With only a few days to go before Age of War – Chapter 4 digs its claws into you, we want to give you a deep dive into everything we’re bringing to the game. Last week, we covered the new Sacred Hunt Event, and today, we have a feast of different features and improvements to show you.
Let's dig in.
Fatalities
If there is glory in gore, you will find it in Chapter 4. In this feature inspired by the Fatalities in Age of Conan, you will be able to finish off enemy human NPCs with spectacularly savage kill moves; one for each of the melee weapon types in the game.
When an attack would otherwise kill your foe, there is a chance that they will instead enter a dazed state. If you perform a starting attack (not mid-combo) on them during this brief period, you will perform a Fatality, and be awarded with a chunk of health and stamina, along with a temporary damage buff.
Three details are worth emphasizing. First, if you don’t perform the finisher, the enemy will fall dead at the end of their dazed state; second, while performing a Fatality, you are immune to damage; and third, Fatalities only work on enemy human NPCs, not beasts, monsters, or players. Go forth and slay, Exiles.
Expanded Purges
When we introduced the revamped Purges in Chapter 2, we fully intended to build upon those foundations later. In Chapter 4, we’re adding a new defensive ballista, and several new types of enemies.
Thieves: Have invisibility, can unlock your doors, and go straight for your treasure horde.
Golems: A sorcerer summons two kinds of golems. Axe-wielding golems will focus on killing defenders, while the jarhead golems will use their mauls to bring down your fortifications and explode a few seconds after death, dealing damage to everything around them.
Sorcerer: This powerful sorcerer will stand outside your base and perform a ritual to bring down meteors upon your base. You must leave the safety of your defenses and slay the sorcerer, before the meteors can do too much damage.
Stygian Champion: This hulking warrior is not to be taken lightly, and will be clearly visible by the formation of his retinue of guards.
Ballista: This new siege weapon is controlled manually by the player and fires powerful bolts that penetrate through enemies. Line up a good shot and annihilate your attackers. The ballista can also fire ammunition which is good at taking down player-built structures.
Inventory and Follower Quality of Life
Commanding followers is easier than ever in Chapter 4. Rather than setting follower behavior through a radial wheel, you can now do it through a single menu when you interact with your follower, and with more granularity than before. Importantly, these choices will not be wiped.
The radial wheel still exists but is only used for immediate orders, and is far quicker and easier to maneuver, both on keyboard and controller, which is important once swords start swinging. Hold down the command button, point in the direction of your order, and release. Commands have been narrowed down to a situational Go Here/Attack command, Defend Here, and Flee.
We’re excited about this change because it enables a style of play which some players may have avoided simply due to the limiting interface and responsiveness, which is now unlocked for them. Commands are snappy and the response feels immediate.
In a game like Conan Exiles, the importance of inventory management cannot be overstated. In this update, we’re adding several improvements such as a quick stack button (stacks unstacked items into any container). In addition, for the inventory and crafting screen, item filtering, sorting, visible information, and general readability has been improved, making for an overall much smoother experience.
Battle Pass Progression
One thing we noticed with Battle Pass Progression was that it could funnel you into a specific style of gameplay which perhaps wasn’t what you most enjoy doing in the game, so we wanted to fix that. Now, almost anything that awards XP (killing, gathering, crafting) will also give Battle Pass progression.
The number of Challenges has been reduced to three, but they are more involved and award a much larger chunk of Battle Pass progression, with the goal of feeling more like a proper quest with a satisfying reward than a chore.
For those who enjoy keeping track of their Battle Pass progression, we’ve added a small notification whenever you unlock a new level. If you want to play without seeing this, you can switch it off in the options.
Once again, we want to thank all of you for your feedback and support. Make sure to share your impressions and report any bugs as we do listen and it does help. For example, after hearing of the issues some of you had with the new attack directionality, we added a new setting in the options: “Auto Face Forward on Attack”, which will become available in Chapter 4.
We look forward to hearing of all your adventures in the next update, and hope that these additions and improvements make them all the more legendary.
With a great snarling and snapping of teeth, Age of War – Chapter 4 approaches. When it arrives on April 2, keep your back to the wall, and scan the moonlit land for movement. In the Sacred Hunt, the roles of predator and prey are only revealed when blood has already soaked the earth.
