In Conan Exiles, you gather, craft and survive across the lands of Conan the Barbarian. It's an open-world survival game from Funcom. You can play alone, with friends, or on online servers shared with other players. You begin in the Exiled Lands with no clothes and no water, so staying alive comes first. The map runs from burning desert in the south to snowy mountains in the north, so temperature matters a lot: dress for the cold, light a fire to stay warm, and cool yourself down in the heat.
Most play sessions follow a simple loop. You gather branches, stones, and plant fiber, since many of your first items are made from them. Those materials let you craft tools and a weapon, and the weapon lets you hunt for food, because hunger and thirst keep coming back. Defeating creatures earns experience, and leveling up gives you points to spend on your attributes, so each fight makes you a little stronger for the next one.
Over time, the goal shifts from surviving to building, starting with a shelter that keeps you out of sandstorms and growing into a full settlement with traps, defenses, and furniture. Thralls help with the work, since a captured NPC can become a fighter, archer, or crafter working for you. To capture one, knock an NPC out, drag them to a Wheel of Pain, and let the wheel break their will. Some players go further by taking land from other players with siege weapons, using dark sorcery, or serving one of the game's gods.
- Developer
- Funcom, Inflexion Games
- Publisher
- Funcom
- Release
- Enhanced Steam update: 2026-05-05 · Original Steam release: 2018-05-08
- Platforms
- PC (Steam)
Game data
Swords
Swords are one of the main melee weapon groups in Conan Exiles, split into short swords, one-handed swords, katanas and two-handed swords. One-handed swords leave a hand free for a shield, while two-handed swords generally hit harder but swing more slowly. Many swords carry perks such as Bleed, Gouging, Cripple and Execution, and many are crafted at a Blacksmith's Bench, while legendary blades come from bosses and special loot.
Mounts
Mounts in Conan Exiles are animals you can ride once they are saddled. Horses start as foals that you raise in a Stable, camels are built for hauling, and rhinos are a fighting mount tied to the Isle of Siptah expansion. Some mounts come from the Riders of Hyboria pack or the Black Lotus Bazaar.
Bows
Bows are ranged weapons in Conan Exiles that fire arrows, letting you hit enemies from a distance. The game sorts them into Agility bows and Strength bows, and Power Draw bows such as Derketo's Voice scale with Strength. Some bows are crafted at a Carpenter's Bench, while legendary bows come from chests and bosses, and the arrow you load changes what each shot does.
Daggers
Daggers are the quick, close-range melee weapons of Conan Exiles, and they come as standard daggers, claws, punching daggers and chakrams. Many carry perks such as bleed, diseased and gouging that keep damaging an enemy after a hit, and some get past armor or slow a target. The strongest are hard to come by and often drop from bosses, while many others can be crafted at the Blacksmith's Bench.
Conan Exiles gameplay tips
- Pick up every branch, stone, and plant fiber you pass. Many of your first items use them, so you will need them before you have time to go looking.
- Eat eggs, and cook your meat over a campfire. Eggs are one of the easiest early foods and keep you fed until you can hunt bigger game. Raw meat can make you sick, so cooking it is worth the extra step.
- Get a bed as soon as you can. Beds are your respawn point. Without one, you come back at the start and have to walk back to your base.
- Team up with friends early. Crafting later takes a lot of resources, and a big settlement is much easier to run with a group.