Conan Exiles is an open-world survival game set in Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age where you're an exile condemned to die in a harsh wasteland. The thrall system — capturing NPCs, breaking them on the Wheel of Pain, and deploying them as fighters, crafters, or dancers — is the defining mechanic. Named thralls with unique stats become powerful companions that rival player characters in combat strength. The Age of Sorcery update added a full magic system with corrupted attributes, summoning, and teleportation. Building ranges from sandstone shacks to massive T3 fortress compounds that must withstand Purge attacks.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
thrall system
Knock out NPCs with a Truncheon, drag them to a Wheel of Pain, and break their will with food over time. Broken thralls become deployable followers: Fighters guard your base, Archers shoot from walls, Crafters reduce material costs, and Dancers remove corruption. Named thralls (unique NPCs) have the highest stats. Equip fighter thralls with weapons and armor for devastating combat companions.
building tiers
Three building material tiers: T1 Sandstone (cheapest, weakest), T2 Stonebrick/Insulated Wood (moderate), T3 Reinforced Stone/Black Ice (strongest). Higher tiers resist more damage from purges and PvP raids. T3 structures require significant resource investment but are essential for endgame base security.
religion system
Choose from seven religions (Yog, Set, Mitra, Ymir, Derketo, Jhebbal Sag, Zath), each providing unique craftable items. Religion altars upgrade through tiers, eventually summoning god avatars (massive destructible entities) in PvP. True Names of gods provide powerful consumable buffs.
purge defense
Purges are NPC raid events triggered by accumulating a Purge meter through gameplay activity. Waves of themed enemies attack your base. Purge difficulty scales with base location — northern bases face harder purges. Thrall defenders, walls, and strategic placement protect your base.
attribute respec
Attributes (Strength, Agility, Vitality, Authority, Grit, Expertise, Encumbrance) can be reset with Yellow Lotus Potion (craftable). This allows free experimentation with builds. The corruption mechanic (Age of Sorcery) lets you sacrifice max HP/Stamina for sorcery power.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength Melee | S | Charge in with heavy attacks, stagger enemies with warhammer combos, and use hyper-armor to trade hits favorably. | Strength 20, Vitality 20, Grit 10, Authority 10 |
| Agility Fighter | A | Dodge through attacks, counter with fast weapon combos, and maintain distance against heavy hitters. | Agility 20, Vitality 15, Grit 15, Strength 10 |
| Archer Build | B | Kite enemies with bow from range, use special arrows for status effects, and switch to melee for finish. | Agility 20, Encumbrance (arrow weight), Grit 10 |
| Thrall Commander | S | Let your thrall tank and deal damage while you support with healing arrows and crowd control. Authority perks make thralls devastatingly powerful. | Authority 20, Vitality 15, any combat stat 10+ |
| Sorcery Build | A | Corrupt your attributes for sorcery power, summon undead thralls, use bat transformation for mobility, and cast elemental spells. | Corrupted Authority (undead army) or Corrupted Strength (lifesteal), Vitality as offset |
Strength Melee (S-Tier): Strength builds use heavy weapons (Greatswords, Warhammers) with high stagger and damage. 20 Strength with perks gives massive damage bonuses and hyper-armor on heavy attacks. The Greatsword moveset has wide sweeps for clearing groups. Combined with heavy armor, you're a walking tank.
Agility Fighter (A-Tier): Agility builds use light weapons (Daggers, Katana, Short Sword) with fast combos and dodge-rolling. 20 Agility gives bonus damage and extended dodge i-frames. Medium armor maintains mobility. The playstyle is dodge-based, punishing enemy attacks with fast counter-combos.
Archer Build (B-Tier): Archery deals respectable damage at range using various arrow types (poison, gas, explosive). 20 Agility boosts ranged damage. Bows are effective for pulling enemies and softening groups before melee engagement. Less effective as sole damage source but excellent as hybrid support.
Thrall Commander (S-Tier): Authority builds maximize thrall effectiveness. 20 Authority gives your thrall massive damage and health bonuses plus the ability to command multiple followers. A Named Fighter thrall with Authority buffs can solo most PvE content while you support from safety.
Sorcery Build (A-Tier): The Age of Sorcery system lets you corrupt attributes (sacrificing max HP/Stamina for sorcery power). Corrupted Strength gives lifesteal, corrupted Authority summons undead minions. Sorcery adds summoning circles, teleportation, lightning storms, and ice bridges.
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Conan Exiles builds guide.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Blade of the Adventurer | A legendary one-handed sword with excellent damage and bonus Agility. | Agility Fighter |
| Predatory Blade | A legendary daggers pair that applies bleed and cripple on hit. | Agility Fighter |
| Dragonbone Weapons | Crafted from Dragon Bone (farmed from undead dragons in the Unnamed City) and Star Metal. | Strength Melee |
| Star Metal Weapons | Crafted from Star Metal Ore (harvested from meteorites in the Frozen North). | Strength Melee |
| Voidforged Weapons | Endgame weapons crafted at the Voidforge station using void materials. | All builds |
Blade of the Adventurer: A legendary one-handed sword with excellent damage and bonus Agility. Found in a legendary chest in the Unnamed City. It's one of the best one-handed weapons for Agility builds due to its fast attacks and stat bonus.
Predatory Blade: A legendary daggers pair that applies bleed and cripple on hit. The stacking bleeds deal massive damage over time. Found in the Unnamed City. Best-in-slot for dagger builds due to the bleed application on every attack.
Dragonbone Weapons: Crafted from Dragon Bone (farmed from undead dragons in the Unnamed City) and Star Metal. Dragonbone weapons have the highest base damage of craftable weapons. Available in all weapon types. The crafting recipe unlocks from the Feats menu.
