Age of Wonders 4is a 4X strategy filled with fantasy and adventure, challenging players to lead their custom Faction from humble beginnings to world domination. In lieu of a traditional 4X technology tree,Age of Wonders 4instead features the Tomes of Magic, books of spells, units, and structures for players to unlock.
The Tomes of Magicare divided into the game’s 6 Affinities, and the Order Affinity Tomes are all about healing magic for the faithful and the wrath of heaven for the heretic. Several of the Order tomes work together by imposing and punishing the Condemned status effect or by making more of the player’s units Faithful or Zealous.
Tier 1 Order Tomes
Tome of Faith
The Tome of Faith focuses on healing and support and immediately unlocks the Knowledge-producingAbbeyand theMending TouchHero Skill.
TheStaves of Mendingunit enchantment spell grants an upkeep reduction and healing ability to all of the player’s Support units, no matter their origin. This includes theChaplainunit unlock, which also has its own heal and support abilities, allowing players to keep their units alive whileWrath of the Faithfuldestroys their enemies.
On the world map,Army Healis a rare out-of-combat healing spell, and theConventStructure grants a huge amount of Knowledge and Mana if the player manages to keep their city stable. Finally,Faithful Whisperscan be a massive buff in the early game, allowing Tome of Faith players tobeat other Factions in the raceto earn the loyalty of a Free City.
Tome of Zeal
The Tome of Zeal is the first of a pair of Tomes thatfocus on Zealous unitsand Condemned enemies and immediately unlocks the Draft-producingCircle of Zealotryand theCondemnHero Skill.
On the battlefield, the Tome of Zeal is all about the Condemned status effect, which lowers Status Resistance and increases damage from Zealous units.Condemnationcan be used to apply Condemned, which units like theZealotand any that have been enchanted withLegion of Zealcan then take advantage of. This combo can be further enhanced withInspiring Chant,boosting the damage of all Zealous units.
Finally, players can useFanatical Workforceto massively increase the Production in a City at the cost of Food for 3 turns. This can be very useful for rushing out an important or defensive structure or getting downa Special Province Improvementearly to take full advantage of its benefits.
Tier 2 Order Tomes
Tome of the Beacon
The Tome of the Beacon focuses on Faithful units andFree City diplomacyand immediately unlocks theChampion of the FaithfulHero Skill.
Mighty Meekgrants the Faithful trait to all Tier 1 units, as well as scaling damage against high Tier enemies. This can strengthen the player’s frontline while they focus on ranged units like theLightbringer, which has an ability that can convert enemy units for a short time. In addition, theDivine Beaconworks very well with this kind of defensive army composition, providing a constant heal and Morale buff within a 2-hex radius.
On the world map, players can useCovenant of the Faithto double-down on aVassalized Free City, granting extra Imperium and adding Faithful to all that City’s units recruited through Rally of the Lieges. If the player’s Vassal comes under attack, they can castBlessed Reinforcementsto add a pair of tough Blessed Souls units to their ally’s army.
Tome of the Inquisition
The Tome of the Inquisition builds on the Tome of Zeal with a focus on Condemned and Zealous units. It also immediately unlocks the Gold-producingTithe CollectorandZealHero Skill.
Inquisitor’s Zealis the Legion of Zeal spell but for ranged Units, granting increased damage against Condemned targets and bonus accuracy. The Tome of Inquisition also features 2 new ways to inflict Condemned, using theMass Condemnationspell or the abilities of theInquisitorSkirmisher unit.
On the world map, theTribunalStructure cankeep a City’s Stability highto maximize productivity while also granting +1 Knowledge per Population. Finally, theBurden of Guiltcan be used to damage and slow enemy armies, either giving a friendly City time to prepare or stopping a fleeing enemy from escaping.
Tier 3 Order Tomes
Each of the Tier 3 Order Affinity Tomes also unlocks the Seed of Order Special Province Improvement, thefirst step forAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory.
Tome of Sanctuary
The Tome of Sanctuary focuses on healing and defensive magic and immediately unlocks the Mana-producingSanctuaryand theSanctifyHero Skill.
Keeper’s Markadds the Faithful Trait to almost all melee unit types, as well as a special buff that makes them immune to damage for 1 turn the first time they would have been reduced to 0 HP in a battle. This, combined withSalvationandHealing Spires, makes the player’s armies incredibly durable.
TheAnointed Peopleminor race transformation spellonly increases the toughness of the player’s units, granting the entire race extra Status and Spirit Resistance. Finally,Consecrated Domainmakes sure that the player’s units are also safe from Morale and magical damage, provided they’re fighting in the Domain of the target City.
Tome of Subjugation
Taking inspiration from theChaos Tomes of Magic, the Tome of Subjugation is all about conquest and intimidation and immediately unlocks theTerrifying AuraHero Skill.
TheTyrant Knightis one of thestrongest Shock units inAge of Wonders 4and can inflict both HP and Morale damage with its devastating charge. This is particularly effective when all Shock units are being buffed with theIntimidation Aura, which doubles down on Morale damage. When the weight of this Morale damage becomes too much, players can target routing enemy units withFinal Ultimatum, forcing them to either switch sides or die.
The Tome of Subjugation is great for conquering enemy Cities, with theSubjugating RaidSiege Project able to steal away Population whether the final assault is a success or a failure. Once an enemy City has been conquered, theBaron’s Palacewill keep Stability high and also generate a huge amount of Gold.
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Tier 4 Order Tomes
Each of the Tier 4 Order Affinity Tomes also unlocks the Root of Order Special Province Improvement, the second step inAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory.
Tome of Exaltation
The Tome of Exaltation is the final part of the Faithful build, enhancing Faithful units with a range of powerful spells. It immediately unlocks the Imperium-producingRuler’s Statueand theExalted BrillianceHero Skill.
TheAngelizemajor race transformation may be expensive, but it comes with some of the best buffs inAge of Wonders 4,granting Flying movement and the Celestial and Faithful traits to all members of the race. AlongsideAscended Warriors, this can allow an Order player to quickly build up their elite angelic armies.
Taking advantage of all of this faith is theShrine of Smiting, which gets a bonus to its primary attack based on the number of Faithful units in the army. Although the Shrine will weaken as Faithful units die, players can simply revive them usingResurrect Unit. Finally, theTemple of the Exaltedis auseful City Structurethat boosts Mana, Stability and doubles all Governor income bonuses.
Tome of Supremacy
The Tome of Supremacy is an all-rounder Tome with a slight focus on Condemned enemies and immediately unlocks theSupreme MagicHero Skill.
Granting the same effect asthe Hero Skillof the same name, theSupreme Magicunit enchantment spell adds Zeal to all Support and Battle Mage units and makes their attacks explode enemy units whenever they get a kill. This damage can be further boosted by usingCondemn Army, the final and most powerful Condemn-based spell, which comes with 20 Spirit Damage and stays with the target army for 3 turns.
Alongside these abilities, the Tome of Supremacy also contains the powerfulEagle RiderShield unit and theAnthem of Victorybuff spell to further enhance its strength. Finally,Monument of Supremacycan be used to massively boost Draft income and City Stability.
Tier 5 Order Tome
Tome of the God Emperor
The final Order Affinity Tome is all about powerful support spells and immediately unlocks theHeart of OrderSpecial Province Improvement, the final stage inAge of Wonders 4’s Magic Victory, as well as theConjure Dome of ProtectionHero Skill.
TheDivine ProtectionandMass Revivespells combine to make it incredibly difficult for the player to lose units, with the former restoring all killed units after a victorious battle and the latter resurrecting all dead units that have Faithful or Zeal.
On the offensive side,Exalted Championis one of thestrongest buff spells inAge of Wonders 4, and can turn a single unit into an unstoppable killing machine for 3 turns. Finally,Wrath of the Emperorcan deal massive damage to enemy armies on the Realm map, as well as Demoralizing and Condemning them.
Age Of Wonders 4is available now on PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.
