Conan Exiles News

“... but not all men seek rest and peace; some are born with the spirit of the storm in their blood, restless harbingers of violence and bloodshed, knowing no other path...”

- Robert E. Howard, A Witch Shall Be Born

[h3]Exiles!

The land trembles beneath boots of war. Stygia has come![/h3]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The first Chapter of the Age of War is here, with combat improvements, clan hoards and clan emblems!

[h2]Combat Improvements[/h2]

Fighting for your life in Conan Exiles has never felt more rewarding. Test the strength of your steel against updated enemy balance and hone your skill with revised stamina costs that improve the ebb and flow of combat. Additional changes include a new item repair system, and tweaks to how stuns work. See all the details in the full patch notes below.


[h2]Clan Hoards[/h2]

Plunder the treasures of the land and bring them back to your base to display them as unique placeable trophies. Some treasures are easier to carry than others. If successfully brought back, your trusty Treasurer will add it to your tally. You will be able to put your riches to use in later Chapters.


[h2]Clan Emblems[/h2]

Band together under a custom symbol to face the enemies without. Choose from several symbols and backgrounds and place them on banners, shields, armor, and more!


[h2]Age of War Roadmap [/h2]

Stay alert, for the war is just beginning. Our content roadmap gives you a glimpse of what’s in store, but it does not reveal all, so keep your eye out for more news.



The Age of War is an exciting new theme after the Age of Sorcery, and we can’t wait for you to wet your blades in the frenzy of battle!

[h2]Free Week[/h2]

Conan Exiles is free to try from now until next week! During this time and beyond we're applying some hefty discounts:

Conan Exiles: 60% off
Isle of Siptah: 20% off
All DLCs: 25% off

Needless to say, if you have friends who have been looking for some prime Conan time, it's time to get 'em online!

Please note that although we always add full patch notes, we do not translate them.
[h3]PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY[/h3]

• Game builds now use shipping configuration instead of test configuration. This means servers must be started with the “ConanSandboxServer-Win64-Shipping.exe” executable instead of “ConanSandboxServer-Win64-Test.exe”
  
• Fixed a “Connection lost” issue that has proven elusive but finally got nailed down
  
• Cleaned up some Console Log spam
  
• Various optimization, crash fixes, and clean-up

[h3]EXPLOIT FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed a number of known exploits.

[h3]NEW ADDITIONS[/h3]

• Clan Emblems let you unify your clan under a custom symbol to face the enemies without. Choose from several symbols and backgrounds and display them proudly on banners, shields, armor and more!
  
  • New work station: Clan Totems
    
    • Totems with cultural themes
      
    • Used to combine images and colors to make an emblem to represent your clan
      
    • Shows your clans current emblem on the totem
      
    • Clan emblems are displayed on clan armor, shields, banners, etc.
      
    • Requires permissions in clan to edit emblem
  • Emblems appear on bespoke assets:
    
    • Wall Banners
      
    • Carpets
      
    • Flag Banners
      
    • Shields
      
    • Horse caparison

• Clan Hoards are a new feature for you to find treasure, bring it home, and display it at your base.
  
  • Place any treasure placeables within the coffers radius to contribute to the personal hoard and the clan hoards totals. Treasures can also be placed directly in the chest next to the Treasurer NPC. Interact with the Treasurer NPC to check the hoard values.
    
  • Heavy treasures are special treasures found in the world that have to be carried home. You must make your way back to the base while carrying the treasure, it will not be added to your inventory.

• New challenges are implemented:
  
  • Apply a Clan Emblem
    
  • Build a Coffer
    
  • Place 3 Small Treasures
    
  • Claim a heavy treasure
    
  • Contribute to a Coffer value over 1000
    
  • Contribute to a Coffer value over 5000
    
  • Contribute to a Coffer value over 10000

• New Age of War Chapter 1 Battle Pass including new pets, armor, emotes, and more! Rewards are focused on Stygian and Nordheimer lore - including the new Stygian War Tent Set and Nordheimer and Stygian armors.
  
  • New functionality: horse caparisons, emblems, weapon emotes

• New Age of War Chapter 1 Bazaar items, including new pets, armor, emotes, and more!
  • New functionality: horse caparisons, emblems, weapon emotes

• New Twitch Drops starting with Midnight Caparison. Follow our social media channels for more info on when these drop campaigns start!

