You’ve seen what Conan Exiles looks like. We’ve talked about what the game is and isn’t in terms of genre and gameplay features. Now it’s time to show you some of the things you’ll be seeing when you first start out.

It’s time to talk about character creation and your first steps through the Exiled Lands.

Choose your character

We’ve been getting a lot of questions from the community about our character creator. Players are wondering what it will look like, how robust the tools are and whether their favorite races from Age of Conan will be making a return. Hair has also been a popular topic of conversation from time to time.

In Conan Exiles you’ve been cast out, crucified and left to die for criminal charges. Whether you’ve actually committed these crimes or not is irrelevant. You are now forever trapped in the Exiled Lands. On this very cross is where character creation takes place.

For our character creator we’re drawing on our MMORPG expertise to create something new for the genre. We start you out with some prefabricated faces and features which can then be tweaked and adjusted in different ways. Players will be able to create their Hyborian selves with a variety of different options. At the moment we have 11 hairstyles, a wide range of skin colors and 14 races and ethnicities, all drawn from Robert E. Howard’s universe and offered to the players from the very beginning. Offering a large number of options for players is very important to us.

A small portion of some of the things you can alter.

Once you decide to finalize your character you’ll be presented with your crimes. The game pulls three crimes from a big master list, some of which are more humorous than others. After you’re done a certain someone shows up to cut you down from the cross. You are then free to live, slay and survive your way through the Exiled Lands.

Building your shelter

Your first course of action should be finding food and water and getting out of the desert. A waterskin recovered from the corpse of a nearby traveler might offer you some respite from the heat, but it will only be temporary. Going through the desert you’ll want to stay away from the giant stone pillars that surround the area. That is the Cursewall which marks the edges of the Exiled Lands. Beyond the Cursewall lies certain death.

The Cursewall runs the circumference of the Exiled Lands.

You’ll want to make your way towards the big mountains in the distance. If you pass through some old, decrepit ruins you are on the right track. On the way you should gather any stone and branches you come across. This will let you craft your first tools: a simple stone hatchet and a pickaxe. However, the best protection comes from having a sword in your hand.

Conan’s world is fraught with dangers, plenty of which are also present within the Exiled Lands. Hungry imps and hyenas, desperate to feast upon the flesh of unlucky exiles, roam the banks of the river looking for their next meal. These threats can be defeated one-on-one with a sword and shield in hand, but their greatest strength lie in their numbers.

Sleeping under the stars would be unwise. The best protection comes from a well-built shelter. Though stone walls and foundations are easy to construct they remain sturdy in the face of both sandstorms and aggressive creatures.

This should get you through the first couple of in-game days in Conan Exiles. From here your journey forward is your own. Will you reign superior as king of the Exiled Lands, forcing others to toil under your sandaled feet? Or will you be a reaver, a slayer, carving a deadly swathe through an unknown landscape.

Your cross awaits, exiles.