In today’s feature blog, we will explore the Sacred Hunt Event, how to take part in it, the awards that await, and the terrifying beast that stirs at the heart of it all. Will you prove yourself a match for Jhebbal Sag’s Champions?
A New Camp
Once the update has arrived and night has fallen, the hunt begins. In the wilds at night, Werehyenas are ambushing lone travelers. Meet them with iron and steel. Should you survive, make sure to loot their bodies, as they may have a map on them with clues to your next destination. Alternatively, you may see a mysterious light in the sky. Follow it, and you will find the camp of Jhebbal Sag.
Here you will meet the Bloody Tongue of Jhebbal Sag, a priest of the Lord of Beasts, who will tell you more about her patron and his Sacred Hunt. When Stygia, in their arrogance and avarice, trampled across the wilds to invade the Exiled Lands, the wilds took note. Now, Jhebbal Sag has called for a Sacred Hunt, and woe betide anyone who gets in its way.
Beneath the ruins of al-Merayah, a cave has been discovered. There, you may discover more hints at what Stygia disturbed.
Speaking to the Bloody Tongue of Jhebbal Sag, you can choose to opt out of the Sacred Hunt, and should you wish to return to it, you can do that too, at any point. Opting out of the Sacred Hunt will prevent you from being ambushed at night, but as you will see, the hunt avails the survivor.
Werehyenas you slay will drop fangs which you can take to the camp vendor to purchase a wide range of new cosmetic recipes, including but not limited to the Throne of Jhebbal Sag, the Statue of Jhebbal the Skull Warhammer, various wall paints, and even a Werehyena Hunter Companion.
Challenge the Champions
Should you wish to gain the favor of Jhebbal Sag, you must hunt his champions. These formidable beasts, branded by Jhebbal Sag, are spread across the land, and must be summoned with special lures. The lures can be acquired from the camp vendor with fangs.
Armor has no place in these savage struggles of will. Shed it and adorn yourself in the ritual war paint of Jhebbal Sag. Weapons, on the other hand, are permitted.
Defeating a single Champion will not impress Jhebbal Sag. Your goal is to best them all, and with a prize collected from each, you will bike ready to face the final Champion. The journey to its lair will require travel not by land but by spirit. The Bloody Tongue of Jhebbal Sag will give you the details on how to walk this path.
Within the chamber of this mad beast, you may uncover a shred of understanding into the nature of gods. Whether you will make it out is doubtful.
And for those who have uncovered all the deepest secrets of the Sacred Hunt, an even greater beast can be summoned, with a special reward awaiting whoever defeats it.
Other Features in Chapter 4
Chapter 4 is a big update, and the new event is only a part of it. Inspired by Age of Conan, we are also introducing the Fatalities system, giving you the ability to finish off enemy human NPCs in brutal kill moves, with each weapon type getting its own unique animation.
You can also look forward to expanded purges with new enemies and defenses, improved Battle Pass Progression, and other major quality of live improvements to follower control and inventory management.
Keep an eye out for our next blog, where we will be diving deeper into each of these new features.
And before you go, make sure to stop by your Tavern once the Sacred Hunt has begun. Rumors tell of a wanderer who speaks in riddles and shares curious tales with those who are willing to listen...
