Formed in 2014, Heilung is a European band that transcends genre and definition, with their atmospheric music taking listeners on indescribable journeys through history and myth via the realms of folk and rock. When Conqueror’s Blade entered into its own Viking Age in Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok, we knew they were the perfect fit to score our saga of wolf-worshippers, berserkers, and mighty shieldmaidens – their songs Galgaldr and Alfadhirhaiti can be heard in the game’s current opening cinematic and the map Heilung Fjord. 



As part of our ongoing series of Music Week articles, we spoke to Christopher, Maria, and Kai from Heilung about their music, influences, and how to best defend Heilung Fjord from invaders. The photographs featured in the article were taken by Coen Halmans and Kees Stravers.

Thanks for talking with us! Could you introduce yourselves?

Heilung: Hello and thank you from our side, we are Christopher Juul, Maria Franz and Kai Uwe Faust, the three core members of Heilung.

What is the story of Heilung, why did you first get together and decide to make music?

Heilung: In another time and age, Kai wished to record some of his poems and asked his friend Christopher, who is a producer, and they agreed on a trade – a tattoo for the recording. Christopher instantly got inspired by what Kai brought to his studio, and creativity was let loose as they began adding all sorts of crazy soundscapes to the poems. At some point, Christopher asked Kai if he could sing something. Kai, usually shy, mumbled and rumbled a bit, which resulted in him being unleashed in the recording room. Maria came along, got hit by a bolt of excitement and inspiration and added her voice to some tracks, and there it was – the little Heilung baby, still an unnamed little beast, but it crawled in our hearts and took off from there…

(Chris, by the way, does not have a single tattoo to this very day.)

Heilung means ‘healing’ in German. Why did you choose this name for the band?

Heilung: We didn’t. The spirits told Kai to name the project like this.

How would you describe your sound to a new listener?

Heilung: Take a Norwegian Viking girl, a Danish Viking boy and son of a pagan priest, and let them meet a madman, half-animal, half-German, add a lot of drums, screams and angelic voices. Spice it up with a little dose of overtone singing and not too much psychedelic soundscapes. Let it simmer a little in the blackness of inspiration that already fed the Nordic myths…. Or, forget it and just listen to the music and make up your own mind. ☺ 



A lot of your music is inspired by ancient Germanic culture and the Viking Age. What drew you to these themes?

Heilung: They came naturally to all three of us already from our early childhood. Maria grew up in Borre, a little Norwegian village with a big burial field of Viking age grave mounds, and as a child she was playing on that very soil with the ancestors resting under her feet, always very aware of their presence and influence.

Christopher had the revived pagan beliefs of Scandinavia actively performed around him while he grew up, due to the position of his father as a Godi (a pagan priest with the right to perform wedding ceremonies).

Kai, growing up Christian, was nevertheless playing in Iron Age stone circles in the endless forests in the heart of Germany and started early to explore Germanic and Celtic art.

The three of them met through Viking reenactment markets, festivals that show the arts and crafts of the Viking period.

Do you feel a connection to older cultures and civilisations, such as the Vikings?

Heilung: Everything is interconnected, we still have our history on display in our modern-day culture, visible in the language, our ornaments, our religious beliefs, and so on. Also, our older cultures were dealing with the same basic questions and challenges of mankind as we still do today. It’s all love and pain. If you sit as a mother on the bed of your sick child it feels the same, whether they call your culture Viking or Indonesian. And the song you sing that night on that bed, means the same in all cultures and throughout all ages. We are all connected, through time and space, because we are all people.



Where else do you find inspiration when you’re making music?

Heilung: We all very often have the feeling that inspiration finds us, and it can be everywhere, no matter if it is in the dusty ruins of Pompeii or in the train. Nature is always a great source of inspiration though.

Each member of Heilung has a distinctive vocal style. Could you tell us about the different styles you employ when making songs?

