Songs of Conquest: Strategy Guide

A strategy guide to Lavapotion's turn-based fantasy game: how Wielders, troops and Essence-powered spells work, economy and town-building rules of thumb, notes on all seven factions (including the Yulan DLC), the campaign/DLC map, and common mistakes.

Researched September 2026 — current as of hotfix 1.10.4 (16 June 2026) with the Yulan DLC; a major Wielder rework update is in public testing. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

1. Wielders are your heroes. They lead armies, cast spells and gain skills as they level. Your main Wielder is the most important unit you own.
2. Essence powers spells. Troops generate Essence in battle; your Wielder spends it on spells. Army composition decides which spells you can cast.
3. Command limits your army. Wielder stats include Offense, Defense, Command and Spell Power; Command governs how big your troop stacks can be.
4. Build your economy first week. Gold, Wood and Stone come from mines and settlements; rare resources gate your best buildings and units.
5. Pick up everything on the map. Resource piles, chests and shrines early snowball your first weeks.
6. Plan your town plots. Settlements have limited building plots. Decide which troop lines you want before filling them.
7. Research matters. Settlements research upgrades; prioritize economy and your core troops.
8. Scout before attacking. Hover over neutral armies to judge their strength; avoid fights that cost your best troops.
9. Secondary Wielders are for logistics. Use a second Wielder to carry troops and grab resources while your main army fights.
10. Start with the campaign. It teaches each faction's mechanics gradually.

Factions at a Glance

Faction notes:

• Arleon is the classic beginner faction: sturdy melee lines protect ranged units. The upcoming rework makes Wielder Cecilia add Front Line Fighter to Footmen and Shields of Order.
• Loth trades in undead attrition. The Rise Eternal Tale DLC (March 2026) adds the undead Wielder Kastus Maal, whose Call the Faithful skill summons Risen units, plus new research, buildings, artifacts and skills.
• Barya leans on firearms and cash; manage gold carefully.
• Rana rewards careful positioning in swampy fights.
• Roots units generate shared Essence when adjacent (Symbiosis), so formation matters more than for other factions.
• Yulan's Essence choice changes building appearance, units and upgrade paths; many troops have multiple upgrade paths, and it has more unique units than earlier DLC factions. Its three-map campaign, Three Houses, follows House Sheng and the Wielder Shun.

Core Mechanics

Wielders

• Wielders gain experience from battles and exploration. On level-up you choose skills; plan around your faction's strengths.
• Artifacts equip into slots and give bonuses; some belong to sets.
• A secondary Wielder can hold troops for reinforcement and ferry resources.

Essence and spells

• Each troop type produces specific Essence types each round in battle (for example Order, Creation, Arcana and Chaos). The unit card shows what each troop gives.
• Spells cost Essence of specific types. If your army does not produce the right Essence, you cannot cast the spell.
• Build armies that produce the Essence your key spells need.

Combat

• Turn-based on a hex battlefield. Units act in initiative order.
• Ranged troops are powerful; protect them with melee units and use Zone of Control to block enemies from reaching them.
• Flying and large units interact with positioning and zones differently; read unit ability descriptions.
• Sieges add walls and towers; bring units that can deal with them.

Economy and towns

• Resources: Gold, Wood and Stone are the common resources, and basic buildings such as barracks upgrade with just Wood and Stone. Scarcer special resources, from their own mines, gate the top-tier buildings and troops. Hover over a building's cost to see exactly which ones it needs, and grab those mines first.
• Mines and settlements produce resources each turn; capture and hold them.
• Building plots in settlements come in different sizes and limit what you can build. Plan which troop buildings you really need.
• Research in settlements unlocks upgrades and improvements.

Opening Build Order (Skirmish/Conquest)

A general-purpose plan; adjust per faction.

1. Turn 1: Build your first troop building and hire what you can. Send your main Wielder to clear the nearest weak neutrals and grab resource piles.
2. Turns 2–5: Build economy (gold income) and a second troop building. Hire a secondary Wielder to collect resources and flag mines.
3. Week 2: Upgrade core troop buildings; add your first ranged unit line if you have not already.
4. Week 2–3: Capture nearby mines, especially for rare resources.
5. Week 3+: Push for top-tier troops or a strong mid-tier army; attack the enemy's weak points.

Rules of thumb:

• Don't stockpile resources; spend them on troops and buildings.
• Protect your main Wielder's army. Losing it sets you back weeks.
• Use secondary Wielders to clear small fights and pick up resources.

Army Composition

• Front line: melee units to block and hold Zone of Control.
• Ranged: your main damage dealers.
• Flyers/fast units: to hit enemy ranged units.
• Essence planning: include units that generate the Essence your spells need.

