Age of Wonders 4 News

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Welcome back, Godir and curious Mortals alike. I am Thomas Schuiten, Senior Designer at Triumph studios and today we continue our look at the Architect Culture, in particular their units and how they can be used in combat![/p][p] [/p][h2]Architect Units[/h2][p]The Architect units each have a slight twist on their role, providing off-role utility that gives them unique uses. In addition these units often gain additional benefits from Affinity Incarnate, meaning they remain relevant into the late game as long as enough Monuments are built.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Architect units adapt based on the Dominant Affinity of the Empire, both visually and in their damage type.[/p][p][/p][p]Their units adapt their (non-physical) damage type to their Dominant Affinity (highest empire Affinity), letting you lean in to builds that make extended use of specific damage types (such as going full Astral lightning and inflicting lots of lightning weakness!)[/p][p][/p][p]Aesthetically each Architect unit wields an enchanted item I will refer to as their artisan item, these represent the ancient craftsmanship and enchantment techniques that the Architect still use to great effect.[/p][p][/p][h2]Unit Line Up[/h2][p][/p][p]Surveyor[/p][p][/p][p]Architect cultures seek Wonderstone to build their Monuments, the Surveyor is vital to this goal as they scout the map for Magic Materials and Survey those provinces to give an early supply of the valuable Wonderstone.[/p][p][/p][p]They do this through the Survey Materials ability, this functions similar to the Industrious Culture’s Prospecting - find provinces containing Magic Materials and click on the pin when in the province to start Surveying.[/p][p][/p][p]Surveyors do not require mounts to rapidly scout the map, their artisan item being greaves enhanced with an uncanny speed. This is not the only oddity of this scout unit however, unlike other scouts who wield bows or crossbows as their ranged weapons, Surveyors use bolts like a Battlemage would. The damage type of these bolts is dependent on the Dominant Affinity of the Empire. Thus if your highest affinity is Chaos, they will deal fire damage, while if your empire is predominantly Materium, your Surveyors will throw Steel Bolts inflicting physical damage instead![/p][p][/p][p]I would advise any Architect empire to recruit an additional Surveyor or two early in the game, to locate settlement locations and secure your income of Wonderstone early.[/p][p][/p][p]Cultivator[/p][p][/p][p]The Cultivator is a core unit to Architect cultures, a tier 1 Support unit that links to a friendly unit to empower them during the battle.[/p][p][/p][p]Being only the second Tier 1 support in the game (the other being the Lithorine Core from Giant Kings) and the first cultural Tier 1 support, the Cultivator is in a unique position of availability and ubiquity compared to other cultures’ support units, especially in the early game.[/p][p][/p][p]The main purpose of the Cultivator is to provide Affinity Incarnate, This is done through their primary ability which links to the target friendly unit and grants them stacks of Affinity Incarnate, the type of Affinity Incarnate given depends on the culture’s Dominant Affinity. (Thus if we have a predominantly Chaos Affinity empire, this link will provide Chaos Incarnate)[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]In addition this link gives a weak, but steady source of healing each turn, and perhaps more notably, grants a dispel of a single negative status effect each turn. Insulating the cultivator’s target from the limited debuffs.[/p][p] [/p][p]The primary attack of the Cultivator inflicts status effect weakness, setting the target up for inflicting burning, electrified, frozen or other powerful status effects you may seek to build into.[/p][p][/p][p]The Cultivator combines extremely well with units that are expected to take hits, one such unit is next on the list; The Earthbreaker![/p][p][/p][p]Earthbreaker[/p][p][/p][p]The Earthbreaker forms the frontline of many early game Architect armies, a tough Tier 1 shock unit that can provide disruption with a decent chance to survive the encounter.[/p][p][/p][p]The Earthbreaker has a Sweeping Charge attack, letting it disrupt defensive formations and effectively fight a more numerous foe. After using this charge, the Earthbreaker enters Defense Mode which greatly boosts its survivability against anything but a dedicated countercharge.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, the Earthbreaker gains more survivability into the late game thanks to its passive: Incarnate Fortitude, this grants it additional Max HP for each stack of Affinity Incarnate on this unit. One might see why the Earthbreaker is an excellent partner for the Cultivator to link with![/p][p][/p][p]This survivability and AoE utility comes at a cost, the Earthbreaker deals significantly less damage than other Shock units do, and the secondary targets of its Sweeping Charge take only 20% of that damage. This means that an Architect Culture will need to seek out effective damage dealers early on, either in their Tier 2 units or through Tomes.[/p][p][/p][p]Shademaker[/p][p][/p][p]The Shademaker is a powerful Tier 2 Ranged damage dealer, using their Titanbows they bring down any monster that would threaten the Architect’s projects.[/p][p][/p][p]Uniquely the Shademaker’s Titanbow has Giantslayer, letting them deal with the largest targets and partially fulfil the role of a polearm for the Architects. In addition, half the damage type of their primary attack is determined by the Dominant Affinity, thus should you be an Astral focused ruler who inflicts lots of lightning weakness, the Shademaker will play into this naturally.[/p][p][/p][p]The Shademaker also has a powerful means of subduing attackers in the Incarnate Shot, an AoE ranged attack that gains a chance to inflict Weakened for every stack of Affinity Incarnate the Shademaker has.