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Conan Exiles Enhanced is the free Steam PC upgrade that moved Conan Exiles to Unreal Engine 5 on May 5, 2026. Start by confirming your hardware, selecting a ruleset that matches your tolerance for loss, gathering basic supplies, and building a small, defensible camp near water and resources. The Enhanced release also connects the Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah for owners of that expansion, adds multiple single-player/co-op save slots, and lets crafting and building draw from nearby storage and follower inventories.
What Conan Exiles Enhanced changed
Enhanced is not a paid sequel. It is a free upgrade for existing and new Steam owners, released on May 5, 2026. Funcom moved the PC game to Unreal Engine 5, refreshed the visuals and interface, and kept supported progress paths for returning players. The upgrade also unified the game’s post-launch content in one PC build.
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- One connected world for Siptah owners: The Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah are linked for travel by one character. You still need to own the Isle of Siptah expansion to enter that map.
- More convenient crafting: Crafting, building, repairing and clothing dyeing can use materials in nearby storage and follower inventories. You no longer need to carry every ingredient to a workstation.
- More save flexibility: Enhanced supports multiple single-player/co-op save slots and save-transfer paths. Returning players should verify which branch and world they are opening before migrating a long-running save.
- Higher PC requirements: The Unreal Engine 5 build needs a modern six-core processor, 16 GB of memory, an 8 GB graphics card and an SSD even at minimum settings.
- Continuing updates: Update 2.2.0 moved Enhanced to Unreal Engine 5.8.2 and Iris networking on September 15, 2026. Patch 3.0.0 arrived October 6 with Rifts, new sorcery and inventory changes; hotfix 3.0.1 followed on October 8 with crash and stability fixes.
The practical result for a new player is a smoother logistics loop, a larger travel scope if you own Siptah, and a more demanding game to run than the old UE4 version.
Check your PC before creating a character
Compare your system with the published Enhanced requirements before downloading or migrating a world. An SSD is listed for both tiers, and the minimum graphics card includes 8 GB of VRAM. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a particular frame rate; server population, build size and graphics settings still affect performance.
#1 Best Overall
- EXPLORE A VAST WORLD: Explore a giant world, from the burning desert in the south to the snow-capped mountains in the north. Discover ancient cultures, ruins, and dungeons
- SURVIVE: Stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
- BUILD: Harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a small home to entire cities piece by piece. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more, then deck out your creations with a wide variety of different furniture, crafting stations, and NPC guards
- DOMINATE: Wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage fury in violent and brutal combat
- BUILD AN ARMY OF THRALLS: Capture NPCs, drag them back to your base, and use the Wheel of Pain to break their will. Turn them into archers, crafters, entertainers, and more for your settlements
| Component | Minimum published target | Recommended target |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 or Intel Core i5-10400F | AMD Ryzen 7 5600X or Intel Core i7-11700F |
| Memory | 16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | GeForce GTX 1070 Ti or Radeon 5700 XT, with at least 8 GB VRAM | GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6700 |
| Graphics API | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
| Storage | SSD | SSD |
| Connectivity | Broadband internet | Broadband internet |
Leave free space on the SSD for patches and temporary files. If you are close to the minimum, start with conservative resolution, view distance, shadows and effects, then raise one setting at a time. Enhanced added new graphics controls and performance fixes, but Funcom has not promised a universal frame rate for every configuration.
Choose the right starting ruleset
Your first major decision is not a weapon or a building location; it is the ruleset. It determines how much control you have, whether other players can destroy your work, and how quickly you learn.
The Tool Desk
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|---|---|---|---|
| Solo or co-op | Learning systems privately, experimenting with builds, or playing with friends | You manage progression and world settings yourself; a local world is available only when its host is running | Whether to keep one world for learning and another for a long-term build |
| Official PvE | Persistent public worlds without player-versus-player base attacks | Competition for building spots and resources; server rules and population are fixed | Server ping, population and whether the rules allow the activities you want |
| Official PvP | Players who want raids, ambushes and political pressure | Other players can threaten your character, inventory or base according to the server’s schedule and rules | Raid hours, clan activity and how much loss you can accept |
| Private server | Groups that need custom rates, moderation or a controlled community | The owner must pay for hosting, configure settings, install updates and enforce rules | Who administers it, which mods or settings are allowed, and how backups are handled |
| Legacy UE4 branch | Players deliberately remaining on the old PC build | No new updates, support, Bazaar access or official servers | Whether preserving an old setup is worth giving up current content |
For a first character, solo/co-op or a quiet PvE server usually provides the most forgiving learning pace. Choose PvP only if you are comfortable losing a base or stored gear while you learn. A busy clan server can teach you quickly, but it also adds social pressure and competition for territory.
