Age of Wonders 4

Lore & Background

At the end of Shadow Magic, the warring Wizard Kings and Shadow Demons were banished from Athla, ushering the Third Age as a lower-magic era. The Human Commonwealth's renaissance empire filled the power vacuum. When wizards such as Yaka, Karissa, and Nimue left Athla for the Shadow Realm, Merlin sealed their return path, leaving them stuck in the void between realms. The Torment of Shadows scarred and mentally warped them for centuries in Eldritch domains, though some claimed new domains and followers. The scheming Shadowborn helped the Wizard Kings escape their otherworldly prisons and return to Athla to establish themselves as gods over mortals.

The Fourth Age heralds a new beginning where magical forces flow freely again. The returning Wizard Kings first preyed on bountiful and harmonic realms to hone their skills. A new mortal ruler rises to protect the Fields of Rebirth from invasion, ascending to Godirhood on Athla and challenged by old Wizard Kings reclaiming realms from which they were banished. The conflicts occur on Athla and other worlds within the Astral Sea. Only by ascending to Godir can the mortal champion save the people from dangers beyond the World Gates. The fate of all Godir in the Astral Sea is threatened by an unfolding grand plot in Magehaven.

Athla is one of the oldest worlds, with great natural beauty and magical potency due to the convergence of Astral Flows. All worlds beyond Athla are connected through the vast ethereal ocean called the Astral Sea. The gathering of Godir on Magehaven became known as the Pantheon. The most important alliances are the lawful Covenant and the conniving Shad’rai. The Covenant want to uphold ancient agreements of peace and stability; the chaotic Shad'rai believe no power should be hidden and invade worthy realms for domination.

Reader's Guide

Age of Wonders 4 represents a return to the high fantasy setting of the main series after the sci-fi detour of Planetfall. The game introduces a new narrative engine with encounters, diplomacy, and event reactions, though it lacks a linear story campaign with missions. Instead, players engage with story missions and narrative events within a sandbox framework. The tech tree is organized into over 50 tomes of magic, divided among six affinities: Order, Chaos, Nature, Materium, Astral, and Shadow. Each affinity is opposed to another and focuses on a certain damage type. Affinity determines hero perks, empire perks, higher-tier tomes, and how other factions receive the player. Victory can be achieved through four main methods: Military, Expansion, Magic, or a fifth added by the Empires & Ashes DLC. The game offers two turn system options—Classic Turns and Simultaneous Turns—with battles retaining the classic turn order. Faction creation and evolution systems, along with an enhanced avatar character creator, allow deep customization. Realms can be customized with traits such as geography, climate, inhabitants, and environmental effects, though no map editor is provided for designing continent shapes. The city domain expands based on population growth, and Imperium is the resource for empire management. Combat features a new morale system, clearly defined unit roles, and a new siege system with preparations and options for defenders.

Did You Know?

• The game includes 20 official factions in the base game: eleven led by mortal Champions and nine led by Wizard Kings.
• There are 10 physical forms in the base game: Human, Dwarfkin, Elfkin, Feline, Goblinoid, Halfling, Molekin, Orcoid, Ratkin, and Toadkin.
• The Magic Victory requires binding Gold Ancient Wonders and summoning an 'Age of Magic' from a fifth-tier magical Tome.
• Magehaven is a world in the Astral Sea where the Godir hold their forum of dispute and council, protected by an unbreakable spell.

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