Thralls are important in the survival RPG Conan Exiles. They protect your buildings and grant you various bonuses. This way, you capture NPCs and make them Thralls.
When capturing Thralls in Conan Exiles, there are a few things to consider. Not every savage you meet in the world shares the same characteristics.
Catching Thralls – with Sludge Soup to the goal
To capture Thralls, you must knock an enemy unconscious with a club during combat and then tie a rope to their feet. This way, you drag them back to your camp. Then, you bind the captive to the Wheel of Pain, which you must of course have built beforehand.
There, the Thralls will stay for a while until their will is broken. A small Wheel of Pain can break one Thrall, a normal Wheel can break up to four, and a larger Wheel can break up to eight captives. You must keep food stocked in the Wheel at all times. Sludge soup is best for this because it lasts a long time and is easy to make:
- Sludge Soup: Five plant fibers and one seed yield ten Sludge Soups at a cooking station.
Once your Thrall is broken, you can simply assign the craftsmen to their designated positions at the workbenches. Archers and warriors must be placed like buildings and then equipped with armor and weapons. Thralls heal themselves automatically – even though there seems to be a bug on PS4 that prevents this.
Crafters, Fighters, Entertainers – the different types of Thralls
Depending on which “role” the NPC had before being enslaved, such as archer, artist, fighter, cook, armorer, blacksmith, or overseer, they will continue to work for you according to that role. In addition, each faction has different characteristics and unique recipes.
This means you need to look for the NPCs you want. If you need a legendary archer, then search for such an NPC. Capturing them, however, can be difficult. It is not possible to enslave a novice cook and turn them into an adept blacksmith. The roles are fixed!
- Fighters and Archers: To defend your buildings, place them on the walls of your fortress or directly behind the entrance. They will stand guard and attack enemies as soon as they attack.
- Crafters: The crafters operate machines and crafting stations:
- Alchemists/Medicine men: use the cauldron
- Armorers: use the armorer’s bench
- Blacksmiths: use the blacksmith’s bench
- Carpenters: use the carpenter’s bench
- Cooks: can be used at campfires and stoves
- Smelters: increase the efficiency of furnaces
- Tanners: increase the efficiency of tanneries
- Breakers/Slave masters: operate the Wheels of Pain and allow new Thralls to be broken faster
- Artists, or Performers/Dancers: They are needed to protect you from corruption by lifting your mood. Therefore, you should take artists with you when exploring dungeons and ruins.
- Priests: A priest is essential to summon an avatar of your god. The priest is killed during the summoning of an avatar.
Only if you have many Thralls in different roles will you be able to survive in the brutal world of Conan Exiles.
Locations for Thralls from different tribes and camps
The further north and inland you venture, the more powerful enemies you will encounter. Accordingly, you can create more powerful Thralls from them.
At the beginning by the river, you will discover Exiles, who are poorly equipped. You can subjugate them as your first Thralls, but they are not very effective. In the scattered camps of the Exiles, you might find priests of Mitra at temples.
Further north in the rocky areas and in the desert, you will meet the Darfari Cannibals, who are stronger but still not very well equipped. You will find priests of Yog among them.
In the east of the desert, the Bandits of the “Black Hand” live in a ship hewn from the rocks. The bandits are very well equipped, pose a dangerous threat, and are correspondingly effective Thralls.
Further north, in the massive mountains, live the brutal Desert Dogs. These untamed bandits guard a secret that you must uncover.
Some of the strongest enemies in the desert, however, are the Relic Hunters, who have even built the great city Sepermeru in the northwest. They are digging for powerful artifacts in the cursed ruins of the region. They are neutral towards you, but you can still enslave them. Here you will find priests of Set.
Far in the swamps in the east, the Lemurians live. They worship the goddess Derketo and are probably the only source for their priests – even though only the corresponding teacher has been found among them so far.
North of the desert begins the icy north. In the directly adjacent tundra, you will mainly find the Heirs of the North. The Nordheimers settle in and around New Asgarth and at the God Towers. They wear heavy armor and are known for their fighting and blacksmithing skills. Also, you can only find priests of Ymir here.
In the west of the tundra, around the Hills of the Dead, lives the Forgotten Tribe. The Cimmerians who live there are particularly strong and skilled warriors and archers.
Far to the north by the fires of the volcano live the Followers of Skelos. In this faithful of an ancient religion, you will primarily find well-trained alchemists.
The benefits of Thrall levels
You can recognize how good your Thrall is by its name. Most NPCs carry a number from I to III in their name, indicating how effective they are. However, there are also NPCs with unique names that are always considered level 4 Thralls. Some professions, such as breaker and priest, also use levels like novice, adept, and master or high priest.
The levels have the following effects on crafters:
- Level 1: about 10% faster crafting
- Level 2: additionally reduces material costs by 25%, brings some recipes that can then be built at the workbench
- Level 3: works even faster, brings more recipes.
- Level 4: reduces material costs and construction time by 50% and brings unique recipes.
Some items, such as gas grenades and flawless or exceptional weapons and armor, can only be crafted by Thralls.
Tips and tricks: Breaking Thralls faster with slave drivers
- Obtain a level 3 breaker as early as possible. This will speed up the training of all other Thralls.
- With 10 points in the strength attribute, you can knock NPCs unconscious more easily.
- An assigned Thrall can be easily picked up again from the workshop or surroundings. This way, you can transport them to another camp.
- Thralls heal themselves automatically. You do not need to give them potions, bandages, or food.
- Get Thralls as early as possible. Even with a level 2 Thrall, you will gain experience much faster through crafting at their workbench.