[h3]BUILDING FIXES[/h3]

• Foundations no longer have an “Outer Face” indicator
  
• Improved feedback on why an object can not be moved
  
• Illusions now properly appear on the Armor Display
  
• Containers picked up through removing their support now drop their inventory into yours, just as if you had picked it up directly
  
• Arena door now fit properly in its frame
  
• Cursed Tree is now more lenient for placement purposes
  
• Truncheons are now displayed correctly on weapon display racks
  
• Rocknose Figurine now has the correct icon and can be placed in the world, and will be available again through Twitch in the near future
  
• Turanian L Stairs have had their names corrected with regards to Left and Right turns
  
• Storage Container: Mining now accepts additional item types
  
• Hanging Garden plants no longer lose their foliage
  

[h3]CRAFTING FIXES[/h3]

• Recipes for Potion of Natural Learning and the Bestial Memory has been moved off of Midnight Alchemist and are now part of the Firebowl Cauldron knowledge. The Raw Ash ingredient for both these potions has been removed as a requirement for crafting them.
  
• Yellow Lotus Potion no longer resets attributes or knowledge, and instead provides a Stamina buff
  
• Fixed an issue where certain placeables would return the wrong materials when dismantled
  
• Prying Kit now correctly removes effect from Blunted and Balanced Weapon Fittings
  
• Blacksmith Bench no longer modifies Blood-Moon Bow and Bite of the Huntress stats
  
• Faded Purple Dye and Full Purple Dye are now less pink and more purple
  
• Golem crafting stations acquired from the Bazaar now have the same build costs as those found through game play, except that Blood Crystal Golem Workbench requires Blood Crystals
  
• Purple Lotus Orb recipe now correctly requires both Black and Purple Lotus
  
• Charcoal Kiln now has the correct fuel displayed in the crafting formula
  
• Crystalline Visage Armor now has the correct icons
  
• Fragment of Power has been removed from most crafting recipes
  
• Wells now require 50 Tar (down from 300), and 100 Steel Reinforcement (down from 300) for tier 2
  

[h3]COMBAT FIXES[/h3]

• NPCs now have a smaller area of attack (hit box) with their first heavy attack with Two-Handed Spear weapons
  
• NPCs can now actually hit with their off-hand daggers
  
• Some NPCs have had their area of attack with daggers reduced as it was too large
  
• See Balance Updates below!
  

[h3]AI AND NPC FIXES[/h3]

• Thralls will no longer have strange textures in certain situations while placing them
  
• Dragons are less twitchy in uneven terrain
  
• Abandoned thralls now correctly disappear over time
  
• Interacting with Wight Horse will now mount it instead of opening its inventory
  
• Greater Komodo Dragon can now apply poison when attacking
  
• Pet Rats now have collision
  
• Fixed an issue where a specific attack for Rocknoses would cause them to never hit your character
  
• A number of NPCs who would always face east have been told to respect the designers' orders
  
• Greater Hyena pets no longer stop attacking after the second round of aggression
  
• Enemies no longer have a moment of doubt (most visible on resting Kappas) and instead immediately decide to maul you when you hurt them
  
• Rocknoses and other creatures now start in their prepared state (for example already hiding) instead of moving to that state once you spot them
  
• Cats are now lighter
  
• Deformed Bears now show properly when placed
  
• All Battle Pass and Bazaar pets now have proper attributes and leveling gains
  
• Light from Radium Gem Golem Head has been tweaked
  

[h3]PURGE AND ENCOUNTERS FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed the damage output of Blood Moon Beast boss from The Fractured Citadel
  
• Kurak’s gas is no longer considered a poison, and thus having the Petrified perk doesn’t protect against it
  

[h3]BALANCE UPDATES[/h3]

• We've rebalanced several systems with the intention of making it more dynamic, tactical, and deadly, while also addressing several concerns from the community, such as the usefulness and power level of Legendary weapons.
  
• We've recategorized many items. The new classifications are: "Unique", "Epic", and "Legendary". Legendary items are end-game items that cannot be crafted. Epic items are end-game items that can be crafted, such as Khari Steel, Hardened Steel, Venomsteel, Star Metal, etc. Unique items are the best-in-tier; a unique steel dagger is the best steel dagger you might find, but it will not be better than a Legendary or Epic dagger.
  
