Conan Exiles Best Early Game Weapons: A Guiding Light to Bypass Stone

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Emily Medlock

Emily has thousands of hours clocked in survival games, from ARK: Survival Evolved to 7 Days to Die; she loves the diversity of the genre. Initially skeptical about the theme of Conan Exiles, she quickly became addicted to the game and now recommends it to every survival fanatic she meets. Right now, she's probably in the Tundra on a seemingly endless quest to find a Baby Sabertooth.

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Conan Exiles’ best early-game weapons will make fighting bosses and surviving so much easier. If you’re still using stone weapons or those you find on T2 and T3 thralls, then you need an upgrade.

Even at level 10 or 20, you can get some great weapons that will last a long while in Conan Exiles. I struggled for so long until I happened upon the right camp, followed by the right Legendary Creature.

That’s right, the best early-game weapons in Conan Exiles aren’t the ones you can craft. Those follow your level, so you’ll never have an overpowered weapon. If you’re level 20, you want a weapon built for level 40. That’s the way I play the game.

Conan Exiles Best Early Game Weapons – My Top Five

What Makes a Good Early Game Weapon?

My criteria for the best early-game weapons ensure that you can actually get the weapons and that they are better than those you can craft early-game. This isn’t about finding loopholes but maximizing your time, status, and abilities.

Accessibility

• Required Level – max 30
• Material – nothing past Steel
• Biome – no snow or volcano
• Enemy HP (if applicable) – under 5000 for thralls, under 12,000 for bosses

This is crucial because it’s not very helpful if you have to travel all the way from Noob River to the volcano and fight an enemy with 30,000 HP to get a weapon. That won’t happen.

Damage

• At least 30 (or so), depending on the weapon type

This varies, but I’m not going to choose anything that has less than 30 damage and very few with less than 40. Because you can easily craft iron weapons at level 10 and get an easy 20 damage.

Durability

I take note of the durability, but it is low on the list of my criteria. The better the weapon, the higher the durability must be because no one wants to repair an expensive weapon every day.

Effects

Effects greatly improve weapons. From crippling to bleed, every effect makes fighting easier and much more fun. I prefer bleed and poison as a dagger player, but I don’t prioritize them over sunder and corruption in this list.

How to Get Weapons in Conan Exiles

There are only a few ways to get weapons in Conan Exiles. So if you’re looking for a way to find weapons I don’t mention, then you can check out these methods on your own time.

Crafting

When crafting weapons, you have to unlock the knowledge. There are a ton of weapons you can unlock via your knowledge panel, but most of the great ones require you to find the stele to learn the recipe. There is a minimum level requirement for most recipes.

Looting

Looting, in the sense that I’m speaking, includes opening treasure chests. The best treasure chests are Legendary Chests that require a Skeleton Key to open. You can get the key by defeating Legendary Creatures.

Recommended Early Game Legendaries

• Rockslide – under Fingerfang Rock, under 5000 HP, doesn’t hit too hard but easy to dodge anyway.
• Giant Snake – tricky, but has no KB Defense and under 9000 HP, so armor pen and dodging will take him down in no time. Find him at The Arena and Citadel of the Triumvirate.
• Feasts-on-Flesh – at Bin-Yakin’s Seal. He has less than 12,000 HP and is otherwise fairly squishy. Not a bad fight with a couple of buddies. The other Child of Jhil bosses are the same way.

Slaying

Slaying named thralls can give you great early-game weapons. They aren’t hard to kill if you catch them alone, and they will give you items that are stronger than what you can craft. However, not all T4s give strong weapons.

Best Day One Weapons in Conan Exiles

The weapons I’ll mention later will require you to have a few hours in the game. But before you do that, you need something to hold you off. These weapons will break easily and won’t last long, but you don’t need a long-term weapon right now. You need something to wield while you search for something long-term. Everything on this list can be retrieved in less than 10 minutes and won’t require leveling over 10.

