I know it’s mainly a multiplayer game and I know you can escape the exiled lands by finding all the artifacts blah blah blah… I think the game needs a better plot.
The team behind ‘Exiles’ has all these factions in place, like the Black Hand, Dogs of the Desert, Lemurians, etc. What’s the point of their existence besides getting knocked out and enslaved? I mean, you’d think the team would be able to find a writer who can utilize the massive amount of source material left behind by Howard and those who continued on his work.
Instead of players having to just explore the map aimlessly, why not expand the interaction system, give more NPCs dialogue options, and create some quests that give us a chance of reward and a sense of urgency?
Sorry if I’m ranting, I just see so much potential in this game that’s just being sat on, waiting for someone to crack it open. Let me know your thoughts, in a civil manner, of course. Thanks 
Let me start by asking - do you realize this is what is known as a “sandbox” game, and what that means?
We have one, Crimes you may or not have commited and send to exile lands… and your left to your own devices after Conan frees you. Only find out later Amon may be one who sent you there.
Its all “loose” which i why it works. Forcing a plot deeper then that… it’ll end like fallout 4.
40 hours later, 100s of dead, new settlements, making out with Curie, freeing nuka world,
OH HEY!!! I should look for my son!
XD
This is marketed as a sandbox and in some ways it looks like a sandbox, but if we level all the bloated content, then the game starts to feel like a sandbox.
Game having no solid story has no sound structure to backup and the currently forced exploration doesn’t help the survival part at all; on contrary. The already included story is pale and uninteresting while the stretched progression forces us out of the sandbox. This doesn’t sound good to me.
With a properly enriching and enticing story, this doesn’t necessarily take anything away from the pool of choices. Instead it can add reason behind the variety of provided illusions to make the survival part of the game sturdier and therefore bolster the sandbox.
In other words, in this case if the survival part fails, sandboxing fails as well. If sandboxing fails, survival part doesn’t necessarily follow, but it doesn’t keep us immersed for long. What the story can bring to the table is logic and synergy.
AS much as i like a good story, Conan exiles doesn’t need to do much more than it has.
The game is definitely a push towards online open world sand box. And that is where the story is. Your interaction with other players, whether it is PVE or PVP. Even solo players who do not socialize on online servers add to the story. Your name probably comes up more than you think with other players who are on your server. PVP may talk of you like a non threat and let new players know, PVE may be no one really knows about that mystery exile who plays 10 hours a day, and they go on their own quest to find you bases and more about you.
For offline, yes the game has minimal story that drives your day to day reason to play. Instead it leaves it to your imagination, build what you want, when you want where you want on offline SP/CoOp. That is the beauty of it. My PVP chronicles alone would make a great HBO series:)
It’s too loose. That’s why it doesn’t work.
-
It’s so loose that I didn’t even notice it at first.
I had to look from the wiki to find out that this actually has a story. -
It’s so loose that it barely keeps the interest at the table.
Even some mobile games get it right. -
It’s so loose that it doesn’t give us any meaningful conclusion.
Tries to mimic Diablo and fails at it. -
It’s so loose that it feels artificial at best.
Lazy business and too big bite to chew. -
It’s so loose that I haven’t bothered to follow it past the awakened staff.
This part of the game isn’t ’ a thing '. -
It’s so loose that I’ve started wishing it wasn’t in the game.
This is why the story is usually told in a campaign separate to the sandbox adventure.
I’d like a story that actually reasons with me so good that I have no choice, but to agree how it definitely deserves to be in the game.
Current form of the story feels like I have the need of a belt to keep our trousers up, but this one doesn’t have a buckle so I’m forced to get creative instead. 
Didnt really have look it up… Its mostly in journal pages. granted, if you read abit of books, even 1st story. Set ring and amon is mention in 1st one.
I think its fine as is, abit of Journals could use some more Lore love.
I like journals though. I love it when I stumble upon tomes and scrolls. I’m not really a reader (of books) in real life, but I love to read in a virtual realm.
Just not in this game coz I barely notice any and they feel like they are deliberately left there. 
Believe me or not, but I find the large carved stones uninteresting too so I usually skip them. It’s not like the Darkest Dungeon narrator and usually what’s spoken is presented too “typically” or so. 
The plot is one of the few things that isn’t an issue in the game. It is simple and it works.
You were someone, you were arrested for some reason. You were then tied up and left to die. Conan while on an adventure looking for something connected to his story which is mentioned and ties into everything else. Frees you.
The Exile Lands is the former home of an old non human race that had a war with humans (I won’t go into too many details) many of them enslaved by bracelets like the ones you have. The war decimated everyone. Very few of the original survivors decedents are still around. Either being corrupted, perhaps devolving or breaking off into small groups (you can tell these ones by the name)
Recently someone on the outside has been capturing people and sending them here looking for something. Which at this point few if any has found and any that have have not given the person behind this all what they want. So you have the Relic Hunters, You have the Black Hand maybe the dogs of the desert and then other desperate souls were also sent either in the same way you were or in another way. No way to leave and forced to survive. Criminals, Cannibals, monsters and just people that want to go home.
