So, I’ve been thinking about trying to challenge myself by making a character on Singleplayer that doesn’t use followers apart from possibly a horse and was wondering if anyone had hints to make life easier. I remember a really nice thread along similar lines loaded with helpful tips and plan to read through it again soon. I don’t know much about the Conan world’s lore, so I’m not sure that I would be doing a full RP like @Croms_Faithful, but I’ll give it a fair try. Any “rules” or tips from fellow forum members would be appreciated.
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Start pillaging camps as soon as you are able. The Darfari are really good for getting that first iron bar and set of light armour, that way you won’t need a forge or armouring bench too soon.
Think I did need to “stretch” to a Tannery, but apart from that and a campfire and a place to hide from sandstorms I could be fairly nomadic. It was really good fun.
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The Armorer’s Bench is something I’m pretty good at, actually. I can usually have a full set of light armor crafted within 20 minutes of starting a character. And when I’m trying to run light-weight, I use that or an artisan table for early game storage space.
I’ve tried loads of different methods to reach the iron-tier, and I always keep coming back to the Sepermaru region. I keep trying other places, and never like them.
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I also like to learn the Dafari weapons recipe early on. That way you can repair then if you loot one prior to an iron weapon bbtech. I know they become reduntant super quickly, but if you should happen to do what I suggest next it does come into play.
I love Conan Exiles to death. But I honestly feel that the first 20 or so levels just go by sooo quickly. Which is kind of a shame, because they are the times when the survival aspect is the most influential, and we do appear poverty stricken. To overcome this I find it is fun to turn the levelling progression, such as exp rates right down until I hit level 30, then turn it back up thereafter. That way it doesnt feel like we hit the upper echelon so quickly. We must instead struggle and grind our way there.
Just a suggestion of course. To each man his own fun bbtech.
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If I were going to set a goal, I would probably make it either the Red Mother, or maybe my typical UC frag farming loop.
That is very interesting especially when coupled with your suggestion to change the level progression. I had always been disappointed by the Darfari weapons feat because you need to be at iron tier to craft them (75 iron ingot for blacksmith bench), at which point I would just make iron weapons. I didn’t think of looting one. I don’t like changing from default rates, so I’ll have to debate this in my mind for a while. Which settings do you change and to what new values would you recommend?
When I was experimenting with trying to find good settings for video recording, I recorded myself for the first hour of a new character. I think I hit level 21 within that hour. It’s become a habit for me to focus on Journey Steps to achieve levels quickly.
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Well thanks for that. I don’t know why I thought they were crafted in the blacksmith. Maybe I just didn’t pay close enough attention. That makes them significantly more valuable for early game.
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No that is fine bbtech, dont let me tell you what to do, I am only floating a few suggestions. It is actually something which I only tapped into fairly recently myself. For me it is more about making the feeling of impoverishment of the lower levels feel like it lasts closer to the amount of time the levels 40-60 duration spans. Like yourself I also tend to focus on Journey Steps for levelling early on. But the issue (*just for me personally) is that the early Journey Steps are on the one hand sooo easy to complete, and on the other hand the amount of actual exp needed to reach the next level is much smaller around that point (further compounded by the passive exp gains when Levelling . For me it makes each level up up feel more like a milestone, and each Attribute point allocation like both a relief and a big reward. But then I just love a challenge too, and have requested a ‘Hardcore’ difficulty be added in the past.
RE- the Dafari Weapons. Thanks drachenfeles. I will be honest bbtech their window of usefulness is still relatively short and niche, and when it comes to finding one as loot there is an element of luck involved too. But I am also a completionist at heart and like to find ALL recipes in the game. It is a tad silly both Dafari and Iron weapons unlock at level 10, as it often makes Dafari weapons technically reduntant either immediately or shortly thereafter depending on on the players courses of action. I personally feel that either Dafari should be lowered to say 5-8, or Iron should be raised to around 15. In fact I feel that a number of the weapon types/tiers could do with a bit of a reshuffle.
