Conan Exiles has received a free graphics upgrade with the Enhanced Update. A good reason for MeinMMO editor and survival enthusiast Benedict Grothaus to take another look. He didn’t think the game would captivate him so much.
When Conan Exiles was released in Early Access in 2017, I played it diligently until the release in May 2018, and shortly thereafter – solely because I wanted to see the frosty north, the first real dungeons, and the swamp that were added later.
I invested over 350 hours back then before putting the game aside again. Only with the release of the large expansion Isle of Siptah, which the developers showed me back then, did I venture back into Conan’s world – but only briefly and in admin mode to check out all the new features.
Those were my last steps in Conan Exiles. I had seen everything by then, and there was simply new, exciting competition: Fallout 76, V Rising, Enshrouded, Valheim … games that I had good reason to include in the currently best survival games.
Now, according to Steam, I have invested 48.5 hours in Conan Exiles over the last 7 days, and I never would have believed that the game could win me back again.
Everything shines, so beautifully new!
The reason for my return was, of course, the major Enhanced Update for Conan Exiles, which has transitioned the survival game to Unreal Engine 5. In summary: Conan Exiles is now prettier, more compact, and more convenient.
When my colleague Dariusz Müller, who was quite excited about the update, invited me to his server, I really wanted to check what had changed. Dariusz said Conan Exiles feels like a new game, and he is absolutely right.
Normally, I don’t care much about graphics in games, but damn, Conan Exiles looks really good now! However, that wasn’t the reason I suddenly invested so many hours into the game again. Over the years, I’ve truly missed a lot…
And suddenly the whole base is full of animals
As soon as I woke up in the desert, I had to reorient myself as an old veteran. The world has remained the same, but much of what I knew is now quite different:
- Skills now work a bit differently, and perks are easier to obtain – this rework came with the Age of Sorcery.
- By the way, this also introduced magic to the game in 2022, which I’ve only looked at so far – but I still don’t actively use it. Let my wizard colleague handle that; I’ll stick with the axe!
- What used to be the journey with a red thread is now broken into individual chapters that can be worked on simultaneously and even grant rewards for completion.
Purges
, meaning the attacks from NPCs on built bases, now happen at the press of a button and based on collected wealth, not just randomly.- The world itself: there are more details and new content to discover, enemies in places I didn’t remember, or … baby animals.
That is probably the most important point for me: animals! I knew that Conan Exiles eventually introduced pet companions, and I briefly checked them out. But it was only for a short time. That I, of all people, am now our clan’s animal breeder constantly looking for new companions is something I never would have imagined. But as soon as I see a baby animal, I have to take it in and raise it…
By the way: On our server, we use some mods, for example for automatic sorting in crates throughout the entire storage or for cosmetic adjustments, since Enhanced has somewhat messed up the … body proportions of NPCs.
Some things are too big, others oddly small. And yes, I am of course talking about the famous penis slider and other options in that direction. Otherwise, our experience is mostly “vanilla.”
Conan Exiles is not as rough anymore, but feels more accessible
When I started back then, Conan Exiles was a game for people who liked to suffer. Everything and everyone wanted to kill me, including the world itself. A Darfadri camp with 3 people in it? Better not go in without heavy armor.
Now … I farm quickly all the camps I find along the way for resources. Boss fights and dungeons still hold some danger, but significantly less than before. This has several reasons:
- Getting strong items is now significantly easier. Almost all bosses can drop legendary weapons and armor, even light bosses like the spider in the sneaking cave.
- “Normal” human foes often carry items that can be disassembled into high-quality materials early on, speeding up character progression significantly.
- Companions, particularly certain thralls and almost all animals, are extremely strong and especially powerful tanks. If you don’t have to dodge every blow, the boss falls faster.
Of course, experience plays a role. Both my teammates and I – or most of them – have known Conan Exiles for ages. We master the mechanics, know where to find what, and how to deal with dangers. Thus, the game feels easier.
Moreover, thanks to the mounts, the world feels a bit closer together. The map hasn’t shrunk, but I no longer need a full day to cross the desert. Just hop on a horse and ride off to the next adventure.
Have you played Conan Exiles Enhanced yet? What do you think of the new version? And which innovation in the last 8 years did you find the best? Feel free to leave a comment!
All in all, Conan Exiles is no longer as brutal as it used to be, but still not trivial and has become so good that I enjoy playing, exploring, crafting, and even building. So exactly what I want in a survival game. Conan Exiles will certainly keep me occupied for a while, but … not as long as this hardcore fan: Player plays a survival game on Steam for 10,000 hours, now gets good reason for the next 10,000 hours
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