Classes
Age of Conan got a total of twelve classes that you can choose from. They are divided into four different archetypes; soldier, mage, priest and rogue. The different types of archetypes have strengths and weaknesses, and the class you choose will have an impact on how you play the game.
The soldier is your mainstream heavy hitter, with lots of armor and the big sword, axe or or other meleeweapon. You will probably spend most time fighting close to your enemy, bleeding them with your weapon and special abilities. The Guardian is the heaviest armored soldier, with their full plate, and is often regarded as the best tank in the game. The Conqueror focus on heavy weapons and strength, together with heavy armor. Lastly, the Dark Templar uses some magic together with heavy armor and weapons to conquer the opposition.
The next archetype is the mage, which is the primary spellcaster. Instead of relying on a weapon, the damage is dealt with magic spells and abilities. You have very light armor, so you want to keep your distance when you are fighting. All the three types of mages, Demonologist, Necromancer and Herald of Xotli, have to be stygian. Only Stygian characters are allowed to be mages in Age of Conan. The Demonologist focuses all it’s power on magic, and is the mightiest sorcerers of Hyboria. The Necromancer use risen companions, undead, to aid the combat, together with dark magic. The Herald of Xotli is not only focusing on magic, but also wields a great two-handed weapon making them an immense opponent on the battlefield.
The priests of Age of Conan is very unusual for those who have been playing other MMORPGs before, as you are not only a healer, but have a lot of damage spells and function a bit like a mage. You don’t have any targeted healingspells, but healing over time with area of effect-spells. You have light armor, but a bit tougher than the mages. Each of the three races have a priest available. The cimmerian priest is called Bear Shaman. Bear Shamans are great in melee, as they can use medium armor and two-handed blunt weapons. Together with spirit totems and spells they are mighty. The aquilonian priests, Prist of Mitra, uses the divine power of Mitra to defeat enemies and help allies. They have powerful buffs, and is one of the most powerful healers of Age of Conan. The Tempest of Set is the opposite of the Priests of Mitra, taking their power from the snake god of Stygia, Set. They are also powerful healers, together with the dangerous spells they can weild.
The last type is the rogue, and they come in a wide range of types. The ranger will mainly focus on ranged attacks with bows and crossbows, while the assassin focus on stealth and backstabbing the victim before they know they are attacked. Assassins can only use cloth armor, but their stealth makes up for that. Rangers can however use medium armor, and is the toughest type of armor any rogue can use. The barbarian is also a rogue archetype, but instead of stealth you focus on brute force, strength and aggression. Barbarians can use light armor, and most types of weapons.