With Age of Sorcery, the survival MMO Conan Exiles (Steam, PlayStation, Xbox) will receive its latest update on September 1st. And it is huge. Age of Sorcery introduces revamped slaves, skills, and an entirely new magic system. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus was able to test it alongside the developers before the release.
I have now played over 360 hours of Conan Exiles, a good part of it on role-playing servers. After all, even a survival veteran can find the umpteenth playthrough a bit dull.
I was correspondingly excited at the announcement of Age of Sorcery. Finally, magic is set to come into the game, something that has been planned since release. Fans were so eager for it that they even implemented the system themselves with various mods over the years.
I got to see the magic in Conan Exiles along with lead designer Dennis Douthett and senior content manager Tor Egil Andersen. The two gave me a tour of the new features and answered some questions.
Anyone who has lost interest in Conan Exiles over the past 4 years since release should definitely take a look at the game again now. Because what I was shown completely impressed me.
The video provides a detailed introduction to Age of Sorcery:
This is how magic should feel in a role-playing game
This is the highlight of the update: For me, the most important new feature of Age of Sorcery is the titular magic. Finally, it is possible in Conan Exiles to unleash devastation and chaos with powerful spells. And all of this comes with its own story.
After we killed some cultists and relieved them of their secret documents, we set off for a new cave. There, I find my ritual staff and a book containing the first two spells: discover magic and ice bridge.
Tor Eigil explains to me that I will learn more spells as the story progresses, culminating in powerful thunderstorms and more. What particularly excites me is the way magic is cast.
What makes magic so special? Magic is not simply “cast” and suddenly there, as one might know it from World of Warcraft and similar games. Spells are rituals and require tools and resources.
Once I begin casting spells with the staff, I must choose the school from which I want to cast something, selecting from up to 5 runes. Subsequently, spells of various levels become available to me.
Many spells have material costs that I must pay from my inventory. And for the entire duration, I am bound to the spot and obviously casting. Anyone who wants can easily snuff me out.
This makes magic a tactical element. Wizards are unprotected while casting their spells, but they are also the strongest fighters. High risk, high reward. This is also reflected in the way I “level up” as a wizard.
For if I want to become more powerful, I must engage with dark powers. And that comes at a price …
More power requires human sacrifices … and a part of your own soul
Conan Exiles is a dirty game. Brutal and bloody, true entertainment for adults. Accordingly, magic in the universe of Conan, the Barbarian, is a cruel art.
Through rituals, I can, for instance, resurrect undead servants, summon demons, or conjure weapons and armor that I can use in battle. Perfect for leading zombie armies into battle or riding into combat on an undead horse.
However, to cast better spells, I must be corrupted. Corruption has been in the game since release but becomes a new mechanic with Age of Sorcery. The higher my corruption value, the better spells I can cast.
This reflects that when I cast spells, I am using dark powers, which in turn have an effect on me. Obviously, the body changes visually, the more corruption it absorbs:
The best way to increase corruption is, of course, through human sacrifices. Through a sacrificial altar, captured humans can be robbed of their souls. In this way, I get closer to the dark powers and learn more powerful spells such as:
- Thunderstorms
- A fog that obscures vision and raises zombies
- Darkness filled with hissing spiders and nets that slow down
As a pleasant side effect, I can then use the souls to strengthen my attributes. Or rather: to corrupt them to grant me new abilities. The entire fantasy of the expansion revolves around the idea of powerful dark mages.
Easier building, better skills, and a Battle Pass
This is also included in Age of Sorcery: With the magic comes the revamped attributes system. Instead of an arbitrary value with random points for leveling up, there is now one attribute point per level, and each increase always costs one point.
The talents that derive from the attributes have also changed. At levels 10 and 20, for instance, there is now a choice of 2 talents each. In addition, strength, vitality, and authority can be “corrupted” for even better talents and special builds focused on magic. Additionally, Age of Sorcery offers:
- An improved building menu with direct selection, allowing for building from the inventory without the intermediate step of crafting
- A real creative mode for easier building
- The Battle Pass with a free and paid path, featuring a new skin set for buildings available upon release
- Challenges, i.e., tasks for the Battle Pass, and a shop
The formerly familiar DLCs are no longer expected to continue in this form. Everything will now go through the Battle Pass, and anyone who skips a pass can later purchase the contents in the shop, slightly altered. However, according to Dennis Douthett, 2 hours per week should be sufficient to complete the pass.
One major aspect of Age of Sorcery is also the rework of slaves. With certain abilities and magic, more servants can be commanded, leading to more possible builds and play styles.
What’s next? The two developers have already revealed that after the “Age of Sorcery”, further ages will follow that will adhere to a theme – something like seasons. However, they were not yet able to tell me exactly what will come.
Age of Sorcery will be, unlike the massive update Isle of Siptah, a free update for all owners of Conan Exiles and the Xbox Game Pass. If you own the game already, you should definitely check out the new content.
Personally, I can recommend Age of Sorcery after the first impression even to newcomers who enjoy dark fantasy. Conan Exiles is still arguably the dirtiest survival game on the market, and magic is a perfect extension of the systems. Ideal for anyone harboring a dark sorcerer within.