  • Journeys that required crafting Legendary items now instead require crafting Epic items

• Animals and monsters are now generally speaking more deadly but have significantly less health, making dodging and blocking more important in combat. Humans (including thralls) have had their health reduced, but still vary in threat level between tribes as before.
  
  • Alpha animals (1 skull) are now much closer to the strength of their animal type
    
  • Champions (2 skulls) can now be found among the tribes and drop Unique items (see above)
    
  • World bosses (3 skulls) have been adjusted similarly to other enemies but the exact adjustments vary - in general expect shorter but deadlier fights

• Stamina costs and regeneration adjustments
  
  • Stamina cost for weapons have been greatly increased, from numbers ranging 3-9 to numbers ranging 10-40
    
  • The second jump when double-jumping now also incurs a stamina-cost. The cost is the same as a normal jump. A normal jump with 60 Agility costs 12, and so the total cost for double-jump is now 24
    
  • The stamina regen pause has been decreased from several seconds to 0.1 seconds, thus you will start regenerating stamina a lot sooner than before. Related server default values have been changed, and will be force-set upon patching (server admins beware!):
    • StaminaRegenerationTime = 1.75 (was 3.75)
      
    • StaminaOnConsumeRegenPause = 0.1 (was 1.5)
      
    • StaminaOnExhaustionRegenPause = 0.1 (was 2.75)
      
    • StaminaLightArmorNoLoadRegenMultiplier = 1.0
      
    • StaminaLightArmorLightLoadRegenMultiplier = 1.0
      
    • StaminaLightArmorMediumLoadRegenMultiplier = 1.0
      
    • StaminaLightArmorHeavyLoadRegenMultiplier = 1.0
      
    • StaminaLightArmorOverLoadRegenMultiplier = 1.0
      
    • StaminaMediumArmorNoLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.9
      
    • StaminaMediumArmorLightLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.9
      
    • StaminaMediumArmorMediumLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.9
      
    • StaminaMediumArmorHeavyLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.9
      
    • StaminaMediumArmorOverLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.9
      
    • StaminaHeavyArmorNoLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.85
      
    • StaminaHeavyArmorLightLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.85
      
    • StaminaHeavyArmorMediumLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.85
      
    • StaminaHeavyArmorHeavyLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.85
      
    • StaminaHeavyArmorOverLoadRegenMultiplier = 0.85
  • The gray-out post-processing effect for when you run out of stamina has been removed, as you will no longer be out of stamina for very long.

• Weapon adjustments
  • Heavy attacks will do more damage than before, ranging from 5% to 20% more damage, depending on weapon type
    
  • Shields have had their base durability halved
    
  • Heavy attacks will always apply special effects such as bleed or sunder, except when sprinting
    
  • Short swords now apply Bleed on heavy attacks
    
  • Two-Handed Axes now apply Cripple on heavy attacks
    
  • Combo multipliers adjustments
    
    • First Heavy attack for One-Handed Axes decreased from 1.5 to 1.2
      
    • Katana Special attack increased from 0.6 to 1
      
    • One-Handed Sword, 4th Heavy attack increased from 1.5 to 2
      
    • Kicks, Backflips and the Katana Special attack has had their combo multiplier Stamina cost reduced
      

• Repair adjustments
  
  • Legendary repair kits have been renamed to "Grandmaster Repair Kits"
    
  • Armor Patch kits have been renamed to “Armor Repair Kits”
    
  • Cost for crafting repair kits have been doubled
    
  • Weight for repair kits have been lowered to 0.1
    
  • Legendary and Unique items can not be repaired in any way
    
  • Max Durability for Unique and Legendary items have been greatly increased
    
  • Adding a weapon/armor/tool modification kit no longer reduces max durability
    
  • The Max Durability reduction from Prying kits have been reduced from 50% to 30%
    
  • Returns from dismantling items has been greatly increased
    
  • All repair kits now work on all tiers of weapons and armor (but not Unique and Legendary ones), but lower the max durability of the item by 2.5% to 20% (of original max durability) depending on the tier of the repair kit
    
  • Using a Repairing Grindstone will repair all items on your hotkey bar, also reducing max durability on all of them

• Enemies can no longer break their stun-lock state
  
• Dead Golem followers no longer yield too many Blood Crystals when harvested
  
• Turanian and Yamatai Epic armors no longer give too much heat and cold resist
  
• The Tower of the Elephant achievement has been tweaked so that it now require a minimum of two people on top of before death by stompers
  
