Lavapotion — After Strategy

Songs of Conquest Yulan DLC: What the Steam Page Actually Confirms

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Yulan, Two Months In: What the Steam Listing Actually Confirms

Yulan does more than bolt a fourth faction onto Songs of Conquest. Every turn now asks which of three rival houses deserves an allegiance, not simply which banner to follow. Lavapotion launched the DLC on June 4, 2026, priced at $9.99 on the official Steam listing.

This piece is not a played-through account: Yulan’s content hasn’t been tried directly as of this writing. It’s an analysis built from the DLC’s official Steam page, Lavapotion’s community announcements, and the preview published ahead of launch. The goal is to state clearly what’s confirmed and what still needs checking once the content is in hand.

The Three-House System: Li, Sheng, and Xuan

The DLC announcement and Steam listing confirm a system built around three rival houses, each tied to a distinct Essence type:

House Li (Order) — defensive orientation and a stable economy.
House Sheng (Creation) — transformative magic and adaptable units.
House Xuan (Arcana) — powerful spells and a high-risk playstyle.

What sets Yulan apart from the game’s three other factions (Arleon, Barya, Rana) is the option to pledge allegiance to multiple houses at once. On paper, that opens up hybrid army compositions instead of locking players into one identity from the start. What remains genuinely unknown is how a mono-house army balances against a hybrid one. Only a real playthrough, once post-launch patches are factored in, can settle that question.

The mechanic goes beyond cosmetics. House choice determines available buildings, recruitable units, and how those units evolve in combat. Two Yulan armies built around different houses shouldn’t play the same way — that’s the design’s promise, still to be confirmed through actual play.

In practice, multi-house allegiance looks less like a free bonus and more like an economic trade-off. Investing across two or three houses at once means splitting construction and Essence resources. A mono-house army, by contrast, can concentrate its investment into a single building chain. That tension between versatility and specialization is exactly the kind of decision that, in a HoMM-like, separates a comfortable choice from a genuinely strategic one. Without a played match, there’s no way to know which side Lavapotion leaned toward — but the question is worth asking before purchase, not after.

Eight Units, One Shared Evolution Architecture

Yulan’s Steam listing confirms 8 new units, noting that several of them branch into three distinct evolutions depending on the chosen house. The May preview already covered five of these units ahead of launch: Conscript, Grenadier, Yi, Tian, and Seeker, each promised a triple Li/Sheng/Xuan branch.

What separates this from a simple roster dump is the stated design logic: the same base unit should be able to take on three radically different combat identities depending on the player’s allegiance. In practice, that avoids the classic DLC pitfall of stacking units with no real coherence between them.

The product page says nothing about the real learning curve. A large number of evolutions does not guarantee clear on-screen choices or readable cross-house synergies. Only direct play could settle that question.

Branching evolution is not entirely new to Songs of Conquest. The base factions already use per-unit progression trees, and previous DLCs extended that framework instead of replacing it. Yulan adds a more demanding variable: three houses instead of one evolution line. Lavapotion’s promotional images look clear, but only play can confirm that the interface remains readable.

A Campaign Across Three Connected Maps

According to the DLC’s Steam description, Yulan includes 3 connected Tale maps, on top of its Conquest maps. Tale is Songs of Conquest’s narrative mode, distinct from the sandbox-oriented Conquest mode; this linked-map format, rather than isolated missions, matches the structure Lavapotion already uses for its other base-game campaigns.

Without direct access to the content, there’s no way to judge writing quality, mission pacing, or actual difficulty. This analysis owns that limitation clearly: any claim about this campaign’s “intensity” or “narrative quality” would be invented until the content has been played start to finish.

Five Conquest Maps and a New Biome

Beyond the narrative mode, the Steam listing confirms 5 new maps for Conquest mode, built around a new biome unique to the Yulan faction. The official screenshots available already show a visual identity distinct from Arleon or Barya, but none of the official sources consulted currently detail the exact terrain composition — resources, obstacles, defensive bonuses.

That reservation isn’t a cosmetic detail. In a game where terrain directly shapes combat odds, a poorly balanced biome can skew an entire game mode. Before calling the new maps a competitive multiplayer success, you’d need feedback from ranked matches, not just a product-page reading.

The five-map count matters. It suggests that Lavapotion built the biome for regular Conquest play, not as a one-off showcase. That distinction matters once the novelty fades.

Who This DLC Actually Makes Sense For Right Now

Yulan primarily suits players already familiar with the other three factions and ready for another layer of decisions. Multi-house allegiance assumes a working knowledge of Essence management. A player still learning Arleon or Barya may find this extra layer hard to digest.

Someone discovering Songs of Conquest today should probably finish a base-game campaign first. Yulan’s choices only pay off once recruitment, hero management and the resource economy feel familiar. That is a practical caveat, not a final verdict.

There’s a middle profile too: players who bounced off Barya or Rana because those factions felt too close to a variation on Arleon’s playstyle. For that group, Yulan’s declared premise — three houses that each reroute unit evolution and building access differently — reads as a genuinely distinctive pitch on paper. Whether that premise survives contact with actual matches is exactly the open question this analysis can’t close.