Your first hour: a reliable route
- Confirm the branch and input settings. On Steam, make sure you are launching Enhanced rather than intentionally selecting the Legacy UE4 branch. Let the game finish its update, check that your display resolution is correct, and create a backup plan for any old save before importing it.
- Create a character with a survivable starting plan. Appearance and attributes can be refined later, so prioritize a simple weapon style you can control. In co-op, agree on who will gather, build and scout so the group does not duplicate every task.
- Gather plant fiber, branches and stone immediately. These basic materials support the first tools, weapons and shelter pieces. Pick up enough to replace a broken tool rather than stopping after the first craft.
- Secure food and water. Hunt small animals or collect available food, cook what you can, and identify a dependable water source before traveling inland. Carry a small reserve so a scouting trip does not become an emergency return.
- Unlock the earliest survival and building knowledge. Spend your first knowledge points on the tools, weapons, shelter and storage you can use now. Avoid scattering points across advanced crafts before you have a bedroll or bed, a food solution and basic protection.
- Follow the journey objectives. The early journey acts as a checklist for gathering, crafting, combat, shelter and exploration. Completing the next nearby objective gives you a clear route instead of wandering into a high-level area.
- Place a compact starter camp. Choose a spot near water, stone and wood, with room to expand and a reasonable travel route to nearby points of interest. Build a small footprint first; a huge decorative structure consumes materials and attracts attention before you can defend it.
- Prepare before difficult encounters. Upgrade from improvised gear to reliable armor, a shield or a weapon style you understand, a bedroll or bed, healing items and a repeatable food supply. Mark the route home and avoid carrying every valuable item on exploratory trips.
Where and how to build your first base
Pick a practical location
Water, stone and wood are the three most useful early criteria. A site close to all three reduces repeated travel and lets you replace tools quickly. Leave a clear path for future expansion and avoid building directly on a resource node or in a route used by hostile creatures. On a public server, check local building rules and claim boundaries before placing foundations.
Rank #2
- Includes a 6 inch Conan the Barbarian polyresin figurine, a custom comic book, 3 soundtracks featuring the music from Conan Exiles as well as the music from Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures and Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, an artbook, a map of the world of Conan Exiles, a code to unlock 6 full-color digital comic books from Dark Horse Comics, a code to unlock the digital rule book created by Modiphius for their Conan pen and paper RPG, and a code to unlock the “Coming of Conan” eBook!
- Dominate the Exiled Lands - Carve out your piece of the Exiled Lands, taking it from other players if you must! Build siege weapons and use explosives to break down the walls of your enemy’s city.
- Survive in a Savage Land - Dress well or light a campfire to stay warm and make sure to cool yourself down in the heat. Hunt, cook, eat, and drink to stay alive. Build a shelter to weather scouring sandstorms.
- Brutal, Bloody Combat - Fight vicious monsters and other players using an action-oriented, combo-based combat system. Dodge, block, and learn to master the true art of combat to become the greatest fighter in the Exiled Lands.
- Play Together or Alone - Play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you in a world where you have full control of the rules and settings. Want to play with just handful of friends? Try co-op mode!
Use a small, defensible layout
Start with a room for a bed, storage and a basic workstation, then add a separated area for crafting and followers. Keep doors and ladders easy to reach, and leave enough interior space to move around a station without getting stuck. In PvP, use multiple smaller storage points and avoid displaying every valuable item in one visible room; in PvE, prioritize convenience and expansion space.
Organize storage around the new inventory system
Enhanced can pull materials from nearby storage and follower inventories when you craft, build, repair or dye clothing. Put chests and workstations within the effective nearby radius, label containers by category, and keep an emergency kit on your character. Nearby-inventory crafting reduces carrying, but it does not make distant chests global; if a recipe cannot find a material, move the resource or the workstation closer.
Crafting and building without inventory overload
- Place the workstation and at least one storage container close together.