Best Early Game One-Handed Axe: Dafari Cudgel

• Damage – 15
• Armor Pen – 21.6%
• Durability – 253
• Effects – Shieldsmash, Sunder

Learn Dafari Weapons (level 0) for an easy 15-damage axe with a good early-game armor pen. The sword and axe in the same recipe book are good, too, but overall, the cudgel stands above them.

Best Early Game Mace: Stone Club

• Damage – 13
• Armor Pen – 24.3%
• Durability – 253
• Effects – Shieldsmash, Sunder

Maces pop off later but it’s hard to find a good one early. The best you’ll get is the Stone Club, which you can make with the level 1 recipe Warrior. A close second is the Severed Arm because you can grab it off of an enemy after you slay them, and it has almost the same exact stats as the Stone Club.

Best Early Game One-Handed Spear: Stone Spear

• Damage –
• Armor Pen –
• Durability –
• Effects –

When you hit level 12, you can get the Javelin, which is a bit better than the Stone Spear. But you only have to be level one to unlock stone weapons, so this is an easy way to get yourself armed early on.

Best Early Game One-Handed Sword: Eye of the Watcher

• Damage – 30
• Armor Pen – 9.45%
• Durability – 1350
• Effects – Cripple

One-handed swords are the easiest to cheese early game in Conan Exiles. My favorite early-game sword may be the best early-game weapon in the game, but it will require you to learn to dodge.

All you must do is head to the southern aqueduct (not a bad run) and defeat the Man on the Wall. He only has 800 HP and isn’t fast. Take him down, and he’ll drop this amazing sword. Other similar options include killing almost any T4 for a Cutlass or Falcutta for an easy level 25 weapon you can get right away.

Best Early Game Shield: Bone Shield

• Damage – 12
• Armor Pen – 12%
• Durability – 1500
• Effects – Durable, Shieldsmash

At level one, you can learn Defender and make the Bone Shield. This is better than the Wooden Shield and the Shell Shield, which you can make ith the same recipe. All you have to do is harvest a few enemies to get Bones.

Best Early Game Daggers: Stone Daggers

• Damage – 11
• Armor Pen – 14.4%
• Durability – 138
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple

I’m not saying this just because I main daggers, but early-game daggers are underrated. They inflict Bleed damage, so what looks like 11 is a lot more. Bleed does 1.35 damage per second for 8 seconds, and it stacks. But even without the stack, it will do an extra ten damage with that one attack, which initially looks like 11. This makes the total 21 without stacking the bleed. That’s what I like to call a hit-and-run.

Best Early Game Two-Handed Spear: Staff of Hanuman

• Damage – 28
• Armor Pen – 9.9%
• Durability – 2100
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Reach

This is a risky option, but if you can dodge, you’ll get one of the best early-game weapons that will transition well to a mid-game weapon. Head to the nearby Hanuman’s Grotto and complete the short dungeon. The end boss gives you this weapon, which is insanely good for early-game due to its stats and effects.

Best Early Game Bow: Goat-Horn Bow

• Damage – 14
• Armor Pen – 8.1%
• Durability –  875

Let’s face it, early game bows are bad. So unless you want to make a wooden one, I suggest walking to the Highlands to get one with twice the damage. There, you’ll find a mountain goat east of Bjornar’s Stand, North of The Crevice, who drops this bow.

Best Early Game Two-Handed Sword: Two-Handed Stone Sword

• Damage – 19
• Armor Pen – 20.25%
• Durability – 276
• Effects – Cripple

This one is super straightforward and is your best option early on. Just learn the Bruiser knowledge, which can get you the basic spear and stone maul, which you can easily craft.

Best Early Game Two-Handed Mace: Oar

• Damage – 15
• Armor Pen – 45%
• Durability – 320
• Effects – Sunder

If you’re good at making trips while avoiding confrontation, you can learn this recipe quickly. It’s a level 0 recipe you can learn from interacting with the oar at Dagon’s Embrace. All you need is 20 pieces of wood to make it. Easy money.