Price, Availability, and What This Analysis Can’t Settle

The DLC is available on PC via Steam at $9.99, as observed at the time of writing. At that price, a faction, a campaign and five Conquest maps form a credible package on paper. The list is substantial; its value still depends on execution.

Without direct play, assigning a score or recommending an unconditional purchase would be dishonest. A Steam review percentage would also need a dated verification. This article can confirm the declared content, but not the balance of eight units or the campaign’s staying power.

For an impulse buyer, the risk is less the $9.99 than the untested promise. Until the house synergies prove readable in combat, buying Yulan means backing Lavapotion’s intention rather than a verified result.

What to Watch Now

The real test for Yulan will play out in post-launch balancing. Lavapotion typically patches its factions in the weeks following a release. The multi-house allegiance system is exactly the kind of mechanic that can swing from one extreme to another depending on the numbers chosen. Worth tracking: official patch notes on Li/Sheng/Xuan synergies, and community feedback once the competitive meta settles.

Three specific points deserve attention over the coming weeks. First, how frequently Lavapotion issues balance fixes for Yulan’s eight units. Second, how the five Conquest maps settle into the competitive rotation. Third, whether the three-branch evolution interface stays as clear once tested against real player feedback rather than promotional screenshots. This article will be updated if any of these change the read on the DLC.

None of this is a reason to write Yulan off before trying it — the stated design is genuinely ambitious for the genre. It’s simply a reason to treat the DLC’s promise and its execution as two separate questions until one of them gets answered by actual play.

For full context on the DLC ahead of launch, the May preview remains the reference on Lavapotion’s stated intentions. For full coverage of the game, head to the Songs of Conquest hub.

Sources

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

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

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. Yulan joins the game’s earlier faction DLCs, including Vanir and Rise Eternal — 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.

For players, the useful question is not “which house should I pick”, but which problem your next run needs to solve: holding the frontline, accelerating the economy, or turning Essence into constant pressure.

The Three Houses: Philosophy and Strengths

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. It suits 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.

Good fit: The Grenadier under Sheng makes the morale bonus easier to use, boosting the army around it. The mercenary Rider also fits 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 is the most punishing house to master, with the clearest tactical ceiling for experienced players.

Watch point: 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 — it is the most sensible starting line after the campaign’s opening scenarios.

All 8 Yulan Units

Unit	Primary Role	Useful House	Standout Feature
Conscript	Basic infantry	Li	Army backbone; evolves differently per house
Grenadier	AoE attack + morale	Sheng	Only unit combining AoE damage and ally morale boost
Yi	Archery	Xuan	Variable power via Essence; control under Xuan
Tian	Draconic creature	Li / flexible	Adapts to any house; excellent as Li tank
Seeker	Essence scholar	Xuan	Control specialist and magic combo enabler
Rider	Mercenary cavalry	Sheng	High mobility, house-independent
Hu	Support / flank	Sheng	Unique flanking unit; excels against compact formations
Feng	Legendary unit	Variable	Maximum power; requires heavy Essence investment

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

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 Aggressive but fragile. Protect your Seekers and Feng behind the Hu. Against base-game factions, this composition looks most useful if you control the attack order and accept a narrower margin for mistakes.

Campaign and Conquest Maps

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

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 looks like the steadier answer to 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.

Who Should Start With Yulan?

Yulan is easiest to recommend to players who already enjoy planning several turns ahead. If your favorite Songs of Conquest moments come from clean frontlines and predictable trades, start with Li and add Sheng only when the map starts asking for speed. If you prefer squeezing value from Essence and accepting fragile pieces for stronger tempo swings, Xuan becomes the interesting house, but not the safest one.

The trap is trying to unlock everything at once. Yulan rewards sequencing: one defensive anchor, one morale or mobility piece, then one Essence payoff. That rhythm keeps the faction readable while still letting the DLC feel different from the base armies.

What to Take From Yulan

Yulan becomes more readable when you stop treating the houses as permanent camps. Li secures the basics, Sheng gives long maps the flexibility they need, and Xuan only pays off once you can protect its fragile pieces. The Feng is not an automatic reward: it is the moment where your Essence economy has to be under control already.

What the Official Sources Confirm

Before following the compositions above, separate what is established from what is analysis. The DLC’s Steam page confirms a June 4, 2026 release on PC and Mac, a requirement to own the base game, a three-map Tale, five Conquest maps (one large, two medium, two small) and eight troops, five of them house troops. As of October 26, 2026 it also shows 96% positive reviews across 50 reviews, still a thin sample. According to Turn Based Lovers, the DLC also brings nine new Wielders, new music and new artifacts, with a Tale built around House Sheng and the Wielder Shun.

Lavapotion describes branching upgrades that change a unit’s role depending on the house it serves. It does not publish a numerical synergy table. The unit-and-house pairings in this guide (Grenadier under Sheng, Yi under Xuan, Tian under Li) are therefore compositions to test, not guaranteed rules. For a first run, one check matters most: read each troop’s upgrade tooltip before assigning it a house, then change only one element at a time between games so you can tell what actually improved or weakened the result.

