You pick one religion free at character creation, and each god is a whole package — an altar you upgrade through three tiers, signature weapons, armor and items only its followers craft, and a giant Avatar you can summon to flatten a base. Here's all 7 gods compared, what each one gives, how zeal and avatars work, and which to pick.
Tap a god to jump to its full breakdown. "Best for" is opinion — religions are roughly balanced and shift with patches.
| God | Domain | At creation | Signature | Avatar | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mitra | Light & justice | Yes | Ambrosia — cheap, spammable healing | Bronze colossus | PvE & sustain |
| Set | Serpents & poison | Yes | Snake Arrows + the poison/cripple Antidote | Giant serpent | Beginner / PvE |
| Yog | Cannibalism | Yes | Purified Flesh — near-perfect food | Flying squid horror | Sustain / solo |
| Ymir | Frost & war | Yes | Foeshatter axe + Black Ice building | Frost giant | Weapons / PvP |
| Derketo | Death & lust | Yes | Elixir of Freedom; the only support avatar | Death Breath (support) | Support / sustain |
| Zath | Spiders | learned | Globe of Yezud; long-range venom avatar | Giant spider | PvP siege / control |
| Jhebbal Sag | Beasts | learned | Animal Lures; Claws of Jhebbal Sag | Flying manticore | Taming / PvE utility |
Mitra is the Hyborian god of light, right, and justice — a benevolent deity whose worshippers shun corruption and stand opposed to the dark gods, Set above all. His sacred symbol is the Phoenix.
Mitra is selectable as your starting religion at character creation. Otherwise learn it by (a) spending Knowledge Points in the Religion tab to unlock the Acolyte of Mitra feat, (b) finding a free Mitra religion teacher NPC, or (c) consuming a learnable religious item dropped by high-tier Mitra priests. Crafting happens up the Shrine of Mitra → Sanctuary of Mitra → Temple of Mitra altar ladder.
Avatar of Mitra — a gigantic bronze (stone) colossus. The player controls it for about 60 seconds (server-configurable 30–120s), crushing enemy structures by walking through them, with a powerful stomp special. Limitation: like the Set avatar it cannot climb ledges the way the Yog avatar can, so it struggles against bases built up multi-tiered cliffs.
Set is the Old Serpent — the great snake-god of Stygia, god of serpents and ritual sacrifice, who glories in spilling innocent blood atop his bloody altars. His domain is poison, antidotes, and venom-tipped death, and he is fundamentally opposed to Mitra.
Four ways: (1) select Set at character creation; (2) spend Knowledge Points in the Religion tab; (3) learn it from a Set religion teacher NPC; or (4) loot an Eye of Set from a slain named Priest of Set and consume it to unlock Acolyte of Set. Crafting runs up the Sepulcher of Set → Sanctum/Sanctuary → Temple altar ladder.
Avatar of Set — a colossal serpent that rampages across the map wrecking bases and players, with a fast lunging-bite special. Player-controlled for about 60 seconds (server-configurable 30–120s). Requires a fully upgraded T3 altar, a named (Archpriest-tier) Set priest stationed in it, a True Name of Set, and 500 Manifestations of Zeal. Note: despite some guides saying it 'climbs walls,' Set (like Mitra) cannot scale ledges the way the Yog avatar can. Deals structure damage on PvP / PvE-Conflict servers; cannot be summoned in enclosed spaces.
Yog, the Lord of Empty Abodes, is the beastly god of the cannibal tribes of Darfar, who demands that worshippers consume ritually purified human flesh to gain strength and vitality.
Yog is selectable at character creation. Otherwise learn it in-game by being taught at an altar by a Yog teacher/Archpriest NPC, or by consuming a religious token dropped by Yog priests. Altar ladder: Pit of Yog (T1) → Rift of Yog (T2) → Abyss of Yog (T3).
Avatar of Yog — a giant floating/flying squid- or octopus-like eldritch horror. Player-controlled for about 60 seconds (server-configurable 30–120s); anything it floats over or smashes is destroyed. Its defining trait is flight: it can gain and lose altitude, making it uniquely able to attack multi-level bases built up cliffs and ledges that ground-bound avatars like Set and Mitra cannot reach.
Ymir is the Frost Giant — god of the Nordheimer peoples (the Aesir of Asgard and Vanir of Vanaheim) and lord of war, snow, and storms; father of the frost giants. In Howard's fiction he is unusually active for a Conan god, keeping a Valhalla-style feast-hall for slain warriors. His religion's mechanics center on ice, cold, and martial power.
