Atop the ruins of al-Merayah, a great fortress has risen. Greed and decadence swell within its iron-barbed walls. From this powerful seat, the Stygian Empire rests its boot upon the throat of the Exiled Lands. A boot poised to crush.
In Age of War – Chapter 3, you will show Stygia your true mettle. Gather your band and return al-Merayah to ruins.
Today, we're excited to give you an overview of this brand-new feature coming on December 14.
The Rise and Fall of Civilizations
Before getting into the mechanics of the Siege of al-Merayah, we would like to briefly share some conceptual background to this feature and its naming. As you may know, a core theme in Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories is the rise and fall of civilizations. Time is a pendulum that swings back and forth from barbarism, to decadence, and back again, as new societies are built over the ruins of the past.
If you have played another of our games, The Secret World, you may have recognized the name al-Merayah as one of the villages you visit in that game. We like to think that the al-Merayah in The Secret World is a future incarnation of the ruins in Conan Exiles. Pre-Chapter 3, it was ancient ruins, and soon, Stygia will have built it back into decadence.
It is your job, Exile, to topple it and hurl them back into barbarism, beginning the cycle anew.
A Destructible Overworld Dungeon
One of the purposes of the Siege of al-Merayah is to give PvE players the opportunity to experience the joy of reducing structures to rubble. The entire fortress behaves in the same way as player-built structures, aside from some tweaked health values. You will actually find that all the pieces used in the construction of this fortress are available to build with.
Your goal is to reach and then defeat Bakt-Nimlot, the Commander of the invading Stygian force. But between you stand walls, gates, and soldiers. How you get past them is entirely up to you. Foul sorcery has ever been the fear of those who place their trust in stone and mortar. Soar over the walls on the wings of bat demons or form bridges of ice to carry you over.
If you shun such corrupted practices, you can seek more earthly means to bring down the walls. Build trebuchets, detonate explosive jars, or, for the first time, wield a battering ram. These are all very efficient in bringing down structures, and have now found a use outside of PvP.
The defenders of the keep will not stand idly by. Archers will pelt you with arrows from atop the crenelated walls and elite soldiers will engage you in close combat once you gain access to the courtyard. Explore the fortress to find both valuable loot and useful tools to aid in your assault.
In the highest chamber of the inner keep, surrounded by riches plundered from the Exiled Lands, you will face the Stygian Commander. On your way up the keep, every step must be paid for in blood. Defeat Bakt-Nimlot, and you will be rewarded with high-level loot and a trove of gold to add to your hoard.
Threads of Gold
When we design new content for Conan Exiles, especially within the context of an Age, we always aim to tie everything together, both narratively and mechanically.
In the case of the Siege of al-Merayah, the gold you loot at the end can be added to your hoard (introduced in Chapter 1), which fuels the cycle of purges (introduced in Chapter 2) and can be used to purchase various useful items such as mercenary banners or to hire followers in the tavern (also coming in Chapter 3).
The Siege of al-Merayah is an end-game activity, designed for high level characters. Bringing followers is good, and bringing friends is even better. The more of you there are, the more manageable the difficulty will be.
Building Foundations
Currently, the siege only exists in the Exiled Lands, but we see this feature as a very strong foundation which we can expand upon for future content.
We hope you’re ready to take on the might of the Stygian Empire. Look out for our next blog, where we will showcase the other major feature coming in Chapter 3 – the ability to open your very own tavern.
Age of War – Chapter 3 begins on December 14.
Slay and Survive, Exiles!