In Conan Exiles starts the third and final part of the big “Age of Sorcery” update. The developers have granted MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus an early preview, and it’s now clear: there will be a step into the future of Survival MMOs.
I have been observing for a while now that the future of survival games and MMOs is developing in a certain direction. A direction that increasingly links both areas.
The upcoming Dune game has started this trend. Dune: Awakening combines survival with MMORPG and together they create almost a new genre. Here, survival elements and social interactions play an equally important role.
Coreborn, from a German studio, wants to be a new survival MMO that has as much influence as WoW once had on MMORPGs. The ambitions are clear: to provide many players with a shared survival world that is not just a sandbox but lives and can be shaped by the players.
Now Conan Exiles is also taking a step in this direction. With Age of Sorcery, magic was introduced and the entire game was overhauled. The story will now continue in the third act, but the features really amaze me.
As a reminder, this is the Age of Sorcery:
The new journey is like a free class system
With part 3 of the Age of Sorcery, the journey is completely overhauled. The journey is an exciting feature in Conan Exiles. Different tasks guide you through the world and give you clues on what to do next. A kind of guide when you might not know how to proceed.
You will always be shown which task you can pursue next, to encourage you to explore more of the world or expand your base. So far, the journey has been quite linear, leading you essentially from the beginning to the end through the game.
Instead of always showing individual steps, the milestones are divided into individual, meaningful areas with chapter 3. This way, you can clearly choose which path you want to follow:
- Do you want to become a better archer or swordsman?
- Is your interest more in building and gathering?
- Does your heart even beat for alchemy or blacksmithing?
- Or do you want to devote yourself entirely to one of the gods of the world?
The trailer shows how it looks:
Essentially, the system remains similar and still rewards you with experience and partly cosmetic items. It is designed for newcomers to make it easier to get into the game and get a feel for what they can do.
However, the division into specific areas is a way for players to gain expertise in an area through a skill-based system and thus take on a specific role – like in an RPG.
You can switch at any time or dedicate yourself to another “profession”, but especially in cooperative play, it can be beneficial to distribute roles. The new journey system makes this much easier.
The story is full of NPCs – They even have quests!
The actual hook of the new season is the story about the wizard Mek-Kamoses, who has brought magic back to the lands of the exiled. He is currently preparing new rituals in which you are supposed to help him.
As is typical for Conan, things are rough, with the blood sacrifice of a young princess, who fights with all her might, and the battle against other evil wizards. The idea here is that a huge red beam tells you all over the map: something is happening back there.
Mek-Kamoses himself then gives you tasks that guide you through the story of season 3 and the new dungeon, where you learn more about the new systems. While it’s not a lot of quests, there is still a connection between story and gameplay that sandbox survival games usually lack.
Through special items, you can earn rewards from Mek-Kamoses and his followers, such as new armor. A bit like the grind in modern MMORPGs.
By the way: the solar eclipse plays a central role in the new story. That’s why it replaces the night in the game with an eerie, red glow.
Build your own companion
As a third major feature, the developers introduced me to Golem building. Instead of further expanding the actual magic, in season 3 you have the opportunity to create golems through a workshop.
This works through individual components like torso, arms, and legs, which you need to assemble and then animate. The twist here is that you can choose exactly what your golem should be able to do, at least to a certain extent:
- Limbs made of stone are cheaper but last less than iron or rarer materials.
- Special components that you can rarely find from enemies give the golem abilities like a buff aura or higher threat against enemies.
- Depending on the weapon you give to the golem, it can even collect various resources like wood, stone, or herbs for you.
Golems function like slaves. They can follow you, fight for you, and guard areas. However, they have a significantly higher health pool. In return, you cannot heal them. They hit hard and take a lot of damage, but when they are broken, you have to build a new one.
Along with the golems, there are new “blood crystals” from rare enemies that you need to animate them. Additionally, season 3 brings a new battle pass and new shop items. Most of it you can already check out live on the test server.
Conan Exiles takes the first step into the future of survival MMOs
Even if the changes look relatively small on their own, I think the direction is clear. Survival games are evolving towards MMOs and towards what many MMORPGs cannot deliver: an open world for many at once.
In conversation, the developers told me that they see it similarly to me. Large survival MMOs are the logical development of the genre, which is now slowly becoming possible as technology advances.
A very good thing, in my opinion, as the genre has plenty of room for improvement:
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