[Suggestion] Conan Exiles PvP 2.0 – A Complete Redesign Proposal (Economy, Raiding, PvP, Bases, Builds, Balance)

[PowerCandy]

Feedback & Megathread Proposal from Long-Term PvP Players
By: Powercandy

Hello Funcom team and fellow Exiles,

This post is a large, structured, community-driven proposal focused on improving PvP, raiding, economy, base building, solo/clan balance, and player retention in Conan Exiles.

This is not a rage post or a single “nerf X” suggestion.
This is a holistic design suggestion meant to address the biggest long-standing issues in PvP while preserving what makes Conan Exiles amazing.

It combines many ideas discussed by veteran players, MMO/PvP experience from games like Age of Conan and WoW, and real survival-PvP design knowledge.

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1. A New PvP Economy – From Raw Materials to Real Currency

Right now, raw materials become worthless after a few weeks, raids produce huge amounts of despawned loot, and raiding often gives little reward.

Proposal:

Raw Mats → Gold/Silver → Vendors / Upgrades / Recipes / Siege / Repairs

Players can exchange large amounts of raw materials into Gold and Silver, which become the primary resource for:

• vendor purchases

• gear utility upgrades (NOT stat power creep)

• special recipes

• cosmetic unlocks

• thrall contracts

• siege upgrades

• base maintenance (for higher-tier bases)

Why this helps

• Reduces wasted loot

• Creates long-term goals

• Makes raiding profitable

• Stabilizes server economies

• Rewards farming and PvP

• Fits Conan lore (treasure, coins, trade)

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2. Gear & Progression Rework – Less BIS, More Utility, No Gear Drop

PvP currently punishes players too hard. Losing all gear leads to rage quits, empty servers, farming meta > PvP meta, and no open-world activity.

Proposal:

Gear does NOT drop on player death

Players instead lose:

• raw mats

• consumables

• crafted bombs

• some Gold/Silver

• 5–10% durability on gear

Gear upgrades are utility-based, not power-based

Examples of upgrades purchasable with Gold/Silver:

• faster bandage use

• slightly faster climbing

• torch brightness upgrade

• -10% fall damage

• reduced durability loss on tools

• tiny anti-cripple resistance

• stamina regen out of combat

• faster unsheathe animations

No +damage, no +armor, no +stat inflation.

Why this helps

• PvP becomes skill-based

• Gear progression remains meaningful

• Death has a cost, but not a rage-quit cost

• PvP gets more active and less punishing

• No one becomes “god mode” with upgrades

• New players can compete faster

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3. Farming & Encumbrance Rework

Encumbrance builds are currently mandatory for farming, which forces players into boring gameplay and discourages open-world PvP.

Proposal:

Encumbrance → Farming Speed Build

Not “carry the world,” but:

• +harvest speed

• +harvest yield

• +reduced tool damage

• +better stamina & movement for farming

Raw mats weigh nothing (but take up slots)

You still drop all raw mats on death, so risk stays relevant.

Why this helps

• Farming is fun instead of slow

• Players can farm in combat builds

• Less mandatory respec’ing

• More people in the world = more PvP

• Farming becomes optional playstyle

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4. Base Levels & Raiding 2.0 – Hideout → Stronghold → Fortress → Sanctum

Raiding today is:

• too fast (5-minute offline wipes)

• too destructive

• too dependent on foundations and bombs

• no real rewards

• foundation stacking and cheese building

• little defender strategy

• little attacker strategy

This kills player motivation.

Proposal:

Introduce Base Levels, each with gameplay functions.

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Hideout (Solo / Nomad)

• tiny footprint

• cheap to build

• no purge

• low loot

• intended for solos/new players

• no foundation stacking allowed

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Stronghold (Small clans)

• medium durability

• guard thrall spots

• moderate purge waves

• treasury room

• some trap and defense options

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Fortress (Medium/Large clans)

• strong defense

• siege mechanics

• trap corridors

• puzzle doors

• archer rooms

• defender reinforcement waves

• loot rooms designed by the clan

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Sanctum (Endgame bases)

• extremely costly

• extremely strong

• require upkeep (currency)

• unique rewards (recipes, cosmetics, clan banner room)

• biggest raid payouts (Gold/Silver)

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Raiding becomes an actual “game mode” (not a queue, but a structured activity)

Raiding includes:

• weak points you design

• multiple room types

• trap corridors

• gas chambers

• tripwire arrows

• rotating gates

• blast-proof doors

• siege zones

• thrall patrol routes

• treasury rooms

• escape timer for raiders

Why this helps

• Raiding becomes fun again

• Less toxic “wipe for nothing” gameplay

• Defenders and attackers make decisions

• Offline 5-minute wipes disappear

• Bases matter again

• Strategy replaces brainless bomb spam

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5. Open-World PvP Rewards – Ears, Bounties, Kill Tokens, Titles

Conan Exiles desperately needs incentives to PvP outside raid windows.

