Age of Wonders 4: Thrones of Blood Review - Slick, Edgy, and Challenging

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One of the games that always manages to pull me in with its in-depth DLCs is Age of Wonders 4. It has this power that always entices me to create a new faction, which keeps getting better as new cultures, tomes, and other features are thrown into the mix. This time, the edgy and cool kids of the block have finally arrived in the realms of Age of Wonders 4, and I’m talking about the vampire culture of Thrones of Blood. However, this DLC doesn’t just bring one of the most intricate and edgiest rulers in the game; it brings one of the most challenging scenarios ever, and many mechanics that will hook you in for hours.

Embrace the Night

The most significant addition in Thrones of Blood is the new Vampire ruler. This new being of the night introduces a set of mechanics that really embrace vampirism in a way no other 4X game has before.

First, you’ll pick your culture as usual, your tomes, which now include one of the new ones that I’ll go over later, and when going for your ruler, you can pick Elder Vampire. Leaning into the blood-siphoning fantasy, Elder Vampires thrive in the dark, gaining bonuses when in Sunless terrain. However, since they are tagged as undead creatures, they are also weak to anything that affects that unit type.

Initially, I thought they would be a glass cannon of sorts, but the truth is that Elder Vampires pack a bloodthirsty punch. I played with both a custom and pre-made faction, and was able to see the new Elder Vampire skill tree that brought new passive and active abilities, such as one skill that made a blood pact with a friendly unit for some buffs and healing, and another one that siphoned blood from enemies and caused debuffs if you invested the right skill points on the tree.

I went with a warrior Elder Vampire and then a Mage, and I had more fun as the latter, as I feel the Vampire skill tree favors the caster type more than those who prefer fighting in melee. Yet, that doesn’t mean they are helpless, as with any other hero or ruler in the game, there are plenty of options to create some combinations that will eventually lead you to victory.

Overall, I enjoyed the ruler more than I thought I would, especially because it adds several mechanics that make you feel like an actual vampire ruling over a dark, gloomy civilization. You have Thralls that you can use to cast certain spells, and you even get the ability to build your Vampire Castle, which has specific bonuses if you have heroes in its crypts. It is a highly immersive addition to the already packed game that will allow for some interesting combinations when crafting a Vampire civilization in any of the magical realms.

The Most Challenging Story Realm

While I enjoyed my time roaming the land as an Elder Vampire, the truth is that the highlight of Thrones of Blood, at least for me, is the story realm. These realms always have a narrative with conflicts between civilizations or a grand quest you must complete. The one in this DLC isn’t an exception.

Without going into much detail, to avoid spoilers, you return to the realm that saw the origins of Vampires, and it is up to you to choose its fate. You’ll get the option to side with vampire hunters, or any of the two remaining Elder Vampires of this land, and let me tell you, it is one of the most challenging and intricate realms I’ve ever played.

As soon as the story kicked off, I got the option to side with either the hunters or one of the two Vampire lords. I went with the first option, as I wanted to be a neutral lord of the night, and let me tell you, I did not measure the consequences of my action. Enemies bombarded me in just a few rounds, which led to my city being razed and my ruler getting a stake through his heart —or, well, that was my headcanon.

In any case, in round two, I picked one of the premade factions and jumped into the realm again. I became the ally of one of the Vampire lords this time, which also put me in a dangerous situation against two other factions. I managed to beat the realm after many, many rounds, but at the end, I felt as if I had only scratched the surface, as there were other scenarios I didn’t experience, such as those of the Lost Souls, who give you some objectives to know more of the lore surrounding the first vampires.

Overall, if you’re looking for a more narrative-driven experience when playing Age of Wonders 4, Thrones of Blood stands as one of the best we’ve seen since the game’s launch, and one that has many branching paths, challenging objectives, and many features that will test even the most hardcore rulers out there. Frankly, I didn’t expect to like it that much, as I always go for a custom realm, but boy, I couldn’t stop diving back into this one due to how great it is.

Vampire Fantasy At Its Finest

Another thing that enthralled me (no vampire pun intended there) was the fact that Thrones of Blood leans heavily into the vampire fantasy and excels at it. Beyond the top-notch customization options, gothic-like structures for your buildings, and the many vampire-themed upgrades, there are also three new tomes that will make your civilization the deadliest and edgiest in the realm.

The first one you’ll be able to obtain, and one you can actually pick right at the start, is the Tome of Blood. This one kickstarts your journey as an Elder Vampire, offering you plenty of choices to damage your foes at the cost of inflicting some pain on your armies. For instance, one spell allows you to damage your unit, but then applies a bleeding effect to enemies, which creates a powerful combo if you have the new and cool-looking Blood Drinking Blades, which heal your units if they attack a bleeding enemy.

The Tome of Torment, which will take a bit longer to unlock, is all about applying debuffs to enemies, but also buffing your armies whenever they take damage. One key aspect of this Tome, for example, is giving your armies a morale boost whenever they get hit. Combine that with some of the spells of the Tome of Blood, and you’ll have an army that loves pain, but also loves to dish it out.

Last but not least, the Tome of Crimson Reign is all about leeching effects. This one will take a while to get, and there’s some work you need to do to make it actually shine. This Tome also includes one of the best-looking units in the game, and one that can actually raze the battleground if played right.

Another Stellar DLC

Thrones of Blood is yet another superb addition to Age of Wonders 4. While I’m not the biggest vampire fan out there, as I always prefer the more paladin-like and goodie-two-shoes characters, this DLC is the one that finally convinced me to embrace the darkness and go on a blood-siphoning rampage. It may be difficult to use for some newcomers, but for those looking for a gratifying new challenge, this ruler type will keep them occupied for a long time.

And if vampires aren’t your thing, the new Tomes change many features in the game, such as units from specific tiers, and make the whole Shadow affinity gameplay shine even more. Whether you want to enter the fray as a creature of the night or use these powerful spells as another culture, Thrones of Blood is a must-have for all wizard kings out there.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Age of Wonders 4: Thrones of Blood (PC Reviewed)

9 Superb

Age of Wonders 4: Thrones of Blood adds one of the most unique ruler types we've seen thus far. While they might be a bit challenging for newcomers, veterans will have a field day while embracing the darkness and becoming the edgiest vampire lord possible.