Conan Exiles is a harsh survival MMO set in the world of the most famous barbarian, Conan. Despite some difficulties, the game is still doing well. We give you five reasons to try out Conan Exiles, especially since it is now free for PS4 with PS Plus in April 2019.
What is Conan Exiles? Conan Exiles is a survival MMO that targets an adult audience and is among our Top 10 Survival Games 2019.
You wander as an exile through dry deserts with sandstorms and swampy marshes. You climb icy mountains and even active volcanoes in an attempt to escape exile.
Meanwhile, the entire world is trying to kill you – always.
Why should I check out Conan Exiles right now? For PS Plus owners on the PS4, Conan Exiles is free starting April 2, 2019. However, we have several more reasons for you to check it out.
Reason 1: An exciting world with a deep story
In Conan Exiles, you are accused of various crimes and sentenced to death on the cross in a desert. Instead of dying miserably under the sun, Conan himself comes by and rescues you.
From that moment on, you are an exile in the “Exiled Lands” and must fight for your survival, diving deeper into the secrets of the detailed world.
Unique religions for more character depth
In Conan Exiles, you can join different religions that exist in the world of Conan the Barbarian. You can belong to Conan’s own religion Crom, the goddess of lust and death Derketo, the Lord of Beasts Jhebbal Sag, and other religions.
The religions offer you a way to develop your character and create your own story for them. They also provide you with unique abilities and plans for special items that match each god.
Special loot in dangerous dungeons
The Exiled Lands consist not only of desert, ice, swamp, and lava but also offer caves and real dungeons like the “Dregs” or the “Midnight Grove”. In the dungeons, you will find even deadlier enemies with special loot.
The dungeons are part of the story as well as special challenges. The respective bosses offer you unique mechanics that you must master to finally obtain special recipes or special loot.
Reason 2: Exciting and unique features
Conan Exiles not only has a vast world for you to explore. You also get a variety of features to face the dangers and make the game exciting.
The journey leads you through the world
As a kind of guide through the Exiled Lands, the journey with various tasks is available to you. The journey provides you with new activities to pursue when you don’t know what to do next.
The journey shows you the first steps you can take and guides you through the various zones of the world, the many dungeons, and ultimately presents you with the ultimate task: to lay down your bracelet and be free. If you want, you can always work toward the goal and “complete” Conan Exiles.
A combat system with many fighting styles
Since the entire world and possibly other players are hostile, you will often need to reach for your weapon. Conan Exiles offers several weapon types that you can craft and find.
The different weapon types also represent their own fighting styles. Each weapon has different effects such as:
- Bleeding
- Cripple
- Crushing (reducing armor)
You can chain the attacks of the weapons into cool combos that can take down your opponents until they are lying in the dust.
Special features with crude humor
In addition to survival game typical features like building and surviving, Conan Exiles offers special content that should always be taken with a wink. Upon release, the penis slider sparked discussions, as you can set how big (or small) your attachment should be.
The joke further extends with Funcom. If you put in a little effort, you can brew a potion that makes the penis even larger. Good for some laughs in the dusty desert.
Reason 3: Special companions
In the Exiled Lands, you are mostly left to your own devices. But even when playing solo, you have the opportunity to acquire companions. They take tasks off your hands, offer protection, and companionship.
Slaves for building and protection
A very special feature of Conan Exiles is the slaves. Competitor ARK already offers a similar feature with its dinos. However, Conan Exiles makes it a bit more brutal.
In the world, there are many NPCs living in their own camps. You can knock them unconscious with a club instead of killing them. If you then bind them and drag them to a wheel of pain, you can break their will and enslave them.
As a slave, they serve you and can be used to defend your base or to provide special recipes and better production in workshops.
Animal companions for battle
A newer feature is the animal companions in Conan Exiles. If you find cubs or eggs, you can tame animals using certain abilities and make them submissive.
Tamed animals can accompany you to support you in battle or provide your base with dung and other resources, depending on which animal you keep.
If you further provide the animals with special food, you have the chance of getting particularly rare and better variants that come with special appearances or stronger stats.
Reason 4: Your own servers with your own rules
If you don’t like how others play Conan Exiles, you can start a local game, rent your own server, and operate it. Here you have all the freedom and can even invite friends to explore the Exiled Lands with them.
Play as you please
Conan Exiles offers three rules by which you can customize your server.
- PvE servers are for players who want to explore the world and build. Here, other players cannot kill you or destroy your buildings. The focus is on facing dangers together and experiencing the story, perhaps even escaping the Exiled Lands together.
- PvP servers thrive on combat between players. The world of Conan is harsh, and you must be, too. No one is just your friend, and in PvP, depending on the rules, you can lose everything: loot, house, and life.
- PvE Conflict servers are a special variant. Here, the focus is also on PvE, but you can fight other players at specific times (standardly 5 PM to 11 PM server time). Only buildings are safe at all times.
Additionally, there are more and more servers that are based on roleplay. Roleplay can be done on any server type. It’s about living your character rather than simply pursuing the game’s objectives.
You experience stories and create your own narratives with other roleplayers to fully immerse yourself in the fantastic world.
Reason 5: Creative freedom
Finally, you can express your creativity in Conan Exiles at any time. The game allows you to build almost anywhere, and by climbing, you can reach almost any spot on the huge map.
When building your base, there are no limits as long as you have enough resources.
DLCs for even more architecture
If what you can build already is not enough for you, DLCs offer even more options to customize your buildings, as well as weapons and armor:
- The “Reich im Osten” DLC lets you build in the Chinese style of the Khitan
- With the “Jewel of the West” DLC, you have access to the Roman style of the Aquilonians
- In the “Wild Borderland” DLC, you get wild outfits of the Picts
- The “Seeker of the Dawn” DLC brings the Japanese look of the Yamatai
The DLCs all cost €9.99 in the PS Store and are even reduced to €6.99 until April 4.
Conan Exiles is suitable for you if…
- … you like it tough and want a challenge.
- … you enjoy a realistic and brutal world.
- … you like to explore, build, and dive deep into a vast world.
- … you would prefer to have slaves than dinosaurs.
- … you want to adjust the size of your favorite piece in a game.
Conan Exiles is not suitable for you if…
- … you don’t like a tough start.
- … you are not fond of adult themes and dark humor.
- … you are afraid of spiders and scorpions.
How can I download Conan Exiles?
If you have PS Plus, you can download Conan Exiles for free from the PlayStation Store starting Tuesday, April 2, 2019. As long as your subscription is active, you can play for free. When the subscription expires, you can only play again if you reactivate the subscription or buy the game.
Download for the game: Conan Exiles for PS4 in the PlayStation Store
Metacritic: 68 out of 100 based on 32 reviews
Rating in PS Store: 4 out of 5 stars from 2,500 ratings