Proposal:

Player Ears / Dog Tags / Trophies

Rewards for killing players, turn-in for:

• cosmetics

• dyes

• illusions

• minor utility upgrades

• Gold/Silver

• titles

• clan emblems

• trophy decorations

• weapons skins

• seasonal ornaments

Bounty System

High-skill players = high bounty.
Killing a strong player grants much more reward.

Seasonal PvP Leaderboards & Titles

Examples:

• “Skull Hunter”

• “Arena Champion”

• “Bloodletter”

• “Sandstorm Predator”

• “The Relentless”

Why this helps

• PvP becomes rewarding

• Player retention increases

• Solos can thrive

• Clans get prestige

• Open world becomes active again

• PvP becomes meaningful without punishing losers

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6. Anti-Zerg, Anti-Cheese, Anti-Offline Raid Systems

Combat Group Detection (not clan-based)

Identifies who is acting together based on:

• proximity

• shared targets

• healing

• assists

• buffs

• aggro behavior

This stops:

• fake solos

• clan-leave cheese

• multi-clan alliances exploiting systems

• 10-man steamrolls in open world

Anti-Zerg Damage Scaling

4+ players hitting same target = diminishing returns:

• attacker 1: 100%

• attacker 2: 90%

• attacker 3: 75%

• attacker 4+: 50%

Offline Raid Protection (not immunity)

• increased building resist

• increased thrall damage

• slow regen for structures

• treasury protected unless attackers trigger “siege mode”

• offline raids become slow & costly

Reason:

Stops 5-minute wipes.
Keeps raiding fair.
Protects casuals.
Lets solos exist without making clans pointless.

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7. E-Sport Friendly Potential

With:

• non-drop gear

• PvP bounty systems

• leaderboards

• arenas

• utility-only gear upgrades

• skill-based combat

• combat-group detection

• titles & cosmetics

Conan Exiles could legitimately push a fun and watchable competitive PvP scene.

Not traditional esports, but:

• tournaments

• seasonal 2v2/3v3 brackets

• clan battles

• duel ladders

• sponsored community cups

• official leaderboard seasons

It fits the game naturally, without changing CE into something it isn’t.

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Closing Thoughts (Feedback Welcome!)

This post is not meant as a “we know best” document.
It’s a community design proposal, built from many hours of discussion and gameplay experience.

Nothing here is set in stone.
Everything can be improved, changed, reduced or expanded.
Other ideas are welcome, and criticism is welcome too.

The goal is simple:

Make Conan Exiles PvP fun, fair, rewarding, strategic, and alive again.

Thank you for reading,
and I invite all feedback — from players and developers alike.

— **Powercandy
**
message is structured by AI - ideas are mine put into perspective.

[Kikigirl]

I wouldn’t word this like you’re speaking for the entire PVP community as I cannot agree with everything here.

I postively would not back no drop on Officials. I LIKE stealing the gear off opponents. It has been part of the gameplay loop for me so removing it would be just another reason why I don’t enjoy playing my favorite game anymore. Drop is enabled on Officials. You can get no drop on privates.

As a PVPer I see some good and actionable suggestions. Unfortunately some would require pretty significant dev focus. While others could benefit all modes.

About the only thing I can really get behind is DBD. Otherwise and in general, some issues can be mitigated by stronger anti-cheating initiatives on PC and better moderation.

[Ethel]

@PowerCandy

Gear does NOT drop on player death

Disagree, it should still be full loot.

i do kinda like the idea of giving more gear upgrades based on utility.
**Farming & Encumbrance Rework**

Hard disagre, that is part of the fun, if you go out in a farming build, you know that you are weaker than someone who is on pvp build.
its a risk.if you really wanna encourage open world pvp create an event like the surge or maelstrom of siptah, put a marker on the map and give juicy rewards so people fight for it.

