Age of Wonders 4 is the latest title in the popular fantasy 4X strategy series from Dutch developers Triumph Studios and builds on the classic gameplay of city management, tactical combat, and extensive customization. There are a thousand ways to build a Faction in Age of Wonders 4's Faction creation system, allowing players to pursue the fantasy trope of their choosing or invent something entirely new.
With such a variety of options, some players may feel intimidated the first time they create a 4X Faction entirely from scratch. However, recommended choices like the default Traits for each Physical Form and the Affinities system can help players maintain a solid theme on their first attempt.
Choosing a Physical Form
The first choice that players will make when designing a new Faction in Age of Wonders 4 is the physical form of their starting species, which can be Human, Elfkin, Orcoid, Dwarfkin, Halfling, Goblinoid, Feline, Ratkin, Toadkin, or Molekin. Each of these forms comes with a default Body and Mind Trait, normally based on common depictions of that body type in fantasy fiction. For example, Dwarfkin get Tough and Defensive Tactics, while Orcoids get Strong and Ferocious.
However, players can choose to replace these Traits if they wish and create unusual combinations like hearty Elfkin adapted to live underground or arcane-focused Dwarfkin who ride unicorns. Beyond these customizable Traits, the Physical Form choice is purely cosmetic, and players will be able to further design the look of their species at the end of Age of Wonders 4's 4X Faction creation process.
Picking a Culture
After they've chosen a Physical Form, players next need to pick a Culture for their new Faction. There are 6 Cultures in Age of Wonders 4's grand strategy, each with its own unique bonuses, unit roster, research options, and Affinity:
- Feudal
- 1 Order, 1 Nature Affinity
- Gains additional Food income buildings
- Focuses on martial units that get defensive bonuses from being adjacent
- Can grant titles to their Heroes for unique bonuses
- Barbarian
- 1 Chaos, 1 Nature Affinity
- Gains additional Food and Draft income buildings
- Focuses on melee units that deal bonus damage on their first attack
- Armies recover more quickly in Cities
- Industrious
- 2 Materium Affinity
- Gains additional Production income buildings
- Focuses on tough units that can bolster their defenses
- Has the ability to prospect for resources in Cliffs, Mountains, or Stalagmites
- High
- 2 Order Affinity
- Gains additional Stability and Knowledge from buildings
- Focuses on versatile units with hidden abilities that can be unlocked through Awakening
- +10 Alignment
- Gains powerful bonuses at certain Alignment levels, whether Good, Neutral, or Evil
- Dark
- 2 Shadow Affinity
- Cities suffer fewer penalties from low Stability
- Gains buildings that generate Knowledge as well as boost income from Prisons and Crypts
- Focuses on debuffing enemy units in battle
- -10 Alignment
- Mystic
- 2 Astral Affinity
- Gains additional Mana income buildings
- Focuses on magical units that gain bonuses when spells are cast
- Can find unique pickups that grant additional Mana and Knowledge
Culture is one of the most important decisions when creating a new Faction in Age of Wonders 4, and will decide everything from the player's unit roster to their economic focus. However, no Culture is so tied to a particular playstyle that it can't be modified using Society Traits and Tomes of Magic.
Choosing Society Traits
The next step in the Age of Wonders 4 Faction creator is Society Traits, where players will be able to choose 2 Traits from a list of 18 to further customize their Faction. The Society Traits are divided by Affinity, with 3 options for each of the 6 Affinities: Order, Chaos, Nature, Shadow, Materium, and Astral. Although it can be good to specialize, players aren't bound by their Cultural Affinities when picking Society Traits, and it's perfectly viable to create an unexpected combination like a Dark Culture with the Devotees of Good and Chosen Uniters Society Traits.
Affinities provide progress in the Empire Development system, allowing players to unlock new Empire Skills over time based on how much of each Affinity they have. For example, a Faction with +4 Nature Affinity will progress down the Nature tree and be offered new and increasingly powerful Nature Empire Skills at twice the rate of a Faction with +2 Nature Affinity.
After Culture, Society Traits are probably the second most impactful choice when it comes to dictating how a Faction actually plays. Each one grants a Starting Bonus that will help to define the early-game, as well as powerful features that will give players a reason to specialize their Faction in play. For example, the Wonder Architects Trait greatly incentivizes players to expand in the direction of these powerful structures for additional bonuses. Additionally, the Traits Chosen Uniters, Devotees of Good, Ritual Cannibals, Ruthless Raiders, and Scions of Evil also come with an Alignment adjustment, giving the Faction an additional starting bias toward either Good or Evil.
Starting Tomes of Magic
Once they've chosen their Society Traits, players must pick their first Tome of Magic. These Tomes will decide the other half of the player's starting tech tree, as well as granting +2 to their Affinity, and +5 to strategy World Map and Combat Casting Points.
Order Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of Faith
- Initial bonus includes the Abbey building, which produces Knowledge, and the Mending Touch combat healing spell.
- Focuses on healing and support with spells, units, and buildings, with additional bonuses to Knowledge, Mana, and Free City diplomacy.
- A good choice for a resilient early game, with healing magic able to keep armies healthy and Knowledge bonuses for initial advancements.
- Tome of Zeal
- Initial bonus includes the Circle of Zealotry Province Improvement, which produces Draft, Stability, and counts as a Quarry, and the Condemn battle spell, which lowers Status Resistance.
