Conan Exiles thralls guide: how to capture, level, and use thralls

Even with the advent of Dune Awakening a lot of people continue to get into Conan: Exiles, and while you can happily blunder around in the early game changing the size of your genitals, even that gets boring after a few days 9so a friend told me). Once you start getting deeper into things, you are going to discover one of Conan’s less savoury aspects – that of slavery, or Thralls as they are known in-game – NPCs, who must be captured, kidnapped and tortured into submission. Sounds like any other day at The Escapist.

Thralls are actually one of the most important systems in Conan Exiles, turning captured NPCs into loyal followers who fight, craft, and defend your base. Once you begin building larger settlements and exploring tougher regions, thralls become essential for both combat strength and crafting efficiency.

Understanding how thralls work can dramatically change how you play. A well-equipped fighter thrall can carry you through difficult battles, while skilled crafters unlock better gear and reduce crafting costs.

So, this guide explains what thralls are, how to capture them, how the Wheel of Pain works, and how to level and use them effectively in Conan Exiles.

The Escapist Recaps

• Thralls are captured NPCs that can fight, craft items, defend bases, or accompany you in combat.
• You capture thralls by knocking them unconscious and breaking them on a Wheel of Pain.
• Thralls come in multiple roles including fighters, archers, bearers, crafters, and performers.
• Higher-tier thralls (especially Tier 4 named thralls) have better stats and unique crafting bonuses.
• Combat thralls gain experience by fighting alongside you and can level up to level 20.

What are Thralls in Conan Exiles?

Thralls are ‘recruited’ NPC followers that work for you once captured and broken. Instead of simply killing enemies across the Exiled Lands, you can knock them unconscious and convert them into loyal allies.

Once recruited, thralls can serve a multitude of purposes. Combat thralls can accompany you into battle or guard your base, while crafting thralls improve the efficiency of workstations and unlock special recipes. Performers can remove corruption and restore health, and bearer thralls act as pack carriers that help transport things like farmed resources. 

Because of this flexibility, thralls will form an integral part of your core progression. Many players actively hunt specific NPCs because certain named thralls provide powerful crafting bonuses or are exceptionally helpful in combat. 

Thrall types and tiers explained

Thralls fall into several major categories based on their role.

Fighters

Fighter thralls are melee companions that follow you or guard your base. They specialize in direct combat and can wield weapons and armor just like your character.

They typically have strong health and melee damage, making them excellent for clearing camps or fighting bosses.

Archers

Archer thralls focus on ranged combat. They stay at a distance and do exactly what you’d expect, and attack enemies with bows or crossbows. Archers are often placed on walls or towers to defend bases during raids.

Bearers

Bearer thralls function as pack carriers. They can carry heavy loads and help transport materials during long farming runs.

Although they can fight, it’s far better to use them as logistical support.

Crafter thralls

Crafter thralls improve specific crafting stations. Examples include:

• Blacksmiths
• Armorers
• Carpenters
• Cooks
• Priests

Placing the correct thrall at a workstation speeds up crafting and may unlock unique recipes or higher-quality gear.

Performers

Performer thralls act as entertainers. When placed at your base, they remove corruption and restore health.

They’re particularly useful if you’re frequently exploring more dangerous areas that inflict substantial corruption. 

Thrall tiers and why Tier 4 Thralls are so important

Thralls also come in four tiers, which determine their strength and usefulness.

• Tier 1 (T1): Basic thralls with minimal bonuses.
• Tier 2 (T2): Moderately stronger versions with slightly improved crafting bonuses or stats.
• Tier 3 (T3): Strong thralls that offer better stats and improved crafting efficiency.
• Tier 4 (T4): Named thralls with the best stats and special crafting bonuses.

Tier 4 thralls are crucial because they unlock exclusive recipes or dramatically improve crafting output. Combat T4 thralls also have significantly higher health and damage compared to lower tiers.

For many players, finding strong-named thralls becomes a primary objective in Conan Exiles, and for good reason, too. 

Here’s how you can capture thralls

Capturing thralls involves knocking NPCs unconscious instead of killing them.

We’ve outlined the basic process for you here. 

1. Use a concussive weapon

To capture a thrall, you must reduce their consciousness meter using a blunt weapon.

