Firstly I have to say - damn there have been some nice QOL changes that have gone in since I played last. My last activity was checking out Siptah on release and while I enjoyed it and found it a refreshing experience compared to the 1500 or so hours I’d clocked on the original map, it felt lacking.
I was not a fan of the wild surge mechanics nor the grind needed to purposely launch Surges. I appreciated that Funcom experimented with new systems, but to me it just felt like a cheap solution to not having thrall villages/camps/towns.
This new overall of Thrall locations is quite honestly, fantastic. At first I thought it’d be a bit of a half-assed attempt to fix a problem, but can say it doesnt feel like that at all.
What’s more - now that thralls reliably use combos on all weapons, some of these camps have been a serious challenge. I’m not just running in and facerolling through them, I’m having to be methodical.
I LOVE the introduction of traps and interactive elements like jailors/cages and digging graves. I havent been able to find a shovel yet but love the idea they’re a thing. These new additions on top of looking for chests to loot adds some serious interest. I’ve also come across a variety of elite thralls in these camps - some of which have been no joke.
I’ve explored a handful of camps so far and each one has been interesting, varied and most of all, felt like they should have been there. In addition, it’s nice to find small clusters of thralls - such as in the half wreck of a ship, where previously it was just a chest.
These additions have made Siptah far more comparable as an experience to the original map. I’ve played Conan from the first day of early access so have seen it evolve. I remember the pass the devs made to the original map on the 1.0 release - where thrall and creature placement was 100% improved. This pass to SIptah is comparable to that IMO and has made a substantial difference. I hope the map can evolve even further.
The other thing I wanted to mention were the QOL changes. Things such as - being able to make a waterskin but having the twine auto-build - omg! Such a minor, insignifigant change but so good.
And ALL hotbar items and armour returning to their original positions upon looting - omg this change is the best. This is one thing that ARK had (with hotbar items returning) which gave it a leg over Conan on the functionality front. So happy to see this in Conan.
Also love seeing my weapon on my back - surprised how much of a difference this makes to the overall character appearance. Have noticed thralls are performing a lot better as followers too - in particular their unsheathing of weapons (and appearing on their backs) is a first.
Being able to pick up building pieces has also been a game-changer. Have already made extensive use of this functionality. Hopefully soon the pieces can return to the hotbar rather than just going into the inventory, but loving having this in the game.
Anyway kudos for continuing to work on the game. These changes and additions are fantastic to experience.