”Introduce Base Levels, each with gameplay functions.”

i am not sure if i understood this concept.
how would you give rewards to the attacker depending on your base type??
like, it would be some sort of core in your base that you gotta protect??

and what exactly defines that your base is “hideout” or “sanctum” ??

sounds extremely hard to pull off ingame.

i do, however agree that raiding currently is extremely powerful.
defender has little tools to defend against attackers.

so i would try to improve the “home field” advantage like.
-have some sort of “core” that increases the resistance of your buildings.
-thrall pots buff your nearby thralls like 50 % hp (for example)
-remove bat and ice bridge spells to make pillar bases and walls relevant again.
-Traps should be buffed
-Siege Cauldrons could be used if you either nerf of remove 2 of the strong raiding methods, explosive jars and explosive arrows.

this way., you could encourage people to use the medieval siegue weapons like trebs, ballistas and rams.
the ram is a nice example of what raiding could be, you need to get in close range and risk of being fired at with arrows or Cauldrons.

Combat Group Detection (not clan-based)

another hard disagree, its a barbaric world u should not punish people simply because they became allies, the best way to mitigate this is to make friends yourself.

plus it would be really annoying to implement as a dev.

@PowerCandy

Anti-Zerg Damage Scaling

This actually does not matter that much in open pvp.
have you even been in a full scale pvp? its pure chaos and most of the time you are fighting 1v1 or running for your life when its more than 1, unless you believe you are conan himself.

so it does not matter if you nerf the damage of the °4 attacker, what kills you is the permastun lock that does not let you move because you are recieving multiple attacks at the same time.

@PowerCandy

Offline Raid Protection (not immunity)

i do kinda like this idea, i always believed that offline protection is a bad idea because people who are not playing should be punished.
its like, you make your base, and log off for 7 days and you cannot be raided, while you are probably in a good base spot and just log off during raid hours, you literally became unraidable.

you are deniying people the possibility of raiding you and never risking your base and loot.
To me, that is not a good game design.

i like the buiding resist and thrall damage while being offline.
while it makes it a little more annoying for attacker maybe they will have to spend a little more time for the defender to log in and defend.

slow regen is not goot, treasury should be vulnerable.

i do like some of the ideas, and others seems like it would requiere an amount of dev focus that we will never have again. so i see them very hard to see it ingame unless its a mod

Speaking of mods, i am currently running a server that is called “conan classic”
basically it tries to emulate conan as it used to be.
stronger bosses, but stronger thralls as well. pets are buffed so they are not super useless.

but most importantly it overhauls the loot system to make it more balanced as it used to be.
gear and weapons drops are rare.

and what is interesting to me, and this is my suggestion is that it changes how legendary weapons work.
Basically, you can craft any legendary weapon:

As you can see you can craft it with these materials and requieres this:
”Greater axe fragment” and “legendary weapon restoration kit”

How do you get an axe fragment? on legendary weapon chests you can get, at random a weapon fragment, like, spear fragment, sword fragment, ect.
-This reduces the RNG factor to just the type of fragment you get. in this way, you can craft the legendary weapon that you want, and this weapons get the smith buffs.

and plus you need “legendary weapon restoration kit” currently in the mod it uses this recipe:

it uses 2 fragments of power.
but it could be anything else like for example 100 Dragonpowder so it ensures that legendary weapons are still expensive to make but in return legendary weapons are the stronger weapons in the game. and you don’t have to farm 60 legendary chest to randomly get a musashi, if you get it.

i think the loot system also needs to be re-thinked, loot currently is far too easy to get.
by giving more value to the items, losing would have more meaning.

i have one last suggestion
enemy crafters thralls should be tameable
before the LS bs you could steal the t4 crafters of your enemy.
so since they are no longer an item, you should be able to grab a truncheon and tame it yourself.
figthers and archer thralls should still be inmune to be tameable.

but i don’t see a reason on why you cannot steal the crafters.

[PowerCandy]

I also enjoy full loot myself, I mostly play solo, and I’ve always had my own strategies and ways to make that loop fun. Losing gear and stealing gear creates tension, and I get why many players love that part of Conan.

The only reason I brought up the no-drop idea was because, from what I’ve seen over the years, a lot of solo or newer players often quit the moment they get killed in open-world PvP. Maybe you’re right and those players simply shouldn’t be on a PvP server, that’s a valid argument too.

But with the current population drop, I’m mostly trying to look at it from both angles:
how do we keep the danger and excitement of full loot, while also keeping more players active on servers instead of disappearing after their first death?

I’m not married to “no drop”, it was meant as a starting point for discussion, not the final answer.
The goal is simply to explore options that could help server populations and open-world PvP stay alive.

