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With the Age of Conan collector's edition sold out across the country, we thought it would be worthwhile to go through our copy of the box and share with you what Funcom has on offer. We've talked all about the CE before, as the company unveiled details all the way back in January. There's a big difference between knowing about the leather map or the art book, and seeing them firsthand, though.

Today, in keeping with our Age of Conan launch-day coverage, we'll peel back the cover on this Massive chunk of MMO memorabilia. Check out the full gallery of unboxing screenshots here at Massively.com.

Tomorrow's the day the gates of Hyboria open to all and sundry, and in anticipation Funcom has revealed just how many people are going to be entering the Age of Conan this week. The massive Collector's Edition, which we've discussed several times here on the site, has completely sold out. They even did a second run for the thing, and it still sold out. According to Funcom 111,000 copies of that box are now slated for sale.

The regular edition, which still offers the possibility for some decent extras, has also completely sold out in some market areas. The company estimates that "it will be unable to fulfill all pre-orders in some markets due to current server limitations." Some 700,000 copies of the game have been shipped to retailers to meet tomorrow's demand. The Conan developer also estimates that this these are the largest pre-order numbers for an MMO ever - even surpassing the original World of Warcraft's launch figures.

They also note that (despite hopes to the contrary), the DX10 version of the game won't be available until August. They still need more time to patch and polish that aspect of the engine. If their numbers are accurate, Age of Conan could represent the first true runaway success since WoW's launch four years ago. If Conan cracks the million-subscriber mark - which seems at least feasible - it will be a big wakeup call for the industry. All we can do now is sit back and watch the show.

Prices for Age of Conan's retail boxes, monthly subscription fees, and a number of other interesting tidbits have been unveiled in Funcom's new investor update. For those of us on the US side of the Atlantic, we'll be paying out $59.99 for the basic box and $14.99 per month to stay in Hyborea. If you're keeping track, that makes the collector's edition of the game not that much more expensive than the basic set.

Other fascinating informational drops from the pdf document:

• The company expects to spend 12% of gross revenues from the game on further marketing.
• Funcom's server farm is scaled to handle some 500,000 - 600,000 subscribers at launch.
• AoC has had 20 front covers already, and expects to top 30 by the end of May.
• Last week Age of Conan's website had some 475,000 unique visitors (according to Google Analytics).
• The company acknowledges that its launch success also hinges on its partners. "The Company's most important partners/suppliers are IPsoft, SCi Entertainment/Eidos, Cisco, Dell and GlobalCollect."
• Funcom is up front about the bottom line on AoC's future: "The success of the game will depend first and foremost on the response it receives from players after several hours of playtime of the finished product."
  

[Via Ten Ton Hammer]

We've asked if you were a collector or not, but now we're curious about one specific title. Namely, are you going to buy the CE for Age of Conan or will you be settling for the regular edition?

Lets review what you can expect to get for your extra 40 dollars in Age of Conan:

• Big, metal embossed game case * 128-page art book
• The Conan soundtrack
• Leatherette map of Hyboria
• Exclusive DVD with bonus material, trailers, interview and "making of" features
• Buddy card for five friends
• Ring of Asheron which gives you a 2% XP Modifier
• Drinking Cape that gives free drinks in all of Hyboria's taverns
• Cost: $89.99
  

The only in-game benefits are the two items, which are both arguably worth owning. The drinking cape will play into the PvP minigame where players can get drunk at bars and brawl with each other. As for the stuff in the box, we're always appreciative of soundtracks (especially so, since AoC has great music) and the exclusive DVD is something we could see popping into the computer at least once -- if only to check it out.

The map, art book and big game case (with embossed glory) all sound neat, but definitely are something that will only see the light of day once or twice in most cases. However, the buddy keys are pretty nice. There are definitely some Age of Conan-cautious friends we can see ourselves tempting with five free trails.

