Since Age of Wonders is a strategy game, there are plenty of mechanics that you need to understand which can get a bit overwhelming if you are new to this genre or missed out on the previous game. While it is similar to the previous game, it does do some things differently. You don’t need to worry too much since we are going to give you some useful tips and tricks that will help you get started quickly in our Age Of Wonders 4 beginner’s guide.
Age Of Wonders 4 Tips And Tricks
The following are some tips and tricks that you should keep in mind when playing Age Of Wonders 4:
Explore From The Very Beginning
When you start a game, you get an army and a scout unit. You should immediately have that scout unit explore so that you know what is around you. Exploring will allow you to pick up some valuable resources early on. We even recommend trailing a second scout unit so that you can explore faster and be the first to pick up resources. Multiple scouts will allow you to discover the free cities first and allow you to get a headstart on building a lasting relationship with them.
Invest In Your Throne City Early On
In the first few turns, you should focus on your throne city. Build your population and build structures that focus on producing extra food. The more food the city generates the faster the population will grow.
Space Cities Carefully
Your cities need to be far enough as to not waste resources but close enough for your troops to defend in case there are hostiles nearby. Early on, you should have your troops near your capital since it can easily be taken without much of a fight.
Pick Your Provinces Carefully
As you progress the game and your empire grows, you will need to pick provinces. Pick these carefully since all of them are not equal. Depending on the surroundings, some could generate gold while others might generate mana.
Avoid Investing In Toops Early On
At the start of the game, you should focus on building your city and grabbing resources from the areas around it rather than creating an army. Military troops not only cost resources but have upkeep. If you are unable to pay the upkeep the the troops will become hostile which can be disastrous and end your game very quickly.
Prioritize Imperium
Imperium is a resource that is used for pretty much everything in the game that is why you need to start getting it from the start and plan your strategy accordingly. You will note that you will require a lot of it in the mid to late game. If you want the upgrades from the empire development tree then you will need plenty of Imperium at your disposal. This is the most valuable resource in the game and you should have some of it in your reserves at all times. You can check out our resources guide to learn more about Imperium and the other resources in the game.
Take Advantage Of Ranged Units
You should not underestimate the usefulness of ranged units. Some of them can have AoE attacks that can keep damaging enemy units even when it is not your turn. Have a good mix of units in your army that include both melee and ranged-type units.
Clear Ancient Wonders
Clearing ancient wonders will reward you with Imperium which can help you get your cities up and running quickly. We recommend clearing out the ancient wonders as soon as you can in order to get this game-changing boost. Try finding the bronze landmarks as soon as you can. You can clear the silver ones in the mid-game while the golden ones can be cleared later on.
Recruit As Many Heroes As The Limit
The hero cap is the same as the city cap and you should recruit as many heroes as the limit allows you. This is not a hard cap and you can recruit more than the limit allows you to but there is a penalty. So we do not recommend going over the limit. You will need these heroes to clear ancient wonders or start sieges.
Mounts Give Your Heroes Extra Movement
If you want your heroes to be able to move faster and cover larger distances then you can give them mounts. This will allow you heroes to do more things more often and they will become readily available when needed. This can be especially helpful later on in the game.
Auto Battling Is Not Ideal
There is an auto-battle setting in Age of Wonders but it is not great and your troops will take some damage that could have easily been avoided. This is why we recommend doing manual battles instead unless you have plenty of troops to spare and do not mind the bloodshed.
Get The Chosen Destroyers Pantheon Reward
As you gain Pantheon XP, you will get Pantheon Points that you can exchange for Pantheon rewards. While some are customization-related and cosmetic items there are some really unique traits that are extremely useful. The Chosen Destroyers is one of the best rewards that you can get from the Pantheon. Chosen Destroyers can only have a single city but they get a permanent boost in resource income when they raze an enemy city. You can keep razing cities to hoard and accumulate resources.
Get The Silver Tongued Pantheon Trait
Another great Pantheon reward that you need to get is the Silver Tongued trait. This reduces the cost of deals with free cities by 100%, which means that you can rob them and they will love you for it. This will allow you to quickly make relationships with free cities and make them your vassals early on. So you can expand your empire pretty quickly. If you play strategically then using this trait you should have the most expensive empire in the game in only 40 turns.
These are some of the tips and tricks that we recommend keeping in mind when playing Age of Wonders 4. If you are interested in learning more then you can check out our guide on victory conditions and how you can win the game. YOu can also check out our guide on how you can found new cities.