Campaign Walkthrough: General Tips

Navigate Songs of Conquest campaigns with general tips on strategic foresight, tactical execution, and efficient resource management for victory.

Embarking on the epic journey through the campaigns of Songs of Conquest requires a blend of strategic foresight, tactical execution, and efficient resource management. This section provides overarching advice to help you navigate the challenges, conquer your enemies, and emerge victorious. Remember that the specific objectives and enemy types of each campaign will heavily influence how you apply these general principles.

Early Game Dominance

The initial turns of any campaign map are crucial for establishing a strong foundation. Prioritize rapid expansion and resource acquisition to set yourself up for success.

• Scouting is Key: Immediately send your Wielder to explore the fog of war. Uncover nearby resource nodes like Stone Quarries, Lumber Mills, and Essence Wells (Chaos, Order, Creation, Destruction, Arcane). Knowing your immediate surroundings allows for informed decisions on where to expand first. Early scouting can reveal critical locations like neutral creature dwellings or enemy outposts.
• Secure Resource Nodes: Don't just scout them; capture them! Even small stacks of neutral enemies guarding a Gold Mine are worth the early investment. Gold is the lifeblood of your economy, funding troop recruitment and building upgrades. Prioritize capturing nodes that provide Gold, Stone, and Lumber first, as these are fundamental for building and recruitment.
• Prioritize Wielder Leveling: Engage in combat with neutral camps to gain experience for your Wielder. Focus on abilities that boost your army's combat effectiveness or your Wielder's movement range, such as Swiftness or Battle Cry. A stronger Wielder means fewer losses in battles and faster map traversal. Consider investing in skills that increase spell power or unlock crucial spells early on.
• Initial Troop Recruitment: Recruit a small, balanced force to supplement your starting units. For example, if playing as Arleon, consider adding a few Pikeneers for their defensive capabilities and Faey Spirits for ranged support. Avoid over-recruiting early on, as it drains your gold and can leave you vulnerable if you can't afford to reinforce.
• First Settlement Capture: Aim to capture your first neutral settlement as quickly as possible. This expands your territory, provides additional income, and unlocks new recruitment options. Often, a small stack of neutral creatures will guard these early settlements.

Mid-Game Expansion & Optimization

Once your initial territory is secure, focus on consolidating your gains, expanding your reach, and preparing for larger engagements.

• Upgrade Your Settlements: Invest in upgrading your primary settlement's Town Hall to unlock higher-tier buildings and increase your weekly income. Prioritize buildings that allow for recruitment of stronger units or provide essential buffs, such as the Barracks for Arleon or the Swamp Den for Rana. Upgrading your Town Hall also increases the maximum number of units you can recruit each week.
• Establish Outposts: Build Outposts in strategic locations to extend your control, secure distant resource nodes, and provide additional recruitment points. Remember that Outposts can be upgraded to Forts for increased defense and recruitment capacity. Forts can also serve as forward operating bases for your armies.
• Artifact Hunting: Keep an eye out for Artifacts on the map. These powerful items can significantly boost your Wielder's stats or provide unique combat advantages. Artifacts are often found in treasure chests, guarded by neutral stacks, or awarded for completing specific quests. Prioritize artifacts that complement your Wielder's strengths and your army's composition.
• Prioritization Examples:
  • Early Game: Focus on artifacts that boost movement range (Boots of Speed), Wielder experience gain (Tome of Experience), or provide a small combat bonus (Ring of Might).
  • Mid Game: Look for artifacts that enhance spell power (Staff of the Magi), increase army stats (Banner of Valor), or offer defensive bonuses (Shield of Resilience).
  • Late Game: Seek out game-changing artifacts like those that grant powerful passive abilities (Crown of the Undying) or significantly boost specific unit types.
• Key Artifacts to Watch For:
  • Amulet of Vigor: Increases Wielder's Health. Essential for survivability.
  • Ring of Might: Increases Wielder's Attack. Boosts damage output.
  • Boots of Speed: Increases Wielder's Movement Points. Crucial for map control and faster objectives.
  • Tome of Experience: Increases Wielder's experience gain. Speeds up leveling.
  • Staff of the Magi: Increases Wielder's Spell Power. Enhances spell effectiveness.
  • Banner of Valor: Provides a small attack bonus to all units in the Wielder's army.
  • Shield of Resilience: Provides a small defense bonus to all units in the Wielder's army.
• Essence Management: Actively manage your Essence production. Different factions and spells require specific Essences. Ensure you have enough Essence Wells of the appropriate types to fuel your spellcasting and building needs. Consider building Essence Conduits in your settlements to boost production. Some powerful spells might require a rare Essence like Arcane or Destruction.
• Secondary Wielders: Recruit a second Wielder as soon as your economy allows. This Wielder can focus on collecting scattered resources, clearing weaker neutral camps, or defending your borders, freeing up your primary Wielder for more critical objectives. Equip them with basic artifacts if available to make them more effective.

Late Game Strategy & Victory Conditions

As the campaign progresses, the stakes rise. Focus on overwhelming your opponents and achieving your objectives.

• Powerful Army Composition: By the late game, you should have access to your faction's most powerful units. For example, Arleon aim for Knights and Ancient Wisp units, while Rana players will want Bogwitches and Swamp Dragons. Balance your army with a mix of melee, ranged, and flying units to handle various threats. Ensure you have enough high-tier units to form a formidable strike force.
• Spell Synergy: Utilize your Wielder's spellbook effectively. Combine offensive spells like Fireball or Chain Lightning with defensive spells like Stone Skin or Bless to maximize your army's potential in battle. Don't forget utility spells for map traversal or scouting, such as Teleport or Scry.
• Conquer Enemy Settlements: The ultimate goal is often to defeat rival factions by conquering their main settlements. Prioritize capturing their Town Halls to cripple their economy and recruitment. Coordinate attacks with your primary and secondary Wielders if possible.
• Objective Focus: Always keep the campaign's specific victory conditions in mind. Some maps might require you to defeat a specific enemy Wielder, capture a unique artifact, or hold a certain number of settlements for a set period. Don't get sidetracked by unnecessary battles if they don't contribute to your primary objective. For example, if the objective is to capture a specific artifact, focus your efforts on reaching it, even if it means bypassing some optional combat.
• Defensive Preparations: As you push into enemy territory, ensure your own settlements are adequately defended, either by a secondary Wielder, a strong garrison, or by building Watchtowers for early warning. This prevents your hard-won gains from being easily recaptured.
• Exploiting Enemy Weaknesses: Pay attention to the enemy factions you are facing. Do they rely heavily on magic? Prioritize recruiting units with magic resistance or spells that counter magic. Are they a rush strategy? Build up your defenses and focus on attrition. Understanding your opponent is key to victory.