Common blunt weapons include:

• Truncheons
• Blunted arrows
• Blunted javelins

These weapons deal concussion damage rather than lethal damage.

2. Knock the NPC unconscious

Once the NPC’s white consciousness bar reaches zero, they collapse instead of dying.

At this point, you can bind them.

3. Apply bindings

Use rope or fiber bindings to drag the unconscious NPC behind you.

You can then pull them back to your base.

4. Bring them to a Wheel of Pain

Place the captured NPC inside a Wheel of Pain, which begins the process of breaking them into a thrall.

The wheel must be fueled with food (usually Gruel) to operate.

How the Wheel of Pain works

The Wheel of Pain is the crafting station used to convert captured NPCs into thralls.

Once you place a bound NPC inside the wheel and add food as fuel, a timer begins. After the process completes, the NPC becomes a recruitable thrall you can place in your base.

Breaking thralls takes time, and higher-tier NPCs typically require longer.

Using Taskmasters

A Taskmaster thrall dramatically speeds up the process.

Placing a Taskmaster at the Wheel of Pain reduces breaking time, and just like with everything, higher-tier Taskmasters provide stronger bonuses.

For example, a Tier 4 Taskmaster reduces thrall crafting time by a hefty chunk, thus allowing you to recruit followers much faster.

Because of this, Taskmasters are one of the most valuable early thralls to capture.

Thrall leveling and perks

Combat thralls gain experience when they fight alongside you.

To level a thrall effectively, you need to set them as your follower and take them into combat. Both your kills and the thrall’s kills contribute to their experience gain.

Thralls can level up to level 20.

Attribute growth

Each thrall has base attributes such as:

• Strength
• Agility
• Vitality
• Accuracy

When they level up, these stats increase based on their growth chances. Some thralls naturally favor certain attributes, which makes specific NPCs better for certain roles.

Perks

Thralls unlock perks at level 10 and level 20.

These perks can improve things like:

• Damage
• Health
• Carry capacity

Some perks are beneficial while others come with tradeoffs, so leveling multiple thralls is encouraged. 

How to equip and control thralls

Thralls can wear equipment just like your character.

To equip items on your thrall:

1. Open their inventory.
2. Drag armor or weapons into their equipment slots.
3. Close the menu.

Equipping stronger gear dramatically increases how strong they are in combat.

Combat behavior settings

Thralls also have adjustable AI behavior.

Common options include:

• Passive – avoids combat.
• Defensive – attacks enemies that attack you.
• Aggressive – attacks enemies on sight.

You can also control their movement behavior, such as whether they hold position or chase enemies.

Adjusting these settings helps prevent thralls from running too far away or getting stuck during fights.

Best thralls in Conan Exiles

The best thralls are typically Tier 4 named thralls found in higher-level areas.

These thralls stand out because they have:

• Better base stats
• Stronger leveling potential
• Unique crafting bonuses

Certain fighter thralls are especially desirable for their high damage or health, while some crafting thralls unlock rare gear recipes.

Because named thralls spawn randomly at many camps and dungeons, players often grind these repeatedly until the right NPC appears.

Using thralls strategically

Thralls become more valuable as your base grows.

Base defense

Placing fighter and archer thralls around your base creates powerful automated defenses. During attacks or raids, these thralls fight enemies without requiring you to micro them.

Exploration support

A strong fighter thrall can act as your main combat partner when exploring dangerous zones.

It’s a solid strategy to have a thrall to tank damage against bosses or elite enemies.

Crafting efficiency

Assigning the right thralls to crafting benches speeds up production and unlocks advanced recipes.

For example, a high-tier armorer thrall can craft stronger armor with improved stats.

Common thrall mistakes to avoid

Killing instead of capturing

You’ll be going round defeating foes with normal weapons. However, if you want thralls, always switch to a concussive weapon.

Forgetting Wheel of Pain fuel

The Wheel of Pain requires food to operate. Without fuel, the breaking process stops.

Not using Taskmasters

A Taskmaster can dramatically reduce thrall crafting time. Always place one at your Wheel of Pain when possible.

Under-equipping thralls

Thralls perform much better when equipped with strong armor and weapons.

Giving them high-quality gear can make a huge difference in difficult fights.

Ask The Escapist