Age of Wonders 4
Age of Wonders 4

Races & Factions

Understand Age of Wonders 4 races and factions. Customize your empire's culture, form, and magical affinities for unique gameplay.

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Races & Factions

In Age of Wonders 4, your choice of race and faction forms the bedrock of your empire, influencing everything from starting bonuses to unit compositions and strategic doctrines. Unlike previous Age of Wonders titles where races were largely static, Age of Wonders 4 introduces a dynamic system where you customize your faction's culture, physical form, and magical affinities. This guide will walk you through optimizing these choices for various playstyles and victory conditions.

Understanding Faction Creation

When starting a new game, you'll enter the Faction Creation screen. This is where you define your empire's identity. There are three core components:

  • Physical Form: This determines your race's appearance and grants a base racial trait.
  • Society Traits: These are cultural bonuses that offer significant early-game advantages and shape your empire's development.
  • Tome of Magic: Your initial Tome dictates your starting spells, units, and research path, heavily influencing your strategic direction.

Physical Form: Choosing Your Ancestry

Your physical form provides a foundational racial trait that can be incredibly impactful throughout the game. Consider how these traits synergize with your desired playstyle.

  • Humans: A versatile choice, Humans often receive bonuses to city growth or resource generation, making them excellent for expansionist or economic strategies. For instance, a common Human trait might grant +2 Food per Farm, accelerating early city development.
  • Elves: Typically excel in magic or ranged combat. Elven forms often provide bonuses to Mana income or Ranged Unit damage. An example trait could be +10% Ranged Unit Damage, making them ideal for a ranged-heavy army composition.
  • Dwarves: Known for their resilience and production. Dwarven forms usually grant bonuses to Production or Fortification health. A typical trait might be +2 Production per Mine, allowing for faster city and unit construction.
  • Orcs: Focus on aggressive, melee-oriented combat. Orcish forms often provide bonuses to Melee Unit damage or Morale. A trait like +10% Melee Unit Damage can make early rushes incredibly potent.
  • Goblins: Often specialize in subterfuge, population growth, or unconventional tactics. Goblin forms might offer bonuses to population growth or scouting. Consider a trait like +1 Population per City, which can quickly snowball your empire's size.
  • Tigrans: Agile and often focused on flanking or critical hits. Tigran forms can provide bonuses to Critical Hit Chance or Movement Speed. A trait granting +5% Critical Hit Chance for all units can be devastating in combat.

Actionable Tip: Don't just pick what looks cool! If you plan a rush strategy, an Orcish form with Melee Damage bonuses will serve you far better than an Elven form, even if you eventually research melee-focused Tomes.

Society Traits: Cultural Foundations

Society Traits are powerful early-game boons that define your faction's cultural identity. You typically choose two. These traits can significantly impact your early economy, military, or research speed.

  • Chosen Destroyers: Grants bonuses to unit experience gain and combat prowess against neutral units. Excellent for aggressive early exploration and clearing out resource nodes.
    • Strategy: Pair with a strong early-game Tome like the Tome of the Horde or Tome of the Beast to quickly level up your starting units and heroes. Focus on clearing nearby Marauder Camps and Ancient Wonders like the Ruined Keep or Goblin Stronghold for rapid expansion and resource acquisition.
  • Gifted Casters: Provides a starting bonus to Mana income and potentially a free spellcasting unit. Ideal for magic-focused empires.
    • Strategy: Combine with a Tome that has strong early-game spells, such as the Tome of the Archmage or Tome of the Fey. Prioritize building a Mana Conduit in your capital and exploring for Mana Nodes to further boost your magical economy.
  • Industrious: Boosts Production in your cities. Great for rapid city development and unit production.
    • Strategy: Excellent for any victory condition that requires significant infrastructure or military buildup. Prioritize building Workshops and Quarries in your cities. Consider a Dwarven physical form for maximum synergy.
  • Resourceful: Increases Gold income and potentially provides a starting resource bonus. Useful for maintaining a large army or bribing free cities.
    • Strategy: If you plan on a diplomacy-heavy game or need to quickly purchase units from Free Cities, this is a strong choice. Focus on establishing trade routes and building Markets.
  • Sage: Provides a boost to Knowledge income, accelerating your research.
    • Strategy: Essential for players aiming for a Magic Victory or those who want to quickly unlock advanced Tomes. Prioritize building Research Posts and exploring for Knowledge Nodes.

Actionable Tip: Consider your desired victory condition when selecting Society Traits. A Sage trait is crucial for Magic Victory, while Chosen Destroyers supports a military conquest.

Tome of Magic: Your Starting Spellbook

Your initial Tome of Magic is arguably the most critical choice, as it dictates your starting units, spells, and the general direction of your early research. Each Tome belongs to a specific affinity (e.g., Nature, Chaos, Order, Shadow, Astral, Materium).