Verified Sources

Songs of Conquest Yulan DLC Preview: New Faction, Three Houses & 8 Units (June 4, 2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Songs of Conquest’s Most Complex Faction Yet Arrives June 4, 2026

Lavapotion has been steadily expanding Songs of Conquest since its 1.0 release, adding new factions and narrative expansions at a steady pace. On June 4, 2026, the studio releases its latest DLC: the Yulan, a faction rooted in Asian mythology from the long-isolated region of Aerbor. Mechanically, this is the most ambitious content update to date — built around an entirely new three-house system.

If you’re looking for a fresh strategic challenge this summer, here’s everything you need to know.

The Three Houses System: Li, Sheng, Xuan
The Eight New Units
Campaign & Conquest Maps
Free Content for All Players
What We’re Watching at Launch

The Three Houses System: Li, Sheng, Xuan

The Yulan’s core innovation is their political and magical structure. Their homeland of Aerbor is shaped by three rival Houses, each embodying a different approach to Essence — the fundamental magic of the game:

House Li — Order: disciplined armies, territorial control maximized
House Sheng — Creation: tactical flexibility and unit transformation
House Xuan — Arcana: access to the deepest, most unpredictable mystical powers

The key mechanic: Yulan units evolve differently depending on which House they serve. The same base unit can become an orderly soldier under Li, a chaos agent under Xuan, or a hybrid if the player pledges to multiple houses simultaneously. This is the first faction in Songs of Conquest to offer this level of branching in its upgrade trees.

The potential for hybrid compositions — part-Li, part-Xuan — introduces strategic depth not seen in previous factions.

The Eight New Units

Lavapotion has officially confirmed eight new units, with four revealed in detail ahead of launch:

Grenadiers — Throw clay bombs at range while boosting army morale. Offensive support role.
Conscripts — The backbone infantry. Disciplined and versatile, forming the core of any Yulan army.
Tian — Part-dragon, part-ancestral guardian creature inspired by Asian mythology. Likely the faction’s signature elite unit.
Seekers — Described by Lavapotion as “scholars of Essence who risk transformation into fearsome Transcendents.” These units can literally change form mid-combat under the influence of Essence.

The remaining four units stay secret until June 4 — a welcome surprise for players who want to discover the faction fresh.

Campaign & Conquest Maps

The Yulan DLC is more than just a new faction. Its full content includes:

A 3-map narrative campaign following House Sheng as their homeland faces new and ancient threats — perfect for learning Yulan mechanics in a story-driven context.
5 new Conquest maps designed specifically around Yulan, with scenarios that highlight the Houses system.
A new biome consistent with Aerbor’s aesthetic — likely misty forests or snow-swept steppes drawn from Asian visual traditions.

For context, the previous DLC Rise Eternal (March 5, 2026) introduced necromancy through Kastus Maal. The Yulan DLC is a complete thematic departure — from shadows and death to living Essence split across three competing lineages.

Free Content for All Players

True to Lavapotion’s established practice, every paid DLC ships with a free update for the entire playerbase. The Yulan DLC will add new research options, new artifact sets, and additional map buildings to all players at no cost. Global balancing stays behind no paywall.

What We’re Watching at Launch

Songs of Conquest has earned its reputation as the best pixel-art alternative to Heroes of Might & Magic: tactical turn-based combat, territory management, and Wielders with escalating powers. Each DLC has expanded the roster coherently. The Yulan look set to push the formula further with triple-house mechanics and branching evolutions.

Points we’ll evaluate at launch:

Balance between specialized mono-house lists and multi-pledge hybrid armies
Depth and replayability of the 3-map Sheng campaign
The four still-secret units and their synergy with each house

If the genre appeals to you, our Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era Early Access review covers the other major HoMM-like of the moment. And for medieval turn-based strategy, our Wartales Fires in the Capital DLC preview is required reading.

We’ll have the full verdict on June 4, 2026.

Lavapotion — After Strategy

Songs of Conquest Yulan DLC: What the Steam Page Actually Confirms

Yulan, Two Months In: What the Steam Listing Actually Confirms

The Three-House System: Li, Sheng, and Xuan

Eight Units, One Shared Evolution Architecture

A Campaign Across Three Connected Maps

Five Conquest Maps and a New Biome

Who This DLC Actually Makes Sense For Right Now

Price, Availability, and What This Analysis Can’t Settle

What to Watch Now

See also

Sources

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

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

The Three Houses: Philosophy and Strengths

All 8 Yulan Units

Recommended Army Compositions

Campaign and Conquest Maps

Matchup Strategies

Who Should Start With Yulan?

What to Take From Yulan

What the Official Sources Confirm

Verified Sources

Songs of Conquest Yulan DLC Preview: New Faction, Three Houses & 8 Units (June 4, 2026)

Songs of Conquest’s Most Complex Faction Yet Arrives June 4, 2026

Table of Contents

The Three Houses System: Li, Sheng, Xuan

The Eight New Units

Campaign & Conquest Maps

Free Content for All Players

What We’re Watching at Launch

Sources