Songs of Conquest Yulan Guide: Houses Li, Sheng & Xuan Strategies

Yulan Is Out: How to Master Songs of Conquest’s Most Flexible Faction

Lavapotion released the Yulan DLC for Songs of Conquest on June 4, 2026. After Vanir and Roots/Rise Eternal, Yulan becomes the game’s fourth complete faction — inspired by East Asian mythology and built around a unique system of three rival houses.

What sets Yulan apart from every other faction: you don’t have to pick one identity. Houses Li, Sheng, and Xuan can coexist within the same army, and the most powerful compositions come from understanding that hybridization.

This guide covers everything you need to get started with Yulan effectively.

Table of Contents

• The Three Houses: Philosophy and Strengths
• All 8 Yulan Units
• Recommended Army Compositions
• Campaign and Conquest Maps
• Matchup Strategies

The Three Houses: Philosophy and Strengths {#h-three-houses}

Each house represents a different aspect of Essence, the fundamental magic of Aerbor. Your house alignment modifies available unit evolutions and your Wielders’ passive bonuses.

House Li — Order Li is the house of military discipline. Its units emphasize resistance, frontline formation, and combat cohesion. Choosing Li means building a solid battle line that advances methodically. Best for players who prefer controlling ground and absorbing enemy attacks before counter-striking.

Key evolutions: Conscripts and Yi aligned with Li gain defense bonuses and status effect resistance. The Tian under Li becomes a formidable frontline tank.

House Sheng — Creation Sheng embodies adaptability. Its units excel across varied roles and stack bonuses to versatility and construction efficiency. It’s the most accessible house for new Yulan players — units work in most compositions without requiring complex synergies.

Key evolutions: The Grenadier under Sheng maximizes its morale bonus, boosting the entire army’s performance. The mercenary Rider particularly benefits from Sheng compositions through their shared flexibility.

House Xuan — Arcana Xuan bets everything on Essence power. Its units manipulate Aerbor’s magical forces to deal bonus damage or debuff enemies. It’s the most punishing house to master but also the most devastating in experienced hands.

Key evolutions: Yi under Xuan become suppression archers that slow enemy units. The Seeker finds its full power here, accessing amplified Essence effects.

Hybridization rule: you can align different units to different houses within the same army. A Li Tian (tank) paired with Xuan Yi (control) and a Sheng Grenadier (morale) covers three complementary roles — this is the recommended approach after the campaign’s opening scenarios.

All 8 Yulan Units {#h-units}

The Grenadier is the DLC’s most versatile unit: clay bombs deal area damage while simultaneously boosting nearby allied units’ morale. Unlock it first in any mixed composition.

The Feng is a late-game trump card. Its Essence cost is high, but its impact in decisive battles justifies the investment. Don’t deploy it in early scenarios — it pays full value in the campaign’s final confrontations.

Recommended Army Compositions {#h-compositions}

Defensive build (beginners): Conscript Li × 2 + Tian Li + Grenadier Sheng + Yi Li This solid composition lets you learn Yulan’s mechanics without managing complex synergies. The Conscript/Tian frontline absorbs damage, the Grenadier maintains morale, and Yi strikes from range.

Hybrid composition (intermediate): Tian Li + Yi Xuan + Grenadier Sheng + Seeker Xuan + Rider Sheng Covers physical damage (Li), magic control (Xuan), and mobile support (Sheng). The Seeker → debuff → Yi → amplified damage rotation is Yulan’s signature combo.

Pure Arcana build (advanced): Seeker Xuan × 2 + Yi Xuan × 2 + Hu Sheng + Feng Devastating but fragile. Protect your Seekers and Feng behind the Hu. Against any base-game faction, this composition dominates if you control the attack order.

Campaign and Conquest Maps {#h-content}

House Sheng Tale: the narrative campaign unfolds across 3 connected maps following House Sheng as its homeland faces both old and new threats. The campaign doubles as a progressive tutorial — the first scenario introduces house basics, the second teaches hybridization, and the third tests advanced compositions.

Campaign tip: play the first scenario entirely as Sheng to understand each unit in its most accessible context. Experiment with hybridization from the second scenario onward.

5 Conquest maps: competitive maps designed around the Yulan biome. The biome features dense forests, vast plains, and ancient ruins — specific resources favor Essence-heavy armies.

If you haven’t caught the original announcement, our Yulan DLC preview covers everything the DLC contains before you buy.

Matchup Strategies {#h-matchups}

Against Barony of Loth (infantry mass): lean on Grenadier Sheng (AoE) + Yi Xuan (slow). Loth plays the numbers game — your damage zones and debuffs break its formations before they close in.

Against Arleon (heavy magic): Conscript Li + Tian Li for resistance. Li provides the best defenses against Essence effects. Avoid Xuan in this matchup — your own mages compete on the same Essence terrain.

Against Rana (mobility): Rider Sheng + Hu for counter-mobility. Rana plays fast; intercept with your mobile units before its Wielders reach your fragile Seekers.

Against Vanir and Roots/Rise Eternal: hybrid compositions recommended. These factions rely on complex internal synergies — using Sheng as a backbone gives you the adaptability to adjust mid-battle.

Yulan at a Glance

The Yulan DLC delivers on its promise: the three-house system creates far more replayability than previous DLCs. Hybridization isn’t a gimmick — it’s the faction’s strategic core.

Start with Li to get your bearings, explore Sheng to adapt, then dive into Xuan once you’ve mastered the fundamentals. The Feng will be waiting at the end of that road.