You have a choice Make a life for yourself here or find away to escape. The story of what happened to this place as well as the story as to why you are hear and who is likely responsible is not at all hard to figure out if you know the Conan lore and the clues are laid around.
There needs no further plot than that.
I’d have loved to have Sepermeru and maybe New Asgrath and the Skelos cult able to provide minor quests or better trade, however the team at Funcom were more ambitious than the resources they had. It is still hella addicting.
I suspect the Purge and the NPC system was originally planned like mounts and sorcery to be part of the game but due to some poor design choices early in development that is likely not be seen.
However the Pippi Mod can help provide some of that just no on official servers. (as I understand it)
The actual story of what is going on and what happened is fairly intriguing.
Fable I’ve not read any of the Howard Conan Stories. I watched the Cartoon and say both the Arnold Movies and Red Sonja which is kinda in the same world as the Conan movies of the 80s.
You may find the Conan Wiki (not the exiles but the actual conan meta wiki) interesting to read a bit through. Lumerians in particular. Reading that will shed a lot of light.
You have to remember that Kull (Kevin Sorbo movie) was a Howard character that lived before Conan. He was an Atlantean (Lantean) There was a great Cataclysm ending that age. The Surviving Lantean devolved into almost ape men and then revolved becoming Cimmerians. Over 10,000-17,000 years. The Conan Stories take place about 10,000 years before the Egyptian civilizations. There is a theme of repeat evolution. Much like Romans had plumbing for things like toilets. Roman Fell the technology was basically lost and was rediscovered. Howard takes that concept and just runs with it in the Pre-History in his pulp novels.
One of the other people destroyed by the Cataclysm was the Lumerians Learning their history will explain where you are, why you are hear and give much more context as to what happened. I did that before I found the lorestones which confirmed it all. I was actually impressed by the little clues as there is a actual plot.
You aren’t the Hero of the Plot. Conan is. You are just someone he meets on his Journey your story and the plot of the game is determined by you because you only have a plot because of Conan saving you.
For me, it mimics Conan stories, in that it was one adventure after another.
As stated, first, it’s a sandbox. Second, the adventure/stories are generated daily.
I.e. went hunting for bone, ended up across the map, capturing a yog high priest to drag back to my jungle base.
Little daily chores typically turn into PvP, or at a minimum, oh sht scenario.
Plot wise, I was saved from death and instructed to survive. It’s not a mystery,l. I met Conan, met the witch queen, bosses running around, with tablets telling me my place. It’s enough of a hint to keep me playing, personally.
He’ll, I didn’t even know what the dark souls plot was.
Allegedly though not proven by any means.
Allegedly, yet the funny part. Isn’t reflected in the game by any means.
This is one of the most interesting ways to present a character creation screen up to date in my experience.
No idea what that is. Frankly I don’t care. It’s great to see him though.
All the things you mentioned after this is something I had no clue about (some I still don’t). Issue is not the figuring part. Issue is that it feels missing action in between everything. The issue is that they are way too spread and thus way out of our path. It’s like Fallout 76 all over again, except it did way worse than CE. Personally I like to deal with a story in a believable progressive pace while involving multiple approximately 30 second to 1 minute cinematics. Does this even have cinematics other than the beginning one?
Exactly what the game reflects to me sadly.
Oh well. At least there’s the admin panel and server settings so roleplay and constructioning won’t have issues… at least major ones. Right?
Well the game was never going to be what you are looking for from the sounds of it. It isn’t story driven. There is a story but you aren’t apart of it.
The Exile lands is a Prison basically. The fact you didn’t know anything I wrote about answers why all the factions are out there not knowing either. They get wrapped up in their own thing.
There are three stories. There is Razma (sp)'s story which is told through a series of notes left in various places, there is Conan’s Story which is inferred a little more than told, it is much more easter egged. Then there is the story of the Exiled lands it self which is told through two sets of lore stones.
There is also smaller vignettes connected to various locations (like the Well of Skeleos, Dogs of the Desert and the Black Galleon)
Honestly the story is really simple You were taken as a prisoner and left to die. The Bracelet put on you so if you escape you have no choice but to stay in these lands which is basically a prison. You are nothing more than a secondary character in Conan’s story.
As Conan walked through the dunes of this cursed place, he came across one of Amon’s prisoners crucified left to die. It is a cruel fate with the bracelet on it is clear they will only be resurrected continuously stuck on this cross dying over and over driven mad until the their binding give way and are forced to try to move deeper into these Exiled Lands where their punishment most certainly not fitting any crime will have only just begun.
This one though has caught his eye they have a strong will. It may be a small favour or a worse punishment to free them now but like the woman he freed before and now must find again and perhaps kill, this one has a chance the others do not. Conan cuts them down leaves them a water skin and continues on his journey. He is unsure if he will see them again but for now he must get back to travelling this cursed desert to deny Thoth Amon the prize he seeks.
