Give this one a pass if you like PVE. Maybe in a year or so it will be worth checking it out.
Combat
The new combat system was hailed as eliminating at least some of the mindlessness of other MMORPGs. The reality is that while the goal was noble this can at be seen as an incremental change in the way we interact with games rather than revolutionary. In PVE combat your combos and what not really don't influence gameplay and combat devolves into hitting your 1,2 or 3 key rather than just clicking your mouse. Sadly for me doing quests was the usual soul destroying grind that was rarely engaging. Don't get me wrong, I applaud the attempt to change and make combat more interesting but the end result was the same in this case.
Environment
Overall the environment was drab and uninteresting. Perhaps this was a concession to the world described in the Conan books but it left me feeling flat. There was little of the "WOW that's different!" feel nor anything that made me go to places I had never seen before just to drink in what the artists had imagined.
NPCs
These are truly dreadful, I must confess that I had very little desire to "talk" (there aren't any voices) to NPCs and the fetch this…gather that…kill a dozen of ….based on the quests they give for a handful of coins and some xp.
Instances and Grouping
There are a few instances that require you to group up and then your really do need to have a healer because the monsters are tough and the xp earned is embarrassingly low given the amount of time you spend together trying to do key events. Given how fast you level, there is little incentive to go through some of the instances over and over again in search of equipment because it will all become obsolete soon enough. The differences between an above average piece of equipment and epic are pretty minimal. Maybe at level 80 it would be worth doing.
Economy
I have mixed opinions of the economy as currency has little value once you have your mount. There really isn't anything to buy and people don't buy many items from the auction house. This limits the irritation of having Chinese Farmers camping out various locations but nerfs that aspect of the game.
Guild Cities
As of August 15, 2008 the cities are undeveloped content. There is so much that can be done with them but for now they only serve as something to attack or defend in guild raids and have guild members gather resources for its construction.
Going Forward
If I were you I would wait until at least 2009 before trying AOC. It is obviously going to take Funcom time to develop content and perhaps address some of the shortcomings that I have listed.
Regards,
FOE