Lately I've been playing Age of Conan quite intensively in preparation to the review you'll soon be able to read on DualShockers, and that will offer a much needed in-depth and updated look at Funcom's take on Robert E. Howard's dark and mysterious fantasy world.

Today Funcom opened the new Savage Coast of Turan adventure pack for those that purchased the early access (while those that got the normal package will be able to visit the new locations on September the 8th), introducing quite a lot of new content to the game. 

What's peculiar about this adventure pack is that it ties in heavily with the new Conan the Barbarian movie, both visually and in content. Despite being set about twenty years later (for the lore buffs, the movie is set during Conan's youth, while the game is set when he's already king, just before the birth of his son, Conn), you can even encounter prominent characters from the movie, like the Zamoran pirate Artus.

Turan is a coastal sultanate on the western reaches of the inner Vilayet Sea, also named the "Empire of the Rising Sun". It's home to proud warriors, exotic beauties and relentless mail and silk-clad raiders. The invasions by the Kossaks from the nearby mountains create a state of constant warfare while the Vilayet pirates threaten commerce, molding Turan as the perfect location for fledgling adventurers in search of glory and loot.

From a gameplay point of view, the contents of  The Savage Coast of Turan are quite sizable, stopping just short of what many would consider a full fledged expansion. Included in the package we find a large outdoor map (The Coast of Ardashir) for players between levels 50 and 55, two solo instances (Dead Man's Hand, for players between level 50 and 80, and the Isle of Iron Statues, for level 80s), a 6-men group instance (Fort Ardashir), an endgame raid instance (The Temple of Elrik) and a metric ton of quests.

Having traveled Turan for a few hours now, I have to say that Funcom's designers didn't skimp on their usual style and attention to detail. The locations are some of the most gorgeous I ever seen in a MMORPG (just entering the Temple of Elrik left me breathless for a second) and the quests I already tried are engaging and left me wanting to explore more.

The design of some of the new enemies is lovely too. When the screen will start to shake, you'll be conflicted between running and staring, as one of the great looking war rhinos will be charging right in your face.

You can see pictures of the new areas in the gallery below, as you wait for my full up-to-date review of the game coming in the next few days.