Back in 2023, Age of Wonders 4 was the game that served as a waygate to the never-ending 4X world. Frankly, I was terrified to jump into this genre. I’ve always been more of a cozy gamer, someone who enjoys RPGs casually. But it was this installment that really hooked me, thanks to how many options it offers for all types of players. While I started playing it for its RPG aspects as I built my army of furries to conquer everything, I slowly became addicted to it. And now, I got the chance to play the Rise from Ruin DLC coming to Age of Wonders 4, and in the words of a renowned demon hunter: “You are not prepared.”
The Hare and the Cataclysm
Age of Wonders 4: Rise from Ruin is easily one of the most original culture packs we’ve seen in the game so far, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, despite the cataclysm kicking my butt in every turn.
Before I dive into the new realm trait, let’s talk about Harefolk and Nomad, the new form and culture, respectively. Harefolk are all about mobility during combat. Their traits allow them to pass through friendly units, cross longer distances while fighting, and even get a passive evasion bonus to ranged attack. While these are all great additions, my favorite part of this pack was the Nomad culture.
Since this DLC is launching with a map that is forcing you to move to greener pastures, the Nomad culture is all about staying on the move. There’s even one ability that allows you to pack up your city and go to another area, and I found this quite interesting, especially since the main gimmick is overharvesting nodes to the point that they get ruined.
The playstyle of this culture falls more into a high-risk, high-reward type of gameplay, as you’ll be expanding a couple of your provinces, and then move to a more strategic spot to continue to do that. However, it has some disadvantages, as you’ll need more food to increase your population, forcing you to think twice before expanding your provinces.
This culture really ups the challenge when it comes to managing resources and expanding. But I liked a more on-the-move type of gameplay, especially since I’m usually stick to a few locations in every campaign I run. Yet, the biggest challenge was, undoubtedly, the new realm traits.
The Devouring Winds is a trait that has a chance to trigger a Cataclysm every time you cast a spell. If the spell backfires, a Cataclysm will occur at a province, creating an Astral Barrens terrain and spawning an infestation. You can restore the province by dealing with the infestation, but it is something rulers will have to carefully consider before diving in.
The truth is that this new realm trait became my favorite, as it forced me to look for a more rudimentary and magicless playthrough to avoid destroying the whole map. Naturally, this realm trait pairs perfectly with the new Nomad culture, so moving away from the Astral Barrens wasn’t so bad, but it is definitely a challenge, as Cataclysms can affect the province you were looking to claim.
Another thing I liked was the emphasis on exploration. Many quests revolved around finding specific locations while avoiding Cataclysms and expanding your civilization amid the mayhem. This pack does an excellent job at expanding the strategy layers of the game, and I hope the next DLCs raise the bar even higher because Rise from Ruin definitely sets a new standard.
The Most Challenging Pack to Date
Overall, I had a blast with Age of Wonders 4: Rise from Ruin due to the many new additions. Still, I do believe this is one of the most challenging packs we’ve seen, and one that might force a few veteran rulers to lower that difficulty until they get the hang of these new systems. Difficulty aside, though, I loved what Triumph Studios brought to the game, as this DLC is, hands down, one of the most original and immersive I’ve played ever since the game launched.