Heilung: Whenever it comes to the etheric female singing, that will be Maria. She will employ everything from harmonies to the old Scandinavian cattle calls, from sweet whispers to heart-breaking screams of pain and anguish.

Christopher feeds the soundscapes with deep vocals and throat singing, but he also takes on whispering parts, and some tricky, rhythmic passages where Kai is out of his mind, twitching, barking and gargling. ☺

You also have a unique range of instruments, including ones made from human bones! Could you tell us about your different instruments, and the process of how you select them to create specific, unique sounds?

Heilung: That is a very complex topic, due to the fluid character of the selection process. We allow ourselves to really follow the flow of inspiration and it helps to have a sound studio with a lot of space, filled with a lot of instruments and things that makes nice sounds, and the technical equipment to capture everything. We make a lot of instruments ourselves or have them made by exceptional skilled craftsmen. It’s easy to imagine that you cannot buy the replica of a 12,000 year old flute made from a swan bone, tar and grass in the shop just around the corner. We give a lot of love to our drums, we see them as living beings, made from skin, bone, and blood.



What is the strangest thing you’ve ever used as an instrument?

Heilung: Bones from a 16th century plague mass grave in Germany.

You’ve referred to your live performances as ‘rituals’. What kind of atmosphere do you try to create at concerts to achieve this?

Music is the primal language of mankind. In music we can perceive the divine harmony of cosmos, so a ritual of music in our world is meant to connect people with this spiritual state of mind. So, we open up, we invite everyone to become one. One with the sound, the beat, be a part of our circle. We welcome you to a time space of freedom, getting lost in the music, the visuals, and the scents. The Heilung ritual is our invitation to disconnect from the now and to reconnect to yourself.

The world has changed a lot in the last year, and live music is unfortunately on hold for a bit. How would you recommend fans get into this same sort of ritualistic headspace at home?

Get some good headphones, take an hour or two just for yourself with a glass of wine or whatever you need to relax and just let go. Let the sounds carry you into our parallel world, just to return from it like from a good walk in the mountains. 

There is a new map in Conqueror’s Blade called Heilung Fjord, named in your honour! How would you defend it from invading armies?

Just feed the shaman some mushrooms, he’ll take care of it. If that doesn’t work, send the night warriors. If they f**k up, the snails will take over the defence slowly, and they never fail…

Your music is getting a lot of attention in the games industry at the moment! What games do you enjoy in your spare time (if any)?

Well…. this is quite personal, the games people play, you know… No, just joking. ☺ You can actually find us sitting on sheepskins and rocking chairs in front of the fire and playing a good old board game. You might not believe it, but most of the time we are really that old school.

Then there are of course the very physical and violent Viking age games, that sometimes erupt during a good party. But they are a different story for another time. ☺

Can fans expect to hear new music – like a follow-up to Futha – or see you back on the road in the near future?

We spend a lot of the cancelled tour time in the studio, as most musicians probably did. Our time there will lead to new releases, but we have a few projects before that and still some secrets up our sleeve. ;)

We are very positive to see Heilung back on the road in the last part of this year and hope to see you all out there. <3 



Thanks to Christopher, Maria, and Kai for taking the time to chat with us! You can catch Heilung on tour throughout Europe and Russia in 2021 and 2022, check out their latest album Futha (available now on Spotify and Apple Music), and listen for their glorious music in Conqueror’s Blade throughout Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok.

With the conclusion of Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok just over a month away, it’s time to make plans to be certain of amassing as much Glory as possible before the end. Why? So that you can claim the highest Nobility rank and bank the season’s most precious rewards, of course!

To that end, we have created a number of Skald’s Saga multipacks that can be bought via the In-game Store. A Skald Saga is a consumable item that bestows a hero with 5,000 Glory, so that the more you have, the easier it is to advance through the season.

