A simple sword and shield might help one survive in the first few days of spawning into the Exiled Lands. However, a legend must carve a path to become an architect of destruction by using the correct character builds. So, keep reading to find a curated tier list of the best builds in Conan Exiles for PvE and PvP.

Top 10 Best Builds in Conan Exiles Tier List

Remember, Conan Exiles has different PvE and PvP game modes. So, trusting your wits and life on one attribute and equipment set can be seen as a fool’s errand. With that, the following tier list of the best builds in Conan Exiles breaks down different builds when dealing with hostile NPCs, other players, or both.

Best PvE Builds in Conan Exiles

A battle against the environment of the Exiled Lands requires deep sustain and raw damage. The following builds help maximize your longevity against relentless NPC hordes and boss encounters. With the right skills, these builds (in no particular order) help you carry a king’s ransom in loot back to your base.

Best PvE Build #1: The Juggernaut

Become an unstoppable juggernaut in Conan Exiles with this Strength-and-Vitality focused build. Focusing on these stats, along with Grit, gives you the authority to “tank and spank” hostile NPCs. If used efficiently, you’ll become an unstoppable force that trades blows with world bosses and walks away from their arenas as the victor, unscathed. Note that this build has a massive health pool combined with some serious damage per hit. It also has incredible sustainability for most fights. However, strength-based weapons generally have the slowest animations in Conan Exiles, making fights last typically longer than normal. Additionally, your dodge-roll becomes a repositioning tool rather than an emergency escape tactic.

• Recommended Weapon Types: Two-Handed Swords or Hammers
• Recommended Armor: Silent Legion or Khari Overseer Armor Sets
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Strength: 20
  • Vitality: 20
  • Grit: 20

Best PvE Build #2: The Shadow Dancer

Sorcery in Conan Exiles wasn’t for everyone, but the December 2025 update changed how some exiles thought about the game’s spellcasting system. Since that patch, magic in the Exiled Lands became an integral part of players choosing highly mobile builds, like the Shadow Dancer. In particular, this build is ideal for players who prefer hit-and-run playstyles. It takes advantage of early-game spells that don’t require reagents to cast. Combine that strategy with mobile skills like “Extended Leap” from the Agility tree to dodge attacks left and right. However, this build doesn’t focus on increasing your maximum health pool. Get hit with a combo, and that death screen may come sooner rather than later. Additionally, as a Shadow Dancer, you’ll have a lower carry capacity, making inventory management more challenging for you than for other players.

• Recommended Weapon Types: Agility Weapons, like One-Handed Short Swords and Chakrams, for the Main Hand, and the Arcane Staff for casting spells
• Recommended Armor: Ranger Armor Set
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Agility: 20
  • Vitality: 20
  • Grit: 20 or Expertise: 20

Best PvE Build #3: The Thrallmaster

A commander in Conan Exiles may not want to get their hands dirty in the heat of battle. So, let your followers do the fighting for you with this build. Although it’s a passive approach to winning PvE battles, it can promote an incredibly effective playstyle, especially for solo players tackling group content. With this build, your seemingly ordinary-looking thralls become demigods. Each follower deals massive damage while tanking hits for you. Since you’ll be focusing most of your resources on building thralls, your character’s damage is negligible. Also, you’ll become highly dependent on the thrall’s AI. One wrong move from you or your followers can lead to certain death.

• Recommended Weapon Types: A Spear or Bow for mid- to long-range poking
• Recommended Armor: Sobek’s Armor Set
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Vitality: 20
  • Expertise: 20
  • Authority: 20

Best PvP Builds in Conan Exiles

Unlike PvE, PvP in Conan Exiles is a race against time. Prolonging the fight against another player may not work well in your favor. So, the following options for the best PvP builds in Conan Exiles can be ideal for exiles who constantly seek the heat of battle. Consider these builds in PvP-enabled servers, even those with PvE Conflict modes enabled.

Best PvP Build #1: Fleet-Footed Fighter

Some veteran exiles in the Funcom Forums decreed, “Playing strength with heavy armor on PvP servers is suicide.” The answer to that concern is this build, which transforms you into an agile, relentless attacker that overwhelms opponents with speed. Invest in skills that provide enhanced mobility, and you’ll become incredibly difficult to track and/or kill. If things get dicey, your incredible speed and agility should make it difficult for strength-based opponents to catch up. But the glaring shortcoming of this build is your poor defenses. You’re a glass cannon, and a single mistake can be fatal. Agility weapons also lack stagger potential, which makes timed attacks more important than when using other builds.

• Recommended Weapon Types: Agility Weapons, like One-Handed Short Swords and Chakrams
• Recommended Armor: Abyssal Armor Set
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Agility: 20
  • Vitality: 20
  • Grit: 20

Best PvP Build #2: Corrupted Strength

This PvP build turns your character into a late-game monstrosity that bathes in a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. By embracing the power of corrupted stats, you’ll sacrifice a portion of your maximum health and stamina to unlock powerful perks that can deal devastating damage. This build can potentially one-shot players to oblivion, especially those wearing light or medium armor. Its raw power can also terrify even the tankiest opponents. Still, managing corruption in Conan Exiles is a constant, and often annoying, resource drain. The reduced survivability leaves you significantly vulnerable if your burst combo fails. With that, this build might be reserved for experienced players who know their weapon’s moveset well.

• Recommended Weapon Types: High Base Damage Strength Weapon
• Recommended Armor: Khari Overseer Armor Set or the Heavy Damage Armor Combination Set
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Strength: 20
  • Vitality: 20

Note: Spend the extra points on an attribute that matches your unique playstyle.

Best PvP Build #3: The Arcane Raider

The December 2025 sorcery rework not only helps PvE players, but it also opens new doors for those in PvP servers. With the help of fast reflexes and a mastery of the arcane, this build can create relentless hit-and-run attacks against enemy players in skirmishes and raids. This build promotes exceptional map control and raid potential. Zip across locations to gain the upper hand against enemies. Apart from using a good agility weapon and a bow, you can also bring a spare Arcane Staff to take advantage of its fast spell-casting prowess. Despite its potential to overwhelm opponents, this build arguably requires the most mechanically demanding playstyle. It demands a constant dance between melee and long-range weapons, as well as frequent threat assessment. A mistimed attack can place you in a deadly situation.

• Recommended Weapon Types: Agility Weapon and a Bow
• Recommended Armor: Ranger Armor Set
• Recommended Attribute Point Allocation:
  • Agility: 20
  • Expertise: 20
  • Grit: 20

Best All-Rounder Build in Conan Exiles

Some Conan Exiles don’t want to frequently switch between PvE and PvE builds. If so, a hybrid build that concentrates on attributes and gear for completing various objectives is the key. Taking advantage of a hybrid, all-rounder build in Conan Exiles often requires a balanced allocation of points across various attributes. For example, you may want to assign 15 points to Strength, 10 to Agility, 15 to Vitality, 10 to Grit, and 10 to Expertise. But remember, a Jack or Jill of all trades is a master of none. Fighting a player using a pure PvP build may overwhelm you in a straight fight. Additionally, someone in your Conan Exiles server with a pure PvE build might have more firepower to out-sustain you. Those who are adamant in choosing this path can take advantage of a good medium armor set, such as Pride of Aesir. As for your weapon choice, it generally depends on which attribute has more points allocated to it.