A dry wind sweeps across the desert, stinging your eyes as you stare off into the distance. Crucified, condemned and alone, there is nothing left, except to wait for the vultures and death…
Before you succumb to the darkness you see the outline of a tall figure. Conan the Barbarian stands before you. He puts his bulging muscles to the task and frees you from the cross.
“So you live again.” Conan says with pity in his voice.
He turns and looks out across the Exiled Lands. “You have been given a second chance. Now live, burn with life, love, slay, & survive!”
Conan turns and walks into the desert behind you. You see a raging sandstorm building and Conan walks right into it.
The serpent bracelet around your arm marks you as condemned and an exile, but Conan has at least given you a chance to survive.
The Exiled Lands and untold hardships lie ahead.
The basics of survival
It is now up to you to survive. Your most basic needs are food and water. Without a steady supply you will not last long in the harsh environment. Make your way out of the deep desert and into more fertile lands. You will soon discover a river valley where water is plentiful and you can scavenge the underbrush for things to eat.
Danger lurks in this environment, so your goal should be to defend yourself. Gather resources from the land to make simple tools, weapons and clothes to be ready to fight the creatures who want to tear you limb from limb. Harvest flesh from the animals you kill, and cook the raw meat over a fire before eating.
Clothes and weapons will not save you from the powerful sandstorms which plague the Exiled Lands however. When a storm hits you will need to find shelter or inevitably be torn to shreds by the powerful winds.
Building a house will shelter you from sandstorms, but also offers some protection from dangerous creatures and predatory players.
Pushing further
If you are able to master the basics of survival you will progress and become stronger as you level up. Unlock more and more recipes so you can make better weapons, improved armor and stronger buildings. You can also improve your attributes like health, stamina, encumbrance, might and many more.
Soon you will need to travel deep into the exiled lands to find rarer and more powerful reagents like dust from a Stygian tomb or the blood of a demonic creature. The deeper you travel into these harsh lands the more dangerous they become. Terrible creatures like sand reapers, giant scorpions, and huge spiders roam the land. There are even hushed tales of dragons told around exile campfires.
As you explore you will discover many mysteries and ancient secrets hidden in the desert. Find clues from the past in deep caves, crumbling ruins and massive dungeons. The cruel demons and relentless undead which lurk in these dark places are only part of the danger. Beware of the insidious and corrupting presence of dark magic as it will weaken you over time.
The greatest threat
Tribes, bandits, mercenaries, pirates, and other lowlife scum all call the Exiled Lands their home, but if you are playing on a player vs. player server the most dangerous threat to survival will be your fellow players.
They can hunt you down wherever you are and smash your houses into the ground. Building strong defenses may not be enough to save you so the greatest defense is working together with others and forming a clan.
Together you can build castles or even whole villages. You can further bolster your defenses by capturing NPCs and turn them into thralls on the Wheel of Pain. Thralls can defend your walls as archers, help you craft more powerful equipment, or help you recover from the rigors of battle as entertainers.
The world of Hyboria has many gods, and through their worship you gain access to the most powerful weapons of all – their avatars! Assault the strongholds of your enemies with an army of friends and devastating siege engines before unleashing the embodiment of your god upon their pitiful souls.
Only the strongest will survive.
