As a “The Sims” style player, I never quite enjoyed the old Purges (and I had my workarounds to avoid them altogether). Just this weekend, I decided to give the new purge mechanics a try and, albeit belatedly, share my impressions.
Here’s our setup: my wife and I, both casual players, authority level 5, relying on thralls for protection even during farming (in the Noob River). We aren’t fans of combat and avoid it whenever possible. Purges aren’t usually our thing, but we decided to give it a shot because we really wanted the recipe for the Stygian Vanguard Vestments (and eventually the barkeeper). Needless to say, we play PvE. Surprisingly, the experience wasn’t bad at all.
First off, I constructed a dedicated structure to withstand the purge, and that’s one of the most positive aspects of the new mechanics for me. Now we can focus our defense efforts in a single location.
Then, we prepared for defense: 5 warriors and 2 archers. We stationed them at the entrance of the structure. Another positive point for the game: we only needed to protect the entrances of the base. This really creates a sense of defending in the stronghold walls.
I placed a small amount of gold in the vault and activated Purge level 1 (yes, we started slow). Another positive: being able to decide when the purge will actually happen and how challenging it will be. It was a success! Only naked soldiers. But also no particularly interesting rewards.
So, we conquered level 2, level 3, level 4, and finally got our first beating at level 5. The Stygian base popped up right in front of our vault, with very little space between them. The archers from the Stygian base could hit our archers at the vault. It was an intense battle, lost one of my followers in the fray. However, we managed to defeat the Purge with all doors already destroyed (2), but with no other losses besides Dalinsia’s death.
Then came the smartest and dumbest move at the same time. We built structures near the entrance of the vault to avoid the Stygian base spawning so close again. Smart because it worked. Dumb because I’m sure there are better strategies that don’t clutter the map. After this “structure modification,” we easily won 5 more level 5 purges without major issues. Since level 5 purges already provide a learning scroll, we chose not to attempt other purge levels.
In the end, the experience was good. We had moments of action and tension that we had never experienced in the game, and it had been a long time since we spent hours in Conan Exiles. A purge is incomparable to a dungeon or any other challenge in the game. And this was only possible due to the controlled environment created for purges. Even though it’s risky, the risk is calculated.
Final thoughts:
The new purge is great for casual players, mainly due to the ability to control the intensity and location of the attack. Additionally, providing learning scrolls in a relatively easy level Purge makes the new resources accessible to everyone. Still, I believe that tackling a level 5 purge solo with a sword (without using Noxious Gas Arrows and a structure to confuse invaders) might be beyond my reach.
I think the Stygian camp should have a minimum distance limit from the player’s vault. This is something easy for the player to manually control (as I did by creating structures at the base entrance). However, it creates unnecessary map clutter.
As an RP player, I struggle with the Wheel of Pain. So, I appreciate having companions who joined my realm because they were rescued, not because I tortured them. Along with the future hiring possibilities at the tavern, I even believe that the term “Thrall” should be changed, considering we’ll now have companions who chose to be on our side.
I’m excited about the upcoming update on 12/14. I hope a level V Purge will be enough to rescue a Bar Keeper and start my tavern.