• Heritance will no longer be modified

[h3]QOL IMPROVEMENTS[/h3]

• Target lock improvements and fixes
  
  • Added multiple target lock points on large enemies
    
  • Target lock will no longer switch to a new target automatically when the current target is killed or lost
    
  • Target lock is now broken by enemies using certain actions like burrowing or going invisible
    
  • Target lock will no longer snap to another target immediately upon activation due to the controller thumbstick not being centered
    
  • Target lock no longer works on dialogue NPCs

• DropEquipmentOnDeath server setting now has three options:
  • Lose nothing on death (0)
    
  • Lose everything on death (1; default)
    
  • Lose backpack inventory on death (2)

• New diving animation! To dive, hit the Crouch key before reaching the apex of a jump.
  
• Added gamepad / controller rebinding support under Settings
  
• Bind Wisp is now a toggle spell
  
• Detect Resources is now a toggle spell
  
• Eighty Shades of Pink now also teaches the "Seduce" emote
  
• Chicken Dance now counts towards the challenges for dancing
  
• Pet and Thrall conversion time has been significantly reduced
  
• Entering and leaving a dungeon no longer makes grass refuse to make way for your constructions
  
• Added a minimum of light around a character even when not carrying a light source. This still needs some tweaking for different environments.
  
• Gold and silver bars now have greater stack sizes
  

[h3]GENERAL FIXES[/h3]

• Starving characters will no longer die while offline
  
• Token of friendship should now only give 1 Thunn Ha Ally
  
• Charcoal now has an icon and the correct description
  
• Forlorn weapons now correctly display under the weapons categories
  
• Equipping only Aesir Raider leggings no longer part of the legs invisible
  
• Several fixes for the Journey system
  
  • Auto Switch Next Journey setting will now always pick a new Journey, even if there is not a default progression from the one just completed
    
  • Dregs now correctly unlocks the Dungeon Delver Journey
    
  • Leyshrines now correctly unlocks the Surge Defender Journey
    
  • Assigning a thrall to any crafting station now correctly completes the Thrall Taker Journey step
    
  • The step to find the Sorcerer’s Grotto now triggers reliably once you have gone further into the grotto itself
    
  • Placing a foal into a stable will now complete the relevant step correctly
    
  • Several steps that would auto-complete no longer do so
    
  • Steps that require interaction with specific workbenches now also accept the improved version of those workbenches
    
  • Steps that unlock on specific Feats now unlock also for characters that had those Feats from before
    
  • The step to level a thrall/pet now correctly triggers also on going from level 0 to level 1
    
  • Harvesting Plant Fiber from Berry bushes will now also trigger the steps for collecting plant fibers
    
  • Artificer Journey now correctly unlocks from Fine Metal Crafts
    
  • Journey step to Wear a piece of Epic Armor no completes only with Epic Armor
    
  • Balanced Iron Poniards Knowledge are now hidden until the correct Journey is resolved
    
  • Several Journey step descriptions pointing to the wrong location or workstation have been corrected
    
  • Journey step “Summon Protection of Gods” description corrected
    
  • Corrected the icon displayed for several Journey steps
    
  • Tanner Journey no longer has “Learn Tanner” as a step, since it has it as a requirement for unlocking the Journey
    
  • Interacting with a built trebuchet will now also trigger the Journey step to Complete Building a Trebuchet
    
  • Corrected typos in some Journey step descriptions
    
  • Journey system now properly updates Journeys added or removed by mods
    
  • The “Learn a Delved Schematic” step in the Delver Journey can now be passed by using any scroll from the Voidforge, even if you have that knowledge from before. In addition, if you have all the Knowledges from the Voidforge it will automatically resolve.
    
  • The “Upgrade an Altar to the final level” step in the High Priest Journey will no longer give credit for crafting a Retreat of Jhebbal Sag, and instead correctly require the tier 3 Grove of Jhebbal Sag to be built.
    