[PowerCandy]

Hey @Ethel, really appreciate the depth of your reply.
You bring up some very core Conan Exiles ideas, and I genuinely like a lot of what you mentioned. Your suggestions feel very true to the original spirit of the game, while mine are more aimed at exploring broader systems and player retention issues.

Just to clarify my position a bit:

I’m not trying to replace the classic Conan PvP feel — I’m a huge fan of full loot myself.
The only reason I started pushing wider ideas is because, especially as a solo player, I’ve seen a repeating pattern: players I fight simply disappear after a few deaths, or they get wiped by clans before they even find their footing.

Yesterday I killed someone who had just done the Jhebbal Sag dungeon run.
He logged out instantly, and we haven’t seen him since.
And if that was his only kit, I honestly understand why he felt discouraged.

I’m not saying full loot is wrong — I enjoy it.
I’m just noticing that the EU populations feel significantly lower than they used to, and I keep losing my enemies because they quit early.
So my goal here isn’t to “fix Conan” my way, but to open the conversation and look at solutions from multiple angles.

Your recraftable legendary idea is a perfect example — it fits the core CE fantasy, it reduces RNG, and it adds value back into the loot system without breaking anything.
Ideas like that are exactly what I hoped this thread would surface.

So thanks again for contributing — the whole reason I posted this was to get different perspectives, especially from players who have a strong understanding of what makes Conan… Conan.

— Powercandy

[Kikigirl]

Consistent player retention died multiple times but really it was the worst with AoW.

There are many PVPers who would come back but not for your suggestions. I have decently sized group. Our group is not alone in this sentiment.

Its nice to think and dream creatively, not questioning your enthusiasm. I want the game to be successful in many ways including being engaged.

First they need to fix the crumbling and bursting foundation before any lofty suggestions are even considered.

Be careful of what you wish. You have to think of everyone here. 5 platforms, 3 modes, multiplayer and single. When we don’t others may suffer.

[PowerCandy]

Hey @Kikigirl — thanks again for your honesty.
I think there may have been a misunderstanding, so let me clarify what I actually meant.

I’m not asking Funcom to implement every suggestion written in the big post, and I’m definitely not claiming that “everyone in PvP wants this.”
What I tried to do was open a broader discussion because, at least from what I’ve seen in EU, the player retention—and especially solo retention—has dropped heavily the last few years.

My goal was never to take full loot away from people who love it, or rewrite Conan into something unrecognizable.
I’m a full-loot enjoyer myself — it’s one of the reasons I play this game.
The suggestions were simply an exploration of why so many players disappear early, and how systems from other survival/MMO PvP games might inspire optional or improved modes.

So I completely agree with you on one thing:
none of this matters until the foundations, bugs, performance, and stability are fixed first.
I’m 100% with you on that. Without stability, no new ideas (big or small) will save anything.

And I also get that your group—and others—wouldn’t come back for the exact ideas I posted.
That’s totally fair.
The thread is meant to gather different perspectives, not force one solution.

If anything, I want to hear what keeps your group away, because that’s valuable information too.
PvP, PvE, solo, clans, console, PC — it all matters.

So thanks again for calling it out.
The last thing I want is for people to feel ignored or replaced — the intention was the opposite: to get more voices into the conversation, not fewer.

— Powercandy

[PowerCandy]

Hey all — just want to quickly clarify something, because I think my perspective might be getting a bit misunderstood.

I’m not trying to change Conan’s core identity.
I’ve played since release, mostly solo, and I love full loot.
I’m not struggling, I’m not asking for an easier game, and I can handle myself just fine even against small groups.

The reason I’m thinking bigger is simple:

**I’m losing my enemies.

Not because I die — but because THEY do.**

As a long-time solo player, this is the pattern I see on EU Official servers:

• Solos or small duos join

• They run around in farm kits

• They get killed once or twice or wiped by a clan

• They rage-quit or disappear

• The server population drops

• And then I have nobody left to fight

I personally enjoy the thrill — “if I die, I die.”
But a lot of (not all!) newer or casual solos don’t have that mindset, and I keep watching them vanish.
Meanwhile, clans accidentally run them off the server without even trying.

That’s why I’m trying to think in a broader way.
Not to remove full loot, not to turn CE into something else —
but to figure out how we keep more people on servers long-term so PvP actually stays alive.

I really appreciate both the agreements and disagreements so far.
And honestly, some of your ideas (especially the legendary recrafting) are amazing and fit the core Conan DNA perfectly.

