Age of Wonders 4, the new 4X strategy from Triumph Studios, offers players a fantasy sandbox full of magic, mystery, and murder. Instead of a traditional 4X technology tree, players inAge of Wonders 4advance their Faction by unlocking new Tomes of Magic, which are divided into 6 distinct Affinities.
The Materium Affinity offersTomes of Magicmostly focused around economy, industry, and defensive magic. With a balance of tough units, strong cities, and the ultimate in siege-breaking technology, Materium Factions can be dangerous on both attack and defense.
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Tier 1 Materium Affinity Tomes
Tome of Enchantment
The Tome of Enchantment focuses on unit enchantments. It immediately unlocks the Draft and Mana-producingRunecarver’s Campand theSundering StrikesHero Skill.Sundering Blades, Seeker Arrows, and Spell-Tempered Shieldsare three great unit enchantment spells that will boost almost every aspect of the player’s armies, and will continue delivering value for the rest of the game.
Meanwhile,Awakened Toolscan allow a City to rush out units or structures atthe cost of Stability, and theCopper Golemsummon is a reliable early Polearm unit to protect against enemy charges.
Tome of Rock
The Tome of Rock has a strong defensive focus, and immediately unlocks the Production powerhouseCentral Quarryand theObsidian WeaponryHero Skill. TheEarthkinminor race transformation andStone Skinbuff spell can make the player’s armies tough to defeat.Rock Blastis one of the highest Tier 1 single-target damage spells, making it great for targeting glass cannon units.
The Tome of Rock also comes with two new units: the summonableLesser Stone Spirit, a cheap but tough defensive fighter; and the buildableGargoyle, a Tier 2 Shock unit with a boosted Defense Mode.
Tier 2 Materium Affinity Tomes
Tome of Artificing
The Tome of Artificing is one of theearliest Siege-focused Tomes, making it ideal for players pursuing early aggression. Unlocking the Tome immediately grants the Gold-producingGolem Mineand theGolem AssistantHero Skill.
Siege MagicandConstruct Repeater Boltersallow players to both lower their siege times and overcome defenses from a distance. Combined with theArtisan Armamentsunit enchantment, this should give players a boost in taking enemy Cities by force.
On the defensive side, theArtisan Fortification Structureproduces a huge amount of Fortification Health for its tier, as well as adding Bolt Repeater Towers to City defense. Finally, theIron Golemis one of the toughest Shield units in its tier, and can protect both itself and allies from hostile status effects.
Tome of Wind
The Tome of Winds focuses on boosting speed both on and off the battlefield, as well as controlling enemy units. Unlocking the Tome immediately grants theAvenging WindsHero Skill.
TheWind Ragercan split apart enemy formations, while theZephyr Archer’smulti-target damage makes itideal against horde armies. When it comes to spells,Dust Stormimposes the Blind condition to all units within 1-hex, whileAbducting Cyclonecan drag an enemy out of position.
On the Realm map,Favorable WindsandWindborne Scoutsallow players to rush their Scouts and Fleets across oceans and over mountains in record time, making it ideal on maps with lots of natural terrain hazards.
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Tier 3 Materium Affinity Tomes
All Tier 3 Materium Affinity Tomes unlock theSeed of Materium Special Province Improvement,thefirst step toAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory.
Tome of Terramancy
The Tome of Terramancy focuses on physical damage and terrain manipulation, and immediately unlocks theLeaden BlowsHero Skill when chosen.Crushing EarthandSeismic Shockarepowerful combat spells, but are less effective against certain enemies as they only deal physical damage. They work well withSummon Stone Spirit, a versatile fighter unit that can immobilize enemies.
On the world map,Earth Shatterallows players to add the Rocky terrain feature and level mountains, creating more space for their Cities to expand into. Finally,Tremor Ritualis one of the most powerful but expensive Siege Projects in the game, and can quickly break through outer defenses.
Tome of Transmutation
The Tome of Transmutation is extremely versatile, with an overall focus on defensive enchantments. It immediately unlocks theAdaptive ArmorHero Skill.
TheTransmuterunit,Steel Skinminor race transformation, andAdaptive Armorunit enchantment all work together to boost units' overall defenses, making them incredibly tough to take down. Meanwhile,Melt Armordoes the opposite, melting through enemy defense and making them easier to hit.
On the world map,Transmute Resourcesis one of the most interestingstrategic spells inAge of Wonders 4. Turning 75% of a City’s Mana income into Gold, Production, and Food can allow for a radical shift in economic focus, and potentially an entirely different way to fund a Faction.
Tier 4 Materium Affinity Tomes
All Tier 4 Materium Affinity Tomes unlock theRoot of MateriumSpecial Province Improvement,the second step toAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory.
Tome of the Crucible
The Tome of the Crucible crosses the line between Materium andChaos Tomes inAge of Wonders 4, focusing on fire damage and complete devastation. Unlocking the Tome immediately grants the Gold-producingGreat Foundryand theMeteor StrikesHero Skill.
On the battlefield,Meteor Arrows, Meteor Shower,andLava Burstallow players to spread fire damage over a wide area. This can be devastating to horde armies, as their individual units will quickly be overwhelmed by the area-of-effect damage. Meanwhile,Fortified Crucibleprovides one of the biggest defensive Fortification buffs in the game, andPyroclastic Eruptionallows players to apply scorched earth tactics to enemyProvinces and Wonders.
Tome of the Golden Realm
Tome of the Golden Realm is all about the Gold resource, and immediately unlocks the Gold-producingBazaar of Wondersand theGilded MagicHero Skill.
As one of the most economic-focused Tomes of Magic inAge of Wonders 4, Tome of the Golden Realm is more useful off the battlefield. TheReagent RefineryandLuxury MarketsStructures will allow players to both produceand save more Gold, while theGoldtouchedminor race transformation adds +1 Gold for each Population.
On the battlefield, the expensive butpowerfulGold GolemandGilding Blastspell are all about the Gilded status effect. For each unit afflicted with Gilded that they kill in a battle, players will earn a boost of Gold at the end.
Tier 5 Materium Affinity Tomes
Tome of the Creator
The top-tier Materium Tome is the Tome of the Creator, which grants access to theHeart of Materium, the final stage ofAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory, as well as theAncient of EarthHero Skill.
In combat,Tectonic ShatterandCall the Titan of the Earthnot only deal incredible damage, but also have a chance to break enemies out of defense mode or stun them entirely. On the defensive side,Eternal Earthis a huge buff to all elemental units, allowing them to self-resurrect in battle.
Finally, Tome of the Creator unlocks the single strongest Siege Project inAge of Wonders 4,Create Earthshatter Engines. This Project not only removes 10 Fortification HP per turn, it also spawns a pair of the titular Earthshatter Engines when the battle starts. These powerful units can devastate defenses and units alike with their close-range, area-of-effect attacks.
Age Of Wonders 4is available now on PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
