"I walk in a land of desperation. A wasteland of the exiled and the outcast. Where the broken strive to build and the weak are crushed while the strong survive."

These are the words of Conan the Barbarian as he strides across a desert wasteland, skulls and bones crushing beneath is sandaled feet.

Conan Exiles is first and foremost a multiplayer game that can be enjoyed on both private and public servers, but it will also feature a single-player mode.

Journey through a vast, seamless world filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations and uncover its dark history and buried secrets as you seek to conquer and dominate the exiled lands yourself. Start with nothing but your bare hands and forge the legacy of your clan, from simple tools and weapons to gigantic fortresses and entire cities.

Funcom and Dark Horse Comics announce that creative teams in both companies are now working on a new Conan Exiles digital comic book that will be made available in January. By reading the comic, fans will get a unique glimpse into the events that take place in the savage Exiled Lands. The creative team includes Michael Moreci (Writing), José Luis (Pencils), and Andy Owens (Inks), as well as Gavin Whelan (Art Director) and Anders Finér (Senior Concept Artist) on the Funcom team.

“We are incredibly excited to work with Dark Horse Comics again,” says Funcom CEO Rui Casais. “Conan the Barbarian and the comic book format goes hand-in-hand, and Dark Horse has brought the Conan stories to life for years. The Conan Exiles comic will give a unique context to what players themselves will be doing and the world they will explore in the game.”

Funcom and Dark Horse Comics, Inc. previously worked together on the exclusive digital comic book for Funcom’s 2008 massive multiplayer game, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The comic book was distributed to gamers and Conan fans worldwide, and was a key piece in the company’s marketing campaign for the 2008 bestselling game.

Funcom will do a live gameplay stream this Friday December 16. Creative Director Joel Bylos and Community Manager Jens Erik Vaaler will show the unique thrall gameplay live for the first time. Players will be able to capture enemy bandits, drag them back to their camp, and crush their will in the Wheel of Pain. Players can then place out these thralls as guards, archers, and even special blacksmiths, tanners, and other crafters that unlocks unique new recipes.

You are an exile, one of thousands cast out to fend for themselves in a barbaric wasteland swept in sandstorms and besieged by enemies on every side. Grow crops or hunt animals for food. Harvest resources to build weapons and tools. Build a shelter to survive. Ride across a vast world and explore alone, or band together with other players to build entire settlements and fortified strongholds, and wage war against your enemies as you unleash your fury in savage, fast-paced combat that will see limbs flying and heads rolling.

Enslave the bandits of the exiled lands to do your bidding by breaking them on the grueling Wheel of Pain. Sacrifice the beating hearts of your enemies on the blood-soiled altars of your god to seize true power and glory. Summon the colossal avatar of your god and see them lay waste to your enemies and their homes.

You can even align yourself with the Hyborian gods, building altars to their glory and sacrificing the bloody hearts of enemy players upon them to shift the balance of power in your favor. Players will also have to face the purge: a special event where NPC armies from the neighboring kingdoms sweep in to destroy the progress that the exiles have made. Will you stand together with your fellow players against the purge, or will you use it to your advantage?

Just remember: in this brutal land of vengeful gods, bloodthirsty cannibals, and vicious monsters, survival is more than tracking down food and water. Explore mysterious ruins in search of treasure and knowledge, but beware the risk of your mind being corrupted by the dark forces of the world. Traverse vast sand dunes and seek shelter from scouring sandstorms sweeping across the burning sands. March into war against your enemies and unleash your savage fury in brutal combat. Go in unprepared and it will be your head rolling and limbs flying.

Conan Exiles is not an empty sandbox. It is a world rich in history where you must discover the knowledge and secrets of ancient civilizations as you struggle to build your own.