The February edition of the Age of Conan State of the Game newsletter brings news that the developers have decided to drop Prestige Classes from the game prior to launch.
According to the newsletter, instead of varying the gameplay experiences available, the Prestige Classes created a very narrow set of skills that were viable if one wanted to continue playing.
"[Prestige Classes] didn't give more variety or more solid character progression, it rather cornered the player. We wanted character progression to be about choice, and not about running down a small corridor to a given end," the developers say.
Interestingly, this is almost exactly the same thing that happened with World of Warcraft's Hero Classes.
Prior to WoW's launch, the Hero Classes were a much-lauded feature, but they were continually delayed even after the title hit store shelves.
The upcoming Wrath of the Lich King expansion is slated to feature WoW's first Hero Class, so *Age of Conan *fans can always hold out hope that they may see Prestige Classes in the game sometime around 2012.
State of the Game: February 2008 [Age of Conan]
