Despite the raging WoW mania that's still going strong, there are a few highly anticipated MMORPGs supposed to come out this year - and, sure enough, Age of Conan is one of them. If you happen to be among the many folks desperately waiting to give it a try, then now's your chance to sign-up for a spot in the upcoming beta test! Funcom has yet to provide a precise date for when the first public beta phase will open, but considering they just began taking in applications, we're hoping it could begin over the next one or two months.

"We have been waiting for this day since we started development on 'Age of Conan', and it will be an epic moment as we see large waves of players charging into Hyboria," said Gaute Godager, founder of Funcom and Game Director on 'Age of Conan'. "As we get ready to unleash the most brutal MMO ever created we will let an increasing amount of players test our creation. With extended Beta testing for months to come we can hone and polish based on large-scale feedback, allowing us to fulfill the potential of the game."

The sign-up page for the Age of Conan beta is currently available at beta.ageofconan.com, where they say the beta test process will be divided into two parts: the General Beta and the Technical Beta. The General Beta will mostly include gameplay testing, while the latter will focus on technical aspects such as stress-testing the game's servers.

Once you're done with the registration, you will automatically become a member of the "Clan of Conan" - the official fan club for Age of Conan, whose members will receive "special benefits", such as an in-game item at launch and a monthly information update through the Age of Conan newsletter. If you'd rather not receive the newsletter and wish to cancel your membership... don't! Unless you want to be kicked out of the beta waiting list.

The post-registration page also directs newfoud clan members to community.ageofconan.com, a page that is not yet set up, it seems. Well, hurry up Funcom!

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)