The era of Early Access expansions is firmly upon us, and Funcom is ready to make Conan Exiles the newest face at the party by revealing the first expansion for its multiplayer Hyborian survival game in a new gameplay trailer on Thursday. And fans might be surprised by how much content they’ll find in Conan Exiles: The Frozen North . Even if they also wish Funcom had fixed the game’s existing content before moving on to its first big expansion.
The Frozen North -- which probably would’ve just been called an update (not a “free expansion”) before the games industry launched its all-out war on the English language -- will expand most aspects of the Conan Exiles experience. Players will have an entirely new landmass to explore, covered in trees, mountains and blisteringly cold weather. You’ll have to protect yourself from the elements, using new clothing and building materials, and learn how to safely interact with a handful of new factions. The Frozen North will also expand the game’s character creator, adding everything from new appearance options to a new deity, Ymir.
Funcom says the expansion will introduce more than 300 additional items to Conan Exiles, and it’ll take a bit of tinkering to find them all. Players will also find new uses for local wildlife, like pressing fish into oil or using bee farms to gather the honey needed for certain alcohol recipes. There are also two new tiers of buildings, equivalent to the Tier 2 and Tier 3 materials built from desert materials, that will insulate Conan Exiles players from the bitter cold they’ll find waiting on the northern end of the map. The Frozen North even includes a pair of new dungeons, one of which is watched over by the game’s latest dungeon boss, Tyros the Deathbringer.
For an early look at Conan Exiles’ first free expansion, take a few minutes to watch the trailer embedded at the top of the page. Then head down to the comments and let us know what you hope to see when The Frozen North heads to PC and Xbox One later this year.
Conan Exiles is currently available in Early Access and the Xbox One Game Preview program. The game’s full launch (and a PS4 port) are expected in 2018.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Conan Exiles news in 2017 and however long Funcom supports Conan Exiles in the years ahead.