Wildcard Pick: Giant’s Fingerbone

• Damage – 31
• Durability – 270
• Effects – Stun, Sunder

If you want a “stunning” weapon before level ten, then head to The Summoning Place. This is the most dangerous option on the list, but if you have a bow, you can sneak (climb on top of a pillar) and take down the Dafari Witch Doctor (255 HP) without drawing too much aggro. After you kill him, run away until you lose the aggro, and when you go back, you can still sneak in and loot the body.

The Best Early Game Weapons in Conan Exiles Breakdown

The best early-game weapons in Conan Exiles are best broken down into weapon types. Most of these weapons are found in Legendary Chests, but a few of them, you won’t have to fight even a weak Legendary Creature to obtain them.

The weapons on this list will last you the entire game, and you can get them from around level 20, some of them earlier.

Note

• Hardened Steel Weapons: you can get Hardened Steel weapons by looting the Heirs of the North T4s. There are a ton of their camps located all over the map. They are all in the Highlands; I suggest starting with small camps. But if you have a group, New Asagarth has tons of them, plus a chance to spawn a world boss.
• Purge Thrall Weapons: Purge Thralls are stronger and drop better weapons than their wild counterparts.

One-Handed Axes

One-handed axes do bleed and cripple damage. So they do damage over time and reduce the movement speed of enemies. Their base damage is also one of the best in the game.

Broken Glass

• Damage – 52
• Durability – 2700
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Shieldsmash

You read that right, and now you know that these weapons you can get your first week are no weaklings. You can get this broken bottle by defeating a boss at Flotsam called Dunkas the Mad Eye.

He’s one of the easiest bosses in the game at just over 5000 HP. If you bring thralls or friends, you can easily take him down by ping-ponging aggro. He doesn’t always spawn, but he does have a 100% chance of dropping Broken Glass.

Glimmermoon

• Damage – 57
• Durability – 1350
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Shieldsmash

Glimmermoon has a cool name, and it glows. It can only be found in Legendary Chests on the Exiled Lands. It’s the best early-game one-handed axe in the game, but the chances of getting any specific weapon from chests are low.

Axe of the Lion

• Damage – 54
• Durability – 1350
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Shieldsmash

Axe of the Lion is smack dab in-between the two axes I just mentioned. All three are amazing and not different enough to matter. The Legendary Chest options will break sooner, though they do more damage.

One-Handed Maces

One-handed maces will sunder enemies, reducing their armor. Those wielding them are much less likely to be staggered when they hit a shield. The damage is about the same as one-handed axes.

Momentum

• Damage – 53
• Durability – 1650
• Armor  Pen – 27%
• Effects – Shieldsmash, Sunder

Momentum has good damage and armor pen, but it weighs 15 pounds. This is much higher than most maces, but if you find it in a Legendary Chest, then I say go for it because it’s still super good.

The Brittle Bastard

• Damage – 53
• Durability – 400
• Armor  Pen –  21.6%
• Effects – Shieldsmash, Sunder

The worst of the three I recommend but still a good drop. It isn’t as good because it breaks quickly, given it only has 400 durability. It is found in Legendary Chests, so it’s random.

Aja’s Bane

• Damage – 51
• Durability – 1650
• Armor  Pen – 28.35%
• Effects – Shieldsmash, Sunder

Like the other two maces, this one is a Legendary Chest drop. Yes, that’s the way I suggest getting a one-handed mace early game. It’s tied with Momentum for me because of the extra dash of armor pen, but better than the Brittle Bastard.

One-Handed Swords

One of the two highest-damage weapons in the game is a one-handed sword. The other is a two-handed sword. This is a good gauge as to how good they are. One-handed swords are my second favorite type of weapon. Some of the best weapons in the game are one-handed swords. They cripple and often have special effects, plus they’re quite mobile.

