Age of Conan strikes new ground in several areas. Most notably, it is a single-player and MMO hybrid. Players create their characters and play a full single-player campaign until level 20. They estimate the single-player portion will last roughly as long as other popular RPGs such as Fable. This aspect of the game has four branching story arcs built in, and will require online registration to avoid piracy, although Tharaldsen was quick to point out that no fee is required until online play begins.