Thank goodness for small favors! Funcom recently released an update entitled Riders of Hyboria, finally adding mounts to Conan: Exiles, and we couldn’t be happier! Not only does it save time getting around the Exiled Lands, but it helps make your player feel stronger and more capable in this harsh world. It’s not all perfect, however!
Today we’re going to count down 5 things we love about Conan: Exiles mounts, and 5 things we hate. We designed this list as a shout-out to Funcom to express what worked, and what still needs improvement. Saddle up, and let’s do this!
10 WE HATE NOT BEING ABLE TO DYE HORSE ARMOR
Dying your armor in Conan: Exiles is a simple way to add a personal touch to your character. Great mods like Dye More Betterer take this concept and expand on it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t translate to horse armors - yet.
We’re hoping this problem disappears because we’d love the ability to dye our horse armor and saddle to match our own color scheme. It’s possible this could be alleviated with a mod of some sort, but we’d rather Funcom add this in as a staple mechanic of the game.
9 WE LOVE THE REALISM
Conan: Exiles features horse riding that feels quite real. Cantering and trotting feel very weighted and realistic, as does the angling and turning speed. It feels quite different from horse riding in Skyrim (no running 90 degrees up the side of a mountain), and closer to the rides found in The Witcher III.
It’s one of the best feeling horse mechanics we’ve seen in a long time, and that goes a long way towards keeping you immersed in the game. Galloping across open tundras never felt better!
8 WE HATE THE LIMITED MOUNT OPTIONS
Currently, only horses can be mounted, which is a bit of a drag when you consider the varied animal species in the game. Funcom has expressed their desire to add more mounts to the game in future patches, so it remains to be seen if we’ll be able to rumble across the tundra on our gigantic mammoth.
Smaller animals like rhinos should be mountable, and here’s to hoping that we don’t have to wait too long for the opportunity. This would open up a lot in terms of traveling and combat options.
7 WE LOVE THE INVENTORY OPTIONS
Encumbrance is largely a thing of the past, thanks to the mounting system. Taking your horse with you on a journey means having room in its inventory to store heavier items that would otherwise weigh your character down.
We especially enjoy this dynamic for farming runs, since it cuts down the need to make several trips for things like ore, black ice, or enemy camp raids.
6 WE HATE THE BUGGY COMMAND SYSTEM
Since the mounts are based on the game’s existing thrall system, they’re prone to some problems. The most common issue pops up when having your horse stand guard, or when ordering them to stop following.
If you encounter an enemy too close to your horse, it will ignore the stay-put command and venture forth into battle to assist you. This is simply awful since it puts your horse directly in the path of damage from the enemy, and your own attacks. When we tell a horse to stay put, we mean it! Another problem involves losing your horse after you’ve had it stand guard in a particular spot. When you return, it’s nowhere to be seen. We’ve lost quite a few horses this way, though we have managed to find one or two that were nowhere near the area we originally left them.
5 WE LOVE THE COMBAT
Fighting while mounted feels excellent. It’s the closest thing we can envision to being a knight of old. It allows us to size up our targets from a distance before kicking things into high gear and galloping forward to deliver a crushing blow. The ability to deal damage with the horse’s impact is a great touch, as well.
Combat feels realistic, and it’s smartly tied to the horse’s stamina bar. Take too many hits, and you can be knocked off the horse and brought to ground, which forces you to get strategic.
4 WE HATE THE LIMITED COMBAT OPTIONS
Currently, only a handful of weapons can be used in mounted combat. While reducing acceptable weapons to spears, one-handed weapons, and bows does seem realistic, players who use two-handed weapons will find this problematic.
Nothing’s worse than being forced to carry two separate weapons with you when you go out, especially if you’re on a farming run. It could be argued that the horse’s inventory slots help offset this issue, but we’d like the ability to use other kinds of weapons while mounted.
3 WE LOVE THE IMMERSION
Let’s face it - Conan: Exiles needed mounts from day one. Their absence from the game was a major sore spot among gamers, but we’re thankful Funcom has finally put the concept into practice.
The game world is sprawling, with a lot to see and do, and plenty to explore. It’s nice to embark on adventures across the Exiled Lands on saddleback, and it draws you deeper into the game. Horses have always been a common element in Conan mythology, which makes their presence worth the wait.
2 WE HATE THE IMMERSION BREAKS
While immersion is a big part of Conan: Exiles, it can break in the oddest ways at times. Mounts are no exception. When set to Follow, horses will simply pop into the frame unannounced, which can be jarring, to say the least.
Imagine dismounting your horse to slide down a rock-face, only to see your horse teleport in right after. We’d rather see Funcom develop a realistic AI pathing system that forces a horse to traverse the actual terrain in order to reach you. If that means you’re without a mount for a few minutes, so be it. That adds to the realism and can help spice up the game by forcing you to deal with things on foot until your horse makes its way back to you.
1 WE LOVE THE LEVELING SYSTEM
While not drastically different from your basic thrall, we do like how horses level up, both by galloping around the landscape and participating in battle. The frequency of level-ups feels consistent and realistic as well, which helps sell the mechanic.
We like how leveling affects horse attributes in much the same way as it does your own player. This means you’ll have to train your horse from youth to become a strong and capable steed that can wade into battle with the best of them!
NEXT: Final Fantasy: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Dragoons
