Conan Exiles: A New Era of Quality and Content
Since its launch, Conan Exiles has captivated players with its brutal survival mechanics, expansive open world, and rich lore inspired by the Conan universe. With a current average player count of 5,091, the game continues to maintain a dedicated and passionate community eager for fresh content and meaningful improvements. Recent updates have signaled a shift in the development philosophy, focusing more on quality, stability, and player experience rather than sheer volume of content. Let’s dive into what these changes mean for Exiles everywhere.
The August Update: Polishing the Experience
The August Update arrived with a host of bug fixes, optimizations, and quality-of-life improvements that many players have eagerly welcomed. The developers have been hard at work behind the scenes, addressing long-standing issues and enhancing core gameplay systems to make the world of Conan Exiles smoother and more immersive.
One of the standout features of this update is the improved pathfinding for Living Settlements NPCs. These non-player characters now navigate the world more intelligently, reducing frustrating moments where thralls or NPCs get stuck or behave erratically. This improvement not only enhances immersion but also makes managing your settlements more enjoyable.
Performance during Purges-a challenging gameplay event where waves of enemies attack player bases-has also seen significant optimization. Players with larger bases or on more populated servers should notice smoother gameplay and fewer slowdowns during these intense moments.
Additionally, the update fixed the “Coup de Grace” truncheon, which previously failed to properly kill Tier 1 to Tier 3 thralls, instead leaving them unconscious. This fix ensures that players can manage their thralls more reliably, an important aspect of base defense and thrall management.
Introducing the Dark Dregs: A Fresh Dungeon Challenge
For those craving new challenges, the August Update introduced the Dark Dregs, a limited-time dungeon experience that puts a fresh twist on a classic favorite. Available until September 19th, the Dark Dregs replaces the original Dregs dungeon and offers new enemies, mechanics, and rewards for brave adventurers willing to delve into its depths.
After the event period, the Dark Dregs will rotate alongside other popular events like Bounty Hunting and The Sacred Hunt, returning periodically to keep the gameplay experience dynamic and engaging. This rotating event system ensures that players always have something new to look forward to without overwhelming the game with permanent content additions.
The Black Lotus Bazaar: Fashion and Flair for Exiles
Cosmetic enthusiasts will appreciate the additions to the Black Lotus Bazaar, which now features new bundles such as the Khitan New Year and the Vanir Cabin. These bundles offer stylish and thematic outfits and decorations, allowing players to personalize their characters and bases with unique flair. This focus on cosmetic content complements the gameplay improvements by giving players more ways to express themselves in the harsh world of Conan Exiles.
A Shift in Development Philosophy: Better, Not Bigger
One of the most significant announcements accompanying the recent updates is a change in the game’s development approach. The team behind Conan Exiles has decided to move away from the Age and Chapter structure that focused on making the game bigger with frequent large content drops. Instead, they are prioritizing the overall health of the game by focusing on bug fixes, balance tweaks, and quality-of-life improvements.
This shift responds to community feedback and the developers’ own reflections on what makes the game enjoyable and sustainable in the long run. Rather than rushing to add massive chunks of new content, the team aims to refine existing systems, polish gameplay mechanics, and ensure that the core experience remains engaging and stable for all players.
The Latest Update: Bounty Hunting and Down But Not Out (DBNO)
Following the August Update, a new content patch has brought exciting additions that enrich the gameplay loop without overwhelming players with massive expansions. The Bounty Hunting Event has returned, featuring camps dedicated to Mek-Kamoses, a powerful sorcerer who will tolerate no challengers. Players are tasked with tracking down these sorcerers and bringing them back for unique rewards, including the new Khitan Slaver Outfit, a truncheon, and bindings designed to capture sorcerers alive.
Perhaps the most anticipated feature in this update is the introduction of Down But Not Out (DBNO). This long-requested mechanic changes thrall combat dynamics significantly. Instead of dying immediately when their health is depleted, thralls now enter a downed state, giving players a chance to revive them. However, thralls have a limited number of "strikes"-if downed three times within a set period, they will die permanently.
This system adds a new layer of strategy to combat and thrall management, encouraging players to be more careful with their companions and adding tension to battles. It also reduces frustration by preventing the instant loss of valuable thralls during challenging encounters.
New Update Structure: Finding the Sweet Spot
Alongside these content updates, the developers have announced a new update cadence. Previously, major Chapter updates were released roughly every three months, a schedule that proved challenging to maintain while ensuring high-quality content. Moving forward, Chapter updates will be spaced about six months apart, with smaller updates released in between to keep the game fresh and responsive to player needs.
This new rhythm aims to balance quality and quantity, allowing the team more time to polish content and address community feedback. It also means players can expect a steadier stream of meaningful improvements and events without the pressure of massive quarterly expansions.
Looking Ahead: A Bright Future for Conan Exiles
Conan Exiles is entering an exciting new phase, one where quality, stability, and player experience take center stage. With the recent updates delivering polished gameplay improvements, fresh content like the Dark Dregs and Bounty Hunting events, and innovative features such as DBNO, the game continues to evolve in ways that respect its core identity while embracing community feedback.
As the development team refines their update strategy and focuses on maintaining a healthy game environment, players can look forward to a more balanced and enjoyable journey through the Exiled Lands. Whether you’re a veteran thrall master or a newcomer forging your path, the world of Conan Exiles remains as brutal, beautiful, and rewarding as ever.