Cosmic Rifts

Learn the basics of Songs of Conquest gameplay, including movement, strategy, and resource management. This guide covers essential tips for new players and campaign progression.

Hey there! So you've stumbled upon Cosmic Rifts and are wondering what's what? No worries, I've got your back. This guide is all about getting you comfortable with the core mechanics of Songs of Conquest, especially if you're just starting out. We'll cover the essentials to get you rolling in the campaigns.

This guide is focused on PvE (Player vs. Environment) play. If you're looking to jump into competitive multiplayer, that's a whole different beast with its own strategies and meta, so keep that in mind!

Gameplay Basics

Movement, Explore!

Seriously, explore everything. You'll want to grab all the resources you can find to boost your economy and capture buildings. Capturing buildings not only gives you more resources but also increases your map visibility. Remember, if you're not grabbing those resources, your opponent likely will be!

To speed things up, try to increase your movement stat and consider getting a secondary Wielder. A secondary Wielder can handle looting while your main Wielder focuses on battles, letting you manage more engagements each turn.

Pro Tip: Hit that ALT key often! It's a lifesaver for showing you exactly what you can interact with on the map. It's super useful for spotting items that might be hidden behind environmental objects.

Make a Strategy

Before you dive headfirst into battle, take a moment to plan. Decide which units you want to focus on and what research you're aiming for. Concentrating on a few unit types means cheaper research and faster reinforcements for those units, but it also means you'll be less flexible with spells and unit variety.

Don't be afraid to experiment during the first few maps of most campaigns. They're usually designed to be a bit more forgiving, letting you try out different tactics and units to figure out what you like best. This way, you can go into the final map with a solid plan.

Make Use of Your Build Slots

Knowing how to use your town's building slots is key:

• Towns get: 7 small building slots, 3 medium building slots, and 2 large building slots.
• Large Settlements get: 3 small building slots, 2 medium building slots, and 1 large building slot.
• Small Settlements get: 2 small building slots and 1 medium building slot.

If you find yourself with empty building slots, consider your current situation:

• Resource Shortage? Build more Markets! You can build up to 5. Markets offer better trading prices, which is crucial for unlocking your highest-tier units, making upgrades cheaper and faster.
• Running Low on Units? Focus on reinforcing one unit type and use Rally Points to bring them into your armies.
• Enemy Approaching? Build a Tower! They're powerful, only take one turn to construct, and can be used to take down dangerous units like Cheluns or Necromancers. Even if you can't wipe out their whole army, softening them up makes future battles much easier.

Artifacts

You'll come across plenty of Artifacts during your campaign. Some are great, some... not so much. Even if you find a 'bad' artifact, it's often worth holding onto it. You can sell them later at an Artifact shop or give them to another Wielder.

Keep an eye out for artifact sets too! While they aren't enabled in the base campaigns (Arleon, Rana, Loth & Barya), they can be incredibly powerful, especially early on. If you see the opportunity, definitely aim to collect them.