"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.

The second stage of Conan Exiles’ Early Access adventure is about to begin! On August 16th, Conan Exiles not only goes live on Xbox One for the first time ever; Funcom will also release its first expansion update for the game for both PC and Xbox One players.

The Frozen North, which will be completely free to all players on PC and Xbox One, adds a whole new landmass and makes the world of Conan Exiles 70% bigger. It also brings the game out of the desert and into the snowy north, introducing an entirely new climate and a weather system that will require players to dress according to the temperature – or face certain death. The Frozen North also introduces entirely new gameplay mechanics such as fish traps, beekeeping, and cooking. Brewing, a new crafting system, will allow players to make alcohol which will also keep them warm in cold environments. Players will also get to dedicate themselves to a new religion, giving them the ability to summon the avatar of Ymir, the Lord of Storm and War, and wreak havoc on enemy players and crush their cities under his feet.

“This expansion update does not just mean more content and more features,” says Creative Director Joel Bylos. “The team has also worked extremely hard to make sure this release brings with it significant improvements to core aspects of the game such as combat, artificial intelligence, and more. These improvements, in addition to the twenty-eight updates we have already introduced to the game over its six months in PC Early Access, mean this version of Conan Exiles is bigger, and even more importantly, better than ever before.”

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.

Conan Exiles will leave Early Access and release in full on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 in Q1 2018.