My question is how do these different servers do in practice?
PVP- Seems like the way the game was meant to be experienced
PVE-seems like a safe choice and the game looks like it would be the most fun playing with other players so this at least seems like it would be better then single player.
PVE-C-sounds like the best mix but I’m also really confused about how this works and can’t find anywhere that explains it.
Also do you recommend the official servers/open servers or should I look for a server that is password locked with a discord?
I do pvp, but I suggest pvec for starters. One thing to consider is character transfers. That being there is no path to send the toon from pvec to pvp even though pvp to pvec works. I suggest pvp if you don’t want to start over.
This is a game that can be a tad rough on the solo new player. I had the privilege of starting with some Army buddies of mine around 6 years ago and while we didn’t really have any idea of what we were doing, we built on the knowledge of each other. It just really helps to have another set of eyes.
With that said, I feel like you miss much of the mystique of the game (this goes for any game really) if you start off with someone who knows everything. Definitely don’t want to start off with everything just handed to you. If you can start with another newbie friend, I would recommend that. It will be a ton of fun as you derp and fail together but learn as well.
PVE and PVE-C are roughly about the same. They have hours in which you can fight in PVE-C but from my experience and from hearsay of others. Not much of that happens too much. Which is to be expected. Players that choose PVE-C want a PVE experience with the ability to fight on occasion and they do in controlled settings. You can still do this in straight PVE with warbanners (kinda like a duel command in a MMO, but area wide)
PVP is going to be interesting for a first time experience. I mean people do it. But its always going to be an uphill battle. Just know that people have years of experience and material depending on the server you pick.
Which ultimately leads to your final question. The server you choose will vastly change your experience. While Funcom provided servers are generally homogenous among their PVE, PVE-C, and PVP (one PVE server is about the same as another, and so forth). Private servers are going to differ vastly.
The benefit of a Funcom provided server is they never wipe. If you build something today, it should in theory be still standing 10 years from now. Assuming you refresh the decay time every 10 days or so. They also should still be around years from now, in theory. I say in theory because while that is the intent… there has been server deletions in the past (roughly half had character data merged with others which effectively wiped the server being merged to another).
The downsides of those severs are that they aren’t actively moderated. This means if you have an issue, you must send a ticket (kinda like a petition in a MMORPG) and wait for a response. They don’t have moderators on server watching chats, checking out what’s going on, and so forth. They rely on evidence in a report, then check it out, and make a determination from there. The process can be slow (2-3 weeks or more in some cases). In addition if you run afoul of the rules, they have a sort of 2 or 3 strikes and your out. Meaning you get a suspension on first offense (long enough for your structures to decay), and the next time may be a month long suspension or perma-ban. Suspensions and bans on one Funcom server apply to all of them (not privates though, this isn’t minecraft).
The other downside is you will want to play on a lower population server. Funcom servers struggle past 20 players online at a time. Where as private servers can host 40-60 players without issue, and some can even go up to 80 with slightly degraded performance by comparison.
The benefits of private servers are that they are actively moderated, have better hardware, and can have mods if on PC. Mods add to the diversity of the game in various ways. Most of your popular mods are quality of life stuff like minimaps, UIs, or admin functions to give custom quests or the like. Then you have mods that add more faces, hairstyles, cosmetic armors and weapons, and emotes. You also have mods that can change the theme of the game adding in the ability to play fantasy races with as low and high fantasy as you can think of. But some of the best mods are the maps. Maps like Savage Wilds and Isle of Man are extremely good, assuming of course you’ve played out Exiled Lands which can take quite a while.
The downsides of private servers is that there is so ■■■■■■■■ many of them. It can be a bit daunting trying to find the one with the right ruleset you want. As a new player it can even be challenging trying to figure out what you want. In addition the owners of such servers are not bound by any sort of corporate bureaucracy. This has its ups and downs of course. Some server owners don’t play by the same rules on their own servers. And you’ll have to decide for yourself if that is acceptable or not and if so, to what degree. The good news is, those who abuse their positions rarely have a server for long.
The other downside (kinda) is these server types tend to wipe with some frequency. Some do once a month, some every 2-3 months, or every year. Some wipe only if they need to. I believe like only a handful haven’t ever wiped. This can be a bad thing if you intend to keep structures up for years. Or a good thing if you favor a playable experience throughout.
Since you know about servers locked in a password in a discord, I assume you know how to search for said server. So with that knowledge I can recommend trying to find one that has a server ruleset that seems interesting. You can even start off PVP because normally private PVP servers usually have a community that is focused on retaining players and not running them off. So you’re likely able to be able to get a better foothold.
I can’t really recommend Funcom servers because of their performance issues. You have to play on them when hardly anyone if anyone is online, and you can get that experience in singleplayer. I always favor being able to play the game with the least amount of performance related issues over the occasional private server issue that can crop up from time to time.
One bit of advice I will give no matter what server you choose to play, is never be afraid of losing stuff. Whether you have to swap to another server for whatever reason, deal with wipes, uber alphas on provided servers, or have to take a break and decay kicks in. Starting over is never a difficult ordeal. Your first character will seem to take a while to get to max level, get recipes, and otherwise advance. Your next character will do it in less than half the time. Eventually you’ll be able to get a character maxed out on everything within a week or two.
What this does is allows you to be flexible. Many players here haven’t done this and are playing the same characters they have 6 years ago. They not having anywhere near as much fun as those who can flexibly move server to server. There’s an innumerable amount of ways to play Conan Exiles. Try not to get fixated on just one.
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If you are just starting out with conan i recommend a PVE server
You csn learn the game without losing your builds thralls etc . The only thing you need to worry about is the purge. As far as I know the purge will hit everyone at some time or other. Good luck out there.
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Do yourself a favor and stay away from pvp servers. Toxic enviroment, toxic players, to much exploites. They will eat you allive as a newbie and this is no fun. Stick to pve, its the better choice and this I say as someone who played pvp for 5 years in this game.
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I’d say the official servers, of any stripe, are a hot mess. One possibility is to follow a streamer who seems reasonable and join their server, if they’re hosting one or playing on a private server.
Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll try to put together someone steam friends to play PVE on an established server.
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Might also be worth mentioning that official servers are not just about surviving against the environment or other players. You will also need to face the greatest survival challenge and that is Funcom. They will ban you for just playing the game. You can try reading the rules but even that might not save you. And 3 suspensions is a permanent unappealable ban. So what i an saying is that if you choose to go official then be prepared to be locked out of using any extras you pay for on official servers.
Thanks for the warning I’ll try and stay clear of the ban hammer. The problem I’m having with finding a unofficial server is finding one that is Exiled Lands with either minimal or no mods I don’t mind the cosmetic mods so much but I don’t want something that alters the game to such and extent its something different. This is my first run through I want the vanilla experience.
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