The removal of the pet feeding perk in Conan Exiles has brought forth some significant imbalances, particularly concerning pet healing and the role of pet food. While changes are often necessary, the current state of pet healing mechanics feels inadequate and warrants a closer look.
Previously, feeding pets was an integral part of pet management. Now, with that system largely removed, the options for effectively healing our animal companions are limited, creating frustrating situations for players who rely on pets in combat and exploration.
One immediate issue is the disparity between player and pet healing. Players can swiftly recover health using various food types and potions, allowing for rapid recovery during and after combat encounters. In stark contrast, pet healing is a slow and often inefficient process. Food given to pets seems to disappear without providing noticeable or timely healing.
Consider scenarios such as tackling challenging dungeons or engaging in prolonged combat. While players can quickly replenish their health and get back into the action, pets lag significantly behind. Their healing rate appears to be considerably slower than even the respawn rate of hostile non-player characters (NPCs). A prime example is the Midnight Grove, where enemies can respawn before a pet even recovers to half health, leaving players vulnerable and consuming valuable resources like water while waiting for their pet to recover.
This discrepancy raises questions about the current purpose of pet food in the game. If the feeding system is effectively gone, and food offers negligible healing, then the lingering icons indicating what pets can eat become misleading. If these icons serve no functional purpose, they should be removed to avoid player confusion.
Furthermore, revisiting the idea of pet feeding as an optional administrative setting would greatly benefit the game. Offering an admin toggle to re-enable the feeding system could cater to players who enjoyed that aspect of pet management for role-playing purposes or those who found it a more engaging mechanic. This would provide a more customizable Conan Exiles experience, accommodating different playstyles and preferences.
The current pet healing system feels like a significant bottleneck. Having to wait extended periods for pets to heal, while players can recover almost instantly, disrupts gameplay flow and diminishes the value of pets as companions in dungeons and during overland adventures. It’s time to re-evaluate pet healing mechanics and consider implementing solutions that offer a more balanced and enjoyable experience, perhaps by reintroducing a functional feeding system as an optional server setting, or by significantly improving the base healing rate for pets.