- Deposit common materials such as wood, stone, fiber, hides and plant products into labeled containers.
- Keep a small personal stack of repair materials, food, water and a backup weapon for trips away from the base.
- Assign followers to locations where their inventories remain within the crafting and building radius if you want their supplies available.
- Open the recipe or building piece and confirm that the required ingredients are being drawn from nearby storage. If the count is wrong, check distance, container ownership and whether another recipe has reserved the item.
- Craft only the next useful upgrade until your base has a stable material pipeline. Hoarding every ingredient on your character defeats the system’s main advantage.
The system saves time but does not remove logistics. A large project still consumes resources, and a distant outpost needs its own supplies unless you return to the main base.
Early combat and progression priorities
Survival fights are decided as much by stamina and positioning as by damage. Learn one weapon’s reach, keep enough stamina to evade, and avoid fighting several enemies in terrain that prevents retreat. A shield gives a new player a forgiving response to attacks, while a two-handed or ranged style can work when you understand spacing.
Rank #3
- Explore a vast world: explore a giant world, from the Burning desert in the south to the snow-capped mountains in the north. Discover ancient cultures, ruins, and dungeons
- Survive: stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
- Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
- Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
- Play together or alone: play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you
- Armor before ambition: Replace improvised clothing with dependable armor before attempting camps, caves or bosses.
- Healing on the hotbar: Carry food or other healing options and use them before you reach critical health.
- Repair discipline: Repair weapons and armor at the appropriate station or from the field when possible; a broken weapon in an unfamiliar area is often fatal.
- Recoverable expeditions: Leave valuables in storage, mark your base, and carry only what you can afford to lose until you know the route.
- Followers as support: Use followers to help with hauling and combat, but watch their health and inventory. Enhanced can use follower inventories for nearby crafting, so return them to a safe location before starting a major build.
Progression is easier when you alternate gathering, knowledge unlocks, building and short exploration runs. This keeps your equipment improving without forcing a long trip with outdated gear.
Travel between the Exiled Lands and Isle of Siptah
For owners of Isle of Siptah, Enhanced connects both maps for one character. Treat Siptah as an additional progression destination, not a mandatory second start. Establish a stable base, food supply and equipment set in your current region first, then plan the move when you can replace lost gear.
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Ownership remains the gate: integrating the maps did not make the expansion free. Players without the expansion continue with the Exiled Lands. When preparing to travel, organize your inventory, note where your bed and storage are located, and avoid taking irreplaceable items on the first trip. The two-map structure expands travel choices but also increases the distance between resources, bases and friends.
What the 2026 Rifts add
Patch 3.0.0, released October 6, introduced Mysterious Rifts in enemy camps, hostile arenas with selectable challenges, new materials and rewards, and additional sorcery. These encounters are optional escalation content for beginners. Do not make a Rift your first objective: enter after you have reliable armor, healing, stamina management, a dependable weapon and a safe recovery point.
Rank #4
- Explore a giant world, from the burning desert in the South to the snow-capped mountains in the North
- stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
- harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a small home to entire cities piece by piece
A sensible first Rift attempt
- Complete basic shelter, storage and bed setup.
- Bring repaired equipment, spare healing items and enough food for the fight and return trip.
- Store valuables before entering and record the route back to your base.
- Study the arena and select a challenge you can withdraw from; do not escalate simply because a higher tier offers better rewards.
- Leave if stamina, healing or follower health becomes unreliable. A failed attempt that preserves your recovery route is better than losing the character’s entire kit.
Hotfix 3.0.1 on October 8 addressed crashes, Steam Deck stability and several new gameplay and interface issues. Keep the game updated before testing Rifts or diagnosing a problem.
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Enhanced supports multiple single-player/co-op save slots and backward-compatible UE4 save support. Before opening an old world, identify whether it belongs to the Enhanced branch, the Legacy branch or a console installation. Make a separate backup of a long-running private world, then test the imported save before deleting or overwriting the original.
Save transfer behavior and server rules differ between official servers, private servers, Legacy UE4 and consoles. A character that works in one environment is not proof that every world or platform supports the same migration path. If a save is missing, first verify the selected branch, account, local save slot and server listing rather than creating a new world over the old one.
Performance troubleshooting on Enhanced
- Update first. Install the current game build and hotfix. The September engine update and October hotfix include performance, crash and stability work.
