The character creation system in Conan Exiles provides the player with a lot of freedom to change their appearance. You can adjust settings such as your voice style, facial features including jaw, chin, cheeks, nose, mouth, ears, and eyes, skin tones, hair color and styles, and body features such as physique, nudity, and tattoos. This may sound all very common for most RPG veterans, but it’s important to keep in mind that a lot of newer RPGs limit the amount of fine details that you can customize for your character. On this page, we’ll cover all of the basics for creating a character that fits your style, but we’ll also explain which aspects of character creation influence gameplay in Conan Exiles, such as the religion you choose, and even your height.
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Our bog-standard Viking build in Conan Exiles.
Cosmetic Options in Conan Exiles Character Creation¶
As mentioned above, there are many customizable features for you to choose from when changing the cosmetic appearance of your character. Those players who enjoy adjusting the finest of details in things like facial features will be pleased to know that you can do this for almost all aspects of your character, from the depth and shape of the jaw, chin, cheeks, nose, mouth, ears, and eyes, to the overall physique of your character. There are standardized gradients for the width, scale, height, thickness, and angle for each of these, so you have a lot of freedom when it comes to creating a character that feels truly unique.
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Does Player Height Influence Gameplay?¶
The vast majority of the cosmetic options that you can adjust during character creation in Conan Exiles won’t affect anything related to gameplay. However, the one exception to this is the player’s height. This can influence the way you move through the world, such as whether you can fit into tight spaces in caves, or even through unconventional building structures. For example, it’s entirely possible that if your character is too tall, they won’t be able to fit through a hole that a smaller character has no trouble with. At the same time, a smaller character has reduced mass that can be targeted by enemies, which is particularly relevant during PvP combat encounters. A small character with a large shield will be more difficult to hit, for example, simply because the overall body mass is reduced when compared with a character who is much taller or wider.
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It’s not all bad news for taller characters, though. If you happen to be a giant, you’ll have a slight advantage when it comes to peering over curved surfaces in the landscape. This gives you a greater range of visibility, although admittedly only in fairly limited circ*mstances. A taller character will also have a slight advantage when it comes to hitting headshots on smaller characters, and it will be more difficult for a smaller character to reach the heads of the tallest characters with small weapons.
(1 of 2) There are plenty of options for changing the colors of different body features.
There are plenty of options for changing the colors of different body features. (left), The options for changing bodily structure are extensive, but there’s a disappointing amount of hairstyles to choose from. (right)
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With all that said, you’ll need to consider which size of character might best fit your play style. If you plan to be a small, tough tank that is rarely seen without a shield, your lesser body mass could be useful. If you want to be a reckless barbarian who goes in for the kill in melee most of the time, a larger character may be advantageous in terms of the greater reach it provides. At the same time, if you’re a smaller character with a bow, you’ll be slightly more difficult to hit at range than if you were a tall character.
Ultimately, all of this can be taken with a pinch of salt, since the advantages gained by being a smaller or taller character are only significant in specific situations. Even then, it’s only in the highest levels of PvP combat that you might consider changing your size to gain a slight advantage, where it will matter far more than if you’re just playing against AI enemies alongside your friends.
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Orb of Nergal - How to Change Your Character’s Appearance¶
If you’ve already made a character but you’re tired of its current appearance, there’s a way to change most of the cosmetic features in-game. To do it, you’ll need to craft a type of workbench known as the Orb of Nergal, which can be unlocked from the sorcery feats at level 45. However, you won’t find it in the sorcery tab when crafting. It’s listed under the “special” tab instead.
To build the Orb of Nergal, you’ll need 100 Insulated Wood, 50 Twine, and 50 Steel Bars. You can then use it as a workbench whenever you want to adjust your appearance. Just keep in mind that the options are limited to your voice, head options, face details, and body features.
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(1 of 2) Look for the Orb of Nergal in the Special tab of crafting stations once you’ve learnt it.
Look for the Orb of Nergal in the Special tab of crafting stations once you’ve learnt it. (left), You can use the Orb of Nergal as a workbench to change your appearance. (right)
What Does Your Race and Religion Influence?¶
Other than cosmetics, you’ll also have the option to choose between fourteen races and seven religions. We’ll briefly cover each of them below.