Age of War – Chapter 4 arrives on April 2. A big thanks goes out to all of you for your support, and especially everyone who has played and given valuable feedback on our open Beta branch. Hunt well, Exiles
Using the Burning Siege Boulder Trebuchet Ammo at the new Luxur Camp on Isle of Siptah may cause a server crash
Items may vanish when moving them to the inventory * This is due to desync between client and server. Logging out/back in will resolve the missing issues and they will be back where they belong
Placing items into Thrall-pet inventories causes them to vanish * Resolved, but the fix didn’t make it into the public beta build
Controller Functionality
If disconnected from the server, you will need to close/reopen your client to regain controller functionality
The controller will not function/navigate in the thrall equipment panel
New Additions
Seasonal Event: “The Sacred Hunt”
Players are ambushed at night by followers of Jhebbal Sag
Ambush enemies can drop a Map leading to the new event hub
A large beam of light can also be seen shooting into the sky signifying the camps position
The hub has a Vendor and Quest NPC to interact with, as well as a crafting table (Altar of Jhebbal Sag) to craft Grand Champion Lures
Purchase Champion Lures at the Vendor NPC using the Gnarled Fangs dropped from Ambush NPCs
Use Champion Lures at a small number of locations around the map (exact locations are hinted to by camp NPCs) to summon a champion to defeat
Champions (including the final boss) take minimal damage unless the player is naked and wearing the bodypaint purchased at the hub vendor
Use materials acquired from Champions found on the map to craft the Grand Champion Lure at the hub Altar of Jhebbal Sag after speaking to the Bloody Tongue of Jhebbal Sag NPC
Purchase and drink the Potion of the Hunt from Vendor to teleport to the Boss Arena
Use Grand Champion Boss Lure to summon the Werebear final boss
Fatalities
Chance for enemy humanoids to go into a “Dazed State” upon death strike
Once dazed, the player can perform a fatality if facing the front of the dazed enemy and attacking using a melee weapon
Performing a fatality adds a buff that stacks
Follower Overhaul
Control over follower behavior has been removed from the follower radial and replaced with a new menu in the follower's inventory panel
Follower Command Radial has been reworked for ease of input, it now makes selections on release rather than requiring a second click/button tap
New "Flee" command will instruct your followers to run from combat and regroup with you
New "Wait/Defend Here" command will instruct your followers to stand in the indicated location until instructed otherwise. Aggressive and Defensive followers will fight to defend the location while Passive and Pacifist followers (such as mounts) will avoid combat while staying near the location.
"Attack" and "Return" commands have been reworked to be more reliable when the follower is already in combat
"Stop" command has been removed
Destructible Camps in Siptah
Small camps that are destructible at X’Chotl and New Luxur in Siptah
Enemies do not respawn until base reset
Base reset occurs on timer if no one is nearby as well as after the boss is defeated and all players leave the vicinity
New Purge Encounters
Thieves, Champions, Golems, Starcaller
These encounters are aimed at higher difficulty purges and offer the purge new ways to counter your defenses. Good luck!
Purges above difficulty 9 no longer have Prisoner waves
New Buildable Siege Weapon - the Ballista!
Ballista is unlocked via the knowledge menu tab at level 30
Built on a Siege Weapon Base, which is built on top of a Siege Foundation. The Siege Weapon Base can then be upgraded into either the Trebuchet, or the Ballista
Interact with the front of the Ballista to open its inventory, and the back (where the cranks are) to operate it.
Hold down secondary/heavy attack to charge up the ballista
Fire with primary attack
Ballista ammunition is crafted inside the Ballista
Two different kinds of ammunition, each with 3 tiers: Bolts and Balls.
Bolts are excellent against living targets, and have a particular effectiveness against avatars
Balls deal good point-based siege damage
Ammunition can be selected in the Ballista's inventory, just like the Trebuchet
Quality of Life Improvements
Inventory Management Overhaul
Welcome to an all new Inventory Experience! We’ve been hard at work making the inventory and inventory management a better experience for all Exiles. Here are some of the changes you’ll find in the public beta:
Updated sorting and item filters
There are now 13 unique item filters which you can use to sort and filter your inventory based on associated item tags/identifiers
Added Quick Stack and Quick Split functionality
Quick Stack: Interacting with a container will now display a button to grab/offload all matching item types in the container and your inventory.
Pressing the button a second time will place all/grab all non-matching items as well
Quick Split: Right Click/Right-Bumper will now halve the selected stack of items
Several clicks will split the stack into the same stack
Better present the available inventory actions
Buttons at the bottom of the inventory will now always be in the same location
Buttons will no longer be hidden in a sub-menu
Dye Changes
The dye functionality has been moved to the dyer’s bench, with a new inventory slot where you place your armor and then press the “dye” button to open up the available options.
