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Of all the games I have in my neverending backlog, Age of Wonders 4 is the only one I visit quite often. Why is that? Without turning this into a book, it’s because it is one of the few that genuinely sells you that sense of endless fantasy. From creating a frog army riding spiders to imbuing your units with flaming bodies, the options are just too many to count. And when you think you can finally memorize everything it has, a new DLC arrives to enhance this pantheon. Fortunately, Ways of War falls into the same stellar category as previous content packs for Age of Wonders 4.
A Three-Pronged Culture
Naturally, a DLC for Age of Wonders 4 wouldn’t be one without a new culture, and Ways of War has one of the best. When I picked the Oathsworn, I couldn’t help but remember a bit of how the Primal Culture worked. In that one, you could choose between different Primal Animals that would determine your affinity and other traits. In that sense, the Oathsworn provides players with three Oath options. You can pick between Harmony, which looks to unify the land. Righteousness focuses on doing good deeds while staying away from evil-aligned options. Lastly, Strife is all about razing cities and bringing war to the realms.
While I always play the goodie-two-shoes in Age of Wonders 4, I wanted to try something different for once in Ways of War. So, I created a custom faction of Simians who followed the Strife Oath. As a war-focused faction, all I had to do was focus on beating enemies stronger than me and demolishing everything in my path. At first, I was a bit nervous. I always let the free cities roam around or even welcome them into my empire. But now, I was destroying every single mythical creature I encountered, and it felt great.
On top of that, the new Devotion mechanic is highly engaging. Each action you perform increases or decreases your faction’s devotion. For example, as Oathsworn following the Oath of Strife, I had to focus on starting wars, defeating stronger enemies, razing cities, and defeating every single enemy during combat. While it was challenging because I never befriended a single NPC, it was quite entertaining. Plus, the more devotion you get, the bigger the bonuses for your units. In the case of my Oath, I got increased fire damage. However, those following Harmony get increased healing, and the Rightgeous Oath gains Spirit damage.
As always, this new culture adds another level of customization to a match. It is highly customizable despite having only three Oaths to pick from. Take me, for example. I focused on Tier 1 units with the Tome of the Horde while adding a few new ones to the fray (more on that later). By the end of the game, I had an army of small flaming minions razing towns left and right. That was my combination, but knowing the creative community of AoW 4, players will likely go wild creating the ultimate Oathsword.
More Forms and Tomes
Age of Wonders 4: Ways of War also brings two new forms and four Tomes. For the former, you have the Simian and Ogrekin. Simians focus on faster morale gains, movement traits that let you pass through friendly units, and increased evasion against ranged attacks. The second one, Ogrekin, gets increased resistance against fire, additional HP recovery, and higher hit points. While I loved the design of both, the Ogrekin felt miles better in terms of gameplay. As moving bastions, it was always too alluring to pick them for almost all my runs. Still, it was pretty amusing to play as Simians, but they felt a bit squishy during the early game.
On the other hand, the new Tomes are some of my favorites regarding roleplaying and gameplay. At Tier 1, you get the Tome of Discipline. Choosing it unlocks the Monk unit and gives you bonuses to healing, melee and ranged attacks, and even increased resistance. The best, though, was the Tome of Shades at Tier 2. This one gives you a Shade unit and more covert-like spells to turn your faction into a group of anthropomorphic killers. The Tier 4 Tomes are equally outstanding, with one focusing on Calamity and the other on Prosperity. I could ramble for hours about these two, but I prefer to leave the surprises for you to discover. Spoiler alert: they are pretty powerful.
Aside from the Tomes and forms, there is a new challenge realm for players to try: the Golden Glades. In it, three Godir look to rebuild it in their image, which matches the DLC’s tone of the three-pronged culture. Right off the bat, you already have rivalries, which I quite liked since it added a fast-paced scenario of sorts. Instead of taking my time like I usually do in other realms, I had to amass an army faster and keep an eye on my faction’s Oath. While it had a slow start, once the mid-game kicked in, it was pure mayhem. It might’ve been my fault for declaring war on anyone, but it was highly amusing.
A Realm Like No Other
While the gameplay aspect might be some people’s most important aspect, I want to take a moment to talk about how gorgeous the art for Ways of War is, truly one of the best in Age of Wonders 4. As someone who’s always been enamored by everything in it, from races to cultures and even the whacky mounts, Ways of War is gorgeous in every single way.
Inspired by East Asian mythology, this new DLC brings some of the most unique creatures, equipment, and customizable races we’ve seen. Take the Simians, for example. If you’re feeling creative, you can create your own version of the Monkey King or go bananas (pun intended) and craft something entirely unique. With the new customization options, I have to say the art department nailed the mythological feeling that inspired this expansion.
However, it isn’t limited to the new forms only. As I traveled through the new realm, I couldn’t help but spot all sorts of new wildlife. From serpent dragons to ogres and other imposing creatures hiding in all corners of the map, every creature was terrific. Plus, the detail of everything is jaw-dropping. Often, I took the time to zoom into my capital city to see the details of the new structures. Also, the combat animations are so perfectly designed and add to the epicness of the new units. In short, it is a visual masterpiece.
A Great Addition to This Mythical Pantheon
I won’t lie to you. When I saw the release of Eldritch Realms, a bittersweet feeling hit me. I thought Age of Wonders 4 had played its last melody. But when I saw the announcement of the second expansion pass, I was over the moon. While it launched with a DLC, I was eagerly waiting for Ways of War, and fortunately, it was even greater than I anticipated.
Once more, Triumph Studios has proven that it understands its audience and is more than ready to pour all its heart into another impressive DLC. Age of Wonders 4: Ways of War is another flawless addition to this huge pantheon of greatness. Even if there is more content coming our way, this content pack will give you the perfect excuse to dive back into these realms full of conflict, unique creatures, and the endless customization and replayability we all love.
