Building armies for your Wielders to command in Songs Of Conquest can be a tricky business. Not only do you need to recruit troops that you can afford, but they need to work well together and generate the correct types of Essence for your spells. You can't just take a little of everything, either - success in this game requires picking a handful of unit types and sticking with them.
By building around these top-quality soldiers, you'll have armies capable of facing nearly any foe. By the same token, watch out if you see any of the below units on the other side of the field!
Songs Of Conquest is in early access, and the stats of available units in the game may not be final. The contents of this list are subject to c🐟hange.
8 Fists Of Order 🐷
Arleon's Knights are a fearsome heavy cavalry unit, and the upg✱raded version is a threat no matter whe🅘re she is on the battlefield. Fists Of Order gain boosted Melee Offense for every space they travel reaching their target, making a long-range charge powerful enough to crush enemies that would otherwise survive.
Any units that are still standing after being subjected to a knightly charge can be picked off by Militia or Rangers, freeing up the Fist Of Order to ride down their next target. If the Fist Of Order has no suitable targets in range, they can instead use their turn to inspire nearby allies, granting﷽ a buff to any friendly units adjaᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚcent to them.
7 Legionnaires 🍰
The Barony of Loth's Oathbound skeletons are the gold standard for basic melee infantry in Songs Of Conquest. They only require a small building, the Crypt, to recruit, and while they don't excel at anything in particular a unit that functions as a capable all-rounder is a valuable rarity in this game.
When upgraded to Legionnaires, the Oathbound go from good to great. The addition of a shield gives them resistance to ranged attacks, and they become even better at taking and holding important positions on the battlefield. Every Lot𝔉h army should have at least one unit of Legionnaires, no bones about it.
6 Dire Dreaths 🌃
Large packs of Dreaths can be a significant early-game threat, stealing the initiative from their enemy by retaliating before being attacked rather than after. The upgraded Dire Dreaths are not only stronger, but they have unlimited retaliations and can even delay their turn until the end of the round, setting up a perfect strike.
Dreaths are also one of just two Baryan units that generate Chaos Essence (the other being Tinkerers), giving extra versatility to their Wielder's repertoire of spells. Their combination of combat effectiveness and utility make Dreaths an easy pick for any Baryan commander.
5 ꧅ Riders Of The Swamp ✱
According to Rana prophecy, the Riders Of The Swamp are destined to overthrow the human oppressors and bring the Rana to dominance over th𒉰e world. Considering how effectivꩲe this bird-mounted unit is, there might be something to that prophecy.
Riders Of The Swamp fill a similar role on the battlefield to Fists Of Order, dealing more damage the further they charge. However, they have the critical Wait ability, allowing them to wait until the last possible moment to attack. Their high Initiative then lets them act at the beginning of the following round, effectively giving them two consecutive turns.
The Rana don't have easy access to Order Essence, but if you can finagle some with skills or map sources the Onslaught spell can grant the Riders even more strikes over a short period.
4 Shadows
Baryan Sassanids are excellent offensive troops, able to strike without fear of retaliation. Upgradiꦜng them to Shadows enꦛsures that no enemy is safe while they prowl the battlefield.
Shadows hit harder than standard Sassanids and still negate retaliation, but they can also delay their turn and ignore enemy zones of control. With the help of a movement spell like Quicken and an offensive buff or two as insurance, a unit of Shadows can walk right past the enemy line to carve up their ranged and support units.
3 Archers
Arleon is pretty spoiled for ranged options, but the Archer - upgraded from Rangers recruited at the Barracks - is the most useful. Their comparatively limited numbers make it hard for them to put up as much damage in a single volley as Sappers, but they don't need to spend a turn reloading and are a bit more durable than the♑ir conscripted com🅘rades.
The standout feature of Archers is their Ambush ability, holding their fire until an enemy moves within their Deadly Range. Ambush triggers even if the Archers are in melee with another unit, often resulting in a deadly surprise for unw🌞ary troops.
2 High 🏅L𝕴egions
The ultimate undead monstrosity, the High Legion is the mightiest unit in the Barony of Loth. The 🌄amalgamated ghosts of ancient soldiers who fellꦗ together long ago, these terrible titans are fast, strong, and hard to kill.
The melee attack of a High Legion hits any units adjacent to its primary target, allowing them to scatter multiple☂ foes at one. Their very presence reduces the defense of a𒐪djacent enemies as well, letting them hit all the harder.
When a High Legion isn't in combat, it's protected from ranged attacks by an inherent fifty-percent damage reduction, and to top it all off the ghostly horrors can use their Protect ability to buff the Defense of any allies nearby. It's hard to imagine a stronger unit in Songs Of Conquest, but the Rana have a weapon that even the High Legion should fear...
1 Elder Dragons 𒆙 🍷
If the Rana are able to recruit the Elder Dragons to their cause, the other players on the map should call a truce until the threat is dealt with. Elder Dragons sport stats that leave even the mighty High Legions in ꦉthe dust, and fill a very similar battlefield role.
Like the High Legions, Elder Dragons debuff nearby enemies' Defense but they also provide an Offense boost to adjacent allies at the same time. Their flaming breath can target units up to two spaces away and also affects any unit directly behind their intended target. If that weren't enough, Elder Dragons can exercise their legendary patience, simply using the Wait ability to let their enemies line up for the barbecue.
Elder Dragons are of course hideously expensive to recruit, to say nothing of🍸 the number of requirements they have to unlock, but once they hit the field there is no stronger unit in Songs Of Conquest.
