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The Anvil of Crom: Sun, sand, and the serpent kingdom
Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom and the latest edition of the Hyborian travelogue. This week, we're going to visit the lands of Stygia in Funcom's Age of Conan for a look at the final post-Tortage lowbie zone. Previously we've journeyed to the Gateway of Khitai, the Wild Lands of Zelata, and Conall's Valley, all of them race-specific 20-to-40 zones that you can visit when you're through with the Isle of Newb. Stygia's corresponding 20-to-40 content isn't quite 20-to-40 though, as I found out this week while adventuring through the region for the first time. Join me and my brand new Tempest of Set after the cut for some impressions of Hyboria's serpent kingdom as well as a bit of questing advice. %Gallery-107238%
The Hyborian Backpackers' Guide: Khopshef Province
The Hyborian Backpackers are back out into the sun, after a stop in the Sanctum of the Burning Souls last week. On the cards for this latest Age of Conan adventure is the Khopshef Province region, a vast desert with a number of towns, both friendly and hostile. Not only are there quests galore for the outdoor areas, but this zone plays host to a handful of instances as well that are absolutely worth a visit. Check out our gallery guide to see what Khopshef has to offer. To Khopshef >> Gallery: The Hyborian Backpackers Guide: Khopshef Province Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
Age of Conan patch notes for June 26th
The patch notes for today's Age of Conan update are now available, and a few of the fixes that we've seen talked about in recent times have made it in. There's nothing significantly game changing unless you're a Necromancer, or are waiting to get into Alchemy (and it's not the big PvP patch unfortunately) but Funcom's to-do list is now a little shorter. There's also an interesting tidbit about level 70+ solo mobs being "more of a challenge" -- something we'll need to investigate. Here's a rundown of some of the bigger updates: Some of the Necromancer buffs we looked at earlier have been implemented. Changes to Active Blocking: it now has an initial stamina cost, will give a shielding bonus instead of evade chance, and causes a buff icon to be displayed when used. Melee pets will do splash damage. The Black Castle zone in Khopshef Province has been completely redone, and groups around level 30-35 are encouraged to check it out. Solo monsters, minibosses and bosses have been made more challenging for level 70 and up. This does not affect group and raid monsters. You can cast certain spells while mounted again. Alchemists will no longer crash when opening their books, and the previously discussed solutions for this tradeskill's component issues have been implemented.
