Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer Preview

IGN is offering up a closer look at Chosain Province, the new Eastern culture-inspired area we'll be exploring in Funcom's upcoming Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer expansion pack.
For the most part, Chosain is a lush environment of rolling green hills and rice fields pocked with jutting stone spires. "In designing Chosain, we wanted to focus on an open landscape, as well as providing our players with a near seamless region that even lets you look into other playable regions from its border," says Joel Bylos, lead designer on the Rise of the Godslayer expansion. "The uniqueness of the playfield combined with easy travel to other playfields made for some interesting design challenges, and we've done our absolute best to meet our players' high expectations." But within its picturesque borders lay the relics of wars bygone and current, and players will encounter burnt battlefields and the remains of siege machines, as well as the soldiers who commanded them.

The land is split by two warring cities; Gun-Hai to the north and Gun-Xiu to the south. They remain under the thumbs of the warlords Yun Rau and Min Cho, and the ongoing skirmishes mean that there is a high demand for warriors. As a result, mercenaries from across the land have come pouring in, bringing further tension and a culture of violence to an already delicate situation. Even the neutral city of Shaulun can not escape this conflict; it is slowly being split from within by the two opposing and rapidly growing factions.