- Focuses on aggressive buffing spells for both combat and cities, with no additional building options.
- Good for early aggression, combining the Zealot unit with buffs and the Condemnation status to even the odds against superior enemies.
Chaos Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of the Horde
- Initial bonus includes the Mob Camp Province Improvement, which produces Food, Draft, and counts as Forester, and the Battle Seeker Training Hero Skill, which increase the damage of Tier 1 units.
- Focuses on buffing and summoning cheap Tier 1 units, overwhelming enemies with sheer numbers.
- Good for extended aggression and can be combined with other bonuses to Tier 1 units like the Prolific Swarmers Society Trait to create powerful hordes.
- Tome of Pyromancy
- Initial bonus includes the Ritual Pyre Province Improvement, which produces Mana and counts as a Forester, and the Searing Blades Hero Skill, which grants physical attacks additional fire damage and a boost against burning targets.
- Heavily focuses on fire damage, with buffing and direct damage spells as well as two fire-focused units.
- Can greatly boost the power of armies and destroy enemies on and off the battlefield, but comes with no bonuses to cities or empire development.
Nature Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of Roots
- Initial bonus includes the Herbalist Province Improvement, which produces Food, Mana, and counts as a Conduit, as well as the Poison Weapons Hero Skill, which grants physical attacks additional blight damage and a chance to poison targets.
- Focuses on poisoning or immobilizing enemies and healing allies but grants no bonuses outside of combat.
- Good for tough or evasive armies that can survive/avoid direct engagement while their poison does its deadly work.
- Tome of Beasts
- Initial bonus includes the Wildlife Sanctuary Province Improvement, which produces Food, Draft, and unlocks recruitment of animal units, as well as the Pack Leader Hero Skill, which grants bonuses to cavalry and animal units.
- Focuses on summoning and buffing animal and cavalry units.
- Good for quickly building up a strong army and punishing ranged-heavy enemies with swift and aggressive movement.
Shadow Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of Souls
- Initial bonus unlocks the Souls resource, which can be spent to animate the dead, and the Soul Collector Hero Skill to increase Souls collection.
- Focuses on gaining and spending Souls to deal damage, strengthen allies, and create Bone Golems.
- One of the most unusual Tier 1 Tomes, and while complicated to use, can be very effective at building up early strength.
- Tome of Cryomancy
- Initial bonus includes the School of Cryomancy, which produces Knowledge and Mana while near Snow or Ice, as well as the Frost Weapons Hero Skill, which adds additional frost damage to physical attacks.
- Focuses on freezing and slowing enemy units, then inflicting increased damage while they're affected.
- A great choice for an Arctic-adapted Faction, making them much stronger on their home ground.
Materium Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of Rock
- Initial bonus includes the Central Quarry Province Improvement, which produces Production per adjacent Quarry, and the Obsidian Weaponry Hero Skill, which adds a chance to inflict bleeding to physical attacks.
- Focuses on tough defensive spells and units, as well as granting permanent bonuses in rocky areas.
- Great for Underground-adapted Factions, allowing them to maximize their Central Quarries and move more quickly across the rocky terrain.
- Tome of Enchantment
- Initial bonus includes the Runecarver's Camp, which produces Draft and Mana per adjacent Quarry, and the Sundering Strikes Hero Skill, which gives physical attacks the ability to break through defenses and fortified objects.
- Focuses on unit enhancement spells as well as Production and Draft buffs, allowing players to quickly produce units.
- A good Tome for magic-orientated players looking for versatility, as its unit enhancement spells can be turned on and off to meet specific threats.
Astral Affinity Starting Tomes
- Tome of Evocation
- Initial bonus includes the Channeling Tower, which produces Mana per adjacent Conduit, and the Lightning Weapons Hero Skill, which adds lightning damage to physical attacks.
- Focuses on low-cost lightning spells and spellcasting units.
- Good for creating glass-cannon ranged armies that can destroy enemies with stacking lightning damage before they can close to melee.
- Tome of Warding
- Initial bonus includes the Bolstering Support Hero Skill, which boosts Resistance on any unit targeted by a support ability.
- Focuses on defensive magic, mostly boosting Resistance and stunning enemies.
- Good for magic-heavy armies with a focus on survivability, especially with the tough Phantasm Warrior unit summon.
Ruler and Race Customization
The final significant choice that players will make in their Age of Wonders 4 Faction creation journey is picking the origin of their Ruler. The Ruler is the player's immortal starting Hero and the representative of their Faction to other players. A Ruler can either be a Champion or a Wizard King:
- Champion - A Ruler risen from their people
- All Cities gain +10% Gold income and +20 Stability
- All non-Hero units gain +20% Experience
- Start with +100 Relations with Free Cities
- Wizard King - A realm-hopping wizard who has taken control of the Faction by force or diplomacy
- All Cities have +10% Mana income
- +5 World Map and Combat Casting Points per level of the Wizard King
- Wizard Kings have the Overchannel ability in combat, allowing them to cast two spells per turn
Once this decision has been made, all that's left is for players to design the appearance of their Ruler and Race and choose their Ruler's starting weapons and skills. This choice is between Sword and Shield, Greatsword, Bow, Spirit Staff, and Spirit Orb, and decides whether the Ruler is built for melee combat, ranged combat, or support. With this final choice, players will be ready to take their Faction into a new Realm and begin their story.
Age Of Wonders 4 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.