single NPC and pick up all objects that potentially give them. Or… have each quest giver on map have ! with grey, green, yellow, orange, red colours to signify a quest can still be picked up by them.

Another expansion like Shadows of Vanaheim would be cool. Something small to start off with before investing into bigger zones. There’s other zones like Vendhya that could be touched upon once ready to expand that far.

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Craftingrevamp is already released, but its called conan exiles. Thats where our submoney went haha.

Even if I do believe its naive to even talk about, I agree with this. Best is probably for them to make a crowdfunding model where we pay for the content in advance, if they hit the mark they develop it.

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Even if I do believe its naive to even talk about, I agree with this. Best is probably for them to make a crowdfunding model where we pay for the content in advance, if they hit the mark they develop it.

I very much see a model here, somthing, because it is about payment imo, and most likely wont be made without any payment dispite us paying a subscribtion, the game is still at an optional subscribtion model.

Atleast I hope Funcom can provide a choice.

@splitends I will have to tag u here, cus this is a reply to Moriala :slight_smile:
I very much think ~( Expansions ) and Raid tiers are far to big of a ask as it will NOT bring in new players, it will set a need for veterans, which I am sure, that alot of veterans would be absolute happy for, but I think the more general requests has to be more down to earth

Anything from Class tuning to new Classes perhaps World bosses that are actual CE bosses, armors from CE and such - Graphical upscales - propper dx 10 or dx 11 , maybe even 12, small but effective

for them fixing ground textures to abit more modern ground texture would change the game so crazy, the character models are already very cartoonish ; hair is stuff tho. But its OK for now.
But the ground textures are REALLY low poly and that is what makes the game appear aged, especially for new comers

for developers who have to get into developing new zones, instances, mechanics, and such is alot of work if you do not consider trying to get in new players at first :slight_smile:

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I just landed this video, its abit old, but it touches on some of the points that are mentioned in terms of having the possibility to re-use assets from CE to AoC ;

They Put Age of Conan Maps in Conan Exiles!!!

Prolly most people will be aware of this mod, but Id thought it was intreasting none the less

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I appreciate your heartfelt analysis. I got the game a while ago, but I am just now giving it a proper chance. I know that you’re taking a break from the game, but I was wondering about one of the points you made. Specifically, about the onboarding after Tortage, what can a new player do to get over that gap?

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The quality of the questing experience drops noticeably once you finish Tortage. Tortage itself is fun and exciting because it is fully voiced – every NPC has their own individual voice. Unlike the experience after Tortage, hardly any NPCs are voiced, and most of the game becomes very text-based. That means players must read instead of listening.

I am not against text-based quests at all; they can work very well. But the problem is that Tortage feels like it belongs in a different box compared to the rest of the game. I suggested in one of my other threads that the newcomer experience should be changed, and that Funcom could go with a more “affordable” solution, given that Age of Conan doesn’t get as much development attention these days. My suggestion would be to rework Tortage into a non-voice-over version so it matches the general style of the rest of the game.

This would make the experience more consistent – more like World of Warcraft, where quests are presented in a text box with a simple Accept / Decline. That approach is easier to mirror throughout the entire game, and it makes it clearer for players to see if an NPC has 1–6 quests available at a glance, rather than having to go through dialogue. Onboarding is extremely important. Tortage’s storytelling is fantastic, and it would be sad to lose the voiced version entirely – but it might be necessary to avoid disappointing players later on. I think this is also one reason why so many “Let’s Play” series on YouTube tend to end once Tortage is finished.

How to get over the gap after Tortage

Personally, I spent a lot of time exploring as I leveled up. There are multiple zones available within the level 20–40 curve, so you can get a good feeling for what lies ahead and build some excitement for later content. Being social is also very important – let people know you are new, because veterans are often very willing to help. I’ve experienced this myself many times.

For example, I didn’t know there were soloable dungeon-like features that you can run every day, and they also give great XP. I keep discovering things I missed, even after playing for a while. Another tip: ask people about world bosses or server events. I recently tried the world boss myself – it’s full of vanity and social items, plus high-level gear that you can look forward to. The best part is that you can contribute regardless of your level. (its abit boring, but you will find alot of players there ask “which instance and zone is WB” - when the event is active there will be many people answering you. Assuming you are on the PvE Crom Realm) the PvP realm is sadly not as active.

Trying different classes can also help. Leveling multiple characters side by side gives you a better overview of the game and lets you experience different playstyles. The familiarity you gain makes the world feel richer.

Extra Tips & Quality of Life

  • Upgrade your UI. Consider installing a modern UI like GigaUI or StrangeUI. elements from StrangeUI in particular allows you to upscale the game a little with reshading and custom tech. I personally use it a lot, in a combination with GigaUI and it makes the game feel fresher while still keeping its old-school MMO charm. (Strange UI look into the FoxCat stuff) and GigaUI for the rest.

  • Embrace the social side. This is really an old-school MMO, so guilds, friends, and groups matter a lot. People are often willing to answer your questions, help you level, or show you hidden parts of the game. It makes a huge difference in your experience.

  • Farm for your alts. Much like in vanilla WoW, I like to farm with my main character and save rare drops or items for my alts. It’s a great way to create your own mini-economy and keep the leveling process exciting across multiple characters.

  • Consider shop bundles. If you’re feeling lazy or want to be a little overpowered, there’s a “Master Bundle” in the shop that unlocks at level 50. I haven’t personally bought it, but I’ve grouped with people who did. The gear scales with your level up until around 80, making progression smoother.

  • Get a mount as soon as you can. I only got my first mount at level 50, which meant a lot of walking. It gave me a better appreciation of the world’s scale, but honestly, having a mount earlier is a huge quality of life upgrade.

Suggestions for Funcom - if they Read along.

To make the experience smoother and more consistent, Funcom could:

  1. Unify the questing system. Either expand voice acting (costly but immersive) or scale back Tortage’s voice acting to match the rest of the game.

  2. Improve quest UI. Clearer quest indicators and an easier-to-read quest log, similar to WoW’s, would help onboarding a lot.

  3. Add tutorials for features. Solo instances, daily activities, mounts, and world bosses should be better introduced to new players.

  4. Promote community tools. Highlight UI mods like GigaUI/StrangeUI, and fan-made content such as lore channels. This helps new players immediately discover extra layers of enjoyment.

  5. Strengthen social systems. A “New Player” tag or a mentor system could encourage veteran players to guide beginners, making the transition past Tortage much less jarring. Could be a reward system for veterans who contribute to help new players.

Additional Ideas

  • Focus on QoL improvements rather than new raids. Small but impactful features (UI tweaks, account-wide storage, quest log improvements) would go a long way for both newcomers and veterans.

  • Reuse assets from Conan Exiles. Cosmetics, housing decorations, or shop vanity items could be imported into Age of Conan. Even small additions would keep the game feeling fresh while tying into the broader Conan universe.

  • Introduce new classes using existing assets. By creatively reusing animations and gear from Conan Exiles, Funcom could add fresh class experiences without having to build everything from scratch. This would add variety for veterans and replayability for newcomers.

Despite its flaws, Age of Conan is still a fantastic and fun game. Tortage remains one of the best MMO introductions out there – but for the game to really shine, that same sense of quality and consistency should carry on through the rest of the journey.

@Straethyen ;
I started as a Demo cus I played mained a Mage in World of Warcraft ; But I am loving the experience as an Assassin of this moment, and people are telling me to try to XOT or Barb class aswell. But stick to your gut and give the game a solid chance you will love it. :slight_smile: