Conan Exiles Bear Cub Guide - Conan Fanatics (2024)

There is no doubt about it, bears are a force to be reckoned with in Conan Exiles. Poking around the tundra area for the first time is already a nerve-wracking experience, and spotting your first bear will shake even the bravest exile. It’s exciting to see them in the wild; you know you’re in for a challenge. Yet, there is a small voice in the back of your mind, “Why would something dangerous have such cute ears?”

When you approach to find out, you’ll notice the ears are a trick and they do not want pets. Their large health pool gives them staying power and their crippling swing makes sure you’re not going anywhere either. If you make it through the misunderstanding and manage to spot a cub, there is a silver lining. The cubs that you raise in your animal pen will have the same attributes as their parents. Bears make wonderful, adorable companions, especially if you’re shopping for a tank or a particularly durable combat pet.

See also: Best Pets in Conan Exiles

TL:DR: Can’t Bearly Wait

Bears reside mostly in the tundra are of the Exiled Lands, just west of the highlands. This is also where you’ll find the highest concentration of their cubs. Try looking along the western side of the mountain chain in C11 or at the end of the river in C9. If you are at a lower level, you can find bear cubs on Telith Island in H8.

Once you find a cub, haul it back to your animal pen and feed it honey or shade spiced honey for a better chance to raise a greater bear. Bears make great companions for ranged players, with both a knockdown and a cripple attack to keep your kite in the wind. They also have the largest health pool of any pet, which can easily be increased by feeding savory fish as you level your bear. Savory fish increases vitality by 14% at each level.

See also: Conan Exiles Taskmaster Guide

Where to Find a Bear Cub

I’d recommend reaching at least level 40 before going in search of your cub. You’ll have to be ready to take down some adult bears if you want a shot at a cub and your very own bear companion. You’ll find both in the tundra area of the map, so while you won’t need any cold-weather gear, you will need enough gear for high-level mobs.

You can find the most cubs along the mountain chain in C11. While you wait for them to respawn, head down to the end of the river in C9 to pick up a couple more. If you complete this circle a few times you’re sure to have enough cubs to try for a greater bear when you get back to your animal pen.

If you are a lower level (or don’t have great gear yet), there is a pretty reliable bear cub spawn on Telith’s Island in the highlands. You’ll find the island in H8.

Bear cubs are also very heavy. Take a thrall or horse to carry your cubs unless you want to get stamina crippled and shredded by its parents or other mobs in the area.

See also: Conan Exiles Crocodile Pet Guide

What to Feed a Bear Cub

Once you haul them back to your animal pen, you’ll only need one applicable food item per cub to start the crafting process. What’s important is what one item you feed them. Every animal companion has favorite foods that will give them a better chance to become a greater variant. Greater animal companions have much better stats, and sometimes have better moves and cooler looks.

If Pooh taught us anything, it’s that bears love honey. The cubs in Conan Exiles are no exception, their favorite food is honey, or shade spiced honey if you care to put the effort in. Fortunately for bear aficionados, honey is one of the easiest resources to obtain in Conan Exiles. All you’ll need to do is build a beehive. You can collect bees to stock in the hive, but if you only need enough to feed your bear cubs, you’ll only have to wait. Beehives produce honey over time, without requiring any resources to do so.

Regular honey increases your chances of crafting a greater bear by 20%, while shade spiced honey increases your chances by 30%. Shadespicing is a pain, and bears fall right on the line for me when it comes to whether I will shade spice honey or just go out and grab more cubs until I get a greater bear. This decision will likely depend on whether you’re spending a lot of time in the tundra and how close your base is to the cubs.

See also: Conan Exiles Honey Guide

What to Feed Your Adult Bear Companion

After you’ve raised the bear of your dreams, whether greater or not, you’ll want to put some food in its inventory while you level it. Animal companions will not die if you don’t feed them, so you technically don’t have to feed them anything. However, different foods help increase different stats if consumed while they level. Applicable food also provides health buffs that your bear will be able to apply to itself during battle by consuming it out of its inventory.

What stats you would like to increase are a personal choice. I like a high vitality bear because I’m usually using it to take on most of the damage while we fight mobs. To increase vitality by the most every level (14%), feed your bear savory fish from your fish trap. You should have no trouble catching savory fish in your fish trap by placing grubs in the trap from your compost pile.

If you would rather roll a big mean bear, you could increase its strength at each level instead. You would accomplish this by feeding her unappetizing fish while she levels which will add 14% to her strength stat.

Once your bear is maxed level, you’ll want to switch to the food that contributes the highest health buff to your bear while in combat. This is another small reason bears make the best tanks, their highest health buff food (10pt/second) is one of the easiest to come by out of all the top tier pets. All you’ll need is a big stack of cooked shellfish to keep your bear safe and dangerous out in the Exiled Lands.

How to Adventure With Your Bear

Bears have the highest health pool of any pet! While a rhino may take the cake for the most armor, you’ll find a large health pool is helpful in a larger array of combat situations making a bear a more adaptable pet. Poison and acid slip right past a high armor rating, but won’t be an issue for your carefully raised bear with high vitality specs.

Bears are not quite jack-of-all-trades but, instead, do exceptionally well in a couple of specific scenarios. Firstly, they excel against multiple foes. Their knockdown has a wide range, sending a decent-sized swath of enemies to the ground at once. You are also less likely to lose them due to their large health pool if you get in over your head. You can implement a send it and forget it tactic for bears when clearing large camps, in situations where your glass cannon pets may get themselves into trouble.

They also excel as tanks for ranged and damage-dealing players, or when they’re asked to take a large share of the damage while relying on their partner (you) to deal it back. Their cripple debuff is applied with every swipe attack, which is quite often. If you combine this with their knockdown, the bears do a great job of controlling the field. A ranged player can maintain distance and a nimble damage dealer can more easily avoid attacks while their bear cripples and knocks down their opponent.

The Bad News Bears

Bears surely have their strengths, but they also have some weaknesses that may steer you in a different direction. They do not do as well as damage dealers (even with their extra-long saber teeth) and will need you to pick up the slack in this department.

Greater Bears are massive and often in the way. They do move quickly, so you won’t need to worry as much about them missing every hit (like rhinos or elephants), but they’re a bit of a mess in a small base or cave. A bear companion can be a (literally) large obstacle to overcome in tight combat.

See also: Conan Exiles Elephant Pet Guide

Lastly, bears have an odd roar combat mechanic that doesn’t seem to do anything at all. It’s a wasted move in the middle of their combat set. I assume it was a placeholder for a debuff applied by the roar but perhaps was never implemented. There’s no telling when Funcom will address this, and if they’ll just remove the roar or implement a debuff that comes with it. As it stands, your bear may waste a significant amount of time doing no damage while in combat.

Bear With Me

There isn’t a world where a bear doesn’t make a cool pet. They’re big, they’re cute and they’re as fierce as they come. Conan Exiles is no exception, its bears are fearsome opponents and loyal companions. They have the highest health pool of any pet, so if a durable companion is what you’re after, look no further than the fearsome bear.

The cubs are not difficult to come by in the tundra, and there may not be a more valuable pet that is so cheap to craft and level. Both honey and savory fish are easy enough to come by, especially compared to the food requirements of a sabretooth tiger or white wolf. I guess it’s just in a bear’s nature to be as laid back as they come!

Bear FAQs

Recommended Reads:

• Conan Exiles Sabertooth Cub Guide
• Conan Exiles Lesser Wheel of Pain Guide
• Conan Exiles Horse Guide
• Conan Exiles Wolf Cub Guide
• Conan Exiles Jaguar Cub Guide