The first of the Age of War three chapters for Conan Exiles has been released. Combat improvements, purge overhaul and PvE sieges are just a few things you can expect in this new age.

Chapter 1 focuses on some of the reasons why we go adventuring. The first of those is the thrill of battle. Conan Exiles has always been a fight for your life, from the very moment you get cut down from the corpse tree.

The combat has been rebalanced, with a new stamina system. Dennis Douthett, the Lead Designer for Conan Exiles, expressed that the earlier battle system was too easy, and that it didn’t offer the right amount of stress to reward that you should get. Stating that the harder the situation is, it builds up stress and that if you are able to overcome that situation, you get a much greater sense of accomplishment, and they wanted to create that greater sense of reward.

They increased the amount of stamina that attack actions cause while increasing how fast stamina can regenerate, so you shouldn’t be able to have a long string of unending attacks, but must time your attacks properly lest you find yourself exhausted. Creatures and other enemies have also been changed, decreasing their hit points but increasing the damage they can do, so you better get your dodging and blocking game ready; your life depends on it.

Equipment has also been tweaked, and shields have had their durability lowered, so expect more broken shields littering the battlefield. Legendary weapons, which sit at the top of the power pyramid, are no longer able to be repaired, so when one breaks, you will have to venture out to look for another. Other weapons can be repaired, but each time you repair them, they will lose their maximum durability, so cuddle up to your favorite blacksmith, as you will need them to craft you a new Khopesh.

While you develop your fighting skills on the battlefield, you will ultimately become well-known to the point where others will congregate around you, and you will establish a clan. The people will be proud to display their membership in your clan, and the new clan emblems allow them to do so. You will be able to design your own distinctive clan insignia using the new Clan Totem workstation, which you can then proudly display on banners, clan armor, shields, wall banners, and even carpet, to mention a few items. Everyone will be able to identify the owner of either the invading party or the castle perched atop the hill.

Your clan and reputation will advance in proportion to your victories., so will your thirst for treasure, enter the new Clan Hoards, you will be able to designate a room in your empire as your treasure room. Once you learn to make and craft the Treasure Coffer and plop it down in the room of your choosing, you will be rewarded with a loyal bean counter who will keep track of all your ill-gotten loot. Besides the normal Gold and silver, dust, coins, and bars, you will also be able to find, collect, and display large, unique treasures that will have to be hand carried back to your hoard. Be careful, though, as while you are transporting your treasure, opportunistic treasure hunters may try to separate you from your hard-earned loot. While you are hauling your priceless trophies, you will be unable to run, swim, or fight, so if you are set upon, you will have to set it down to defend yourself. So, bring some clan mates and clear the way.

As your treasure grows and the piles of gold and relics overflow, it will be used as a new currency that it allows you to purchase additional warriors and other goods in the next chapters. The future Purge changes will have enemies trying to separate you from your golden goodies.

With all of these adjustments comes a new Battle Pass that emphasizes the Stygian and Vanir aesthetics and offers a ton of new warpaints, symbol designs, emotes, and other items for you to find and unlock. Of course, there will also be a ton of new items in the store, some of which may even be free.

The first chapter has a lot to offer, but there are still two more that will be released over the course of the year. If Funcom sticks to their usual release schedule, each chapter will be released roughly 90 days apart.

The Purge will be redesigned in Chapter 2 to capitalize on the Clan treasure hoards, and Chapter 3 will be devoted to PvE sieges, where we should be able to engage the Purge directly and assault their encampments.

As if releasing Chapter 1 wasn’t already enough, Funcom went and added a little more sugar to the pot, which means Conan Exiles is free to play on Steam for the entire week. Additionally, there is a bonus for those who have already purchased Conan Exiles: all DLCs are discounted by 25%, and Isle of Siptah is discounted by 20%. So get them while you can. I know I will since I still have some DLC I’m lacking.

Now go forth, conquer, and gather all the riches you can!

Are you excited about the Age of War update? Let me know in the comments below.