Sword of N’Ruka

• Damage – 56
• Durability – 1350
• Armor Pen – 9.45%
• Effects – Cripple

The Sword of N’Ruka is so good. But you do have to fight some small bosses in the Sunken City to get the currency to buy it. You need 100 pearls from the bosses in that dungeon, though the ones that drop them have less than 5000 HP each and can drop up to 25 each time.

Once you collect enough, you can buy them from Shamall the Pirate Queen at Flotsam. You can get the matching shield for that much, too, from Weeba Shamrock at Flotsam.

The Bane of Khosatral Khel

• Damage – 51
• Durability – 1350
• Armor Pen – 9.45%
• Effects – Cripple

The Bane of Khostral Khel is believed to be made in another world and used to take down a supernatural being named Khostral Khel. You can find it in Legendary Chests. It’s a great weapon without an obvious weakness.

El’s Drinker

• Damage – 53
• Durability – 1350
• Armor Pen – 9%
• Effects – Cripple

El’s Drinker is a Legendary Chest sword that you should be excited to get. If you love one-handed swords as I do. The sword is inspired by the Stormbringer used by Elric in Conan the Barbarian.

Bows

Bows have low damage in Cona Exiles, but this can be improved with the right arrows. Arrows are half the damage of what the bow can do, so you must find good arrows to make the most of a ranged weapon.

Frostshot

• Damage – 22
• Armor Pen – 9.9%
• Durability – 1500

Despite the name, Frostshot doesn’t make the enemy cold or do any “ice” damage. It’s just another good Legendary Chest bow with a cool history. The lore in Conan Exiles is fantastic.

Bessie’s Bow

• Damage – 23
• Armor Pen – 9.45%
• Durability – 1500

Any of the Legendary Chest bows are good, but the Splinter doesn’t do armor pen. That’s why I think Frostshot and Bessie’s Bow are better because a little less damage is worth it.

Star Metal Bow

• Damage – 20
• Armor Pen – 7.65%
• Durability – 1300

The Star Metal Bow is a special drop that requires level 60 to make but are no level restrictions to wield if you find one. Both the Cimmerian Berserker and Dalinsa Snowhunter drop it, and they are easy to catch out alone. Since it’s a regular bow, you can upgrade it to 25 damage with a Bowmaker.

Note: these two NPCs have a chance to drop other Star Metal weapons too.

Daggers

It’s time to talk about daggers; some excuse me as I get a little too excited. Daggers make me feel like a Rogue from Dungeons & Dragons who made hard decisions in life but has decided to turn over a new leaf for a life of friendship and adventure – but who still has some boss moves.

The Grim

• Damage – 47
• Durability – 900
• Armor Pen – 18%
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple

The Grim daggers, found in Legendary Chests, hold a dark past. They were once said to have floated around the city at night, killing villagers. But eventually, one lamplight was hung for the crimes of the floating daggers.

Daggers of Nameless Days

• Damage – 45
• Durability – 1800
• Armor Pen – 18.9%
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple

The Daggers of Nameless Days are twice as durable as the Grim. They are also found in Legendary Chests. I’m not aware of any great choices for daggers other than these in the Exiled Lands. However, I want the Lloigar Fang Daggers (extra poison damage), which are only available on Isle of Siptah.

Two-Handed Maces

Two-handed maces are so good that I wish I liked them more. They have amazing armor pen and damage, ensuring they quickly remove any foe. Plus, they always seem to have outstanding durability.

Baal-pteor’s Lodestone

• Damage – 57
• Durability – 2400
• Armor Pen – 47.25%
• Effects – Sunder

Baal-pteor’s Lodestone has the best armor pen of anything on my list. It ignores nearly half of the enemy’s armor. If you want it, you’ll have to chance getting it from a Legendary Chest.

Hanuman’s Gada

• Damage – 60
• Durability – 2400
• Armor Pen – 45%
• Effects – Sunder

This weapon is extremely heavy – like 50 pounds heavy. So it’s insane to carry it around unless you up your expertise really early on. It does insane damage, so it may be worth attribute-hogging if you find it.