Campaigns and DLC

As of patch 1.10.4, the maps Good Neighbours, Bad Neighbours and The Ancient Valley can be played with any faction.

Release and Update Timeline

Achievement Plan

There are 75 Steam achievements. The global rates on the Steam page show most players never get past the first campaign, so here's an efficient order:

1. Natural progress (campaigns and levels)

• Wielder level milestones: Adept (8), Veteran (16), Master (24), Grand Master (32). Keep one main Wielder alive through a long Conquest map and these come naturally.
• One achievement per base campaign (Arleon, Rana, Loth, Barya on any difficulty), plus Rise Eternal and Three Houses for the DLC tales.
• "Dressed For Success": fill every artifact slot on one Wielder.

2. Tactical one-offs (set them up on purpose in a skirmish)

• "Humiliation": win before the enemy gets a turn. Pick a weak neutral and bring overwhelming ranged units.
• "Double/Multi/Ultra Kill" and "Killing Spree": win 2, 3, 4 and then 6 battles on the same turn with one Wielder. Clear a line of weak neutrals with a strong army.
• "Expert Essence Employment": win without making an attack, using only spells.
• "Trojan Horse": teleport troops onto or behind town walls during a siege.
• "Versatile Wielder": cast every spell over any number of games. Track it as you go, because it's easy to miss a few.
• Spell- and trait-specific ones name what they need: Chain Lightning, Blind Hatred, Dimensional Door, Acid Cloud, Apocalypse, Breath of the Phoenix, Repel into Explosive Fungi, Mother's Embrace.

3. Faction mastery (the grind)

• Win 25 non-campaign games with each faction. With seven factions, that's the long tail of the list.
• Yulan house purity: win using only house Li, only Sheng or only Xuan Wielders and troops.
• "Steadfast": win as Vanir without buying a Vildra troop.
• "Core Kernel of Essence": as Roots, buy all available Essence research.
• "Zounds like a Loth": have 1,000 Risen in Kastus Maal's army (Rise Eternal).

4. Hardest

• Finish the last map of each campaign on Overwhelming difficulty (well under 1% of players have done it).
• "Die by the Sword/Bow/Staff": kill 100,000 enemies with melee, ranged and magic damage respectively. These build up over your whole playtime.
• "Full House": win a battle with every official Wielder. The list grows with each DLC.

What's Next (September 2026)

• A major update is in public testing (opt in through the game's Properties on Steam). It reworks Wielders with new specializations and starting unit lineups.
• Lavapotion said in August 2026 it is not announcing new big DLCs for now and will focus on improving existing content.
• The spin-off Wielders of the Essence (an incremental base-building bullet heaven) releases on 5 November 2026.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Building everything instead of focusing on core troop lines.
• Ignoring Essence when choosing troops, then being unable to cast your spells.
• Leaving ranged units unprotected.
• Fighting strong neutrals too early and losing your best stacks.
• Only having one Wielder. Logistics win games.
• Neglecting special-resource mines that gate top-tier units.
• Ignoring Zone of Control and retaliation. Walking a troop into an enemy's zone or attacking into a strong retaliation can wipe a stack (there's even an achievement for dying to a Quick retaliation).
• Leaving towns undefended. Enemy Wielders can occupy, raze or convert your towns and settlements. Retake them quickly, before you lose buildings or research.

Advanced Tips

• Chain Wielders: pass troops between Wielders to extend reach.
• Use terrain and Zone of Control to funnel enemies.
• Focus fire priority targets (enemy ranged, high-damage units).
• Plan level-up skills around your Specialization and faction.
• Save before big fights in single-player.
• Hotseat and co-op: most maps support single-player, co-op and multiplayer, locally or online.

FAQ

How many factions are there? Seven: four base factions plus Vanir, Roots and Yulan (DLC).

What is the newest DLC? Yulan, released 4 June 2026.

Is there a new update coming? Yes. A major update reworking Wielders is in public testing.

Can I play co-op? Yes, most maps support co-op, multiplayer, hotseat and single-player.

What is Rise Eternal? A Tale DLC with four connected maps about the undead Wielder Kastus Maal.

Which faction is best for beginners? Arleon is the most straightforward; Barya is a good second choice.

What is the hardest difficulty? Overwhelming. Beating the last map of each campaign on it is among the rarest achievements.

How do I join the Wielder rework test? Right-click Songs of Conquest in your Steam Library, open Properties, and follow the instructions there. Lavapotion's Discord can help if you get stuck.

Sources

• Steam store page — Songs of Conquest
• Steam news — Songs of Conquest (Yulan, Rise Eternal, hotfix 1.10.4, September 2026 update post)
• Official site — Songs of Conquest
• Wikipedia — Songs of Conquest
• Steam achievements — Songs of Conquest