[h3]TERRAIN AND ENVIRONMENT[/h3]

• Foliage now display properly on Isle of Siptah on PlayStation
  
• Removed the collision from the small flags on top of the Stygian invader ships on the Isle of Siptah
  
• Fixed a number of inverted normals on planks at the Black Hand Galleon in the Exiled Lands
  
• Repopulated a camp in the Exiled Lands near the river
  
• Exiting Midnight Grove no longer runs risk of underwater teleportation
  
• It no longer rains or snows in Lockstone cave
  

[h3]ANIMATION AND CINEMATIC FIXES[/h3]

• Female NPCs will no longer use male animations in certain situations in Solo/Co-op games
  
• Characters will now always face the correct direction when sitting down in chairs, and not get stuck in them anymore
  
• Bows too now have an idle animation
  
• Bigfoot’s throwing animation and projectile launch now match up
  
• Large creatures now stutter less when climbing slopes
  
• Knockback animations from shield blocks are now smoother

[h3]UI AND TEXT FIXES[/h3]

• New community-submitted loading screen tips added to the game. Thank you all who participated!
  
• Our valiant #spellchekker team has gone to war against the armies of Typus Maximus and came victorious. Ish.
  
• Our prestigious international #spellchekker team has saved the day once again by fixing a number of los typos in the localized versions of the game.
  
• Activating the inventory shortcut while on another interface screen now only closes that screen, and no longer switches to the inventory.
  
• Respawn interface will now take a small moment to appear, to allow a moment of dread and/or laughter before being asked to do it all again. The death camera has also been tweaked to improve the experience.
  
• Pristine Khari Daggers now both show up on their icon
  
• All elephants now have visible health bars
  
• Dying by passing through the Cursed Wall will no longer in certain cases open several unrelated interface windows
  
• Inventory grid no longer displays on top of the Info and Split buttons on Xbox
  
• Stables and Animal Pens Rename button can now be navigated to with controller
  
• Character Copy window can now be closed with Esc on keyboard or Back on controller
  
• Avatar controls now show and work correctly also when doing the summoning from inventory
  
• Dryer now visually shows dried meat in it
  
• Show Journey Steps setting now correctly applies in all situations
  
• A new icon for Skeleton Key has been made to distinguish it better from other keys in the game
  
• Zeal being stolen is now messaged only when Zeal is actually being stolen
  
• Loot and interaction windows now work properly in the start area of Well of Skelos
  
• Added text to the (at first) empty Sorcery Knowledge tab.
  
• Long localized Journey descriptions now have reduced text size to fit in the description box
  
• Battle Pass reward display will no longer show two characters under certain conditions
  
• Corrected descriptions for several floor and wall paints
  
• Added missing translations to some items and buttons

[h3]AUDIO FIXES[/h3]

• Acid now makes sound when hitting shields
  
• Corrected some sound issues in the Settings menu
  
• Certain doors in Isle of Siptah Vaults will no longer play looping sounds
  
• Cats shake quieter now
  
• Interacting with the Armor Display now plays the correct sound
  

Greetings Exiles,

In only a few days, the cries of the dying will rend the air. Will you join them, or live to fight another day?

We hope you enjoyed last week's Combat Design deep dive by our Lead Designer Dennis. Today, we leap into two new features coming in the first chapter of the Age of War – Clan Hoards and Clan Emblems.

[h2]Clan Hoards[/h2]

If you've dreamed of building a vault and filling it with treasure that you've found on your adventures, then we have good news, because that's exactly what this is! As you explore the world, you will now have a chance of finding treasure in chests and on the bodies of vanquished enemies in the form of coins or other valuable objects.


To designate an area for your hoard, you must craft a Treasure Coffer and place it within your base. This will create a circle within which you can place your treasure. Your personal treasurer, who stands next to the Coffer, will tally up your total hoard's worth.

Your growing hoard will display in two ways - through piles of coins, and through placeable objects. Most treasure will sit snugly in your inventory space, but not heavy treasures. These exceptional trophies must be lugged back to your base in your hands, through wilderness and enemies.


How will you spend this mighty hoard, you ask? Besides the inherent satisfaction of seeing your base overflowing with gold and hard-earned trophies, you will in later chapters be able to spend your amassed riches on certain... aid. We will share more on this later.

A clan is by no means required to have a hoard. If you prefer to build your own personal vault, on a mountaintop, and let no one lay eyes upon it, under the penalty of death, that's your prerogative. In Conan Exiles, the edge of your weapon makes the rules. Well, that and server settings.

[h2]Clan Emblems[/h2]

In Chapter 1 of Age of War, you'll be able to create a custom emblem that represents your clan. The emblem can be crafted through the new Clan Emblem Workbench. Here, you can combine a main symbol, based on various cultures, and a background. The color for each of these is also up to you.


