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Conan Exiles Preview

( PC , Out now in Early Access )
If ever there was a fantasy setting suited to the burgeoning ‘ survival ’ genre , it ’ s the Hyborean Age of Robert E Howard ’ s Conan stories : savage , brutal , and grim . Funcom ’ s latest Conan title , Conan Exiles , casts you as a criminal , exiled to an untamed land , and lets you loose in its open world , armed with nothing but your wits .
If you survive long enough – not an easy prospect – you can begin building a shelter ; somewhere to store your belongings and a safe place from which you can respawn when you die out in the wilderness . There ’ s no perma-death , but you ’ ll loose anything you were carrying when you died , unless you venture out to recover your corpse . Yes , Everquest-style corpse runs are back en vogue . Should you survive long enough , you can eventually start capturing other human exiles , turning them into your thralls by breaking them on the Wheel of Pain , and putting them to work for you – crafting , defending your possessions from other players , and so on ( note : although the game is designed to be played online , you can host a private server just for yourself or friends ).
Crush your enemies – but start small . Even antelope can kill you pretty easily .
Scavenging and crafting are the order of the day , and you swiftly learn to cobble together basic weapons and tools to gather materials and defend yourself against beasts and other exiles . Rocks , plants , wood and nourishment are your chief objects of desire to begin with , enough to let you craft a stone axe , pickaxe , simple clothing and a fire to cook food with .
Starvation is another likely cause of death . And undeath .
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