Age of Wonders 4 guide: races, magic tomes, win conditions

Released on May 2, Age of Wonders 4 topped the Steam store chart within days, beating out Star Wars Jedi Survivor and other games. Here we have collected the top chips and tipes for those who want to to conque the world of Athla in this new fantasy 4X-strategy game. By the way, it is also available in a free-to-play version, which gives a fairly good gaming experience.

This new series of Paradox Interactive franchise literally took off. Many agree that the reason for the success of Age of Wonders 4 was the successful combination of 4X gameplay and its captivating magical world, along with improved mechanics and beautiful graphics with lots of small details (except for the 2019 spin-off, no new episodes of the main game have been released since 2014, when the 3rd sequel of this saga came out). Going through all scenarios and game options will keep you busy for hundreds of hours of fun.

Design your world

There are eight terrains and several climate zones available in the game, each with its own backstory and weaknesses. So, in the "Lava Rift" players are separated by an ocean of hot magma, and in the "Traces of the Past" area, the consequences of previous earthquakes are guessed.

Once you've created your terrain, you can move on to choosing one of the dozen or so distinctive features of the world's inhabitants that you'll have to interact with during the game, such as plant warriors or fearsome undead. There are a lot of subtle tweaks. The atmosphere of the game will depend on what type and what characteristics you choose.

The next step - you move on to create your own faction! In addition to the default races (humans, elves, dwarves, anthropomorphic tigers, elves, intelligent rats, moles or toads), you can create your own race, and you literally compose your characters from a "constructor" that includes different body types, personalities, abilities and cultures. You can play with these parts and adapt them to suit your needs. As a result, you will get a "puzzle", with peculiar rules for city management, diplomacy and fights.

The next step in the creation of your race is choosing your first book of magic, as well as choosing the origin of your protagonist Godir. You can, for example, have options for a powerful Wizard King or a Champion of the people who wins additional gold. In a word, the course of your campaign and interaction in it will depend on all of the above factors and characteristics.

Play tactically and strategically

The gameplay of Age of Wonders 4 offers two "registers": the global part, which consists of strategic planning and city management and diplomacy, and the tactical part, that is, combat. The strategic part is designed in detail and gives you the opportunity to think through your policy, for example, before each diplomatic step you will see the possible consequences and benefits. But you will have to think through all your actions well, because certain actions in building a city, bringing you new opportunities, will always have consequences in related areas. In terms of combat, the mechanics are not inferior to other similar games. At your disposal - different combat features of the units. If you're in a peaceful mood and don't feel like fighting, you can turn on the auto-combat mode and the game will do it for you.

Pay attention to magic

In the game, you can win in different ways, there are four of them in total. In Military you will fight with enemies, in Domination you will have to occupy most of the territories building beacons of unity, in Magic you will have to go through multiple magic quests, and in Score you will need to score the most points. There are a lot of types of magic and spells available to you, and they serve, perhaps, as the main success secret in the game. Therefore, mastering them and combining them, you will not waste time, but will significantly advance on the path to victory.

Unite your military forces

Your enemies will field large armies, so it is important for you to have large groups of units that you can also reinforce with Marauder troops and the vassal armies.

Spend your Mana wisely

To build a city and hire units in the game you need to pay. Our advice, don't spend Mana quickly, as the stash can come in handy at the right time when you need, for example, a new hero.

Age Of Wonders 4 is playable on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series One, and Xbox Series X. The game is intended for gamers over the age of 16.