Since the last newsletter went live you might have noticed that we have started a new video series called The Hyborian Insider. In this series Product Manager Erling Ellingsen takes you “into the core of Age of Conan”, showing you just how certain features of the game work by utilizing wonderful blue screen technology and combining it with in-game footage. Check out the two previous editions released, and the new one released today!

Hyborian Insider #1: The Basics of Combat
Hyborian Insider #2: Player-versus-Player Gameplay

After battling your way off the beach, you’ve carved your own place in the world of Hyboria with grit, determination, and steel. Now you’re part of a hardy band of warriors and the time has come to claim your own chunk of the Hyborian Dream. After all, what is a guild without land and a mighty fortress standing atop it, telling all who come near of the power and glory they possess?

(Read the special feature here)

Poitain is a lush and fertile region, rich in game and natural resources from metal ore to hardwood forests. As such it has naturally drawn prospectors, miners and trappers and small rich communities of artisans and craftsmen are commonplace.

(Read about Poitain here)

It’s not all about death and destruction in Hyboria, sometimes you will also want to create something yoursel... that others can destroy, of course. Player-made cities will pop up once we open the servers, and now you can pick up a little information on each of the different buildings you will be able to construct in your guild’s city.

(Read more about the buildings here)

Every month website MMORPG.com will interview one of the many talented people that work on Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures here at Funcom to create a developer profile, which is then posted on their website. This month, gameplay designer Per Storløkken is featured. MMORPG.com sat down with him to pick his brain about everything from his childhood to what he does at Funcom.

(Read the developer profile here)

Funcom is proud to present the Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures comic magazine! Created by the talented people over at Dark Horse Comics, it tells a story that tie into the game perfectly. The magazine has been produced in several hundred thousands copies, mostly bundled with various gaming magazines and now it’s also available here.

(Read the comic book here – PDF download)

During the past few months Funcom has hosted a series of events at our offices in Norway where we have invited journalists from across the world to meet the developers and sit down with the game. In January we took it a step further and invited numerous Age of Conan fan sites to experience the same thing, and HyborianCodex – a French community site – have put together a comic book based on their journey to Oslo! We ran this in last month’s newsletter too, but we like it so much we just have to do it again!

(Read the comic book here – PDF download)

Age of Conan brings you into the dark brutal lands of Hyboria, where only the strong survive and only those who are worthy stand by Conan’s side. Ideazon's Age of Conan Limited Edition Keyset for Zboard will help you slay your way to the top, leaving nothing but a trail of flesh and bone in your wake!

(Read more about the Conan keyboard here)

Take a look at this month’s exclusive screenshots! This time around we visit the region of Poitain, a so-called resource and gathering area where players can practice their trade, collect valuable resources and ultimately create a thriving community if their own.

(Check out the screenshots here)

This month we’re featuring the third edition of the Hyborian Insider, where Product Manager Erling Ellingsen shows you how crafting and city building works in Age of Conan. Take a look at how you will get to progress in crafting quests, how the tradeskill book looks like, and how monumental it can actually look when you construct a city! The video will be available exclusively at Gamespy, JeuxVideoPC, Buffed, Gamez, Goha, Multiplayer and Juegaenred only until it’s posted on the official site next week).

This month we bring you an exclusive wallpaper themed according to this newsletters’ location of the month: Poitain. The wallpaper comes in four sizes.

(Check out the wallpaper here)

Just because we are such incredibly kind people here at Funcom, we have decided to give away free loot every month. All you need to do is send us an e-mail and hope for the best. Every month we pick out three people who will be sent a bunch of exclusive loot.

If you want to be one of those lucky three who gets Funcom loot shipped in the mail, you will need to send us an e-mail and include your full name, your home address and your telephone number in order to be eligible. You must also keep the subject of the e-mail “Age of Conan April Newsletter Sweepstakes”. Winners will receive:

- A spot in the Age of Conan general beta
- Dreamfall: The Longest Journey PC game
- Full-colored Age of Conan comic book

Send us an e-mail by May 26th and you might get lucky!

No purchase necessary. Prizes are three (3) beta keys, three (3) comic books, three (3) copies of the Dreamfall PC game and three (3) full-colored Age of Conan comic books. Odds of winning dependant on number of entries. Competition open to residents of the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, U.K., and U.S. (except Rhode Island and Puerto Rico). Drawing will be made by random draw in Oslo Norway one day after the entry deadline. Any applicable taxes or customs fees are responsibility of winner. Entry to this competition is void where prohibited by local laws.

Age of Conan is now also featured on IGN's Vault Network with a website dedicated to the game. Players find the latest news, gossip, screenshots, interesting articles about the game and also a lot of insight information about what the staff experienced during their testing of the Age of Conan Beta. Add the detailed game info about topics like classes, skills, spells, quests etc. and you have the perfect place to find everything about Age of Conan.

(Check it out!)

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...and counting! You can also check out the many Guild websites here!