Age of Conan's renowned combo system streamlined on Testlive

One of the innovations Age of Conan provided when it hit the MMO scene earlier this year was an original, fast-paced combat system, involving attacking in multiple directions. As levels are earned, 'combos' are unlocked (for most classes, anyway) which, once triggered, require multiple keystrokes to complete. There's no denying that combos can be some of the most satisfying effects in AoC: firing off a whole barrage of arrows, for example, or dealing a powerful DoT, or even triggering a fatality as frequently happens.

Now, though, in a recent patch to the Testlive server, the system (described by one enthusiast as 'DDR with knives') is being streamlined, or as some players are putting it, 'dumbed down'. Combos that required multiple keystrokes have been changed, so that fewer button-presses are required. Some are reportedly even down to being one button in addition to the trigger. The objective seems to have been to increase the pace of PvP, with more frequent attacks required in place of heavy burst damage. It's a controversial change, and we should point out that it's only on Testlive so far.

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Reaction to the proposed changes has been, to put it mildly, mixed. We've been extremely impressed with the contents of 'Patch 3' so far, but it looks like this is one change that is dividing the community. Any Age of Conan players who want to contribute to the testing can access Testlive; there are NPCs available to insta-level you to 80, or you can copy a character across.

Don't worry about being morphed into something out of Lovecraft: the bug that turned characters into bone-white headless level 1 'commoners' on arrival at Testlive seems to be fixed now.