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Races in Conan Exiles¶
The race that you choose during character creation doesn’t impact any aspect of gameplay in Conan Exiles. The only thing it changes is the default template that your character appearance starts with. Still, there are potential role-playing reasons for you to choose a specific race, and they each have a brief description of their basic background, detailed below. Those who enjoy history will notice the clear parallels between the races in Conan Exiles and the real-world people who have influenced their templates.
| Race | Description |
|---|---|
| Hyborian | Hyborians encompass those descendants of the barbaric worshippers of Bori, who swept from the north millennia ago and destroyed the ancient empire of Acheron. The original Hyborians were tawny-haired and grey-eyed, but intermingling with other races has diversified their appearance. |
| Cimmerian | Barbaric and warlike, the Cimmerians are the descendants of the ancient Atlanteans. They fight on foot, mainly, and make savage raids on their neighbors to the east, north, and south. |
| Stygian | Stygians are ruled by King Ctesphon, but it is no secret that the priests of Set are the true power in the land. Only the Black Ring, a cabal of sorcerers led by Thoth Amon, rivals the priests in power and influence. |
| Tribal Humelian | Wedged between the Turanians to the north and the Vendhyans to the south, Himelians have developed a fierce survivalist society. They are fiercely loyal to one another and quick to turn against their multitude of enemies. |
| Hyrkanian / Turanian | Dark and slender, the Hyrkanians are the descendants of the Lemurians who roamed westward after escaping their slavery in the east by the Khari. The most famous Hyrkanian tribe is the Turanians, who have carved themselves an empire on the shores of the Vilayet Sea. |
| Khitan | Khitan are known to be mysterious and secretive, which increases their reputation as powerful sorcerers. |
| Kush*te | Very little is known of the Black Kingdoms, but merchants and adventurers report back with tales of both savage tribes and great civilizations thriving among the vast landscape. |
| Nordheimer | The yellow-haired Aesir and red-haired Vanir are the pale-skinned, blue-eyed race who rule the kingdoms north of Cimmeria. Known for being wayward and fierce, they use their powerful builds and brute strength to overwhelm their enemies in battle. |
| Pict | The tribes of Pictland are continually at war with each other, their neighbors are anybody who is unfortunate to wander into their territory. The life of the average Pict is one of constant, unrelenting horror, as dark gods and bloody wars threaten to snatch away life and soul at every turn. |
| Shemite | Nomadic Shemites are notorious for their skill with bows and their duplicity as traders. The pastoral peoples are considered calmer and more civilized, with highly skilled artisans such as the smiths of Akbitana. |
| Darfari | Barbaric to the core, Darfari are savage bandits and murderers that form loose bands in order to bring sacrifices to the altar of their god Yog. They file their teeth to points and use mud and twigs to style their black hair into horns, giving them a demonic appearance. |
| Vendhyan | Referred to as the golden kingdom, Vendhya has a caste of rulers who are considered close to divinity. In particular, the sister of the King, Devi Yasmina, is well known for her unearthly beauty. |
| Zamorian | Zamorian are reputed to be the best thieves in the world and cities such as “Shadizar the Wicked” and “City of Thieves” reinforce the reputation of this despotic state. |
| Zingaran | Zingaran noblemen are renowned for their chivalry and swordplay, while Zingaran sailors are cursed in seaports around the civilized world as coarse brutes. |
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Religions in Conan Exiles¶
Unlike with the races, religions in Conan Exiles can influence game mechanics in some ways. These come in the form of gaining access to unique recipes, armor, decorative items, and altars. You will also be given a specific harvesting tool associated with each religion, which you’ll need to use if you want to gain favor with its deity. Gaining favor with a particular deity is important since you need to be on their good side if you want to summon their avatar. The avatars are powerful allies that can help you destroy enemy bases or defeat great foes, but they take a lot of investment in time and resources to summon.
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(1 of 2) In theory, you can build all of the religious altars once you can access to them, but not close together.
In theory, you can build all of the religious altars once you can access to them, but not close together. (left), An example of the Ymir religious altar. (right)
Religion in The Exiled Lands and the Isle of Siptah¶
Although you do gain access to unique items depending on the religion that you choose, it’s important to note that you can actually associate yourself with all religions in the game at the same time. The religion you choose while creating your character is only the original, default religion that you’ll be associated with, but you can learn any other religion for 50 knowledge points from the knowledge menu. Alternatively, if you’re lucky enough to find a religious priest in The Exiled Lands, you can speak with them to join their religion too. You can even join a religion by finding one of its sacred relics, and this is the only method that is viable on the Isle of Siptah, as there are no priest trainers there.
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You can see a brief overview of the different religions available in Conan Exiles, along with their associated affinities and avatars, in the table below.
| Deity | Specialization | Avatar |
|---|---|---|
| Mitra | Healing, Light | Bronze Statue |
| Set | Poisons, Antidotes | Giant Serpent |
| Yog | Flesh preparation, Cannibalism | Tentacled Horror |
| Ymir | Ice, Cold | Frost Giant |
| Derketo | Fertility, Death | Two-faced Goddess |
| Crom | N/A | Crom is a spiteful deity, and won’t help you in any way. |
| Zath | Purity through Cleansing | Giant Spider |
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More Conan Exiles Guides¶
If you’re looking for more Conan Exiles guides, be sure to check the links below.
- Obelisk Locations - Conan Exiles
- Stray Cat Locations and Uses - Conan Exiles
- How to Obtain Thralls - Conan Exiles
- How the Purge Works in Chapter 2 - Conan Exiles
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