Ymir is selectable at character creation. Otherwise learn it by spending Knowledge/Feat points in the Religion tab, or being taught by an NPC religion teacher. Altar ladder reported as Altar of Ymir (T1) → Blooded Altar of Ymir (T2) → Exalted Altar of Ymir (T3); the T3 Exalted altar is required for the feast, Black Ice, and the avatar.
Avatar of Ymir — an enormous frost giant wielding a massive axe that leaves trails of frost. Like all avatars it demolishes structures of any material and is controlled for about 60 seconds (server-configurable 30–120s). Requires a T3 Exalted Altar of Ymir, a named (Archpriest-tier) Priest of Ymir, the player around level 50, and a large Zeal stockpile (general avatar cost is 500 Zeal). 'Avatar of Ymir' is its only name. (Forum players anecdotally complain Ymir's overall cost is unusually high versus other gods — that's opinion, not confirmed data.)
Derketo is Conan Exiles' goddess of death, fertility, and lust — the dark 'queen of lust and death' whose worship blends carnal indulgence with mortality.
Three routes: (1) choose Derketo at character creation; (2) learn it from Yakira, Priestess of Derketo at the Pagoda of Boundless Lusts near Xel-Ha (southeast Exiled Lands); or (3) consume a Tablet of Derketo dropped by Derketo priests (the primary method on Isle of Siptah). Altar ladder: Pleasure Place of Derketo (T1) → Pleasure Dome of Derketo (T2, ~level 20) → Pleasure Palace of Derketo (T3, ~level 50), each tier unlocking higher recipes and the avatar.
Avatar of Derketo — the game's ONLY support-capable avatar. It exhales a 'Death Breath' cloud dealing massive area damage to enemies and structures, then follows with a 'Healing Breath' mist that heals and revives allies in the area. Summoned via the True Name of Derketo (500 Zeal) at a Pleasure Palace with a Derketo Archpriest.
Zath is the spider god of Yezud, widely worshipped in the Hyborian land of Zamora. His worshippers weave a contract with spiders and can even carry a spider companion. Zath was added in Update 2.4 alongside the Isle of Siptah expansion and carries over into the current Enhanced (UE5) era.
Zath is NOT available at character creation. Learn it by (1) spending Knowledge Points to unlock the first feat (Nest of Zath), (2) consuming a Tapestry of Zath dropped by high-tier Zath priests (also found in chests), or (3) interacting with a Zath priest NPC. Exact teacher NPC names/locations vary across sources, so don't treat any single named teacher as certain. On Isle of Siptah, players historically struggled to find a feat-teacher and often unlocked it via Knowledge Points from Grey One boss drops.
Avatar of Zath — a staggeringly large spider god (no unique proper name beyond 'Zath'). It spits devastating venom at range, leaving lingering poison puddles, and has a defensive ability that sheds eggs from its back which burst when enemies approach, covering them in tiny spiders. A roaming offensive god-summon for wrecking bases and players, invoked via The True Name of Zath.
Jhebbal Sag is the Lord of the Beasts — god of animals, nature, and savagery, who in lore can transform into many animals and to whom every living creature once owed allegiance. He is the only religion that CANNOT be picked at character creation; it must be learned in-game.
NOT selectable at character creation. Learn it in-game: go to the Child of Jhebbal Sag NPC (southwest of The Den, Exiled Lands), obtain a Potion of Midnight (learned/bought from that NPC for ~5 Feral Flesh, or crafted at the nearby Totem), drink it to teleport into the Midnight Grove dungeon, defeat the werewolf boss inside, and consume the dropped Flesh of Remembrance to learn the Bower of Jhebbal Sag feat. The exact boss name is disputed across sources (the final boss is cited as 'Brother of the Blood,' but a 'Werewolf Impisi' is also named, and the dungeon has multiple bosses) — say 'the werewolf boss in the Midnight Grove' rather than committing to one name. Flesh of Remembrance can be harvested in multiples and shared with clanmates, and the religion can also be taught afterward via the craftable Precepts of Jhebbal Sag.
Avatar of Jhebbal Sag — a giant flying Manticore, summoned via the True Name of Jhebbal Sag. It fights for you for about 60 seconds (server-configurable 30–120s), dealing passive area damage to everything around it as it flies. It is one of two flying avatars (the other is Yog), which makes it valuable against elevated/cliff bases. NOTE: despite the religion's werewolf theme, the avatar is a manticore, not a werewolf — werewolves appear only as the Midnight Grove boss and via the Sign of Jhebbal Sag ritual.