My goal with this thread is simply to open the conversation from both sides:

• the classic clan-PvP point of view

• and the solo perspective that is losing players every week

Both matter if we want healthier servers.

Thanks for everyone contributing — let’s keep it going.

— Powercandy

[Kikigirl]

I appreciate you communicating in the way you feel most comfortable with, but may I suggest dropping the LLM.

My group would come back for these reasons: consistent communication from FC, real and sustained action on hackers, clarified and fair process with reporting and those affected by it, fixing the game to a point of stability, get away from FOMO tactics with their monetization, release of vanilla equivalent offers and actioning bugs and imbalances within a timely manner.

Tall order it would seem and quite unlikely.

I am summarizing this because these are complex and multi-faceted. I could elaborate but I’ve spoken on these issues for going on 5 years now.

[PowerCandy]

I like to use LLM because it brings structure when having alot of topics in the air.

• yours in paticular is not too long but I still want to have it so that I can make pin points and read your ideas against my own.
• i know its annoying when it gets stuck in a surden reply pattern. I am just to lazy to write instructions for it every time, id rather stick to the topics.

sadly I see no new or unfamiliar issues but the points you bring up are solid.
I would describe them as core issues.

I am happy you wanted to share your own topics with me. I hope if this thread gets more attention than currently, that funcom will view it as a “yet again mentioned problem” - there is a big patch on the way and MAYBE just this time it will be fixed, but I am sure we both have sung this song before.

[Kikigirl]

It all makes sense now. I’m bowing out then, go brainrot in peace

[PowerCandy]

[PowerCandy]

Alright, let’s see what others think when/if more people join the conversation. I think there are a lot of angles to this topic, and it’s interesting to see the different perspectives.

[Raeil]

If you want some different perspectives…

I think you’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

The onus is not entirely on Funcom. Most newbs when treated like a personal punching bag by experienced players that they have no chance against are not going to stick around.

Having your own server to police and set the parameters for is going to get you far closer to what you want than any appeals to Funcom.

[PowerCandy]

Thanks for the perspective.

[Raeil]

To be clear, that’s just my opinion from what I see. I’d love to be wrong

[PowerCandy]

Hey, let me clarify a bit, because I think my megathread might have come across differently than intended.

I’m not asking Funcom to turn officials into some kind of custom “Powercandy ruleset,” and I’m not expecting them to push specific private-server settings to everyone.
The whole point is something more fundamental:

PvP in Conan doesn’t really have its own identity right now.
It’s mostly “wipe bases until people quit,” and that loop burns out solos, duos and even small clans long before they ever reach the fun part of the combat.

PvE, RP and PvP all share the same systems even though they work completely differently.
When you mix everything into one bucket, none of the modes get the structure they actually need.
That’s why a lot of the proposals touch on mats, economy and encumbrance, because those systems currently serve PvE progression, not long-term PvP health.

I’m not trying to protect new players from dying.
I’m talking about retention: people leaving before they become real opponents, which hurts the entire server ecosystem.

This is about design, not about running a private server.
A private server can change rules, but it can’t fix the underlying loops that drain population on officials.

The megathread is simply an attempt to outline how PvP could work as its own coherent mode with incentives, identity, goals, and reasons to attack/defend beyond wiping each other.

You said you’d love to be wrong - great.
That’s exactly where feedback comes in: if you see flaws in the proposals, or better ways to approach the same problems, I’d genuinely like to hear it.
That’s what the thread is for.

[PowerCandy]

I slept on ur idea! AND IT IS BRILLILANT

[Ethel]

what part, the legendary weapons, the tameable crafters or the raiding overhaul?

[PowerCandy]

All three, honestly.
Your ideas hit three different weak spots in the current PvP loop:

• The legendary weapon system
I really like the “fragment → craft the exact legendary you want” idea.
It removes pointless RNG, keeps legendaries rare, and still makes them expensive.
That’s a perfect balance for PvP progression.

• Tameable crafter thralls
This is peak Conan.
Stealing an enemy crafter after a raid was one of the most unique mechanics in the game.
Bringing that back (without making fighters stealable) makes raids actually feel rewarding again.

• The raiding/homefield changes
This is honestly the most realistic improvement CE could get right now.
Buffing traps, giving defenders real tools, toning down jar/arrow spam, and making siege engines matter — that’s the kind of direction that would make raids strategic instead of brainless.

So yeah — all of it. Those are genuinely strong ideas.