I've been playing a ton of
Conan Exiles lately and it's bloody fantastic. I resisted for a long time because I can't commit to an online game with clans and PvP raids and stuff. I just don't have the time. But...I've found that if you run your own server and play solo or with a couple friends and it's an amazing experience.
Pros
- True to the source material. I haven't read a lot of Howard, but the game fits exactly with what I have read. It's a dangerous world and you are encouraged to play like a sonofabitch reaver, thief, raider, etc.
- You can build a castle or house or whatever you like. That's a game unto itself
- Good mix of open world with scattered set pieces. Play at your own pace.
- Excellent and evocative graphics, voices, and music. It is a joy to explore the world
- Compelling story that you can progress at whatever pace you want
- Deep crafting system with tons of lore buried in descriptions of stuff you find. The writing is excellent. A two paragraph description of some random item you find evokes all kinds of lore and mystery. In most other games, this would be a throwaway blurb.
- Capture NPCs and make them your thralls! Bludgeon them into unconsciousness and drag them back to your Wheel of Pain to break their will.
- Many "problematic" aspects a.k.a. true to source material giving no fucks about what anyone thinks. Slavery, nudity, crucifixion, cannibalism, etc. My current character worships a god that requires ritual cannibalism, so I subsist off ritually purified human flesh.
- Active community and some really neat and deep mods
Cons
- AI is a bit janky
- Some clipping bugs
- Combat is not as deep or varied as it could have been.
- Crafting is a little complex and it's easy to forget recipes
- You need a few mods to really open the game up