Rise of the Godslayer!

Some major information has just hit about the next step for Age of Conan, and its "Rise of the Godslayer" this new expansion will be set in predicted land of Khitai (ancient China) and promises to be a great addition to the game world.
Firstly kudos to Funcom for listening to their community and not raising the level cap, while this may seem like a negative aspect of the expansion its actually a blessing and has pleased many players . You might ask why is it a blessing? well there are multiple reasons why level cap increases upset players such as: all current raid items would become worthless and after players spent hundreds of hours farming them and level 80 content is already pretty thin and expanding the level cap would only worsen the problem.

So what has been added with Rise of the Godslayer? Well alot!

Here's a quick overview:

1. - No level cap increase or new classes.
2. - New character progression systems

   The alternate advancement system will basically allow players to use their experience towards special alternate advancement feats and combos. This will open up a lot of new potential abilities for players. In addition the players will also be able to 'train' these feats to a second level over time to perfect them. This will allow players to choose which of their new feats or abilities to focus on and decide which order they build them up in. This training will continue whether you are online or offline, and will take a certain amount of time to complete (depending on the power of the feat), so it is a tactical choice for the player as to which order they do this training.

3. - New Music.

   Yes, we have retained the services of the fantastic composer of the games original soundtrack, Knut Avenstrup Haugen

4. - New continent based on Ancient China "Khitai".
5. - Largest zones ever within AOC, less zoning and more to explore.

   This means that players will be able to see the areas that surround them, and zone across border lines - much like we did recently in Tarantia Commons but on a much larger scale.

6. - Total of five new regions for both levels 20-40 and 80. (more information below, taken from IGN.com)

Craig Morrison: The expansion will feature a whole new land for players to explore, the Empire of Khitai.

Khitai is split into five large gameplay regions and players will be able to travel there from one or more of the major hubs in the game.

Gateway to Khitai: The first glimpse that players will get of Khitai is actually from the western side of the Great Wall. The aptly named Gateway to Khitai contains rolling steppes that climb up to the foothills of the Mountains of Night.

The Northern Grasslands: On the eastern side of the Great Wall, the Northern Grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see. Beneath the shadow of the Kang Pagoda lies the village of Chow and further east, the frontier city of Pin Pin awaits. South of Pin Pin, the grasslands are swallowed by impenetrable jungle, while to the north the road winds across the River of Yellow Curses and into the desert of Kara Korum. East the grassland stops abruptly at the Khitan Escarpment. From the edge of the escarpment, you can see clear across the beautiful lands of Chosain Province.

Chosain Province: Once a stretch of idyllic countryside, Chosain Province is now torn by battle. The northern city of Gun Hai and the southern city of Gun Xui are at war, and the once peaceful city of Shaulun has become a staging ground for mercenaries from across the world. The northern marshes, which bound the southern side of the River of Yellow Curses, are populated by monstrous creatures, no doubt crawling across the river from Kara Korum.

Kara Korum: The desert of black sand, Kara Korum, is eerily silent in comparison with the southern countryside. Nothing moves in the streets of the village known as Ghost Hill and a gentle breeze carries forth the stench of decay from the forest to the south. Northwards, in the center of Kara Korum, the high walls of The Crater dominate the landscape and the sense of the alien that pervades the landscape seems to stem from that place.

Paikang: South again, and on the eastern side of Chosain Province gives way to vine-choked jungles of Paikang. To the north, through Souleater Pass lies Heavens Lake and to the east is Shatterspar Coastline, dotted with the wreckage of a hundred ships. But south is the imperial city itself, Paikang, its purple towered minarets gleaming in the sunlight.

Each playfield region comes with it own set of dungeons and instances leading up to the final raid dungeons that will be found in Paikang.

7. - Khitan Race (Asian style character, will go to own home city and new Gateway to Khitai zone after tortage)
8. - New Mounts ( Tiger and wolf, not purchased but raised from a cub in a quest line *seen below - yes epic!*)
9. - Factions and faction based regions.
- Join various factions.
- Special titles and rewards for each faction.
- Faction specific armors.
- Quests and game play changing choices.
10. - New dungeons and raid encounters. (such as Pillars of Heaven)

Funcom looks set to really push the boundaries of Age of Conan with Rise of the Godslayer and are expanding the game in many ways. Its looking excellent so far and this could be the kick start the game has been needing.
I'm looking forward to more information coming from Games-con over the next few days, so stay tuned and why not jump into the discussion on the official forums and share your thoughts (or in the comments below): Official discussion


Quick Update: This offical website has just been launched why not check it out here:

Rise of the Godslayer