The Units of Yulan

Greetings Wielders

Another week and another Yulan Devlog. I told you I’d be giving you more of these as we got closer to release, and who am I to go against something like that?

This one will be less talking and more showing off, as we are wrapping up unit animations. It is one of the more time-consuming tasks for our artists, and Yulan has been no different. Still, it gives us an excellent excuse to talk a bit more about some of the units that will help you defeat your enemies in the upcoming battles. And those battles are less than a month away!

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Getting to this stage is quite the process, as I’m sure you understand. Things move from sketch, to concept art, to finished unit, and every step helps make the final animation better. We’re extremely proud of the results, they really make the battlefield feel alive. Well, as alive as pixelated creatures can be.

But before I start throwing animations at you, I thought you deserved another look at the Yulan lineup, that colourful mix of troops and upgrades. And even this image doesn’t show every variation of the upgraded units. Remember, Yulan can upgrade many of its troops toward three different Essences, making it quite the colourful faction.

For most units this mainly changes visual effects and abilities, but for the Seekers, their transformed versions really show how the Essences shape and warp the body as they turn into transcendent.

They stand ready for all your orders!

Now, we have plenty of beasts and a few humans to show off, so let’s start with the humble Grenadier. One of the more common units in a Yulan army, it serves as a reliable ranged troop that changes depending on which Essence path you choose. A cheerful unit that throws bombs and plays the drums.

Bomb's away! Some of you have already seen this glorious bird and its upgraded from as an animation, but I don’t mind showing this too. This is the base version of the Feng, Its fiery upgraded form is called the Fenghuang.

They dwell high in the mountains of Yulan and can sometimes be convinced to join your armies if you build a proper nest for them in your settlement.

The Feng also introduces a brand-new ability to Songs of Conquest called Luckbringer, granting friendly troops nearby a blessing of sorts. It also inspires allies, slightly increasing offense and defense. Essentially a giant bird-shaped good luck charm.

It just screams good luck doesn't? The Tian is a mystical creature that even the scholars of Yulan do not fully understand, although some rather rude rumours claim they are an ancient creation of Roots.

What is clear, however, is that the Essence of each House changes them. The Arcana-infused Tian of House Xuan can teleport across the battlefield, while the Tian of House Li can energize friendly units, making them move faster in combat.

Here we see the Tian and the Xuan Tian

And finally, we have the Hu and the Jiuweihu, fox-like creatures often accompanying the mercenary Riders employed by all three Houses.

The Hu is one of the units unaffected by House alignment, much like the Feng and the Riders themselves, but that does not make them any less useful.

Both variants are stealthy little creatures capable of slipping past enemy lines without provoking attacks, while the Jiuweihu has developed quite an appetite for Essence. It can drain Essence