Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel – Conan the Barbarian DLC Review

Steel sings, frost cracks, and Conan once again proves subtlety is for the weak.

Conan is the kind of DLC that doesn’t bother with preamble. It kicks the door down, throws a frost giant’s head at your feet, and growls “you’re next.” This is Conan at his most mythic as a brutal, frostbitten power fantasy that drags the base game into a harsher, louder, more metal direction. If the original Jotunnslayer was about surviving the cold, this DLC is about conquering it with a sword the size of a small canoe.

The base game’s combat was already chunky, but the Conan DLC adds a new layer of weight. Conan doesn’t dodge, he shrugs off attacks. He doesn’t parry, he breaks weapons. His moveset is slower but devastating, turning every swing into a miniature earthquake. It forces you to play differently: more deliberate, more aggressive, more “I am the storm.”

The new enemy types are a highlight. Hel’s undead legions swarm in unpredictable patterns, and the Jotunn minibosses are some of the best fights the game has ever had. They’re towering, theatrical, and surprisingly tactical, you can’t just mash your way through them unless you want to become a barbarian‑shaped ice sculpture.

The DLC adds:

• Conan’s signature greatsword, which feels like swinging a steel lamppost

• Berserker runes that reward reckless aggression

• Frost‑cursed artifacts that twist your build in fun, chaotic ways

• A new Rage mechanic that turns Conan into a walking avalanche

It’s all gloriously over‑the‑top, and it fits the fantasy perfectly.

The new region, Hel’s breach into the frozen north is gorgeous in a bleak, mythic way. Cracked glaciers, burning longships, auroras swirling over battlefields littered with giant bones. It’s atmospheric as hell, and the art team clearly had fun pushing the “Norse apocalypse” aesthetic to its limits.

The DLC occasionally stumbles. Conan’s slower combat style won’t be for everyone, and some encounters feel tuned around his tankiness rather than player skill. A couple of missions drag, but honestly, this DLC isn’t here to surprise you. It’s here to let you punch a frost giant in the throat.

Pros

• Conan is a blast to play — heavy, brutal, and satisfyingly destructive

• Fantastic new enemy designs, especially the Jotunn bosses

• A strong pulp‑fantasy atmosphere that feels authentically Conan

• New gear and mechanics that meaningfully change how you play

• Beautiful, icy new region with striking visual setpieces

Cons

• Combat pacing slows down due to Conan’s weighty moveset

• Story is fun but predictable

• Some missions feel padded

• Balance can skew in Conan’s favour, making certain fights too easy

Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel - Conan the Barbarian is a muscular, unapologetically pulpy expansion that knows exactly what it wants to be: a love letter to classic sword‑and‑sorcery mayhem. It’s not subtle, but it’s spectacular, a frost‑bitten playground for anyone who’s ever wanted to stride into battle like a myth made flesh.

XPN Rating: 4 out of 5 (GOLD)