The packs will remain available until 23:59 server time on May 19 and are limited to one of each per character.
If you haven’t done so already, you might want to consider picking up a Season VII Battle Pass to ensure you are claiming the top rewards for all your Glory-hunting efforts. Upon purchase, you will receive all the rewards that have been unlocked during the season so far, so you won’t miss out by leaving it late.

Familiar to most as being the site for an early siege tutorial and later PvE battles, Dasuo Fort is no longer limited to entry-level PvE encounters and has joined the ranks of the Siege map rotation. As reported last week, this is part of ongoing efforts to renovate and reintroduce classic battle maps...



First impressions are that Dasuo Fort is a simple map. Attacking options are limited to a direct frontal assault to take the first capture point over the gatehouse. However, the second line of defence has capture points sited at both flanks, requiring less brute force but close coordination and timing. At the final capture point at the north of the settlement you can always be sure that desperate last stand will play out.



Let us know what you think of Dasuo Fort and what maps you’d like to see more of by joining in the conversation in our Discord channel. In the meantime, see you on the battlefield!

Please be aware that from 8:00 CEST on May 13 (11:00 pm PDT 5/12), the Conqueror’s Blade servers will be inaccessible. The downtime is expected to last for 5 hours.

Please refer to the Patch Notes for documented changes. Meanwhile, stay tuned to our Discord channel in case of any immediate server updates.

In ancient times, music survived mostly for as long as people could remember it. With no easy way to commit melodies, especially those of folk songs and skaldic ballads, to paper – or parchment, animal skin, or canvas – music could change beyond recognition as it travelled through the ages, passed down and held in memory. 

Various stringed instruments, pipes, and flutes from the Viking Age have been discovered on archaeological digs, and upon visiting Hedeby, Denmark in the 10th century, the Arab merchant Al-Tartushi wincingly described Vikings’ singing abilities as “a rumbling emanating from their throats, similar to that of a dog but even more bestial”. So, while there were no Lady Gagas or Justin Timberlakes climbing the charts in ancient Scandinavia, we know for a fact that they liked a bit of a singsong. Speaking of!



Far removed from the Vikings’ throaty vocals, the silky tones and strumming you can hear in the above video belong to Kristoffer “Juriel” Bailey, our North American Community Manager who can tear up the stage just as well as the battlefield in Conqueror’s Blade. He’s singing Drømde mik en drøm i nat – which translates into English as ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ – a secular song written in Old Norse sometime before 1300 AD. It’s one of the oldest known songs from its time, and it’s likely that its origins can be traced back even further to Scandinavia during the Viking Age.

The music was discovered in the Codex Runicus, a manuscript detailing Danish history, monarchy, and law written on vellum (calfskin parchment) in runes that correspond with letters from the Latin alphabet. The final page of the Codex features the first two lines of the well-known folk song along with musical notes on a four-line staff, offering a tantalising glimpse of what ancient Scandinavian music may have sounded like.




Fancy yourself as the next ABBA? Here are the lyrics to Drømde mik en drøm i nat (thanks Realm of History):
This feature is brought to you as part of Music Week, a special week of content running from May 10-16 celebrating the history of Viking music, and modern-day compositions by Heilung and Booming Tech. Keep an eye on the Conqueror’s Blade website for more features, a contest, and other surprises!

Ye Chenyang is a Composer working at Booming Tech, the developer behind Conqueror’s Blade based in Hangzhou, China. Ye joined Booming Tech in early 2021, and his work can be heard in the new battleground besieged by Northmen in Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok. As part of Music Week, we sat down (virtually, of course) with Ye to discuss his background, influences, and work in bringing beautiful music to the gloriously brutal battlefields of Conqueror’s Blade.

What is your background, and how did you get into music in videogames?

Ye: I studied recording arts at university, with a focus on composition and arrangement. After graduating I began working at NetEase as an audio editor while simultaneously doing a bit of music production.

I joined the games industry because I'm a gaming enthusiast, and I'm very interested in both game and film music, and so I wanted to use my professional knowledge to create music in an area I'm interested in and create music that would touch the hearts of players.

