Conan Exiles is a slow grind. If you're a total newbie, it will more than likely take you at least six hours to get your first tiny little home up....without the decorations at that. Personally, it's one of the most punishing - and rewarding - gameplay experiences I've ever had. Everything around you, from other players (depending on the server), to monsters and wild animals, will kill you. Though set in a harsh and brutal land, the developers at Funcom took things up a notch.

If you're a new player (likey a PlayStation Plus subscriber), we've compiled a list of tips and tricks that will help you give you a great foundation and help you start fast. Take these into careful consideration.

Pick a location near crucial resources

Resources are everything in Conan Exiles. As much as possible, your starting location needs to be as near to them as possible. These range from the simple wood, food, rocks, plant fiber, and iron to the tricker-to-harvest brimstone and thick animal hides. Instead of starting out and building a large home by the noob river (the first lush area you'll come across after spawning into the server), go up north as possible. Start out in grids like on E5, F6, and F7. In addition, it would also be best to place your base near exile camps and animal spawning areas. Most importantly, be near a water source, like a river. By doing so, you won't have any water-related problems and get unlimited food by simply placing fish traps.

Party up with friends or join a clan

Building a small settlement in Conan Exiles is a huge task. This is why it's recommended to play with friends or join an existing clan in your chosen server. By doing so, you can cut time spent in building a home or you can just move in with a clan. Going on quests and resource runs will be made easier if they're around. You won't have to deal with the troublesome rocknoses who attack on sight, and NPC exiles who won't hesitate to rob you of what you have when you're near their camp. Conan Exiles is centered around both co-op and PvP and it's definitely the most optimal way to play.

Fight smart and be careful

Instead of charging head first against an exile camp and be surrounded by enemies in a split second, thin their numbers first. Lure a few of them out and pick them off one-by-one. Unfortunately, Cona Exiles enemy AI is horrendous and fortunately, you can use this to your favor. Some enemies will give up chasing you after a certain distance, and their attack patterns are predictable. There is no excuse to getting yourself surrounded and no shame to running away to fight another day. The same applies when seeing other players: simply teabag repeatedly as a peaceful greeting or use the surrender emote to signify you're friendly, especially in the PvP server.

Tame pets and gain thralls ASAP

It would be best to quickly build animal pens and wheels of pain as quickly as possible. This is so you can gain pets and thralls. Though feeding them is an extra chore, they provide protection and can act as bodyguards when you're out on a resource run. More importantly, they can act as pack mules since you can make them carry 2,000 rocks without them getting encumbered. In turn, this enables you to be more efficient in gathering supplies. Be careful though: when you encounter an enemy that's too powerful for the both of you, run. Getting a thrall or pet killed is a waste of time and effort, considering the time spent in taming/breaking them.

Spend attributes on feats crucial to survival

Sure, though we'd want to build Darfari wind chimes and a bunch of other decorative pieces of furniture, don't do so at the start. Instead, acquire feats that will quickly help your character and base a force to be reckoned with. Spend it on different armor classes, weapons of your choice, more advanced tools, and crating stations. Leave the decorations at the latter part of the game when you've already established a strong foundation.

Remember though, only spend it on armor pieces and weapons that you're comfortable using. There's no point to learning how to craft steel daggers when you specialize in using two-handed swords, right?

Bows and arrows are a no-go

If you want a fast start, bows and arrows are a no-no. When you've reached a certain point in the game, crafting them will easy and feel like second nature. At the start though, you'll easily run out of them. Moreover, crafting them requires various materials like iron, bone, and feathers which are a little hard to come by at the start. In any case, your best bet is to craft and use melee weapons as they're easier to maintain.

Don't get stuck on the resource gathering and building loop

Unless if you're someone who prefers to do in-game chores and no go on expeditions and adventures, don't get stuck on the resource-gathering and building loop. Though, it's still fun and is an integral part of Conan Exiles, you'll spend most of your time doing so. In turn, you won't have any time left for raiding and adventuring. After all, Conan Exiles has a vast world filled with wonders, ruins, cities, and different biomes. It would be a shame to be stuck inside your base for dozens of hours.

So, are you ready to start building your first settlement in Conan Exiles? Now that you're equipped with the above-mentioned tips, use them to kickstart your life off as an exile. Give these a shot and if you have tips of your own, be sure to share with your fellow players exiles!