All Songs of Conquest Factions Explained

Songs of Conquest fills a niche that has remained untouched for years. Being a mix of turn-based strategy and tactics games, Songs of Conquest is reminiscent of the Might and Magic series. And just like in that iconic series, what gives the game layers are all the different factions, heroes, and units. Here are all the factions in Songs of Conquest explained.

Every Faction in Songs of Conquest, Explained

Arleon

Arleon used to be a powerful empire that has since been divided into baronies. As if that wasn’t enough, the Faey began resurfacing from their homes deep in the wilds. Grotesque faeries and forest creatures often fight next to humans, driven by commanders of either group.

The Arleon are meant to be the first faction you control and fight in Songs of Conquest. Their units are familiar and straightforward, especially the human side. Archers come with a good range attack but are somewhat expensive while crossbow-wielding militia need a turn to reload but are far cheaper. Footmen are good at taking hits but don’t do much on their own. Knights and the Faey’s Horned Ones are big, expensive bruisers, while the Faey Noble can deal damage with their ranged magical attack.

Arleon has the potential to stack a lot of defense bonuses very quickly. On the one hand, they have access to a lot of Order magic, which almost all their human units produce. On the other hand, their Footmen are resistant to ranged damage, while the upgraded Shields of Order can add significant resistance on every neighboring friendly unit. Their bards add a similar bonus to every unit, while the Archers can attack safely from behind cover.

Barony of Loth

Loth is another former empire. However, unlike Arleon, they have taken an “every means necessary” approach to restoring their country to its former glory. This, in a dark fantasy setting, means using hordes of undead.

Loth has some of the cheapest units in Songs of the Conquest. They don’t have to form the backbone of their army for the whole game, but rats and the defensive Legionnaires are great to have at the start. Necromancers can’t retaliate, but they’re a powerful, if risky, ranged option. Banes, while not quite as strong, are certainly a safer ranged option, especially for a fast-moving army.

Other notable units include the Blessed Bones, which are expensive and don’t generate much magic but can summon Oathbounds mid-fight. The Legion and High Legions are even more expensive, but they have extremely good stats and powerful special abilities, from buffs to debuffs. They even attack in a sweeping arc. Loth also has access to powerful Destruction and Arcana magic, making them powerful offensive casters.

Barya

Barya is a nation of mercenaries and tinkerers and the only faction in Songs of Conquest that uses gunpowder. They’re also the only human faction that doesn’t seem to miss the old empire. Their appearance is more modern than the opposition, too.

Unsurprisingly, Barya has some of the strongest ranged units in the game. If properly supported, the Musketeers can be the backbone of an army. They should be accompanied by Pikeneers and Tinkerers, who are great at holding the enemy behind while they generate Order and Destruction. This allows Veteran Musketeers to use Aim to improve their next attack and reload between shots. Using Rapid Fire on Musketeers is a must, doubling the damage dealt per turn.

Other great units include the Shadows, which are quite fragile but deal a lot of damage per turn. They also come with the ability to ignore retaliation attacks and ignore zones of control. The Dreaths are also quite powerful since they are cheap and come in very high numbers. Their ability to retaliate first and have infinite retaliation makes them even better than other swarm units.

Rana

The Rana are lizards and frog-people that have recently gained independence from the former empire. They lack range but have plenty of options for everything else, including one of the strongest single units in the game, the Elder Dragon. They also have plenty of choice for low and mid-level units, including some of the best defensive and charging units.

The Riders of the Swamp are a highlight of this faction. When compared to their Arleon equivalent, the Fist of Order, the Riders give up ranged resistance for massively better stats per price. Their improved basic melee fighters are similarly cheaper and much more aggressive than their counterparts. Continuously replenishing their numbers might become too expensive, but their high troop size and defense bonus make them dangerously persistent.

The Rana are a surprisingly adaptable faction, too, with wide spell choice and multiple valuable unit strategies. The Protector and Chelun, for example, single-handedly turn this into a great defensive faction. The former gives an impressive +25 in defense to every adjacent unit, while the latter has great base health and defense, as well as a decent melee attack.

Those are all the factions in Songs of Conquest currently available. For more about the game, visit our SoC guide hub.