- Check the storage drive. Confirm the game is on an SSD with free space. A nearly full drive can cause patch and loading problems even when the game technically launches.
- Close competing workloads. Shut down heavy downloads, browsers with large workloads, recording tools and other applications that consume CPU, memory or disk bandwidth.
- Lower one setting at a time. Start with resolution, view distance, shadows and effects. Change one option, test the same area, and keep the setting that improves consistency without making the image unnecessarily soft.
- Separate local and server symptoms. Stuttering in a crowded public base may be caused by server population or build scale rather than your graphics card. Test a new solo world to see whether the problem follows the local machine.
- Respect build limits. Iris reduces repeated replication work, but Funcom states that it does not remove all server-performance limitations created by very large player builds.
There is no official universal frame-rate promise for every CPU, GPU, resolution or server population. Record which setting changed and whether the issue is a low frame rate, hitching, disconnect, crash or input delay; each symptom points to a different cause.
Best Value
- Explore a vast world: explore a giant world, from the Burning desert in the south to the snow-capped mountains in the north. Discover ancient cultures, ruins, and dungeons
- Survive: stay warm, cool yourself down, drink and eat, weather scouring sandstorms, prevent your mind from being corrupted when exploring dark dungeons, and battle vicious monsters to stay alive
- Build: harvest resources to craft tools and weapons, then build anything from a Small home to entire cities. Build walls, traps, elevators, and more
- Dominate: wage war against your enemies, use siege weapons and explosives and see their walls crumble to dust, then unleash your savage Fury in violent and brutal combat
- Play together or alone: play alone locally or fight for survival and dominance in persistent multiplayer on public servers. You can also host your own server and invite others to join you
Steam PC, Legacy PC and console differences
Steam PC Enhanced
This is the supported Unreal Engine 5 path and receives current patches, including Update 2.2.0 and Patch 3.0.0. It includes the current graphics, networking, save-slot and nearby-inventory systems described in this guide.
PC Legacy UE4
The Legacy branch remains available for players who deliberately stay on UE4. The Enhanced FAQ states that Legacy will not receive new updates, support, Bazaar access or official servers. Choose it only when preserving an old setup is more important than current content and services.
Console editions
The Enhanced FAQ states that consoles remain on UE4 while Funcom considers future Enhanced availability. Do not assume that a PC UE5 feature, map connection or performance setting exists on console.
Common beginner mistakes and fixes
- Building too far from water: Move or establish a second small camp near a dependable water source instead of spending every trip hauling supplies.
- Carrying the entire base: Use nearby storage and follower inventories, and keep only an emergency kit on your character.
- Choosing PvP for faster progression: PvP does not make learning faster; it adds base and inventory risk. Start in solo/co-op or PvE if you want to learn systems first.
- Ignoring beds and bedrolls: Place a respawn point before scouting, then update it when you establish a new outpost.
- Attempting Rifts with starter gear: Treat Rifts as optional challenges after dependable armor, healing and stamina management are in place.
- Assuming Siptah is included: The maps are connected only for players who own the Isle of Siptah expansion.
- Overwriting an old save: Back up and verify the branch before migrating. Legacy, Enhanced, private-server and console environments do not share identical support rules.
- Blaming graphics settings for every hitch: Test a solo world and compare it with a busy server; replication load and oversized builds can be the limiting factor.
A practical decision checklist
Use this checklist before committing to a long-term character:
- My PC matches the published CPU, GPU, VRAM, RAM, DirectX 12 and SSD requirements.
- I know whether I am launching Enhanced or intentionally staying on Legacy.
- I selected solo/co-op, PvE, PvP or a private server based on the amount of risk and administration I want.
- I know whether my account owns Isle of Siptah before planning travel there.
- I have a first base near water, stone, wood and a usable travel route.
- I placed storage near workstations and understand that nearby-inventory crafting has a range limit.
- I have a bedroll or bed, basic armor, healing, food and a repair plan before exploring dangerous areas.
- I backed up a returning player’s save before migration.
- I updated to the current hotfix before testing Patch 3.0.0 content.
With those decisions made, the early game becomes a controlled loop: gather locally, unlock the next useful knowledge, improve a compact base, make short recoverable expeditions, and expand travel only after your equipment and logistics can support it.
Quick Recap
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