Conan Exiles DLC Seekers of the Dawn: Khitai Architecture, Katanas & Yamatai

On December 12, 2018, the Seekers of the Dawn Pack expansion shifted the focus from the wild borderlands to a completely different direction: the Far Eastern realms of Khitai. Following the rugged, nature-driven style of the Savage Frontier Pack, this DLC brought a touch of elegance, refinement, and spiritual depth to the world of Conan Exiles.

Funcom aimed to highlight Hyboria’s cultural diversity even more with this pack. While earlier expansions captured barbaric or Western-inspired building styles, Seekers of the Dawn transports players to a world of jade, bamboo, and ceremonial architecture. It marries strength with aesthetics, martial prowess with spirituality, and significantly broadens the game’s creative and visual spectrum.

With new weapons, armor, buildings, and decorations, this DLC offers everything you need to build an exotic realm beyond the known regions. Seekers of the Dawn is not just a change in style—it’s a cultural journey that enriches Hyboria with a new dimension.

Khitai architecture in the Conan Exiles DLC: Yamatai building set

At the heart of the DLC is the new Yamatai building set in the style of Khitai. It differs markedly from all previous building materials in the game. Instead of massive stone blocks or rugged wooden structures, it features delicate carvings, artfully decorated roofs, and flowing lines. The materials are based on light wood, stone tiles, and jade-colored accents, giving structures an elegant and almost peaceful appearance.

The roofs feature curved tiles inspired by classic East Asian temples, and the walls are adorned with subtle ornaments. Interiors feel light and harmonious—perfect for players who want to build a home with high aesthetic standards. Lighting is softer as well: lanterns, candles, and paper lamps create a calm, meditative atmosphere.

Practical: The Yamatai set is designed as a full-fledged building tier (Tier 3), making it sturdy enough for both PvE and PvP servers. This architectural variety brought a breath of fresh air to the base game. Many players began thematically combining their settlements—such as Khitai temples amid Aquilonian cities or border outposts with Eastern influences. This made Seekers of the Dawn one of the most popular building DLCs of the early phase.

Katanas, bows, and Yamatai armor: weapons & gear

The weapons and armor in the Seekers of the Dawn Pack reflect the philosophy of Eastern warriors: precision, balance, and discipline. Instead of brute force, they emphasize elegance and speed.

The armor combines light fabrics with metal plates and is richly adorned with symbols and patterns. Particularly striking is the Yamatai Warrior Set, distinguished by its dark red fabrics, golden details, and iconic helmet design. This armor offers good mobility and moderate defense—ideal for players who like to sit between the light and medium categories.

The weapons are unique as well. The DLC introduced new katanas that, for the first time, received their own animations and combat mechanics in the game. The katanas’ fluid, fast movements differ significantly from previous sword types and quickly made them one of the most popular weapon systems. Alongside katanas, the pack added new bows, spears, and maces, all inspired by East Asian smithing. As usual, the sets are available in standard and epic variants—balanced, with no gameplay advantage over comparable base-game tiers.

This combination of new move sets and detailed design gave combat an almost cinematic dynamism. Seekers of the Dawn thus became not only a visual, but also a gameplay highlight.

Decorations, companions, and cultural items for Far Eastern bases

The DLC also expands the world of Conan Exiles with numerous decorative and cultural elements. Players can create gardens with stone lanterns and bamboo, furnish their homes with silk curtains, scrolls, and ceramics, or place imposing statues depicting Khitai’s gods and heroes.

These new objects are more than mere decoration—they convey a culture. While earlier packs emphasized the harsh struggle for survival, Seekers of the Dawn brings an almost spiritual calm. Even the soundscape is subtly tuned: bell chimes, wind chimes, and gentle drums create a peaceful atmosphere in settlements.

There are also new pet variants that complement the theme. Special tiger and panther skins with golden or black coat patterns can be tamed and fit perfectly into the image of an Eastern warrior realm.

Yamatai lore: inspiration behind the Seekers of the Dawn DLC

Seekers of the Dawn is loosely based on the fictional realm of Yamatai, known in the world of Conan as a Far Eastern civilization. This realm blends Chinese, Japanese, and Korean influences—an exotic, mystical culture that has always exerted a certain fascination in Hyborian legends.

Through the DLC’s architecture, clothing, and weapons, Yamatai comes to life. Players can create their own version of this realm, build temples, and found warrior orders shaped by discipline, honor, and tradition. This lore connection gives the DLC a narrative depth that goes beyond mere style.

In role-playing communities, the Seekers of the Dawn Pack quickly became a staple because it enabled a cultural variety that had previously been missing. It provides the perfect foundation for factions that rely on spirituality or martial discipline rather than raw violence.

Performance, animations, and multiplayer integration

The DLC’s implementation was technically solid and visually impressive. The material system for roofs and wood was reworked to depict fine structures, and the new weapon animations ran smoothly. The katanas in particular stood out with their flowing movements—a small yet noticeable revolution in Conan Exiles’ combat system.

The pack also integrates seamlessly into multiplayer. Different building styles on a server create a visually varied overall picture. While some clans built their castles in the Frontier style, entire Yamatai temples or Far Eastern villages emerged in the midst of the wasteland—a testament to the community’s growing creativity.

Important for balance: DLC content is generally cosmetic and offers no direct gameplay advantages—it primarily enhances look and feel. Despite the complex architecture, performance issues were largely absent. Funcom managed to optimize the fine textures and details so that stable rendering was possible even on consoles.

Conclusion: Aesthetics, discipline, and cultural depth in the DLC

Seekers of the Dawn is more than just another cosmetic package—it is a homage to Hyboria’s Eastern cultures and a reflection of how diverse Conan Exiles has become. It unites aesthetics and functionality, martial arts and craftsmanship, spirituality and strength.

Players who want to enrich their world with a touch of Far Eastern culture will find a DLC that perfectly combines atmosphere, lore, and design. From temple construction to samurai armor—every element contributes to immersion.

Together with your own Conan Exiles server from 4Netplayers, the Seekers of the Dawn Pack unfolds its full potential. Stable performance, customizable mods, and the ability to organize large communities make it ideal for role-players, master builders, and clans who want to create their own version of the Far East in the world of Conan.

Miete dir jetzt deinen eigenen Conan Exiles Server