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A Conan Exiles thrall food guide will ensure your friends grow up to be the best that they can be. Unlike in other survival games, you don’t have to feed your animals and stewards to keep them alive.
They can survive without it. This confused me for quite a while, but I eventually caught on, and now I rarely feed my thralls or pets. However, it is beneficial to feed them because they can get bonuses if you do.
You might also be interested in: Conan Exiles Thralls Guide
Conan Exiles Thrall Food Overview
- The best Strength boost food for thralls is Gruel
- The best Agility boost food for thralls is Cooked Fish
- The best Vitality boost food for thralls is Grilled Steak
- The best Grit boost food for thralls is Shredded Roast
- The best Nutrition, HP regen, food for thralls is Exotic Feast
- Cooked Pork Rinds give a 25% damage buff to thralls
How to Feed Thralls
You have to feed thralls to “raise” them, but after that, it’s all up to you because they are fine either way. When the thrall is in the Wheel of Pain, it doesn’t matter what you feed them.
Most people use Gruel because it’s the cheapest thing you can make, and it doesn’t spoil fast. But as long as it is consumable by a human, you can use it to raise your thrall. But if they run out of food while in the Wheel of Pain, it will stop working. They will be fine, but progression will pause until you add more food.
To feed a thrall that is already raised, you must place the food in their inventory and force-feed them by “using” the item. Or, place the food in a Thrall Pot which feeds all of your nearby thralls.
What Does Feeding Thralls Do?
Feeding thralls in Conan Exiles is a good idea, even though it isn’t necessary. But there are three ways that the thralls benefit from being fed whenever they are following you around.
Damage Boost
Most foods give thralls a 10% damage bonus for as long as they are satiated. The main exception is Cooked Pork Rinds. I haven’t tested each item, but this is the general consensus.
Chance of Stat Boost
Depending on the food you feed the thrall, there is a chance for a bonus when they level up. So if you feed them right before they level up then they have a chance to have a positive, specific attribute enhanced.
Nutrition (Healing)
Nutrition in Conan Exiles is when the thrall heals from food, which they will do with any food for ten seconds after eating. The best healing food will grant 10 HP/second while most will only grant 1-3 HP/second.
Best Thrall Food and what they Do
There are only a handful of foods that significantly increase the chances of gaining a certain attribute. So not only can you give a better chance of granting a positive level perk, but it also gives you control over what that bonus will be.
Strength Food
Strength increases the damage of melee weapons for followers. For players, it increases the damage for Strength-based weapons and carry weight. But this is simplified for followers. Fighters have the highest base Strength so increasing their Strength modifier will prove highly beneficial as long as you give them a melee weapon.
Gruel
- Chance: +14%
- Nutrition: 6HP/second
- Expiration: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Ingredients: 5 Plant Fiber, 1 Seed
- Crafted In: Campfire (small or large), Bonfire, Charcoal Kiln
Gruel is the number one food for feeding thralls when you are raising them and one of the best afterward. It is super cheap to make because you just grab some plant fiber, and it makes ten bowls per craft.
It also only takes 5 seconds to craft the ten, so you won’t waste time waiting for it and then forgetting it and letting it spoil. I speak from experience on that one because some items take way too long.
Cooked Pork Rinds
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 1HP/second
- Expiration: 1 hour
- Ingredients: 1 Raw Pork
- Crafted In: Campfire (small or large), Bonfire, Charcoal Kiln
Cooked Pork Rinds are among the best foods for thralls in Conan Exiles. Not only does it give them a chance to increase Strength and Stamina, but it also gives them a damage multiplier of 25% as long as the food is active.
That is a significant boost without a rival. Though the regen isn’t as good it’s well worth the bonus because if you can take down the enemies before they attack, you don’t need to regenerate health.
Exquisite Stew
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 7HP/second
- Expiration: 45 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Savoury Flesh, 1 Soup
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
Exquisite Stew is decent but not ideal for you or your thrall. To make it, you need Specialist Cooking IV, which is at the Mounds of the Dead on a table in the northern building. You will notice a book that will contain the recipe.
I say this is a good choice for thralls if you farm a ton of apes, boar, and other savoury flesh animals and want to extend the life of the meat as it begins to spoil because the most other thrall foods don’t use it.
Enhanced Gruel
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 9HP/second
- Expiration: 3 hours
- Ingredients: 1 Gruel, 1 Egg, 1 Spice
- Crafted In: Stove, Imrpoved Stove
Enhanced Gruel has two huge benefits for thralls – great nutrition and a huge spoil timer. However, it takes eggs, which aren’t always easy to farm. I always go for regular Gruel, but if you want to stack them for a longer life and need the terrific HP regen, then choose Enhanced Gruel.
You can also turn this into Honeyed Gruel with Honey. But that is for you as it does not benefit the thrall in any way compared to Gruel and Enhanced Gruel so I would never recommend it.
Exotic Feast
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 10HP/second
- Expiration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Exotic Flesh, 1 Egg, 5 Dried Berries
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
Exotic Feast is a good food for thralls. It gives the best HP regen for thralls available, and it increases the strength weapon damage by 15% for an hour. So it is my number one food for carrying on the thrall in battle.
I can go either way when leveling the thrall because Cooked Pork Rinds are so much better for strength. But overall, I say the two are tied because of the extra nutrition for Exotic Feast.
Agility Food
Agility for thralls increases their damage with ranged weapons. This differs from player Agility which affects damage with agility weapons and affects recovery after dodging. So again, it’s just simplified.