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True, but that window can be opened for quite a while. If you haven’t collected enough bones to craft them by the time you reach the recipes, it’s not much more effort to reach the boxes to loot bones from at Skulker’s End. When selecting a weapon to use, damage isn’t the only consideration. The weapon type and associated animations & attack patterns factor in. I love using a 1H axe, but I thought there was no way to get one without investing the time and effort required for reaching iron tier. This gives me a 1H axe without forcing me into the investment costs and time of iron, and I am already thinking of ways that this newfound liberation can be utilized.
I would love to see a permanent death option officially implemented. It completely changes the way you play when everything is being wagered.
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Conan Exiles quit being a solo game last year.
We can make level 30 in less than 4 hours, on an official server, and never leaving the river area.
The only weapon you need is the OP spear. Stone at 8, then iron, then steel at 30. You can change after that.
(works best on crocs, hyenas, and kappa)
Horse at 15 (pack mule) Riding at 20. We even run up to the forest area and get the flowers for horse food (cept now they gimped that) and a wolf cub or more.
With your sand mask at 30, thrall gathering (why start before that. You will die a lot like Firespark does. We make 30 and never die.
Armor at 10, We start with Conan’s armor (EA armor) but light then medium are easy.
The rag a muffin way of starting off Conan is counter productive.
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I’ve tried and tried to use the spear and I just hate using it. I would rather use a warhammer, and the only use I have for those is tossing them into a dismantling bench.
Sorry, not sure what you mean. Could you please rephrase?
I have to disagree with you about Spears still being OP at this point Hyborian_Jones. They may have been the undisputed king once, but its not 2018 anymore, and for me personally their time as a meta has long since expired. Ironically for me, crocodiles, kappas and imps are among the only enemies they are still good for. I used to carry a flawless Dragonbone Spear with me everywhere, but hardly ever use them anymore. The many nerfs have just steadily erroded their usefulness. They are generally weaker than Warhammers and Greatawords, they have horrendous stamina drain on the heavy attacks, while rendering the player virtually imobile on the light, they only apply bleed on the fourth blow, animation cancelling is cumbersome with them now, and their attacks are more easily interrupted than a wealthy industrialist at a greenpeace rally.
Sure I find I can still prevail against weaker enemies with them, such as The Summoning Place or Sinners Refuge. But there is just no way I would use them in serious battles against upper level opponents anymore, and especially not large groups of them. For example, I would try to take out a World Boss or clear the Mounds of the Dead with one nowadays. War Axes are the way foward now.
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I find myself using this strategy a lot over the course of many characters. It seems to be very effective for my playstyle.
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I was in the UC farming skeletons trying to reach level 60. Decided to try the Red Mother from horseback, and was successful. It still felt a little cheezy to me being on horseback for the fight. I started collecting some fragments and was about to fight the Brute(?) giant undead hyena looking thing when I got the 10 minute notice that a Purge of Relic Hunter Scouts was coming. I had reached level 60 but hadn’t had the chance yet to craft any of the Epic gear. Managed the purge just fine, although a little more slowly than I would have liked since I didn’t have any followers for base defense and since the spawn point was a considerable distance from my base. KO’d a Seeker Iris (fighter) and Asunker of the Weald (carpenter) out of the event. I’m having fun so far. I think I’ll keep going. Instead of a basic proficiency I’ve gotten quite skilled with a truncheon, and I’ve learned a lot about mounted combat, the timing, maneuvering the horse properly, etc (still can’t use a joust).
Farming the UC for fragments is a lot different without a follower (leaving the horse at home now also). I’m not sure I’d say it’s more difficult, but it’s much different. Tactics that worked before are useless now. Pretty sure it takes longer without a thrall than with one. I’ve killed the Red Mother a few times so I feel I’ve developed a good strategy for her.
@Croms_Faithful have you ever killed the King Rhino solo? He always gets me with the trample attack early on and I’ve never had time to formulate a battle strategy against him.