Star Metal Weapons: Crafted from Star Metal Ore (harvested from meteorites in the Frozen North). Star Metal is the second-tier crafting material with excellent damage and durability. Meteorites require explosive or demon-fire to crack open.
Voidforged Weapons: Endgame weapons crafted at the Voidforge station using void materials. Voidforged weapons have unique special effects and the highest tier stats. The Voidforge requires completing endgame content to access.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Desert | Level 1-20 | Basic resources, Sinkhole dungeon, iron in cliff faces, T1 thralls |
| Highlands | Level 20-40 | Named thralls (New Asagarth), Brimstone, Unnamed City access |
| Jungle | Level 25-45 | Midnight Grove dungeon, Jhebbal Sag religion, exotic resources |
| Frozen North | Level 40-60 | Star Metal, Black Ice, Frost Temple, Named thralls (Cimmerian settlements) |
| Volcano | Level 50-60 | Obsidian, Dragonpowder, Well of Skelos, endgame crafting materials |
Desert: The starting zone with sandstone resources, basic enemies (Imps, Exiles), and the Sinkhole dungeon. Temperature management is important — heat exhaustion requires water and shade. The Desert teaches survival basics with forgiving enemy difficulty.
Highlands: A temperate zone with wolves, bears, and human settlements. Contains New Asagarth (best Named thrall farming location) and access to the Unnamed City. The Highlands have balanced resources and moderate difficulty.
Jungle: A dense tropical zone with gorillas, jaguars, and the Lemurian civilization ruins. Contains Jhebbal Sag religion teacher. The Jungle provides unique resources (Exotic Flesh, Feral Flesh) and the Midnight Grove dungeon.
Frozen North: An arctic zone requiring cold-weather gear. Contains Star Metal meteorites, Black Ice building materials, and the Frost Temple dungeon. Ymir religion teacher is here. The hardest overworld zone with mammoths and frost giants.
Volcano: The endgame zone with extreme heat requiring heat-resist armor. Contains Obsidian and Dragonpowder resources. The Well of Skelos dungeon is here. The volcano interior has the highest-level enemies and the rarest crafting materials.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Dalinsia Snowhunter (Named Fighter from Mounds of the Dead) is widely considered the best combat thrall. She has the highest HP and damage of any follower. Farm her spawn location repeatedly.
- Build a Wheel of Pain near enemy camps for efficient thrall conversion. Greater Wheel of Pain converts thralls faster and holds more simultaneously.
- Journey Steps (the quest log) provide significant XP and guide natural progression. Follow them for efficient leveling rather than grinding enemies.
- Alchemical Base (crafted at the Firebowl Cauldron from gold, silver, and ichor) is the most important crafting ingredient for endgame gear. Stockpile it early.
- Named crafters placed at workstations reduce material costs by up to 50%. A Named Blacksmith at the Improved Armorer's Bench halves all armor crafting costs.
- The Midnight Grove dungeon (Jungle) drops Shadebloom — needed to craft Potent and Lasting consumables. Farm this dungeon regularly for top-tier buff items.
- Maprooms (crafted at high levels) teleport you to any obelisk location instantly. Building a Maproom at your base connected to multiple obelisks is the best fast-travel network.
- Explosive arrows and jars destroy T1/T2 buildings quickly in PvP. Always build in T3 on PvP servers — T2 walls fall to 2-3 explosive jars.
- Horses are the fastest overworld travel. Tame one by placing a Stable near horse spawns (Highlands) and placing a foal inside with food.
- Healing arrows shot at your thralls heal them during combat. Keep a bow with healing arrows as a secondary weapon when running with a fighter thrall.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Building a large base in T1/T2 materials on PvP servers — raiders destroy sandstone and stonebrick easily. Save your building effort for T3.
- Ignoring the thrall system — a well-equipped Named thrall is more powerful than most player builds and makes all PvE content significantly easier.
- Not scouting purge vulnerability — if your base has an exposed wall or undefended section, purge NPCs will path directly to it. Walk around your base and fix gaps.
- Spreading attribute points too thin — focus on one primary combat stat (Strength or Agility) to 20 for the capstone perk before diversifying.
- Building in the desert permanently — the starting zone has the worst resources and weakest thrall spawns. Relocate to Highlands or Frozen North as soon as your level allows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Conan Exiles still updated?
Yes, Conan Exiles received the Age of Sorcery (2022), Age of War (2023), and Age of Heroes updates. Funcom continues seasonal content with battle passes, new dungeons, and mechanics. The game has a stable playerbase and active official/private server communities.
PvP or PvE server for beginners?
Start on PvE or PvE-Conflict. Full PvP servers allow base raiding which is frustrating for new players. PvE-Conflict allows player combat during set hours but prevents base destruction. Learn the game systems on PvE first.
How does the religion system work?
Choose a starting religion during character creation or learn others from NPC teachers in the world. Each religion provides unique craftable items, armor, and weapons. Upgrading the altar through three tiers unlocks the god avatar summoning (PvP only) which can destroy enemy bases.
Can you play Conan Exiles solo?
Yes, solo play is fully supported with adjustable server settings (harvest rates, XP multiplier, difficulty). Solo players typically increase harvest rates 2-3x to compensate for no teammates. The thrall system is especially important solo since thralls serve as your combat partner.
What to Read Next
- Best Conan Exiles Builds — Detailed breakdowns with gear, stats, and playstyle guides
- Conan Exiles Tier List — Current meta rankings
- Conan Exiles Walkthrough — Step-by-step progression from start to endgame
- Conan Exiles Beginner's Guide — First session essentials
- Conan Exiles Tips & Tricks — Advanced strategies and hidden mechanics
