Age of Conan is a MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer On-line Roll-playing Game) or in other words an on-line computer game where 1000's of people play together in a persistent world. Each player develops a character who gains strength over time by "leveling up" and getting better gear (armor, weapons, jewelery). An MMORPG are many games in one - there is different things you can do with your time you spend in game - do quests and kill lots of bad guys, crafting and gathering professions, socializing, get together with friends and go into dungeons for enemies that require a group to bring down, auction houses create a virtual economy, and you can even fight the other players (pvp - player vs player) if that's more what you are into.
This guide is intended to be for people just starting out with AoC or even for people just considering it. It will start off very simply and may always be a work in progress (under construction. I want to have a place to at least share what I've learned so far, problems I've fixed, etc. Hopefully this guide will get people started, that is - answer most of the common questions, get you in the game with a class you should enjoy based on your play-style, and also an idea of what you need to know about leveling/questing/etc.
http://aoc.wikia.com/ is a great resource for this game. The scope of my article here won't go beyond 'getting a newb started' as aoc.wikia has a great coverage of info. As a matter of fact I'll refer to it often.
First thing to do in AoC is decide your class - http://aoc.wikia.com/wiki/Class
First decide on an archetype - there are 4 and each archetype has 3 classes.
Priest Soldier Rogue Mage
(under construction - more to come)