Added several new icons
Cleaned up the interface of several windows
Introduced more visual consistency between crafting and inventory windows
Added new default keybindings
Select: A / No keyboard binding
Back: B
Use/Equip: X / F
Split: RB / Right click
Give: RT / R
Give all/take all/quick stack/restock: LT / Q
Info: A (long press) / no keyboard binding
Drop: Y / Space
Start crafting station: LT (long press)
Cycle sort: R3
Bugfixes
General Fixes and Tweaks
Fixed a crash in the Black Galleon on Single Player for lower-spec PCs
Fixed an issue causing hunting-chests to have unintended loot
Fixed an issue prevent hatch-frames from being placed next to wedge ceiling pieces
Fixed an issue which allowed characters to use tools on nodes that are intended to be picked up by hand
Exception: Sickles can still be used on bushes
Fixed an issue which would teleport players inside of the Wolf Cave outside
NPCs at Mek-Kamoses spire will no longer stop spawning due to nearby landclaim
Siege foundations now follow overlapping rules better, and cannot be placed halfway into other building pieces
The White Tiger and nearby NPCs can now properly navigate their terrain
Fish Traps and Shellfish Traps have had their bait values adjusted to properly reflect their chances of catching specific fish with a given bait type
The cheer emote is now usable in the radial wheel after learning it
Characters will no longer hold dual axes incorrectly when in the relaxed combat pose.
Players may now target-lock limbs of Apes, Rocknose Kings, and the Kryllandian
The Scorpion Queen now has a 100% drop rate for a Scorpion egg sack
Tinkerer Journey step text has been updated to correctly identify the “Apprentice Armorsmith Knowledge” as the required knowledge to progress the journey
The last step of the Thrall Taker’s Journey will now properly complete when placing a thrall from the bench’s inventory
Fixed an issue where some epic weapons did not trigger the "Craft an Epic Weapon" Warsmith journey step
Finding a language dictionary will no longer notify the player that they have found a relic fragment
Repainted several transparent stones at the Mounds of the Dead
Adjusted collision detection for fish trophies so that they cannot be placed in unintended locations
It is now possible to dye all of the armor pieces from the Champion’s armor set
Craft and Craft-All no longer share a default key binding
Stormglass pieces no longer have rain pass through them
Thralls placed too close to one another no longer struggle to find their home-location after a fight
Several Avatars on Xbox have had their Potion of Invisibility revoked, and are now visible as intended
Items behind the Aesir wall can no longer be plundered from the outside
Dying in the Kurak dungeon no longer prevents the player’s corpse from being summoned
Followers now receive XP when killing an enemy with weapons that have the Execution effect
Isscar the Sellsword will now properly despawn (after 10 minutes) when freed from his cage in the Purge
He will also realize that he has been freed, and stop asking to be let out of the cage he is no longer trapped in
Hyborian Fighters in the Well of Skelos will no longer fight the Serpent mini-boss in the same area
Removed floating flooring at Muriela’s Hope
Conan can no longer be target-locked, as he is ~~too~~ exactly as powerful as he should be
Items and Equipment Fixes
The King Below will once again drop the Diadem of Kings
The Sword of Crom now properly deals damage to all enemy types, even when held by Thralls
Eldarium Cache and Bag of Essences now have updated icons
Camel Mount and Camel Saddles no longer mention horses in their long descriptions
Adjusted the HP value of the Forlorn Crypt Iron Doorframe
The Training Dummy can now be spawned from the admin panel
Corrected a spelling error in Unholy Communion Armor
Updated the placement of several weapons in Weapon Display Racks
Spears with the Sweeping Property can now be used while mounted
Re-positioned Thrall placement for the Improved Stove to prevent clipping
The Wine Cellar boss Thag now correctly drops Khari Steel
Standardizing nomenclature
War Torn items now have the same spelling/notation
Beds building category is now Bedroom
Shelves category is now Cabinets and Shelves
Adjusted placement of several items in the Construction Hammer menus
Nemedian Peasant and Decadence sets have had their crafting requirements updated to match other cloth-based sets
Characters who entered the “Quick-Draw” stance after interacting with Smart Objects have had their gun and spurs revoked, and will no longer act like a wild west gunslinger
Purified Water no longer indicates that it has durability
Fixed a Typo with the Potion of Invisibility
Rolling with a drawn bow will no longer result in the bowstring remaining stuck in the drawn state
Fixed an issue where several armor sets could not be delved
Heroic Treasures can once again be placed near coffers
Fixed the missing audio on spears' heavy third attack
On April 2, we unleash the beast that is Age of War – Chapter 4, bringing a new level of brutality to Conan Exiles.