  • Tome of the Horde (Chaos):
    • Starting Units: Often grants access to cheap, numerous units like Goblin Scavengers or Orc Raiders.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on aggressive buffs, summoning minor units, and morale manipulation. Spells like Frenzy (unit buff) or Summon Lesser Chaos Spawn are common.
    • Strategy: Ideal for early aggression and overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers. Prioritize building a large army and attacking early. Look for opportunities to capture undefended cities or resource outposts.
    • Synergy: Pairs well with Orcish forms and the Chosen Destroyers society trait.
  • Tome of the Fey (Nature):
    • Starting Units: Provides access to nature-themed units like Forest Spirits or Animal Companions.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on healing, growth, and terrain manipulation. Spells like Regrowth (unit heal) or Forest Walk (movement buff) are common.
    • Strategy: Excellent for defensive play, healing attrition, and leveraging terrain advantages. Focus on securing fertile lands and growing your cities.
    • Synergy: Pairs well with Elven forms and the Gifted Casters society trait.
  • Tome of the Zealot (Order):
    • Starting Units: Grants access to disciplined units like Order Initiates or Shieldbearers.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on defensive buffs, morale, and city stability. Spells like Divine Protection (unit defense) or Inspiring Leader (morale buff) are common.
    • Strategy: Strong for building a resilient empire and holding ground. Focus on developing strong defenses and maintaining high morale.
    • Synergy: Pairs well with Human forms and the Industrious society trait.
  • Tome of the Crypt (Shadow):
    • Starting Units: Provides access to undead units like Skeleton Warriors or Zombie Hordes.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on debuffs, necromancy, and draining life. Spells like Decay (unit debuff) or Raise Dead (summon undead) are common.
    • Strategy: Excellent for attrition warfare and overwhelming enemies with expendable units. Focus on raiding and converting enemy units.
    • Synergy: Can pair well with Goblins for sheer numbers, or any form for a unique playstyle.
  • Tome of the Archmage (Astral):
    • Starting Units: Grants access to magical units like Apprentice Mages or Arcane Sentinels.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on direct damage spells, teleportation, and magical buffs. Spells like Magic Missile (direct damage) or Phase Shift (teleport) are common.
    • Strategy: Ideal for players who enjoy direct spellcasting and magical supremacy. Focus on boosting Mana income and researching powerful offensive spells.
    • Synergy: Pairs well with Elven forms and the Gifted Casters society trait.
  • Tome of the Builder (Materium):
    • Starting Units: Provides access to sturdy units like Stone Golems or Dwarven Engineers.
    • Key Spells: Focuses on fortifications, production, and summoning constructs. Spells like Stone Wall (terrain creation) or Summon Lesser Golem are common.
    • Strategy: Excellent for defensive play, rapid city development, and creating powerful siege armies. Focus on fortifying your borders and building strong infrastructure.
    • Synergy: Pairs exceptionally well with Dwarven forms and the Industrious society trait.

Actionable Tip: Your initial Tome choice dictates your early game strategy. If you pick the Tome of the Horde, don't try to play defensively; lean into the aggression. Conversely, with the Tome of the Fey, focus on healing and sustainability.

Advanced Faction Customization: Empire Skills

As your empire grows and you research new Tomes, you'll unlock Empire Skills. These are permanent bonuses that further specialize your faction. While not part of the initial creation, understanding their synergy with your starting choices is crucial.

  • Military Development: Skills that boost unit production, experience, or combat stats.
    • Synergy: Factions focused on conquest (e.g., Orcish forms, Chosen Destroyers, Tome of the Horde) should prioritize these to maintain military superiority.
  • Economy & Infrastructure: Skills that increase Gold, Production, or Food income, or improve city structures.
    • Synergy: Factions aiming for a strong economic base (e.g., Human forms, Resourceful, Tome of the Builder) will benefit greatly from these.
  • Magic & Research: Skills that boost Mana, Knowledge, or spellcasting effectiveness.
    • Synergy: Essential for Magic Victory paths (e.g., Elven forms, Gifted Casters, Tome of the Archmage).

Walkthrough Step: During your first few turns, after establishing your capital, immediately open the Empire Skills tab (default hotkey 'K'). Plan out your first few skill unlocks based on your chosen faction and desired early-game advantage. For instance, if you chose the Tome of the Horde, prioritize a skill like Veteran Recruits to give your early units a combat edge.

By carefully considering the interplay between your Physical Form, Society Traits, and initial Tome of Magic, you can craft a faction perfectly suited to your preferred playstyle and dominate the realms of Age of Wonders 4.