Cooked Fish
- Chance: 14%
- Nutrition: 3HP/second
- Expiration: 20 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Unappetizing Fish
- Crafted In: Bonfire, Campfire, Charcoal Kiln, Large Campfire
Cooked Fish is the best food for increasing the chance of increasing the thrall’s agility. However, you have to use it fast. The Unappetizing Fish expires in 20 minutes, and so does the Cooked Fish.
So at best, you have 40 minutes to use it after you catch it. But you can use a campfire, so you an easily cook it anywhere.
Enhanced Gruel
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 9HP/second
- Expiration: 3 hours
- Ingredients: 1 Gruel, 1 Egg, 1 Spice
- Crafted In: Stove, Imrpoved Stove
We already went over Enhanced Gruel, which has an equal chance of upping agility and strength. So I still only recommend it if you have the Gruel that is going to spoil and you want the terrific Nutrition boost.
Vitality Food
Vitality increases the health of your thrall. For players, it increases health but it also increases HP regeneration. It is the attribute that is the most similar between thrall and player.
Grilled Steak
- Chance: 14%
- Nutrition: 2HP/second
- Expiration: 30 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Savoury Flesh
- Crafted In: Bonfire, Campfire (large or small), Charcoal Kiln
Grilled Steak is the best food for increasing Vitality of thralls in Conan Exiles. You just need one Savoury Flesh. You can also change it to Dried Meat, which is the perfect snack for you whenever you’re on a long trip because the spoil timer is three hours.
Exotic Feast
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 10HP/second
- Expiration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Exotic Flesh, 1 Egg, 5 Dried Berries
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
Exotic Feast does the same for Strength and Vitality. It’s a terrific food for HP regen. In fact, it’s the best food for HP regeneration so if you have the means and want to keep a thrall food around, this is one of the best options.
Lasting Feast
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 8HP/second
- Expiration: 6 hours
- Ingredients: 1 Roasted Haunch, 1 Aloe Leaf, 1 Soup
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
This food is so good for players, that I hate to waste it on thralls. But if you’re full and your thralls need food, then go ahead and share because the Lasting Feast has great Nutrition and the longest life of any other thrall food.
To get the Lasting Feast recipe, you need Specialist Cooking V. You can find this in a book on a bench at the Trapper’s Cabin. The cabin is a small Heirs of the North camp in southwest G-9.
Exquisite Stew
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 7HP/second
- Expiration: 45 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Savoury Flesh, 1 Soup
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
Exquisite Stew does the same for Strength and Vitality. This is an average food that I wouldn’t choose over Grilled Steak for any reason, but if you prefer the HP regen boost, then go for it.
Grit Food
Grit increases the armor of your thrall. For players, Grit increases your stamina pool too. But that doesn’t happen for thralls. They don’t rely on stamina for combat like players do.
Shredded Roast
- Chance: 14%
- Nutrition: 1HP/second
- Expiration: 30 minutes
- Ingredients: 1 Feral Flesh
- Crafted In: Bonfire, Campfire (large or small), Charcoal Kiln
Shredded Roast is by far the best Grit food so if you want to armor up your thrall, then choose this. I also love to use it because it’s so easy to make. Kill a pack of hyenas and you have too much Feral Flesh to use because it’s kind of a low-tier meat.
There are a few decent foods for it, but I always find myself with a stack of Feral Flesh and lacking other meats. The Nutrition on Shredded Roast is poor but the food is good for right before a thrall level.
Cooked Pork Rinds
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 1HP/second
- Expiration: 1 hour
- Ingredients: 1 Raw Pork
- Crafted In: Campfire (small or large), Bonfire, Charcoal Kiln
Cooked Pork Rinds give a 7% boost to leveling into a strength and grit perk. I still think they need to add better Nutrition but maybe that would make them overpowered because of the 25% damage boost already present.
Lasting Feast
- Chance: 7%
- Nutrition: 8HP/second
- Expiration: 6 hours
- Ingredients: 1 Roasted Haunch, 1 Aloe Leaf, 1 Soup
- Crafted In: Stove, Improved Stove
Lasting Feast is a good meal for anyone. It does the same for vitality and grit, making it a super hearty meal for thralls. I think the ingredients are a little too intense for thrall food, but it is amazing for players.
FAQs
Question: Can Thralls Die if You Don’t Feed them?
Answer: No. Thralls will never die if they aren’t fed. However, if you don’t login for 15 days, the thrall will disappear. They still don’t die but whoever owns the thrall must log in to keep it there.
Question: Will Thralls Eat Anything?
Answer: Pretty much. Thralls will eat anything that you will eat, and most react physically the same way that you do. The better the food, the better the Nutrition value. But there are exceptions, like Gruel.
Question: Do Thrall Level Bonus Buffs from Food Stack?
Answer: No. You can only gain one level bonus buff to increase the chance of getting a good perk when you level. So you can’t feed them three different 14% foods for 42%; it’s still 14%, using the last one you fed them.
Thrall Food – Who Needs It?
Not your thralls. But not feeding your “indentured servants” seems a little hardcore, don’t you think? I mean, it’s bad enough that you beat them senseless, captured them, and broke them in a vertical hamster wheel.
But that’s your business. I only feed my thrall followers because it gives them the bonus they need to better serve my purpose. They gain more health, damage, and have a better chance of leveling with a good perk and not one that decreases their attributes. Because I’m not about that life.