FAQ/PvP and Siege Combat

What does PvP mean?

PvP is an acronym for player-versus-player, which describes combat between players, rather than players fighting computer controlled monsters or NPCs. The opposite of PvP would be PvE, or player-versus-environment, which is used to describe combat between the player and a computer-controlled entity. You will find lots of both in Age of Conan!

Is Age of Conan a PvP Focused Game?

The game has never really been a 'PVP focused game', it has always been a content driven game with PVP elements and features, and that it remains. [[1]].

Will the Real Time Combat System also be present in PvP combat?

Yes! The Real Combat System is how we handle combat throughout the game. When fighting with other players, you will use the same rules, dynamics, skills, etc., as you use when fighting computer-controlled enemies. To prevent exploits, there may be slight tweaks or limitations.

So I will be able to fight other players?

Yes. Age of Conan has numerous options for PvP players. There will be PvP minigames like Capture the Skull, as well as massive siege PVP battles over Battle Keeps. Additionally you will be able to do drunken brawling, fighting for your honor in the bars of Hyboria. For those who just can’t get enough PvP, there will also be special PvP-focused servers with slightly different rulesets.

Can everyone attack anyone or are there limitations?

Fighting between players is consensual, because it is limited to certain areas of the game world. If you want to avoid PvP combat, all you have to do is avoid these areas (and the PvP server).

The Border Kingdoms is the main region for massive PvP combat, and this is where player guilds will fight over ownership of battlekeeps.

The PvP servers will have their own special rulesets.

What is the Border Kingdom?

King Conan has opened up the bothersome Border Kingdom for expansion, and several individuals in his court will sponsor settlements in this region. This means that players can set up their own persistent battlekeep—a castle, in other words—in these areas. This battlekeep must be defended against other guilds, as the battlekeeps are limited in number and can provide rare and valuable resources to the guild that controls them.

The Border Kingdom is the “Wild West” of Hyboria, a deadly, lawless place where it is wise to ride carefully.

So the Border Kingdom is the only place for PvP?

No, there are other areas to engage in player-versus-player combat but the Border Kingdoms are the only place you can take part in siege PvP. For instance, you can play one of our PvP minigames or take part in a drunken brawling minigame where you can slug it out in the taverns. In general, though, other players will not be able to harm you outside the Border Kingdom. Obviously, this doesn’t apply on a PvP server.

What are battlekeeps?

Battlekeeps are structures that players can build and maintain in the Border Kingdom. There are a limited number of areas where these can be built, though, and it’s a certainty that other guilds will come and try to take it from you (or even destroy it completely) through the use of siege engines. By using collected resources such as iron, stone, and wood, players can improve these battlekeeps, building walls and other buildings to aid in the defense. It is also possible to add computer-controlled guards to your building.

But I’m in a small guild! We don’t have the manpower to hold something like that.

Building, maintaining, and defending a battlekeep does take a lot of resources and manpower, and it’s not something every guild has the capacity to do. Spread over the Border Kingdom, you will find something we call towers, which function like mini-battlekeeps that can be captured and held by smaller guilds. While they do not give the same benefits as battlekeeps, it will definitely be worthwhile to control these structures, as well.

How can another guild capture a battlekeep or tower?

Very few people want to stand on guard duty for twenty-four hours, so there will be specific periods when a battlekeep is open for attacks. The attackers will then have to bring down the defenses by any means possible! For more on sieging and city building, please see this article.

So there are PvE and PvP advancement systems?

Yes. There are twenty different PvP levels in addition to the normal skill levels. You gain PvP levels by fighting battles with other players and opening new PvP levels gives you special feats and abilities..

Is PvP the endgame in Age of Conan?

Yes and no. We certainly anticipate lots of PvP for guilds who want to partake! But there are also plenty of other things to do. The wide world of Hyboria is open to exploration, and we guarantee you hours upon hours of adventure through some of the most fantastic areas you’ve ever seen. There are quests to complete, raids to run, dungeons to be explored, and all sorts of things to do even at the highest levels of the game. The end is only the beginning!