Conan Exiles launched on Xbox Game Preview almost a year ago, and since then has gone through a number of important changes. Not only has the game received a larger map, but there are added mechanics like hunting and cooking which greatly enhance the experience.
The title is set to leave Xbox Game Preview — and Steam Early Access — on May 8, 2018 and today, developer Funcom revealed some of the major changes coming to the final version of the game. The world is increasing in size, new features and systems are being introduced, hundreds of new items are being added, and there is an all-new and brutal combat system.
Fast Travel
- The new world map is rather large and traversing it can be a problem. Players can now build a map room to teleport all over the place.
- It is shaped like a map of the Exiled Lands and is quite large and detailed.
- As you explore the world you discover monoliths. Once your bracelet is attuned to a particular monolith, can teleport to that point from your map room.
- Unfortunately, you'll still have to walk back to your settlement as teleportation only works one way.
Upgraded Combat
- The new combat system is very different and a huge improvement over the old one. A specialized team of veteran designers and animators have spent months working on it.
- The combat features a new visual style. All weapons are getting their own attacks and animations. The attacks consist of lunges, sweeps, jumps, cleaves, and slashes. This makes taking out enemies much more fluid and engaging.
- All weapons have different light and heavy attacks which can be chained one after the other.
New Regions
- With launch comes two new areas and the map is being greatly expanded.
- Above The Frozen North you can see a mighty volcano, still quite active with rivers of lava running down its slopes. If you climb into the volcano, you find powerful new resources like obsidian and a strange cult worshipping an ancient power.
- There is a new dungeon inside the the Well of Skelos close to the volcano.
- Follow the main river east and you will find the swamp. This new area offers jungles, marshes, and a coast filled with pirates.
- The swamp allows you to build homes and towns in the trees.
- The swamp also houses the Palace of the Witch Queen dungeon.
- Derketo is the goddess of both fertility and death is being added to the game so expect to run into her followers.
Global Event
- The "Purge" is a global event that sends frost giants, locusts, undead, relic hunters, gorillas, and other creatures to attack your base.
- The type of enemy attacking your castle depends on where you have built it. The southern areas of the map won't get attacked as that's where you start out in the game.
- You have a purge meter which fills up depending on your activities. The longer you play, the more you build or kill, the faster your meter will increase.
- Defeating some of the enemies that attack your structures yields legendary rewards.
Progression Changes
- The attributes system is getting revamped.
- For every ten-point increase in each attribute, you get a unique perk which unlocks a special ability like double jumping or extra damage output.
- New armor and war paint is being added to the game so you can make your character look unique at higher levels.
Health
- Players can no longer regenerate health. Now you must eat food or drink potions to regain your health and all healing is done over time.
- Funcom has introduced farming to make it easier to get your hands on food items.
Conan Exiles is an open world survival game set in the brutal lands of Conan the Barbarian. Players must persist in a savage world, build their kingdom, and dominate their enemies in brutal combat and war. You start with nothing but your bare hands and forge the legacy of your clan, building anything from a small home to gigantic fortresses and entire cities.
Conan Exiles features swords, bows, siege weapons, and even giant avatars of the gods that can lay waste to enemy strongholds. Gamers can explore a vast, seamless world full of challenge and opportunity. There are also hunting mechanics, treasure, and underground vaults which hold secrets of ancient civilizations.
Conan Exiles can be experienced in both single-player and online multiplayer. Those who purchase the game on Xbox Game Preview for $49.99 — the PC version currently costs $29.99 — will receive Conan's Royal Armor. Long after his adventures through the Exiled Lands, Conan became King of Aquilonia and this was the armor he wore when defending his kingdom.
Hopefully the game will live up to expectations when it launches in May. We've been playing it for the past few months and despite the fact that the early access build is rough around the edges, it's still a lot of fun. Conan Exiles is one of the most accessible survival games out there and is easy to pick up unlike Ark: Survival Evolved. The developer just needs to optimize the performance, especially on Xbox One X which currently runs at 1440p.
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