Get ready for expanded purges, fatalities, a new Battle Pass progression system, a new siege weapon, and a brand-new event. Teeth will chip, claws will tear, and blood will flow!
Public Beta
Get a taste of the savagery you can expect in Chapter 4 in our public Beta, available right now on Steam. Keep in mind that it’s an early build and everything is a work in progress. Your bug reports and feedback have a huge impact, thank you!
Chapter 4 Features
In previous Chapters we have been laying foundations on which to build new kinds of content. In Chapter 4, you will see the first payoff from this.
The Sacred Hunt Event – Beasts stir in the shadows as gods walk the land. Sensing a sacred reckoning, hunters are roused to prowl the night, attacking the unwary. This new event brings a new story, hub location, great enemies to fell, and more.
Expanded Purges – More and more eyes, filled with avarice, turn to your home, bringing new kinds of threats, including foul sorcerers, lock-picking thieves, and more. As the threats amass outside your walls, your defenses rise to meet them with the new ballista.
Fatalities – Brutality returns to Conan Exiles! Finish off dazed enemies in a variety of gloriously gory cinematic animations. Dismemberment is not optional.
Improved Battle Pass Progression – Based on community feedback, we are improving how Battle Pass experience is earned. Firstly, there will be fewer challenges, but they will be bigger and more involved. On top of these bigger chunks of XP, you will progress at a steady rate from most activities you perform while playing, to avoid the feeling that you need to play a certain way to progress.
Discover more in our Livestream
On March 8, at 17:00 CET / 11:00 ET, Join Associate Game Director Dennis Douthett and Lead Community Managers Andy Benditt and Nicole Rasner as they show off some of the new features in Chapter 4. You can catch the stream on our Twitch and Youtube channels.
We’ll have more to share in the weeks leading up to the launch, including feature deep dives and more, so keep your eyes on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram!
If you defeated the Stygian Commander in the Siege of al-Merayah in Chapter 3, you may think the Age of War has come to a close. But in these lands, the beast of war never quite ceases to stir, and now, something old and hungry awakens.
Join our Associate Game Director Dennis Douthett and Senior Community Managers Andy Benditt and Nicole Rasner on March 8 to discover some of the new features coming in the next major update and Battle Pass.
The Developer Livestream begins 17:00 CET/11:00 EST on March 8 on Twitch and YouTube.
As you may already know, we have several pots cooking here at Funcom. While our dedicated Conan Exiles Team has been working on new updates, we’d like to give you a peek at what's simmering under the lid of the brand-new game our other team has been working on, Dune: Awakening.
We just released our first ever Dune: Awakening Direct, a major showcase of the game, hosted by the amazing Soe Gschwind! If our next take on Survival MMO on Arrakis piques your interest, we urge you to head over and watch it. There’s a game trailer, a seven-minute featurette, and an interview with our Creative Director, Joel Bylos.
As we always say, your feedback is extremely important to us, and we’re always looking to improve our ways of making sure it’s heard.
As the team works hard on what’s coming in 2024, we want to hear your thoughts on Chapter 3.
We read as much online feedback as we can across all our channels, but player surveys are a great framework to get opinions on specific topics, while also getting feedback from people who do not usually leave comments.
Your thoughts genuinely make a difference to the ongoing development of Conan Exiles, so if you want us to hear you loud and clear, please take a few minutes to go through our player survey:
It’s 2024 and time we looked back at some achievements and challenges for Conan Exiles in 2023. Your ongoing support drives our efforts to develop fresh content for the game. Let’s look back at the year’s highlights and some of the hurdles we’re determined to overcome.
Five Years of Adventure 2023 was a big deal here as we celebrated the 5th Launch Anniversary of Conan Exiles on May 8. This marked half a decade since we’ve been developing content and playing this game together. Our journey, including our Steam Early Access launch, now spans over six years – a testament to the game’s enduring appeal and your continued support.
