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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough.
Essential Tips
1. Dalinsia Snowhunter (Named Fighter from Mounds of the Dead) is widely considered the best combat thrall
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.
2. Build a Wheel of Pain near enemy camps for efficient thrall conversion
Build a Wheel of Pain near enemy camps for efficient thrall conversion. Greater Wheel of Pain converts thralls faster and holds more simultaneously.
3. Journey Steps (the quest log) provide significant XP and guide natural progression
Journey Steps (the quest log) provide significant XP and guide natural progression. Follow them for efficient leveling rather than grinding enemies.
4. Alchemical Base (crafted at the Firebowl Cauldron from gold, silver, and ichor) is the most important crafting ingredient for endgame gear
Alchemical Base (crafted at the Firebowl Cauldron from gold, silver, and ichor) is the most important crafting ingredient for endgame gear. Stockpile it early.
5. Named crafters placed at workstations reduce material costs by up to 50%
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.
6. The Midnight Grove dungeon (Jungle) drops Shadebloom — needed to craft Potent and Lasting consumables
The Midnight Grove dungeon (Jungle) drops Shadebloom — needed to craft Potent and Lasting consumables. Farm this dungeon regularly for top-tier buff items.
7. Maprooms (crafted at high levels) teleport you to any obelisk location instantly
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.
8. Explosive arrows and jars destroy T1/T2 buildings quickly in PvP
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.
9. Horses are the fastest overworld travel
Horses are the fastest overworld travel. Tame one by placing a Stable near horse spawns (Highlands) and placing a foal inside with food.
10. Healing arrows shot at your thralls heal them during combat
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.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive:
For 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.
- Core gear: Dragonbone Greatsword, heavy armor, Vitality for HP, healing items
- Stat priority: Strength 20, Vitality 20, Grit 10, Authority 10
For 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.
- Core gear: Voidforged Daggers, medium armor, Agility-boosting gear
- Stat priority: Agility 20, Vitality 15, Grit 15, Strength 10
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Conan Exiles's systems interact is where the real optimization lives:
thrall system + building tiers: Knock out NPCs with a Truncheon, drag them to a Wheel of Pain, and break their will with food over time. Combined with building tiers, three building material tiers: t1 sandstone (cheapest, weakest), t2 stonebrick/insulated wood (moderate), t3 reinforced stone/black ice (strongest).
religion system + purge defense: Choose from seven religions (Yog, Set, Mitra, Ymir, Derketo, Jhebbal Sag, Zath), each providing unique craftable items. When paired with purge defense, purges are npc raid events triggered by accumulating a purge meter through gameplay activity.
attribute respec scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blade of the Adventurer | Agility Fighter | A legendary one-handed sword with excellent damage and bonus Agility. |
| Predatory Blade | Agility Fighter | A legendary daggers pair that applies bleed and cripple on hit. |
| Dragonbone Weapons | Strength Melee | Crafted from Dragon Bone (farmed from undead dragons in the Unnamed City) and Star Metal. |
| Star Metal Weapons | Strength Melee | Crafted from Star Metal Ore (harvested from meteorites in the Frozen North). |
| Voidforged Weapons | All builds | Endgame weapons crafted at the Voidforge station using void materials. |
Location Efficiency
Desert (Level 1-20): 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 (Level 20-40): 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 (Level 25-45): 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 (Level 40-60): 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 (Level 50-60): 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.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
Efficiency Quick Reference
| Aspect | Optimal Choice | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Build | Strength Melee | S-tier, best overall |
| Starter | Agility Fighter | Most forgiving for learning |
| Equipment | Blade of the Adventurer | Best resource-to-power ratio |
| First area | Desert | Basic resources, Sinkhole dungeon, iron in cliff faces, T1 thralls |
| Priority mechanic | thrall system | Everything else builds on this |
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Agility Fighter, switch to Strength Melee when ready
- Invest in Blade of the Adventurer above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Desert → Highlands → Jungle → Frozen North → Volcano
- thrall system + building tiers together are stronger than either alone
For full build details, check builds. For progression path, see the walkthrough.