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And this is exactly the point that the console stops. Every single rhino or reptile monstrosity can block you under their feet. The bugs are too many for having this kind of experience right now. Every single opponent has a combo of attacks, sooner or later you learn it 
. Some times however, without any reason you have lags from bugs, not from connection, from bugs. When this happens, you regret the thought to do the solo effort. I know that i sound a little ‘too much’, but for me it happens so often that i stopped doing it. However my favorite world bosses was the crock and the scorpion. It was dagger time .
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That’s what I’m trying to do, but that big rhino, I can’t stay alive long enough to study him.
No apology needed. That change has been a hotly debated one, and it directly affects a player’s ability to tackle content, solo or otherwise.
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@bbtech
MY opinion only but I play this same ‘Lone Wolf/Huntress’ all the time. Sometimes I de-level just to level all over again. There are some things (rules) you have to put in place yourself otherwise it will not be deemed an enjoyable experience.
The main thing about playing a great solo run is The Experience. I have done probably 12 solo runs now? It was the last 8 that were really fun and memorable. It was getting the game setup then plopping some Hard Core Rules that I forced myself to live by. I am actually thinking about doing it again for the enjoyment (level 75 now…level 300 mod).
Game Setup:
- This will not be fun in Vanilla/Default…so…customize it. Can all be done from Settings or INI!
- Slow down XP gain from Crafting…Player XP Craft Multiplier :: 0.1 (Big One!)
- Set Harvesting Mult to :: 1.9 (Will only give 1 Egg/Head/Etc)
- Set NPC Respawn Multiplier :: 10.0 (Keeps respawning down to more realism/fair)
- Set NPC Health Multiplier :: 2.0-3.0 (makes most NPCs better fights…keeps more interest!)
*Adjust as necessary. Try 2.0 first though for at least 10 levels.
*If on PC use a Reduced Boss HP like COOP Boss HP by dakka…this one is very good. - Set NPCDamageMultiplier :: 2.0 (keeps you tactical in combat…strategy and focus…alive!)
- Set Player XP Kill Multiplier :: 1.9 (for XP of Kills). So Kills and Exploration is your main XP
- Set Player XP Time Multiplier :: 0.5 (Slows down…XP for surviving in game.)
- Set Player Active Hunger Multiplier :: 2.50 (Keeps needing 2-4 meals a day…also requires adventure to stock up foods)
- Set Player Active Thirst Multiplier :: 2.50 (Keep hydrated with drinks…water/juice/etc)
- Set Land Claim Radius Multiplier :: 0.2 (more natural)
- Set Day Cycle Speed Scale :: 0.7 (a lot longer day)
- Set Day Time Speed Scale :: 0.7
- Set Night Time Speed Scale :: 0.2 (makes night a little longer and allows taking pee/beer breaks)
- Set Dawn Dusk Speed Scale :: 0.7 (nice Sunrise and Sunset!)
*The idea is ~45min Day Hours, ~20min Night Hours - Set Thrall Conversion Multiplier :: 0.2 (affects Pets/Horses too…basically slow it down for more fun)
There are some other things you can do but those are the main ones to provide a GREAT play experience. PM me and I can give you a link to my INI file if you want. Works the same in Server or Single Player
Game Play:
- Now that the environment is Fixed we can play. When coming from the desert don’t delay! Get to the river quickly! Dive in and Drink! You will need to get food quickly too and build up stocks. Survival is rough for 30 levels!
- Actually RP your character! Think about how many building pieces s/he could actually build and stick with it. Build a tight cozy place and make it yours over time. Go swimming and make it a point to be clean or just sit and relax watching the sun set. Be savage if you want…but remember that if you are dirty that when you get cut…you need herbs and poulstices (wraps or Aloe) to keep disease down. RP it for fun!
- You will want a pet. Just one. Replace it later after it dies.