The next Clan of Conan newsletter is finally here, and as promised by Jørgen Tharaldsen in a recent forum post, it goes a long way towards clearing up some Age of Conan pre-order confusion. First things first, the 3-day early access: the newsletter confirms that this is exclusively for pre-orders, and that your retailer should provide you with an early-access key. However, to actually get that head start, you'll need to take that key to the Funcom website, and pay $5 / €5 (depending on region) to activate it on your account. This was already known by some, but it's important to really get it out there in a fashion like this so that people aren't disappointed later.

As well as this, the dates for access vary around the world. North Americans will be able to download the client early on May 13th, and start playing early from the 17th. For Europeans the early download will be May 16th, and the early access itself starts on the 20th. This is because the North American release date is also 3 days earlier, with the rest of the Europeans joining the head-starters on the 23rd of May.

We can't wait for Age of Conan to finally go live. A few of us here at Massively even dropped coin for the gigantic Collector's Edition of this brutal, mature themed MMO. Apparently a great many of you feel the same way. However, if you haven't purchased the game yet, then Ten Ton Hammer has a contest you will absolutely want to enter.

From now until April 18, TTH wants to know (in 250 words or less) why you think Age of Conan is the game you'll be playing for life. Ten people will get beta keys. Five of those beta key winners will also get a copy of the Collector's Edition. One will get the CE plus an autographed framed piece of concept art. Finally, one incredibly lucky individual will walk away with a CE signed by FUNCOM founder and AoC Game Director Gaute Godager and - hold on to your sword - a lifetime subscription to the game. You'll never have to pay for the game. Ever!

Now that's one heckuva prize!

So, the bad news is that you're going to be waiting a little longer to get into the world of Warhammer Online. Today's earlier announcement of another delay in WAR's production is frustrating, but not altogether surprising. The good news is that, during the delay, you can anticipate wrapping your hands around the fantastic collector's edition EA Mythic has just revealed. If you've been following along the rumor trail on this particular product, you're not going to be too terribly surprised; several of the pack's biggest features have already been discussed on the site.

Full official details, though, are always welcome. Here's what you get in the big, big box:

• A Games Workshop miniature shaped as Grumlok and the shaman Gazbag, the leaders of the Greenskin WAUGH.
• A hardbound graphic novel entitled "Prelude to War", with a single chapter in the book covering each of the armies of Chaos and Order. It's 128 pages, written by Graham McNeill, and illustrated by Tony Parker, Chad Hardin, Joe Abraham, Kevin Hopgood, and Rahsan Ekedal.
• The chance to enter the game early and start leveling your character before the plebes!
• A huge art book, with concept art and 'making of' information.
• A "Libram of Insight", which will apparently give you a 10% xp bonus for an hour, and has a three-use limit.
• "Rittenbach's Portable Camp: Rest your weary soul and heal your wounds between battles."

More features after the cut.

We've already seen rumors about what might be coming in the Warhammer Online collector's edition, but now a German site (not the same one as before -- what's with the Germans getting this stuff early?) has apparently posted more information on the CE and what a preorder of the game will get you. The box apparently confirms the previous rumors of the exclusive miniature, the comic book, and the bonus quests (along with the player titles), and the preorder of the CE will net you "guaranteed access" to the open beta (so open beta confirmed, apparently), a head start to the live game, and two bonus in-game items.

A German-speaking friend of mine (who actually does professional translation) tells us that the in-game items are a "Knight's (?) Portable Camp," which, "receives your tired soul and heals your wounds between battles." And the other is the "Guards of the Amber Ring," or at least a ring of some kind, that "improves your attributes" and casts a spell called "Touch of Earth," which we're told adds a chance to hit. Sounds pretty cool, though there's no information on when the preorder will be available, or even if it will be in America (the box is obviously labeled for Europe).

Any of this entice you to jump in on Warhammer, or were you already convinced? The collector's edition stuff doesn't sound too exciting, but jumping into the beta and the live game is definitely worth a preorder, if you ask us.