That is who you are. In my quick and poorly written prose of a story. You are nothing more than a footnote in Conan’s story. Being more is up to you. In fact you have a chance to impact his story later but again you are nothing more than a small supporting character at best from a single chapter of a larger Conan adventure. You could choose to explore the world read the lore stone and find all you need to remove the bracelet and escape… or you can build a hut and farm fish and fend of the purge. Or like me build a few small structures a defensible fort SP fort and work on a Villa and Town complex. While exploring and getting to know the lore slowly. Delaying Conan’s story progression a bit.
Before I read this thread I didn’t even know there was a plot, or a “story” for that matter. Interesting…
Plot?
Get out of the Exiled lands.
Find Thoth Amon.
Kill him.
Take the Serpent Ring of Set.
Then go where?
Back to the Exiled Lands to seek revenge on the a-holes who griefed you.
End.
Wait.
No.
Now the other Exiles will come looking for your head to take the Serpent Ring of Set from you.
How long can you hold onto the Serpent Ring of Set before your head rolls and you get sent back to the cross to start over?
Spice it up a bit. Those who try and fail are sent back to the cross to start over … losing everything.
Thrill.
Problem is that every game needs a story to drive the plot in case one has a plot and they all do have some kind. The failure here is that the story can’t carry it.
It doesn’t have to keep us busy though. Having a story the way it’s presented here tells a lot from the company. It doesn’t have to be deep and intricate, but it must not be allowed to stay this shallow either.
This is one of the reasons it’s so shallow too. It’s way too apparent that whatever it is, the story is only meant to explain the few limitative elements in play. It feels like the story wasn’t even on the table in the beginning and got mixed up at the last minute.
In other words there’s a reason why a movie about a character unrelated to its story is never scripted. No theatre play either or a book written. Not every road has to be a Hero’s Road, but we all still need a road; our road. The ones doing the dance are always those who link to it in a special way and whose story we are going to go thorough. It’s not necessarily the protagonist’s story we experience, but it’s always entangled in a way that doesn’t get sloppy.
That’s a given. This is one of the bad notions I mentioned before. It’s only a prison because the game is told to need boundaries to manage the hardware limitations. It’s way too shallow starting point, design wise, and that’s why they included the ability to get the bracelet off. Removing the bracelet was a must to have to make it merely logical. All this comes to mind in the first days we play the game. This should never happen.
A magician should never break their act.
Which is pretty much idling until aggroed. One of the many reasons we see so many players utilise the building part is not because they merely want to survive. It’s because that’s all. That’s the only cool thing there really is at the end of the day. That’s the only thing they nailed, but even that feels like it has no focus.
Three??? Oh my gosh… They should really hire a proper scripter… no, wait. Not a scripter necessarily (the story might be fine), just a more wholesome way to provide it.
It’s worse. It doesn’t even feel like we are a side character. Not even a bystander. Even every bystander feels like they have their own story to play (even as a spectator), even though we don’t necessarily get to play them.
I’m okay if Conan’s story overlaps ours, but the game doesn’t have what to call “ours”. His story overlaps… basically nothing and the game reflects that clearly. The only thing we do is build.
Wait! Did he really leave a water skin to us? 
That’s a given too. Every single game actually, when you think of their concepts thoroughly enough. It’s about how much tools we have to delay the inevitable.
As a writer I would not be so keen on writing stories no one essentially can miss though. Not wanting to read is reasonable, but intentionally missing the whole thing is rather not that good idea. There has to be something that brings us at least around them if not into the midst of them. I would hate it if one of my stories was treated as a mere “filler”.
This is basically all I do. I will construct the town of Tristram there eventually, but that’s for separated roleplay. Separated roleplay is good. It should never be involved as a part of the story for the specific reasons mentioned. The story has to be strong enough and planted carefully for us to want to take a break from it and not be the sole thing to go to. The current story is at least so misplaced that it drives us away to build the moment we hop on board.
A positive note. The dev team found a way how to not involve a story. They are one step closer to the big prize. They just need to deal with more light bulbs so to speak. Pacing is everything. 
Edit:
Maybe the sequel gets better.
I like that I’m not there to save the world, or avenge myself on someone, or discover an ancient secret. Unless I decide that that’s what my character is doing. I am a big fan of what I call “internal RP”. That is, I have a story, a roleplay, but it’s personal and I don’t bother to share it with others or roleplay with them (because it would inevitably clash with theirs). Instead, I take their actions and weave them into my story as and when I see fit. In world chat I’m me, not my character. My character has a goal, and a reason for all that he does, and it’s whatever I want it to be.
That’s nice, actually. There’s plenty of games where I can do all the other things. I adore “the Witcher”, Torment, Baldur’s Gate and many other games with deep stories, but not every game needs to be that.
But I also love sandbox games like Mount and Blade, or Exiles, where there is a world, and there is a history, but my character can take very little part in “the big events” if they wish.
I would strongly advise any who have not already done so to complete two key Journey Steps, ie-
-Chapter 8, Step 7: Discover all of the Lemurian Lorestones
-Chapter 9, Step 10: Discover all of the Giant-king obelisks
Much of the story which was not initially apparent will be reveled via these lorestones. I actually found it quite interesting.
Warmaker Klael will also provide some addition bits, and so will all of the pages of Razma of Shem’s journal.
This isn’t true at all.
What if you could do this literally?