Once your emblem is done, you'll be able to display it on armor, shields, banners, and more. Hang your banner at the entry to your clan's base to make it clear who rules here.

[h2]Bringing players together, for war![/h2]

Both of these features are designed to be enjoyed as a solo player and in multiplayer. On a PvP server, if you're killed while carrying treasure, another player can pick it up and bring it to their base in their inventory. You can of course also raid another player or clan's base and rob them blind! If you plunder another player or clan’s hoard, you must carry it away in a heavy sack. While doing so, you will move slowly and be unable to defend yourself.


With emblems, clan members and their bases will become immediately identifiable (should they want to be), as they can carry their emblem on their gear and hang it on walls. To increase the social aspect further yet, the default server settings will now show which players are online at all times.

As we stand at the precipice of this new age, we can't wait to see you all take the plunge. And as you experience the tragedy and glory of plunder and war with other clans, do not forget that Stygia is coming...

Age of War, Chapter 1 releases on June 22.

Hello everyone!

My name is Dennis Douthett, and I’m the Lead Designer for Conan Exiles.

I've spent a lot of my time as Lead Designer collaborating with the community on Discord, showing off new content on Twitch and YouTube, but this is the first time I've worked on a blog post to go with a release. I hope you find this insight interesting, and not too long winded!

The topic today is combat changes coming during the Age of War.

[h2]Good Stress [/h2]

To begin it's important to establish one of the many reasons we find games to be fun. It's the contrast between stress and relief.

When designing games, we look to introduce stress to you by placing challenges in your way. Challenges can be any type of gameplay that blocks your progress: a boss enemy with loot you want, a long wall climb with few resting points along the way, a puzzle that requires observation and timing to unlock a mechanical door. The closer we can stress you to a tipping point only for you to just barely overcome a challenge, the better the victory feels!

As you continue to read this article, keep the relationship between stress and relief in mind!

[h2]Combat and Stamina [/h2]
[h3]Why did we change it? [/h3]

I have seen responses to the stamina updates in the patch notes asking why we made these changes. It is true that nobody outright asked us to increase the stamina cost of attacks, but sometimes fixing problems we identify can affect multiple systems. I will do my best to explain how we got from point to point that made these changes necessary.


These changes sometimes have effects on more than one community as well. We have many different types of players in Conan Exiles, but without a doubt nearly every type of player will be participating in combat at some point. So, while nobody directly asked for that specific change, I can still say who the changes are for: These changes were aimed at making combat feel more consistent, less buggy, and more dynamic for everyone!

[h3]The Problem [/h3]

A unique mechanic was implemented in recent years after our team decided the game was too easy in our playtests. Enemies attacked by multiple players would never get a chance to act, causing them to be stunlocked to death! This led us to create a system that would give enemy AI brief immunity to stun after they had been unable to act for some time. For example's sake, the timing was something close to, "For every 3 seconds of being stunned, you get 1 second to act with impunity."

I do agree this was an issue, but I think that solution introduced a new problem. Between the system providing immunity and the stun protection we give during attacks it was difficult to understand when an enemy would be stunnable.

[h3]Increasing Consistency and Dynamics [/h3]

Even if you are a seasoned player, you likely have no idea why enemies are sometimes stunned and sometimes, they are not. There are no audio or visual cues that let you know an enemy is immune to being stunned - and if there was, they would feel very “gamey” in their presentation. So instead of using brute force to create a gap for enemies to act in battle, we would create it by starving the player of the ability to attack as frequently.


With “stress and relief” in mind, consider the combat system as it exists in Exiles today. If enemies have a large health pool, and you can attack for long stretches of time before your stamina is depleted, where does the stress come in? If the enemy you are attacking has a chance to randomly defy the expected game mechanics to cause stress, how can you counter their actions skillfully?

To address this, our first order of business for the Age of War was to remove the system that made combat feel inconsistent and buggy. By taking away what was called the “stun break” system, enemy AI was no longer allowed to defy the rules of being stunned. They were either vulnerable to being stunned, or they were immune. Most enemies you will fight in the update will be vulnerable to stunning, and only certain high difficulty enemies will be immune to them.

[h3]Hyper Armor [/h3]

With the stun break system eliminated, combat felt more predictable but there was still one more place where consistency could be improved.

Hyper Armor is a window of time during an animation in which a character cannot be stunned. Many of the attacks in Exiles are inundated with Hyper Armor. In the second chapter of the Age of War, we plan to decrease the excess of Hyper Armor, which will increase the consistency of play further.

