So with this second time around, I rolled a conqueror, which falls into the soldier archtype of classes for Age of Conan.  My previous characters included a demonologist, a barbarian and a bear shaman, all of which were mid- to high-thirties in level range.    I must say that I am truly enjoying the class;  it brings a nice blend of support and melee damage, coupled with durability and survivability.

There are two ways to go as a conqueror–dual weild or two-handed.  I started as dual-weild, which yields significantly higher dps (and yes, I’ll confess, the combat is “prettier”), but changed to two-handed when I took on the role of tank for our standing group.  I’m enjoying it so far, though there are challenges to it.

As the tank in our standing group of 3-4, comprised of Dyones (Priest of Mitra–”pure” healer), Daccus (barbarian–mdps) and Delphiae (Tempest of Set–healer, ranged caster).  The conqueror is more of an “off-tank” class, probably better-suited to backing up a guardian.  However, I’ve found that I’m managing ably and can hold the aggro or get it back if the dps’s burst damage rips it.  One thing that makes it a challenge for me is that there is only one “taunt” ability that is a pure taunt, and you have to spend a feat point to get it.  The other taunt abilities come from combat arts, and you must hit the target and complete the combo to get the full effect.  I’ve been stacking taunt-enhanced gear, but I can’t tell if that has made a significant difference.  This bears further investigation.

One thing that I find really neat about my abilities are my temporary group buffs (battle orders) that can provide anything from mana and stamina regneration, de-aggro for the group, or increase damage.  Only one can be active at a time, and it adds a nice layer to combat to decide on the fly which buff will best suit the fight the group is in.  These don’t stop with one set:  there are also buffs called commands which do similar things, but are more positional in nature, affecting the group members to the side or behind the conqueror.  You have to think on your feet to make the most effective use of these buffs, and I must confess it’s a challenge and keeps me on my toes.  Very entertaining to play.

The conqueror also is able to wear heavy armor, which is one step below the full plate that guardians wear.  However, I do have a couple of medium-armor pieces as well to get their taunt bonuses.  With a dedicated healer in the group (who is a very talented healer), I don’t find myself running out of health too often or taking too much damage.  My one disappointment with armor is a common one, which I hope will be fixed with the next patch, where they are paying attention to itemization, stats and armor class.  As it stands now, there aren’t significant differences between varying level gear, etc.  Also, I can’t wear cloth armor, which cuts down on my choices for “pretty” social clothes.  I keep hoping that FunCom will give us some appearance goodies.

All in all, I’m very satisfied with the class and enjoying it very much.  It’s just the right blend for me, a girl who loves her dps, but doesn’t mind taking charge of a battle.