What are your core responsibilities at Booming Tech on Conqueror’s Blade?

Ye: I create music for in-game locations (maps), menus, and videos.



What is your process for making new music in Conqueror's Blade?

Ye: First, I delve deep into the area of history I'm going to create music for. I read up on its culture, the era, game lore, and think about the feeling we want to give the player. Then, I'll create a rough idea of what I want it to sound like in my head, and then set up a few instruments that I might need, and work on a demo. While composing the music I will also continuously share my progress with colleagues, and we'll discuss ways to make improvements to make it even better. Finally, I'll add the music to its area in-game and listen to it for as long as I need to and see whether or not it meets my expectations.

How is your music influenced by the cultures that inspire the game, for instance Vikings in Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok?

Ye: In Season VII, I created the music for Heilung Fjord and for the login menu. It was my goal to convey feelings of savagery and excitement, and so I took much inspiration from the band Heilung and used many ancient instruments. I added orchestral influences to rather simple melodies to give it a more epic feel, and to make it grander and more exciting without losing the ancient feel.

What was it like being able to use the music of Heilung when creating the soundtrack to Heilung Fjord? Could you tell us about that process?

Ye: The music of Heilung is savage and wild, and fitted perfectly with Season VII’s theme. However, adding such unique music to the game and making it adhere to everyone's taste is no simple matter. For this composition, I divided Heilung's music into several sections and added a section to different parts of the siege battle. This was so I could as closely as possible create a Viking-like atmosphere, while catering to the tastes of a wider audience.
 


Do you have any other influences that inspire you when you’re making music?

Ye: While creating music, I listen to the soundtracks of other games and live performances to gain inspiration.

What is your favourite piece of music in Conqueror’s Blade?

Ye: The background music for Heilung Fjord, and the new music for Reginopolis that will be added soon.

What other games do you like to play when you’re not working on Conqueror’s Blade?

Ye: League of Legends, Nioh, God of War, and more.

Thanks for chatting with us, Ye!

This feature is brought to you as part of Music Week, a special week of content running from May 10-16 celebrating the history of Viking music, and modern-day compositions by Heilung and Booming Tech. Keep an eye on the Conqueror’s Blade website for more features, a contest, and other surprises!

We are bringing our fresh characters back to the battlefield this week and you may want to join us on Twitch as well as the Twitch Drops are currently active there!

We recently completed the full set of weapon class guides, which are collected below for your viewing pleasure. Within each, you’ll find suggestions for assigning Attribute points and an overview of the weapon’s skills and ultimate abilities.

These are introductory guides intended for new players looking to fulfil typical combat archetypes, but should offer a few hints and tips for established heroes who may be looking to try something different.

Videogames use music to immerse players in their worlds and guide players’ emotions throughout their playtime. Simply, catchy 8-bit tracks were responsible for giving millions of players earworms back in the retro gaming era, but the modern gaming landscape is a canvas of variety, with sweeping orchestral scores being commonplace in the more cinematic, AAA experiences of the current generation. Thrashing metal scores our unstoppable march through Hell in Doom, tinkly piano numbers embrace us within the relaxing island life in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and modern pop and rock tracks get us pumped up to take on the world in FIFA.

Conqueror’s Blade beckons players to fight and shape their own legend in a world at war, and Booming Tech created a suitably epic soundtrack to accompany it. Players’ journeys through cities like Turul Város are met with orchestral, medieval-inspired refrains, and siege battles rage to the beat of furious war drums. When we introduce new factions and cultures to the game, we also look to their historical counterparts for aural inspiration. 

Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok introduced the Northmen, including the Sons of Fenrir, Berserkers, and Shieldmaidens units, all clearly inspired by Vikings and ancient Scandinavian lore and culture. Many string and wind instruments from the Viking Age have been discovered on archaeological digs, but with written musical notation only being made possible centuries later, we had no direct way to know what Viking music, likely played at small gatherings or among friends, family, and kin, may have sounded like other than written records. 



