Funcom has been working on Age of Conan for quite some time now. Having gone through the both the public and in-house beta, the development is nearing its final stages.

Jørgen Tharaldsen, Product Director at Funcom, gives us a rundown on how the game is going, broaching such topics as weapons, crafting, PvP, the use of violence and gore, and more.

ActionTrip: At present, what aspect of the game is Funcom working on?

Jørgen Tharaldsen: Right now we are tying all the loose ends together, and making sure we have as much of the content as we can in for the more open stages of Beta. We have been working (really) hard on the game for over three years now, and these days it?s just so cool to see how things are coming together. I would probably say this anyway (since I work at Funcom ;)) but the game is a lot of fun to play these days.

ActionTrip: Aside from Conan himself, are there any other characters that are crucial to the AoC story?

Jørgen Tharaldsen: Yes, definitively, we are trying to be true to the original lore of Robert E. Howard, the American author who first created the stories of Conan the barbarian. This means a brutal and savage online world, and you can expect to meet many of Conan's friends and foes on your journey through Hyboria. You will also face some of the meanest and smartest monsters around, hell bent on destroying you, and many of them will be known from Conan lore.

ActionTrip: How important are tactics and collaboration between players in Age of Conan?

Jørgen Tharaldsen: Since Age of Conan is an MMO collaboration between players will be an essential part of mastering the game, and a fun part at that aoc gold. I mean, just think of a massive siege PvP battle, where all classes work together to bring down the enemy (I will be riding the war mammoth!). Even though there is solo content in the game you will find that some of the most epic moments will happen when you are in a group or a guild. If you plan to raid a mighty demon, for instance, you need to hone those tactics;)