Funcom has announced the first expansion for their popular MMO Age of Conan entitled Rise of the Godslayer. This new expansion, inspired the culture of eastern Asia, will send players on a journey to the Empire of Khitai with a new storyline, faction gameplay and an alternate advancement system. The new storyline tells the tale of the downward spiral of the Empire after the actions taken by a young Conan. As a player, you will explore this new land as your existing character or as a Khitan citizen and unravel the story.

“Since the turn of the year the team has been working hard on bringing the Empire of Khitai to life,” says Craig Morrison, Game Director and Executive Producer on `Rise of the Godslayer’. “Our focus now is on expanding on the strengths of the game by providing massive new regions of the world to explore, and the Empire of Khitai offers a whole new perspective on the Conan lore and universe. Age of Conan has evolved leaps and bounds since its launch last year, and we are making sure to build on the existing qualities and expand them further with the brand new content and gameplay in `Rise of the Godslayer’.”

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer will introduce new areas for players to explore, as well as the ability to join up with many of the warring factions which will present players with choices to earn allies or enemies in Khitai. Doing new questlines for these factions will also reward players with new epic armor and weapons. There will also be a new mounts available to players! For those who will be at GamesCom, Rise of the Godslayer will be playable at the Funcom booth. Unfortunately no release date has been announced for the expansion yet.

Full list of new features below.

• Embark on the most savage, sexy and brutal Conan adventure yet as you descend into the shadows that have fallen over Khitai, the fabled empire of the east! Ride across the grassy steppes and see the purple pagodas of Paikang rising from the vine-choked bamboo jungles. Unravel the corruption that threatens to taint the very heart of this beautiful land forever!

• Age of Conan’s highly acclaimed real-time, action-packed combat gameplay is taken to new heights with incredible martial arts moves, ancient magic, and epic weaponry. Extend your character’s powers through a new alternate advancement system that allows you to unlock a vast collection of new abilities that breathes new life into the revolutionary combat system!

• Begin your adventure as a Khitan, an all-new character race, and experience a wide variety of new low-level content. Venture into the land of Khitai as you embark on new quests and acquire new rewards geared towards players fresh off the boat from Tortage!

• A wealth of new content for high-level players! Explore vast overland regions such as the serene Chosain Province or the desert of black sand known as Kara Korum, and delve into numerous new dungeons such as the magnificent Pillars of Heaven. Battle all-new monsters and acquire countless new rewards such as fantastic weapons and armor sets!
• Engage yourself in a mature and deep storyline that brings dramatic storytelling techniques into high-level gameplay. Through hundreds of new, lovingly crafted quests you will follow in the footsteps of Conan himself, where you will discover that the actions of the great barbarian have caused a great upheaval in this far flung land. The truth behind King Conan’s actions are twisted and hidden amongst the moral shades of grey of Kithan politics!

• Experience the true power of DirectX 10 graphics with enhanced visuals and new groundbreaking graphical features that brings the land of Khitai to life. The new visual style of the east will also provide a fresh, new look on Hyboria – the savage world of Conan!

• Pick your side! Join one of many warring factions of Khitai, complete assignments for them and slaughter their enemies to reap the exclusive rewards. As you gain influence in a faction you will earn ranks which in turn can be used to unlock incredible treasures. But watch your back, because the enemies of your friends will not hesitate to stab you in your back!

• Explore the lands of Khitai from the back of two new mounts – the Wolf and the Tiger. Starting out as defenseless pets, these creatures will follow by your side and can be grown into ferocious fighting companions through a series of unique quests. Ultimately you will be able to grow them into spectacular mounts that will carry you on your adventures!