Raiding is the beating heart of PvP in Conan Exiles. Whether you play the Exiled Lands or the Isle of Siptah, cracking an enemy base means combining explosives, orbs, siege engines and even the wrath of the gods. This guide breaks down every raiding tool, how to chain them together, and how to defend your own stronghold from the same tactics. Master these systems and your war party will rule the server.
Explosive Jars: The Wall-Breaker
The Explosive Jar is the workhorse of raiding. It is the most reliable way to punch through stone and reinforced building pieces. You craft jars using the Explosives feat, which unlocks the recipe and its key component, Dragonpowder (the heavy-duty cousin of regular Gunpowder). Dragonpowder is expensive to mass-produce, demanding stockpiles of Steelfire, Brimstone, Demon Blood and Crystal, so successful raiders run dedicated farming routes and Improved Furnaces before a siege.
To use a jar, you light its fuse and throw it at the target piece. It detonates after a short delay, so timing and positioning matter. Because higher building tiers have far more health than sandstone, you will need multiple jars per wall, foundation or door. Always count your jars against the tier you are hitting before you commit, and bring spares. If you are setting up a community server for these battles, reliable hardware keeps detonations and structure damage in sync for everyone, which is why many admins run a dedicated Conan Exiles game server rather than peer-to-peer hosting.
Orbs: Fire, Gas and Combos
Orbs are thrown alchemical bombs crafted at the Alchemist’s Bench (an Alchemist thrall speeds production and unlocks better recipes). They are not primarily for breaking walls, they are for breaking people and creating zones of denial. The core orbs every raider should know:
- Demon-fire Orb — splashes persistent fire over an area, brutal against defenders crowding a chokepoint.
- Gaseous Orb — releases a poison cloud that ignores armor over time and can penetrate gaps in a defense.
- Grease Orb — coats a surface; harmless alone but devastating when ignited.
- Water Orb — a defensive tool that smothers fire, useful for both attackers clearing hazards and defenders dousing flames.
The real skill is in combos: throw a Grease Orb to coat an area, then a Demon-fire Orb to ignite it into a raging inferno. Gas plus fire is a classic finisher that can flush thralls and players out of a tight base. Orbs are also one of the cheaper answers to a summoned avatar, since splash damage chips away at the god’s timer.
Trebuchets and Siege Weapons
When a base sits on a cliff or behind layers of walls you cannot reach on foot, the Trebuchet earns its keep. It requires a higher-level Engineer feat and is built in stages from a siege foundation up through the frame and throwing arm, then loaded with boulder ammunition. Setup is slow and the engine is fragile, so trebuchet raids favor coordinated groups: one player operates the trebuchet from range while others guard it. Boulders crash down on rooftops and upper floors that jars cannot easily reach, and they also damage summoned avatars, making the trebuchet a dual-purpose siege and anti-god weapon.
Gods and Avatars: The Nuclear Option
Nothing announces a raid like a god walking across the map. To summon an avatar you need a Tier 3 religious altar staffed with a named (Tier 4) priest of that faith (lower-tier captured priests cannot craft the True Name) and the True Name of your god, crafted at the altar over time. Each religion fields a distinct avatar: the bronze colossus of Mitra, the great serpent of Set, the floating horror of Yog, the Frost Giant of Ymir, and the half-skeletal giant of Derketo.
Once summoned, you control the avatar for a limited window (commonly cited at around 60 seconds) and use it to flatten structures. Mitra stomps a path of destruction, Set slithers across a base, and Yog can reach elevated builds that ground-bound avatars cannot. The catch: while channeling, a pillar of light marks your position and you are extremely vulnerable. Kill the summoner and the avatar vanishes. Defenders can also shorten an avatar’s lifespan with arrows, orbs and trebuchet boulders, so a smart raid screens the summoner with thralls and teammates. For deep dives on faith requirements, see our feats and knowledge guide.
Raiding Tool Comparison
| Tool | Best Against | Cost / Setup | Crafting Station |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosive Jar | Walls, foundations, doors | High (Dragonpowder) | Construction / feat-based |
| Demon-fire Orb | Defenders, chokepoints | Medium | Alchemist’s Bench |
| Grease + Fire combo | Grouped thralls/players | Medium | Alchemist’s Bench |
| Trebuchet | Elevated / hard-to-reach builds | High, slow setup | Engineer feat |
| Avatar (god) | Entire bases | Very high, time-gated | Tier 3 altar + True Name |
Offline Raiding and Raid Windows
On official PvP servers, building damage is only enabled during set raid windows each day, so you cannot crack walls at all hours. Outside those windows you can still fight players, but their structures are protected. Offline raiding, hitting a base while its owners are logged out, is technically allowed by the rules but is widely frowned upon as poor sportsmanship since there is no one defending.
This is where community servers shine. As an admin you can configure raid windows, building damage multipliers, decay timers and even disable offline raiding entirely to create a fairer PvP culture. Those settings live in the server configuration, and our Conan Exiles server documentation walks through changing them. Before any raid, scout the target, time your assault to the window, and bring a defense plan for the counter-attack.
Defending Against Raiders
- Build in tiers, with reinforced exterior pieces and an inner vault that costs attackers extra jars.
- Use layered walls and decoy rooms to waste explosives.
- Station Tier 4 fighter and archer thralls to thin out raiders and bleed down avatar timers.
- Pick a smart location; cliffs and water force attackers toward trebuchets and avatars, slowing them down. Our best base locations guide covers defensible spots.
- Keep Water Orbs handy to douse Demon-fire and grease ignitions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to raid a base in Conan Exiles?
Explosive Jars are the most reliable wall-breakers for most raids. Pair them with orbs to clear defenders, and bring a trebuchet or an avatar for bases that are elevated or too well-fortified to breach on foot.
Can you destroy a summoned avatar?
Yes. Avatars are no longer invincible. Arrows, crossbow bolts, glass orbs and trebuchet boulders all damage them, and taking damage reduces the avatar’s remaining time. Killing the summoner instantly dismisses the god.
Is offline raiding allowed?
On official servers it is generally permitted but considered bad etiquette since no one is defending. Many community servers disable it or restrict raiding to set windows, which you can configure yourself on a private server.
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