Faction-Specific Strategies

Faction-Specific Strategies

Mastering Age of Wonders 4 requires more than just understanding general game mechanics; it demands a deep dive into the unique strengths and weaknesses of each faction. This section provides detailed, actionable strategies to leverage your chosen faction's distinct advantages, from early-game expansion to late-game domination.

Custom Factions: The Ratkin Hordes Archetype

Creating a custom faction allows for unparalleled strategic flexibility. One popular and potent archetype, often seen in community builds and tutorials like "How to Make Custom Factions like Ratkin Hordes," focuses on rapid expansion, overwhelming numbers, and resource exploitation. This guide will focus on replicating and optimizing a Ratkin Hordes-style custom faction.

Early Game: Swarm and Settle

The core of the Ratkin Hordes strategy is early, aggressive expansion. Unlike some factions that prioritize a few strong cities, your goal is to spread quickly and control as many sectors as possible. This requires a significant investment in Colonizers.

• Initial Build Order:
  1. Turn 1: Immediately begin production of your first Colonizer in your capital. Prioritize any starting resources that boost production.
  2. Scout Deployment: Send your starting scout units (e.g., Skirmishers or Prowlers if you've chosen appropriate racial traits) to explore adjacent sectors. Your primary objective is to locate Cosmite Rifts and other resource nodes.
  3. Resource Focus: Your early economy should heavily lean into Energy and Cosmite. Energy is crucial for unit upkeep and purchasing additional Colonizers, while Cosmite is the bottleneck for rapid expansion.
• Colonizer Rush:
  • Cost Management: Be aware that each subsequent Colonizer becomes more expensive (e.g., +100 Energy, +10 Cosmite). To sustain this, your early colonies should prioritize annexing sectors with high Energy production.
  • Strategic Placement: Always aim to found new colonies in sectors containing a Cosmite Rift. This provides a vital early boost to your Cosmite income, allowing for continuous Colonizer production and the recruitment of stronger units later.
  • Defensive Measures: While expanding, keep a small, mobile force with your Colonizers. Even basic units like Ratkin Warriors can deter minor roaming armies and secure new settlements.
• Technology Path:
  • Prioritize research that enhances unit production speed, reduces Colonizer costs, or boosts Energy/Cosmite income. Look for early Tier 1 or Tier 2 Tomes that offer economic boons or cheap, spammable units.
  • Consider Tomes like the Tome of the Horde for its unit production bonuses and cheap units, or the Tome of the Builder for faster infrastructure development.

Mid Game: Consolidate and Conquer

By the mid-game, you should have a sprawling empire with numerous colonies. The focus shifts from pure expansion to consolidating your holdings, optimizing resource generation, and preparing for larger military engagements.

• Sector Specialization:
  • Energy Hubs: Designate certain cities as primary Energy producers, annexing multiple Energy-rich sectors. These will fuel your growing army and advanced structures.
  • Cosmite Mines: Ensure every colony founded on a Cosmite Rift is fully developed to maximize its output. Research and build structures like the Cosmite Refinery (if available through your chosen Tomes or racial traits) to further boost production.
  • Food & Production: While Energy and Cosmite are paramount, don't neglect Food for population growth and Production for faster building. Balance these needs based on your current strategic goals.
• Army Composition:
  • Tier 1 & 2 Spam: Your strength lies in numbers. Continue to produce large quantities of your faction's core Tier 1 and Tier 2 units (e.g., Ratkin Skirmishers, Ratkin Spearmen). These units are cheap to produce and maintain, allowing you to field multiple armies.
  • Hero Integration: Equip your heroes with artifacts that boost unit morale, provide area-of-effect buffs, or enhance their combat prowess. Look for items like the Banner of the Swarm (custom artifact) or the Amulet of Leadership (common drop) to amplify your horde.
  • Advanced Units: As Cosmite income stabilizes, begin integrating a few powerful Tier 3 or Tier 4 units (e.g., Ratkin Beastmasters with their summoned creatures, or specialized units from your chosen Tomes) to provide punch and tactical flexibility to your swarms. Remember that ultimate units, like the Ratkin Warbeast, often have high upkeep costs (e.g., 2 Cosmite per turn), so manage them carefully.
• Diplomacy:
  • Your aggressive expansion might draw the ire of neighbors. Consider forming defensive pacts or alliances with weaker factions to deter stronger rivals, or use your numerical superiority to intimidate and demand tribute.

Late Game: Overwhelm and Dominate

With a vast empire and a booming economy, the late game is about converting your numerical advantage into decisive victories.

• Strategic Warfare:
  • Multi-Front Attacks: use your numerous armies to launch coordinated attacks on multiple enemy cities or armies simultaneously. This can stretch enemy defenses thin and prevent them from concentrating forces.
  • Siege Tactics: Leverage your sheer numbers to quickly overwhelm city defenses. Units with siege damage or abilities that reduce wall strength are invaluable.
  • Attrition: The Ratkin Hordes excel at wars of attrition. Even if you lose units, your high production capacity allows you to quickly replace them, grinding down opponents who rely on fewer, more powerful units.
• Economic Powerhouse:
  • Continue to develop your cities with advanced economic structures. Research and build structures that provide global bonuses to Energy, Cosmite, and Production.
  • use your excess resources to purchase powerful enchantments, summon mythical units, or accelerate research on game-ending spells.
• Victory Conditions:
  • The Ratkin Hordes excel at Expansion Victory and Military Victory due to their rapid growth and strong armies. Focus your late-game efforts on conquering remaining enemy capitals or securing all required provinces.
  • Consider a Magic Victory if your chosen Tomes provide powerful late-game spells, but be prepared to defend your conduits against determined enemy assaults.