The rule for which attacks get Hyper Armor will be simple: Hyper Armor is reserved for moments during an attack where extreme momentum is present.

There is some subjectivity to this of course, but you can expect to see heavier weapons with slow animations and a lot of moving mass possessing most of the Hyper Armor, and smaller faster weapons having less of it. This will open the window to using fast weapons to interrupt slow weapons, but should you fail to interrupt the slow weapon in time, the heavy weapon in motion will not be stoppable.

[h3]Increasing Dynamics with Tension[/h3]

Think back to the theory of fun presented earlier and how that can relate to the resources you have to manage in combat. Can we use those resources to make combat feel more engaging without changes to the actual AI you fight?

When you are low on stamina the pressure of stress in combat reaches a peak. Without stamina, you are forced to use positioning to avoid attacks from enemies that may swing your direction. Without stamina you are vulnerable, and without stamina, it is effectively the enemies’ turn! When your stamina comes back, you are in control again.


Our goal was clear: to create brief moments in time where you were starved of stamina. In order to take your stamina away, we also have to give a lot more back. So, the two major changes you will see in Chapter 1 are that attacks are much more expensive, but stamina comes back extremely quickly.

[h3]Bringing It All Together [/h3]

In a 1v1 encounter this may sound shallow. To some degree, it certainly is, but remember that Conan Exiles is not a 1v1 dueling game. We like to spice things up with some encounters including larger groups of enemies, which increases the risk of taking damage from staggered attacks. Each additional enemy increases the stress you feel when your stamina is low – assuming you are at similar power levels.

More enemies mean more attention must be shifted toward managing your stamina, dodging, and positioning before you take another calculated swing into the pack. We have also made enemies deal heavier damage, so if they get an attack through, the danger is higher.

One more change coming to improve consistency will allow you to reorient your attacks before they connect. During these brief moments your character can still be told to rotate, which means you will be able to hit the target you intend to hit without having to think about it. It feels very natural!

After you’ve mopped the floor with your enemies, you get a kick of satisfaction from the relief that the challenge has been overcome!

[h2]Enemies, Weapons, and Repairs [/h2]

Additional updates during this age will come to both enemy health and weapon balance - two sides of the same coin. We have gone through all the weapons and enemies in the game and applied updated balance to them, but it's important to know why.

While playtesting, we observed recurring patterns we felt had the opportunity to be more interesting, and did not live up to Exiles' design direction:

• When exploring the world, it felt like there was little reason to clear a point of interest after you had explored it once. The rewards for the effort you put into clearing the camp were not worth the time and cost to do so.
  
• Once we obtained legendary items, our desire to explore and repeat content went down dramatically.
  
• When adventuring, some enemies posed little threat and had very high health pools, which led to boring encounters with no contrast in the action.
  

We want you to feel like a warrior capable of chopping off heads and limbs as enemies attack you. When fighting a few enemies, you should have to use some skill to dodge, block, or otherwise evade attacks and weave in your offensive. For difficult encounters you should have to plan your approach. Ideally you should never walk up to a monster and stand, unmoving, swinging your weapon into it for five minutes to defeat it. We needed to reduce the slog and ramp up the action!

So, we made the following changes:

• A new weapon balance scheme that allows us to increase interest and value when looting.
  
• Legendary weapon power sits on top of the new balance scheme, making them the undisputed strongest items.
  
• Items lose maximum durability when being repaired.
  
• Legendary items can no longer be repaired.
  
• Enemy Health reductions.
  
• Enemy Damage increases.
  

By making a new layout for weapon power, we can make sure each time you upgrade your weapons, it's a noticeable power gain. We are also able to ensure that when you adventure into the world, you can find new items that are stronger than the ones you can craft! This introduces our new item type, which we call unique items. Unique items are like items you can already make, but they come with an additional power spike. This also solved the problem with legendary items. Now legendary weapons sit on top of the heap of power and are undisputedly more powerful than their epic and unique counterparts. However, they won't last forever. Because items no longer last forever, there are new motivations for you to venture back into the world to acquire powerful items.