Thyles and skalds, essentially the jesters and bards of the Viking Age, would compose spoken poetry, much of which still survives in sagas and books like the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda. Some historians speculate their compositions may have enjoyed the accompaniment of a harp or lyre. As for how they sounded, when the 10th century Arab merchant Al-Tartushi visited Denmark, he wincingly described the local Vikings’ singing abilities as “a rumbling emanating from their throats, similar to that of a dog but even more bestial.” 

This was the perfect launching point for Ye Chenyang, a Composer from Booming Tech working on Conqueror’s Blade, who was looking for an animalistic approach to the Viking sound. “It was my goal to convey feelings of savagery and excitement,” said Ye of the new music he composed for Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok. “I took much inspiration from the band Heilung and used many ancient instruments. I added orchestral influences to rather simple melodies to give it a more epic feel, and to make it grander and more exciting without losing the ancient feel.”

Indeed, the band Heilung was an instrumental part of shaping the soundtrack of Season VII. Their name means ‘healing’ in German, and their mission statement is to leave their listeners “at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent.” Heilung’s use of uniquely era-appropriate instruments and different vocal styles, combined with music and lyrics based on Scandinavian history and legend, made them the perfect fit for Ye’s vision for the soundtrack, and the creative vision for the season overall. 


 
Their song Galgaldr, taken from their 2019 album Futha, can be heard in the opening cinematic for Conqueror’s Blade throughout the latest season. The harsh, throaty vocals, apocalyptic atmosphere, and lyrics inspired by Völuspá, the prophecy of Ragnarok, set the tone for a dark yet epic saga to come.

Also introduced in Season VII, Heilung Fjord is a new Viking-inspired siege map named after the band. This new locale features another of their atmospheric compositions: Alfadhirhaiti, an ode to Odin performed in Old Norse. “I divided Heilung's music into several sections and added a section to different parts of the siege battle,” said Ye of Heilung Fjord’s soundtrack, intended to take players on a journey through a chaotic battlefield, and perhaps even to the gates of Valhalla.

Season VII: Wolves of Ragnarok is available to play in Conqueror’s Blade now, with Heilung Fjord available in current Siege rotation.

This feature is brought to you as part of Music Week, a special week of content running from May 10-16 celebrating the history of Viking music, and modern-day compositions by Heilung and Booming Tech. Keep an eye on the Conqueror’s Blade website for more features, a contest, and other surprises!

Despite their fates being bound up in heavenly cataclysm, the gods are pleased with your progress in the season so far. By way of reward, they are raining down upon the earth a series of gifts, to be bestowed upon those that are deemed the most worthy!

...Or, to put it another way, it’s Twitch Drop time again! Between May 7 at 12:00 UTC and May 11 at 12:00 UTC (phase 1), then following on until May 16 at 12:00 UTC (phase 2), simply watch one or more participating channels (listed below), watch for the required amount of time, then claim your free in-game loot!
Throughout both Twitch Drop phases you can also claim a daily reward. Watch for a total of one hour and thirty minutes per day to claim a Twitch Drops Progression Bundle containing one Large Chest of Bronze, five Unit Medals, and two Common Honor Medals!

To claim your items, first make sure you link your Conqueror’s Blade account with your Twitch account:

Log in here (use your Steam account if that’s how you play the game).

Make sure to log in with your correct established account. If you register a new account, rewards will automatically be assigned to that account.

Select ‘Link with Twitch’, and make sure you confirm the connection.

If you’re having trouble, our handy video contains some tips and tricks to help you get started with Twitch Drops:



Where to watch Conqueror’s Blade on Twitch

If you’re new to Conqueror’s Blade on Twitch, the following channels are all participants in the Content Creator Program and will be streaming Conqueror’s Blade throughout this event as their schedules allow. Remember to follow or subscribe to those you enjoy!