In the fantasy age of the 80s, giant dudes with swords fighting puppets were quite a draw for moviegoers, and a lot of that has to do with the success of Conan the Barbarian. Starring Arnold horror movies Schwarzenegger, it's about Conan going on an adventure! Just (blog post) don't try too hard to find the thread that links his motivations together, it can get lost pretty easily.
Source: Conan the Barbarian Movie Review - Decker Shado