Switching to the Age system back in 2022 was a huge decision, and this past year has shown the advantages of constant releases and a regular cadence.
In 2023, we wrapped up Age of Sorcery with its 3rd chapter and released Age of War – Chapter 1 along with its 2nd and 3rd Chapters. You’ve tested your skills against Kurak as well as the Stygian Legion, and you’ve expanded your settlements with Clan Hoards, Emblems, and now Taverns. You’ve bolstered your defenses with Golems and guard stations so you could withstand the full wrath of revamped Purges, and even took the fight to the enemy in the Siege of al-Merayah.
This amount of content, coupled with updates to existing core features like Combat and the Journey System, has all been possible to develop and add to the game for free thanks to the Age and Chapter system.
This community’s creativity and passion were remarkable in 2023, and the team appreciates all you do immensely. We’re thrilled to roll out our new Creator Program and would like to thank our amazing content creators who joined up and made videos, guides, streams, and communities that shape the Exiled Lands. The Mystic Masterpieces Art Contest and Yogtoberfest Halloween Screenshot Contest showcased some amazing talent, and we’re constantly in awe of all the spirit and dedication of our modding community. You’re all an inspiration!
Despite these successes, we faced some challenges as well. We recognize that some of our releases have not been as smooth as we would like and affected your experience. Recently, the launch of Age of War Chapter 3 was hampered by some significant issues that needed urgent attention. This is not acceptable, and we are implementing steps to ensure each update meets your expectations, such as managing scope more effectively and improved testing procedures.
As we continue the journey into 2024, our commitment to you is as strong as ever: For one, performance and optimization is a constant focus, and we are committed to keeping a focus on console performance and game optimization.
To improve our communication further, we are also starting a new initiative to run player surveys after each Chapter release, the first of which arriving next week.
We have tons more new content and features planned, as well as Quality of Life improvements you’ve been asking for, to ensure that Conan Exiles continues to be the game you love and the community you can never get enough of.
We can’t wait to share all this with you over the coming months, beginning with the Age of War – Chapter 4, arriving in Q1 2024.
Thank you for your continued support, enthusiasm, and feedback. Here’s to an even more adventurous 2024!
Addressed several undermesh locations and a method for travel from undermesh bases
New server setting: BuildingValidationEnabled (true/false) - false by default
Setting this to “true” will upon server startup destroy any building piece with no stability
Note to server admins: consider carefully whether to turn this on or not, and perhaps testing locally first, as constructions made before more recent bug fixes might be impacted
Yamatai Floor Pillow is now located in the “Decorative” category in the construction hammer menu to avoid confusion about functionality
Armor display stands now correctly show the armors’ dyed looks
Armor display stands no longer turn partially invisible upon loading
Female armor display stand once again reflects gravity
Vanir Chieftain Hammer now displays correctly on a display rack
Dead Leg and The Glasser now correctly requires an improved workbench (or better) to be crafted
Jhebbal Sag is no longer invulnerable to projectile attacks
Camels can now be placed in stables
Prisoners rescued from cages on Isle of Siptah will no longer be ungrateful and just walk away
Thralls now consistently turn to face their enemies before taking a swing at them
Thralls assigned to bar stools (and other less important objects) now return to their correct position after a bar fight (and other less important activities)
Purge Demolishers have been toned down
The Siege of al-Merayah
Fixed a condition where the siege would not reset properly
Resets no longer keeps additional surviving defenders around for next time
Vanquishing Commander Bak-Nimlot now provides less XP
Commander Bak-Nimlot is now always audible over other sounds
Added a short delay on the final fanfareVoidforge weapons no longer disappear from corpses on Isle of Siptah
Purge bases will no longer spawn outside the Curse Wall
The “Craft a trap” journey step now resolves when placing a trap using the construction hammer
Fixed visual on Corsair Cutlass basket-hilt when viewed from a bit farther away
Data Collection Policy prompt will now open in a browser if Steam Overlay is disabled
Setting for auto-facing on attack removed as it was no longer used