The power of these items was then adjusted to go along with the increasing strength of enemies that you will encounter as you progress from the southern desert into the northern reaches of the Exiled Lands. Enemies will gain more health and damage, and you'll need to upgrade your weapon quality to keep up with their rising difficulty. We made the difference between these enemies and the difference in power between weapon tiers more dramatic than it currently is. This was done so the tech progression from one tier of weapon to the next gives you noticeable power gains that feel worth the time investment to get there.

[h2]Conclusion [/h2]

In Chapter 1 of the Age of War, you’ll get updated item and enemy balance, revised stamina costs, stun break removal, and changes to repairing items. In Chapter 2, item distribution will be updated along with adjustments to hyper armor, and attacks will allow rotation.

I hope this explanation has helped provide some insight into the cascading series of changes that can occur when you identify an issue with a system or behavior that we want to correct. Sure – nobody asked for direct changes to stamina consumption, but to apply fixes that were more than simply band-aids, we sometimes need to manipulate several systems you’re already familiar with. We do this sparingly, because we realized that any of these changes in a vacuum could be enough to push some people to stop playing the game. We are always aiming for a healthier and more enjoyable experience for everyone at the end of the day.

All this said, we are aware that the breadth of these changes has some people worried - that they will introduce behavior they feel breaks the game or shifts the meta unfavorably. Rest assured we are aware of the implications of these changes, and we will be keeping a close eye on how they play out to correct any unsavory gameplay that emerges after it has been in everyone's hands for a while. This may mean additional changes to the cost of certain actions, the balance of certain perks, or items, but it will not mean another major rework!

Phlngha Wgah’n tha orr’e, sorcerous ones! Your winners of the MYSTIC MASTERPIECES art contest have been cast, and competition was fierce. We bow to the mastery beheld by your arcane arts - and without further ado, behold what we beheld:

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[h2]
WINNERS :[/h2]
(in no particular order)

These pieces blew us away and truly captured the essence of sorcery as told within the Exiled Lands. The following three submissions will be adapted into in-game placeable picture frames to be added in a future update to Conan Exiles:

[h2]“Guardian in the Unnamed City” by Vladimir[/h2]



[h2]“The Ritual” by Michael [/h2]


[h2]“Witch King of Hyperborea” by Javier Alvarez[/h2]


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It was incredibly challenging to have to choose only three submissions to be represented in-game, but here’s a slew of standouts we loved (in no particular order, again)

(Sorry, BBCode tables aren't the prettiest)







And a special shoutout to this piece we received. May the great Jedias watch over Fausto and their entry, “The Sorcerer’s War”:



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Thank you again to all the creators who submitted entries for Mystic Masterpieces! Keep an eye out for other exciting initiatives and activities in the future, as the dawn of the Age of War approaches!

Cheers,

The Conan Exiles Team

Greetings Exiles,

As one age ends, another must begin.

The Age of Sorcery has brought us a huge amount of content in less than a year - the sorcery system, building revamp, attributes overhaul, new encounters, golem shaping, new characters and stories, and the Journey System redesign. Yet still our forge hammers ring out as the content furnace burns hot.

An ancient empire has set its hungry eyes on the Exiled Lands.

The invasion is nigh.

On June 22, the Age of War begins as we unleash the first of three major free updates, each of which will be accompanied by a paid Battle Pass and new cosmetic Bazaar store items.

[h2]The Road to War[/h2]

The team is thrilled to reveal our roadmap for the new features and improvements coming in the next Age. Please keep in mind that this roadmap represents our current estimate and is by no means an exhaustive list of the upcoming content.


After working on the Age of Sorcery, something the team had wanted to do since the very beginning of Conan Exiles, it is with equal excitement that they have now shifted the theme to the strength of steel and the allure of gold.

In the Age of War, you will experience the Stygian invasion of the Exiled Lands, as they seek to fill their coffers with your treasure. In Chapter One, you will begin filling your treasure room as you hunt for valuables across the lands. For the first time, you’ll also be able to create your own clan emblem and display it on banners, shields, and more. We look forward to sharing more details about these features ahead of the launch of the first Chapter.

After Chapter 1, as you can see in the roadmap, purges and PvE Sieges will be central features in the updates to come.


[h2]Join the Beta on Steam[/h2]

Tomorrow (23 May), we open the Steam Beta for all to try. All you have to do is find the separate Conan Exiles - Public Beta Client in your Steam library and download the game. As work develops, we’ll keep introducing new content and fixes on this testing branch.

Keep a lookout for more news as we approach the release of the first Chapter of Age of War on June 22.