- After level 20 you can/should find a companion (yeah they are very dull) but they can be enjoyable in a Cast Away style of thought. WILSON! hahaha. Even a Lone Wolf needs some social life…especially to get the hormones settled! Conan S-xiles (mod) can help here since there is the Adult thing but also you can Emote them and give them more life. The Adult part is a tool…use it or not…but the Emotes for your Companion is really nice! The mod is also incredibly stable.
- Super Important! NO BLACK ICE or STAR METAL anything! Hardened Steel is as top end as you want. You will need Star Metal for some recipes…but don’t use it general purpose. These top end severely breaks the game! So keep it interesting and use Hardened Steel! Looks nice too! Yeah this does mean DLC items are kind of a cannot use since there is nothing in between Iron and Epic tier. Epic DLC stuff may be the exception to the Star Metal rule BUT…with Fashionist (mod) you can LOOK different than what you WEAR/EQUIP! This means Weapons Too! You have to enable the Weapons but works really well. Also when you unequip your weapon/shield/tool it hangs on your body. Nice!
- Use only your house and 1 or 2 outposts. No quick travel…just run/ride. Make it as real as possible.
- Once you hit level 60! Have a good drink and congratulate yourself!
So in essence…
Keep a log of how many pets you lost, followers lost, names of them as well! How many times did you die? Keep it all in a spreadsheet so you can see how you did! It all adds up into making this game a lot of fun and removes the thought of the grind. It also gives you a challenge to see if you can do better next time or at least match it. Don’t cheat and just throw oopsies to the wind…track them! Get to at least level 40 before giving up on a really battered adventurer (retiring from injuries). Be the adventurer.
MY opinion! Enjoy!
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Some interesting ideas. I’ll have to think them over when I restart next time. If I had to guess, I’ll probably keep this character for about 1 week more before I abandon it. I doubt I change default multiplier rates though.
Does not compute. Lol. Even if I started out trying to RP, I know myself well enough that I would eventually ignore the RP aspect and focus on function.
Actually, I’ve already been using this limitation on my current character. The only exception was when I crafted armor for a recently captured thrall. I placed her for Purge base defense.
I often rename followers to give them joke names. My character name is Lone Wolf. I have 2 horses named ‘El Lobo’ (the wolf) and ‘Solo en el Mundo’ (alone in the world). The purge thrall I captured was Seeker Iris. I renamed her to ‘Pupil’ for the double meaning - iris & pupil are parts of the eye, but also pupil is the student and I am the master.
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Yes I have bbtech, although somewhat deviously at times. To succeed in this battle you need to be able to absord as much damage as possible, and deal as much as possible. You dont want this to become a knockdown drag-out battle. I recommend Strength 50 and Vitality 50 also. At the very least, have a full stack of Ambrosia, Aloe Extract and Roast Haunch on hand. I used medium armor and had a Shield onhand, but then I always do. I cant recall if we can block his running charge with one or not, as it has been a good while since I battled him now. When you first encounter him, place a Bedroll nice and close to his spawn point. This way if he kills you, you can jump straight back into the fray (hopefully) before he regains his health. When he does do his running charge I roll dodge towards or diagonally left/right of him. Then follow up with counter strikes. Using the terrain wisely here is also a big part of this battle. As @drachenfeles has already suggested, snake your way in and out of the trees when battling him to set up good attack opportunities. Also stay as close as possible to the pond as possible; if your health situation deteriorates then swim across the centre to the other side and heal up while the big lug has to walk right around it. Mwahaha. 
That is how I usually go about batling him anyway.
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That was part of the strategy I recently developed for the Red Mother. In times like that, avoiding damage isn’t the goal, but giving yourself hyperarmor so your movements can’t be interrupted. I’ve never assigned all 50 points to Vitality or Strength before. That would be an interesting build. My guess is that the shield doesn’t block the running charge, because if I remember correctly, it doesn’t block it for the normal rhinos.
I’m a clumsy old fool. I usually fight the one at Set City because it’s close to my base, and the trees & rocks hurt me as much as they help me 
but appreciate the tips. I’ll study up next time I attempt to fight him.
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