Robert E. Howard captured an amazing world with Hyboria. Conan was the main character, but the backdrop of the world he lived in, really breathed along with him. In Conan Exiles the team at Funcom picked up that breath and turned it to frost. The Frozen North is a fantastic expansion to Exiles and one that continues to capture Howard’s vision. Here is a breakdown of what to expect and how the game plays.
It had been a while since I logged into Exiles so starting out took some refreshing, the Frozen North is as unforgiving as its name. Once I got past the cold, yes you can freeze to death, the game plays out survival in the ice wastes just as well as it did in the desert lands. In the mountainous region having the climb skill added to the game comes in very handy. Resources and escape routes from enemies are all too easy to find when climbing. Upon exploring the zone, Exiles is much bigger. The lands are expansive and there is plenty to hunt around for. Resources can be found, especially the precious star metal. One of the coolest armor sets in the game, which I am aiming to get too, is the Vanir armor. It helps with the cold too. Again, you can freeze to death…
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The Frozen North has a lot of great hidden settlements and dungeons. When walking in the desert wastes the landscape was more open. Here, there is a sense of discovery as you walk through the forests. You sort of come upon things out of nowhere which is fun. There are also some new dungeons to explore with bosses and such, we have yet to get down to them to fight as well, and you have to be ready for sure. Adding that RPG element to Exiles makes it fun though, it gives you more goals to shoot for than just survival.
Another area where North shines is in the monsters. Funcom does a great job of making Howard’s world very real. There are wolves and mammoths as you’d expect, but they also add in the frost giants famous from Conan stories. These enemies are extremely tough to fight, but fun to go up against. Our best advice is wait until you have some serious armor and weaponry before taking on these foes.
Staying warm is probably one of the biggest challenges in the expansion. Luckily you have several ways to do it until you can get your Vanir armor. Using fire works well, but also brewing is a big deal. You may be living on bug soup for a while, but it will keep you warm. These side bits are something to always consider before you venture out. I am not one for building homes and castles, but having a space to call your own helps a ton so get something together early.
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Lastly, Ymir has been added as a deity in the game. I’ll stick with Crom always, but Ymir does have some killer effects if you choose to worship him. It is worth trying out and seeing what benefits you can gain, especially that it is his land after all.
Conan Exiles continues to do well and The Frozen North is a great expansion to the game. There is a ton of content to explore and players will like the change in environment more than ever. The new enemies are fun to fight and survival takes on a whole new tone with the weather. Of all the locals in Hyboria this is a great one to explore. The map is huge and will take some time to get around but with surprises in the trees and on mountain cliffs it is a fun journey to behold. Time to dive back into the game for us here and see what we can discover, star metal weapons and Vanir armor await!
