Between the virtuous knights of Arleon, shambling undead of the Barony of Loth, and swamp rebels of Rana, there’s plenty of strategic diversity to be found inSongs of Conquest.Joining their ranks are the merchants and mercenaries of Barya, following their contracts to the letter and nothing more.
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Barya depends upon troop synergies and precision movements for success. The faction’s mastery of metallurgy and gunpowder isn’t enough by itself to stop the forces that stand against it, regardless of how proficient Barya is at researching new technologies and sending their troops into battle with the finest available equipment. Here are some crucial tips for how to win as the Baryan mercenaries.
8Utilize Troop Synergy
The key to success as Barya is to make units work together. Units that may be work or average on their own can become powerful when acting alongside complimentary troops. Understanding the ways that units fit together strategically will turn many defeats into victories.
The harima serve as powerful melee units while humans help from the backline, offering the ranged support that the goblinoids need to out-bloody their enemies. Though Barya doesn’t need magicthe way the Barony of Loth does,a combination of Destruction and Order magic is readily available to their Wielders,since Baryan troops generate both times of Essence in significant quantities.
7Recruit And Research Wisely
Whereas other units can go a long way by using their small recruitment buildings alone, Barya is forced to rely upon its medium-sized recruitment buildings. Dire Dreaths are powerful, and even ordinary Dreaths can take on most enemies early on, but archers and other ranged units quickly cut them down to size. Pipers, on the other hand, are dead weight unless the player takes the time to upgrade them.
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The only good news is that Barya’s mid-tier units remain useful late into the game when the mid-tier units of other factions have long ago been outclassed and retired.Hellbreath Factories can be dispensed with if the player desires, freeing up the large building site they would have otherwise taken to be used for research buildings instead. It’s strategies like this one that lets Barya outrace its enemies in research and gain the upper hand.
6Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade
Barya more than almost any other faction relies upon and benefits from upgrades. The player should prioritize research buildings as much as they can in order to jump ahead and stay ahead ofthe powerful beasts of Ranaand other factions.
Make no mistake, research is expensive and time-consuming, and the Baryan army runs the risk of being overrun before it has time to research everything it needs to upgrade its units. Even so,a fast push to upgrade units is one of the most optimal strategies for Barya,thanks to the valuable abilities that units receive once the upgrade process is complete. Take the time to research in the early game, and the late game is as good as won.
5Choose The Right Wielders
One of the most critical considerations inSongs of Conquestis which Wielders to use. These heroic characters provide unique benefits to the faction’s army and choosing a Wielder whose benefits will best serve the troopers under them and compliment the player’s long-term strategy is the best course towards victory.
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Whereas some other factions have Wielders geared more towards spellcasting,the strength of Barya’s Wielders lies in their ability to buff troops directly,turning an already formidable military force into an unstoppable one. Wielders like Mehry Wondercraft and Aleah Ardashir make ranged units more deadly, while Soughtfor offers a sizable buff to Melee Offense for units under the Wielder’s control.
4Be A Mercenary
Just astroop synergies must be part of Arleon’s strategy,they must be part of Barya’s, and that affects one’s build order in important ways. There is arguably no building more vital to Baryan strategy than the Mercenary Quarters. Players should make the construction of this building a top priority, as Musketeers and Pikeneers are the bedrock upon which most other troop synergies and tactics will be built.
Though the Mercenary Quarters lacks prerequisites, it does cost Wood, soit’s imperative to construct a Sawmill early if the player has no sources of readily available lumber.Though they aren’t needed to construct the Mercenary Quarters, Shops are needed to upgrade them, so Barya players will want to make sure they leave enough room in their growing settlement for a Shop to be built later.
3Expand Wisely
Whereas Pipers are virtually useless, Dreaths can be the salvation of Barya in the early- and mid-game, so it’s important to plan for their inclusion. The player should put a Dreath Den in the second building slot while building up for their first settlement expansion.
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Whereas the choice of Dreaths over Pipers is an easy one,the choice of what to put in a large building site is more complicated.The Hellbreath cannons that a Factory produces are usually necessary to counter Rana’s Dragons and Loth’s High Legions in the late-game, but only if the game runs that long in the first place. Factories are an expensive proposition and may not end up even being necessary. For this reason, the Merchant’s Guild is generally preferable since it buffs Mercenary units and boosts the player’s treasury simultaneously.
2Follow The Piper
It may seem counterintuitive to recommend the construction of a Piper’s Post, since Pipers are objectively one of the weakest units inSongs of Conquest.If the player’s strategy emphasizes harima over humans, however, a Piper’s Post is necessary, since Pipers are required to recruit both Sassanids and Brutes. Neglecting this fact is one ofthe game’s more common mistakes.
If the player is going to suffer through the decision to build a Piper’s Post, they can at least soften the blow on themselvesby trying to squeeze a little value out of these otherwise worthless units. Upgrading the Piper’s Post gives the player access to Steam Pipers, which–unlike their default brethren–can actually be of some use to Barya.
1Cast Some Spells
Barya may not lean as heavily on magic as a faction like the Barony of Loth, but some choice spellcasting can turn this mercenary army into an absolute powerhouse. Justice lets Barya counterelite enemy units like Dragons and High Legions.Rally gives the army the Offense it needs to deliver a decisive blow, and the Defense it needs to survive if that blow doesn’t finish the enemy off.
Perhaps no spell serves Barya quite as well as Onslaught,assuming the faction can gather the Essence required to cast it. The extra attacks granted by Onslaught allow the mercenaries to shred through foes before they have a chance to heal or retreat, delivering many battles to Barya as soon as they begin.
Songs of Conquestis available in early access on Windows and macOS.
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