For whatever reason, so many strategy games come with excellent mods, and Songs of Conquest is no exception. This tactics game with grand strategy elements just left Early Access and, as such, has a healthy multiplayer community. But even if player vs player is what most custom maps are about, there are plenty of single-player mods for Songs of Conquest.
You can find those mods and many more on Songs of Conquest‘s Mod.io page.
Best Campaign Mods for Songs of Conquest
Melody for the Magic Mirror
“Melody for the Magic Mirror” is a unique campaign mod that often reads like an RPG. In any traditional Songs of Conquest campaign, the writing that appears while interacting with items and artifacts or that precedes a fight is only there to contextualize the action. At most, the writing brings the story forward in a functional but stilted way.
In “Melody for the Magic Mirror,” those scenes give the players instructions or forbode future developments. The actual story is interesting, too. Zygfrid’s quest to repair Arleon’s relationship with Barya is a welcome variation from the constantly warring factions of the setting. It’s just a shame that the writing itself isn’t on par with that of any official campaign.
Flame and Shadow
On the surface, “Flame and Shadow” seems to be your average revenge story. And while that might be occasionally true, much of its missions are dedicated to contextualizing the player’s journey through unexplored lands. This unusual care given to the narrative doesn’t always extend to the fights. Nonetheless, those always end up being at least thematic.
“Flame and Shadow” follows the apparently simple story of Aedamion, a divine champion seeking revenge for the murder of his congregation. But this description doesn’t sell the real appeal of this story, which is altogether much more humane than its dust jacket synopsis makes it sound.
The Hangover
“The Hangover” is certainly unique. It’s a significant change of pace compared to any other campaign, original or fan-made. Whether it’s a welcome change is for each player to decide. True to its title, “The Hangover” follows the adventures of a drunk who wakes up having caused a bit more trouble than he might be able to deal with in honest combat. That’s why he has to assemble an army out of his friends, who presumably go on to die for him.
“The Hangover” isn’t necessarily funny, but it is much more lighthearted than the rest of the game. That’s a welcome change, but there’s a reason why the other campaigns are quite a bit more serious. Songs of Conquest is a war game. People die in combat. You, the player, have to get your soldiers killed on the regular. A funny action romp like “The Hangover” can’t avoid running into some dissonance with the game systems.
The Destiny of the Iron Hearth
“The Destiny of the Iron Hearth” markets itself as a difficult campaign. Even then, it’s hard to overstate this difficulty. While most campaigns are happy to start slowly and ramp up the tension and the difficulty gradually, “The Destiny of the Iron Hearth” starts on a timer of 80 turns. This is when the player character is supposedly taking his time recruiting an army before reaching the frontline.
The story itself is nothing surprising, but then again, neither is that of any of the official campaigns. Tensions are brewing between Arleon and the Barony of Loth due to the latter’s reliance on the undead. In such times, a retired general is forced back to the frontline on a desperate mission to save the lands of the living.
Robin Hood
“Ballad of the Archer” is a sample campaign created by the developers of Songs of Conquest. That said, it’s still a mod that has to be downloaded separately. I think it still counts. Besides, it’s still one of the best single-player mods for the game, even if it’s just a demonstration of the engine’s possibilities.
As the name implies, this mod follows the adventures of Robin Hood and his merry men. Just don’t come in expecting another main-game campaign. Robin Hood’s story is much shorter than that of any other faction, and most of the writing is placeholder. The campaign seems to know this and constantly undermines its premise with little jokes, mostly about crumpets.
Those were our favorite single-player mods for Songs of Conquest, but there are many more where they came from! For more content about the game, visit our SoC guide hub.
Published: May 26, 2024 03:14 pm