[Via K&G]

Despite recent reports indicating that Tabula Rasa was a money pit pulling NCsoft Austin towards the brink of the abyss, you might be surprised to know that the game is actually quite a bit of fun, despite its flaws. Its fast-paced PvE gameplay has been slowed somewhat by recent patches, and the endgame still isn't entirely there, but its combat makes up for many of its shortcomings, and its CP mechanic is as wild a ride as ever. As gamers, we want to see the Tabula Rasa team live on to finish building the game they have in place and fulfill the promise the game has in spades.

So when we submit the following deal to you, via Cheap Ass Gamer. Tabula Rasa's Collectors Edition is on sale at GoGamer for the strikingly low price of $14.90. That's less than the cost of a monthly fee for most other MMOs, and you get lots of little goodies like an AFS field guide, TR dog tags, an AFS challenge coin, and a "Making of" DVD on top of a month of gameplay. Before anybody accuses us of selling out, we're not getting any kick-backs here. We would just like to see the game get its fair shot, and the easiest way we can see that happening is to get the game in the greatest number of hands as possible. So vote with your wallets, and show the suits that a sci-fi MMO can succeed in this crowded market.

Via TenTonHammer comes the word that the onlne store spelbutiken.se may have leaked details of Warhammer Online's collector's edition. If we can believe the web page, the box contains most of the usual fixins for a special MMO kit: a mousepad, a manual, an art book. But this one sounds like it contains a lot more. There's going to be a graphic novel included, possibly repackaging the first few issues of the 'Forge of War' Warhammer comic book. There's also going to be an exclusive figure for use in the Warhammer tabletop game.

The in-game assets, though, sound most intriguing. The collector's edition also purports to offer 12 exclusive quests and 12 exclusive character heads, as well a special player title. Each army gets two quests and (presumably) two heads. Each quest, further, offers a unique reward - perhaps not obtainable via any other means?

If this page is accurate, this might be some of the most unique content available to players (for a price) at launch yet. The pre-order swords given out by the developers of Pirates of the Burning Sea raised a few eyebrows, certainly. This content seems more akin to the 'Adventure Packs' sold by Sony Online in the months after EverQuest II originally launched.

What do you think of the offering? Are exclusive quests juicy enough to get you to spend big bucks on a nice box?

[Via TTH]

I admit it. I'm one of those crazy people who went absolutely nuts for a World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Collector's Edition and shelled out the extra cash. I read the book, watched the DVD, ripped the CD to my drive and then put it back on the shelf where it has been ever since. Now, I don't regret the purchase at all, but I'd also firmly class myself as a collector when it comes to certain geeky things. (Heck, if you look at my office, you can figure that out pretty quickly.)

With all the great new games coming up this year -- Age of Conan, Warhammer Online and the rest -- it got us to wondering... Are you likely to pick up the Collector's Edition of some of these upcoming games? Are there any features in a CE that make you more interested in getting it? (For me with Burning Crusade it was the DVD install option, the nifty art book and soundtrack.) Do you like the idea of more useful items being included like the ring that gives a bonus to XP? Should getting a CE land you a spot in the late open beta, or do you prefer the pre-launch "level before everyone else gets here" idea? Should CE in-game items remain harmless like the special pets were for both World of Warcraft CEs?

Funcom has issued another Friday update. It mostly covers the announcement from earlier this week about Age of Conan's packed to the gills Collector's Edition. But they did sneak in three more new screenshots in today's update as well.

The first is above and shows off PvP mounted combat. When I was talking to the Funcom folks earlier this week at CES during my Dark Templar hands-on, they mentioned there were two pre-order combat mounts: the Woolly Mammoth and the Rhino. I wasn't able to see the gameplay of mounted combat, but I did see Woolly Mammoths that you could kill. If the mounted version is any where near as big, you will definitely have your enemies trembling before you as you bear down on them on one of those bad boys.

The second and third screenshots are in the gallery below and show an Ice Demon as well as a battle over an expansion bridge. Hopefully the next Friday Update from Funcom will have more new information.