“I really enjoy Conan Exiles, so everything I’m writing here is part of my personal project of ideas to improve the game. I fully understand that the company needs to make a profit — and that’s exactly why I believe it makes no sense for only one side to benefit. When both the players and the company are satisfied, everyone wins, because a happy customer always brings more customers.
When it comes to combat and battles, the game still has a lot of room for improvement. Funcom doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel; it just needs to adapt successful mechanics from other games.
I’m not saying Conan Exiles should become a soulslike, but some elements from Elden Ring could enrich the gameplay. For example: adding a wider variety of shield classes, weapons, and Ashes of War would make late-game gameplay less repetitive. It would also be interesting to introduce a system where defeating bosses grants their ‘souls’ or essences, which could be used to unlock legendary weapons, special abilities, battle techniques, or sorcery — similar to Elden Ring’s reward system.
Another strong inspiration could be Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The game could use a combat system that allows the player to equip around 8 active abilities, with the option to unlock 4 more by pressing a button, making battles much more dynamic and fun. Implementing parry mechanics, execution moves during combat, and deadly attacks against unaware enemies would also greatly enhance the experience.
The aptitude/skill selection system could be redesigned to function like a simple list, similar to the skill menu in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, instead of relying exclusively on skill trees.
I also imagine how incredible it would be to have naval navigation and ship-based combat similar to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. This would introduce new forms of exploration, new combat systems, and new ways for the company to profit by selling ship skins. Likewise, adding functional vehicles, such as wagons, would open opportunities for even more cosmetics.
System for Learning Abilities, Aptitudes, and Legendary Weapons
To learn new combat abilities, aptitudes, and unlock legendary weapons used by bosses, the game could adopt a research system. This idea is inspired by how we currently use the Kinscourge’s heart to craft his sword. This concept could be expanded.
The idea would be to introduce an Analysis Bench, functioning similarly to the sorcery system.
On this bench, the player would place:
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the boss’s soul or essence,
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fragments of power,
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and specific materials.
After analyzing these items, a page would appear showing the corresponding aptitude, ability, or technique related to the defeated boss. The player would consume the soul to permanently learn that technique. Ashes of War would function the same way.
To craft legendary weapons, the player would need to bring:
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an epic weapon as a base,
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the boss’s soul or heart,
to the Temple of Frost Forge or the Volcanic Forge, where the legendary weapon would be created. During the crafting process, waves of enemies could attack the player, similar to the Freya mission, turning forging into a challenging and immersive event.
Boss Improvements
For all these systems to work well, boss movement and behavior would need improvements. Making bosses more intelligent, agile, and unpredictable would result in far more engaging battles. Each boss could also have its own soundtrack, making fights more epic and memorable.