It’s the middle of the summer and all the expansions are trying to cool us down.
Conan Exiles is getting into Early Access phase 2 and it means we will get a new expansion. The Frozen North is due to launch on August 16. It’s going to give us a completely new tundra location making the game 70% bigger. New challenges will also appear with the cold functioning as another survival aspect.
At the same time the update will hugely impact the performance of the game and iron out a multitude of bugs:
- Reworked combat with an improved “feel” – light and heavy attacks have been separated, and dodges now cancel animations.
- Improved AI for humanoids, so raider camps should provide more of a challenge, but equally, your own thralls should be more competent when defending your fortress.
- Speaking of which, building materials are now cheaper, so it should be easier to build the Barbarian Lair of your dreams. Crenellated walls, siege cauldrons, and traps and mines have all been added to deter attackers, as has a Dome of Protection for defense against hostile Avatars.
- On the flipside, attackers now get trebuchets.
- Hundreds of new items, including weapons, armor, and furniture, have been added since launch, with another 300 coming in The Frozen North. These include orbs, which are “based in practical alchemy,” says creative director Joel Bylos. “That is, the ability to mix together volatile chemicals in a glass orb.” You can mix chemicals to produce gas, oil, or explosions to destroy objects in the world.
- A new Journey System gives you goals to pursue in the world, lending a little structure to your adventuring, but these are entirely optional if you like to roam.
- A new religion dedicated to Ymir, the Lord of Storm and War, which means a new Avatar.
Joel Bylos, creative director of the game, said that the studio is hard at work and the amount of stuff being done in the Early Access period is truly impressive. The game is still scheduled for full release early in 2018.