Conan Exiles Beginner's Guide 2026: A Good Start after the UE5 Update

Survive first, play the hero later

A common beginner mistake isn’t necessarily a lack of gear, but rather making the wrong decisions. Many die because they venture too far too soon, don’t keep track of their surroundings, or fight without a plan. In Conan Exiles, you’re rarely given a second chance. If you’re unprepared, you’ll notice it right away. It’s not about winning your first epic battles or building a massive base right away. Your first goal is actually quite simple: don’t die.

As boring as it may sound, just like in any survival game, you first need to gather a good supply of basic materials: stones, sticks, and fibers. Then you craft your first tools while keeping an eye on your hunger and thirst. This is actually simple, but not so much in Conan Exiles, because you’ll quickly encounter enemies, and if you’re thinking, “Oh, I can just take that one out”—better not. Stay on the defensive at first, explore cautiously, and stick to easier areas above all.

Choosing the right location makes everything easier

Especially as a Conan Exiles beginner, you shouldn’t just run off blindly and search the nearest area. For your first small shelter in Conan Exiles, you should stay where you can find enough materials and are near water. A small starting base is perfectly sufficient, because you can always build bigger later—trying to do so right away will just overwhelm you.

For example, you can drink from rivers, and being near basic starter resources will get you pretty far in the beginning—plus, the enemies are much easier to handle than in the regions that give you a queasy feeling the moment you step foot in them.

If you pick a bad location to start, you’ll make the game unnecessarily hard on yourself. Too few resources, no water, or too many strong enemies nearby will quickly lead to frustration. So, especially at the beginning, make sure you consciously choose a spot that makes your life easier, not harder.

You can never have enough resources

Honestly, if you think you’ve gathered enough resources in Conan Exiles—no, you haven’t. And that’s genuinely well-meaning advice from us. Whether it’s wood, stone, fibers, or iron, you’ll need it all.

Every survival game is based in some way on gathering resources, but in this game in particular, it’s vital for survival. The sooner you establish a solid routine for Conan Exiles farming, the better. And getting good tools quickly is just as important and ensures good progress in the game. Better tools also help you immensely with gathering in the beginning, as they make a huge difference.

Still, always make sure you’re not running around completely overloaded and keep using chests to store items periodically. If you die, you’ll lose your entire inventory and have to run back to retrieve it. Especially in the beginning, this can get really annoying if you risk too much at once and end up in a downward spiral that could take the fun out of the game.

Fighting smart in your first battles

If you want to tackle your first Conan Exiles battles, you should prepare yourself, because mindless button-mashing doesn’t work in this game. You have to learn to time your attacks, dodge effectively, and, above all, assess every enemy standing in front of you.

One good rule of thumb: If you see that a Conan Exiles opponent is significantly larger than you, or if several are coming at you at once, it’s better to move on. In Conan Exiles, you’re more likely to be rewarded for a cautious approach than if you throw yourself unnecessarily into battles you can’t win. Not every opponent needs to be defeated, and not every battle needs to be fought.

Going solo is fine—but it’s more fun together

Of course, survival games are fun in solo mode, but they usually get really good when played in a group. Conan Exiles multiplayer is exactly what makes the game so great, offering thrilling adventures, epic battles, plenty of chaos, and, of course, fun with your friends.

Right now, following the Conan Exiles UE5 update, is the perfect time to start fresh with your friends, and having your own Conan Exiles server gives you the control you need to set your own rules, use mods, and tailor the gameplay to your style. But the biggest advantage of multiplayer is that you’d take much longer to make significant progress on your own, whereas playing in a group with your friends is much faster—and way more fun.

The new QoL features give you the best start

If you’re just starting out in Conan Exiles now, this is perfect timing. The update to Unreal Engine 5 hasn’t just brought visual and technical improvements. For example, access to nearby crates and chests while crafting and building makes your life a lot easier. Especially as a beginner, this is worth its weight in gold because it lets you focus more on the actual game itself and means less annoying running back and forth between crates.

Another important topic you’ll encounter sooner or later is the so-called Conan Exiles Thralls. These are NPCs that, while not new, can be crucial for your base—whether for combat or crafting in Conan Exiles—and they become even more important as the game progresses.

Conan Exiles is unforgiving—and that’s exactly what makes it special

Conan Exiles doesn’t wrap you in a blanket and hold your hand. You will die. Multiple times. Sometimes unnecessarily, but sometimes it’s your own fault. You’ll learn—you have to pay attention. All of that is part of the experience.

After the Conan Exiles Enhanced Update, this is the point where you should start. Or start over again—this also applies, of course, to returning players who last checked out Conan Exiles some time ago. If you take your time at the beginning to get to know everything and don’t rush into anything, you’ll get the hang of it quickly and understand a lot. And eventually, you’ll stand in front of your base and think to yourself: Yes, I did it. Maybe even together with your friends.

If you don’t want to play Conan Exiles alone, it’s worth it and a thousand times more relaxing to have your own GPORTAL Conan Exiles server. No unexpected chaos, just exactly what you and your friends want.