Sledge of Tsotha-lanti

• Damage – 55
• Durability – 4800
• Armor Pen – 45%
• Effects – Sunder

You’ll probably never have to repair this weapon. It is ridiculously sturdy, has good armor pen, and does great damage. All around, I consider this the best early-game two-handed mace.

Spears

Sadly most two-handed spears are hard to get. But there are a couple of options to roll the dice on. Yes, sorry, but we’re going with Legendary Chest choices because drops from enemies aren’t cutting it with spears.

Vaulting Pole

• Damage – 51
• Armor Pen – 9.45%
• Durability – 2100
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Reach

The Vaulting Pole is about what is sounds like only better. The stats aren’t exceptional compared to other weapons, but because spears can reach, they are perfect mid-range weapons. If you ever fight a spear thrall, you’ll see how annoying it is and pick up the weapon to try it.

Gavain’s Rusty Pike

• Damage – 49
• Armor Pen – 9.9%
• Durability – 2100
• Effects – Bleed, Cripple, Reach

Gavain’s Rusty Pike is a good weapon that is only slightly worse than the Vaulting Pole in every way. This just goes to show that most spears are good but the game is going to make you work for great.

Two-Handed Swords

The Sword of Crom makes me weak, but it’s unattainable unless you’re willing to go to the Unnamed City and feed for a while early-game. That said, other options will do you well.

Blade of the Adventurer

• Damage – 76
• Durability – 1440
• Armor Pen – 15.75%
• Effects – Cripple

Blade of the Adventurer does so much damage that getting it early game puts Conan into easy mode. It can only be obtained through Legendary Chests and is one of the best, if not the best, drop from them.

Baal-pteor’s Razor

• Damage – 64
• Durability – 1800
• Armor Pen –  23.63%
• Effects – Cripple

Baal-pteor’s Razor is super lightweight and, overall, a great weapon. Being disappointed with it would be ridiculous because it’s so strong and is as mobile as a small sword but way stronger.

The Watchblade

• Damage – 61
• Durability – 7200
• Armor Pen – 22.5%
• Effects – Cripple

This weapon will never break – end of story. It may be rusty, but it is so sturdy that looks no longer matter. That and its amazing stats make this a gem in Legendary Chests.

Shields

Shields can take away heavy attacks for one-handed weapons. But if you’re tanking, then it’s a good idea to carry one while your teammates or thralls do damage to the enemy.

Mistmourn

• Damage – 45
• Armor Pen – 14.18%
• Durability – 7500
• Effects – Shieldsmash, 20 heat resistance

This shield is just a great shield, even without the effects. But when you add the heat resistance, this becomes the perfect volcano shield. Find it in Legendary Chests alongside its cold sister.

Akbitanan Shield

• Damage – 45
• Armor Pen – 14.18%
• Durability – 15000
• Effects – Shieldsmash

This shield is not special in any way except that it has the highest durability of almost any item in the game. You can hold it up there until your heart’s content, and nothing is getting through.

Solspeil

• Damage – 45
• Armor Pen – 14.18%
• Durability – 7500
• Effects – Shieldsmash, 20 cold resistance

Solspeil is the sister to Mistmourn. This one protects from the cold, so as long as it is equipped, you can hold it in front of you and walk through the snow like you’re not going to get attacked by seven sabretooth.

FAQs

Finding the Right Weapon for You in Conan Exiles

The right weapon for you may be subjective. Although daggers have one of the lowest damage outputs in the game, I still go for them. I love the status effects and mobility; it also helps me get into character.

I believe that spears and two-handed weapons in general (rather than one-handed or dual-wielded) are better. But if you find what works for you, then you’ll already be a step above anyone with a weapon a tier higher than you that doesn’t connect to their weapon.

Related Read

• Conan Exiles Coins Guide: The Hyborian Market
• Conan Exiles Unnamed City Guide: Red Skies, Dangerous Enemies
• Conan Exiles Materials & Resources Guide
• Conan Exiles Ironstone Guide: Get Your Pickaxe Ready