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Shademakers function as the culture’s primary damage dealers while providing a way to soften the impact of massed enemies and thin their numbers through Incarnate Shot. They are soft targets once engaged in melee however, so keep the enemy disrupted with your Earthbreakers, and ensure you bring a frontline that can take a hit such as our next unit; The Guardian.[/p][p][/p][p]Guardian[/p][p][/p][p]The Guardian will be your anvil, while Earthbreakers provide disruption, this Tier 2 Shield unit provides the tough frontline brawlers for the Architect culture. Designed to be tough above all else while withering away at adjacent enemies and leaving them vulnerable to their allies’ strikes.[/p][p][/p][p]The Guardian’s basic attack does low damage for a Tier 2 shield unit, but it has access to First Strike, letting it weaken any incoming attackers before they strike them.[/p][p][/p][p]Their relatively low attack damage is offset by two powerful passive effects however, the first is Incarnate Disruption, which reduces the Damage Resistance of adjacent enemy units per stack of affinity Incarnate the Guardian has. [/p][p][/p][p]The Damage Resistance reduced is based on the stacks of Affinity Incarnate, thus should the Guardian have one each of Astral Incarnate and Chaos Incarnate, adjacent enemies will suffer -1 Lightning and -1 Fire Resistance.[/p][p][/p][p]The second is Incarnate Retaliation, forcing attackers to take damage based on the stacks of Affinity Incarnate on the Guardian. This damage may not seem like a lot, but it can quickly escalate to significantly more painful numbers, especially with some assistance from the Cultivator.[/p][p][/p][p]Architect[/p][p][/p][p]And now for the Tier 3, often the defining unit of a culture, the Architect is a Tier 3 Support unit, however it fills a very different role to its Tier 1 Colleague. [/p][p][/p][p]The Architect is a simple but powerful support capable of providing distraction and damage through their Conjure Affinity Tesseract ability, which lets them summon a stationary structure in combat that flings magic damage towards the enemy and provides an alternate target. Clever Architects may even conjure the Tesseract in chokepoints to buy time for their ranged units to do the damage, or protect vulnerable support elements. The Damage type of the Tesseract is based on the Dominant Affinity.[/p][p][/p][p]But what makes the Architect a true powerhouse of a Tier 3 Support is Incarnate Restoration, an immensely powerful heal that scales even harder as their empire builds more Monuments and gains more Affinity Incarnate. This ability quickly becomes the most powerful single target heal available, making Architects an excellent support for powerful Dragon or Giant Rulers, or any other linchpin unit with a healthy pool of HP.[/p][p][/p][p]Lastly should those abilities be unavailable, its basic blast attack gives it a decent way to contribute to the fight still, inflicting Sundered Resistance and Defense.[/p][p][/p][p]While the Architects are not a particularly cavalry focused culture, both the Architect and Cultivator may optionally have mounts should you choose to bring any mount traits. This gives you access to quite capable and extremely mobile support units.[/p][p][/p][h2]Research[/h2][p]The Architect culture like all cultures has three Research skills available to it:[/p][p][/p][p]Incarnate Mark is a unit enchantment that lets non-culture units benefit from Affinity Incarnate as provided by the Monuments.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Conjure Elemental is a tactical summon spell that lets you summon a lesser elemental spirit based on your Dominant Affinity. So if your empire prefers Order, this handy spell may grant you the new Lesser Light Spirit to provide additional support. While if you wish to fill the gaps of your damage better perhaps Chaos’ Lesser Magma Spirit would be of greater use.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p]Resilient Incarnation is a tactical buff spell, letting you significantly increase the Defense and Resistance of a vulnerable formation of friendly units. Units in the 1-hex AoE gain Resistance and Defense, that increases with each stack of Affinity Incarnate they have.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]I hope this proved to be an interesting insight into the new Architect Culture and what they can do, they should prove a very flexible culture that supports a wide array of builds and playstyles, with a focus on the late game. I look forward to seeing what you make of it when the long wait is over and Archon Prophecy releases![/p][p][/p][h3]Get Expansion Pass 2:[/h3][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Follow us and be the first to know when we drop new content! [/p]

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[p][/p][p][/p][p]Welcome Godir one and all. I am Thomas Schuiten, Senior Designer at Triumph (I’ve gotten older) and on this day, as was foreseen by the Archons, we are going to be speaking of the newest culture emerging in the Realms: the Architects![/p][p][/p][p]Prepared to shape the realm to their designs.[/p][p][/p][h2]Architect who?[/h2][p]The Archons were behind many of the great wonders you find around the Realms, they did not build these alone, there were those who toiled in their name, and as the Archons moved on they, the Architects, remained. Building and forging in accordance to plans and designs passed down through the ages. These incredible creations are now a matter of tradition and discipline.[/p][p][/p][p]Architects are a culture that create great Monuments to the Affinities, granting their people powerful boons and strengthening their ties to that Affinity.[/p][p][/p][p]The city of Akatemar is a proud marvel of architecture in its own right.[/p][p][/p][h2]What do they do?[/h2][p]The Architect culture is adaptable, requiring planning for the long-term construction of Monuments, but granting a flexibility in their Affinities and damage channels.[/p][p]The Architect chooses their culture’s starting affinity.[/p][p][/p][p]Notably the Architect do not have an inherent Affinity from their culture, instead when creating your Architect faction you can choose their initial Affinity points from among the 6 Affinities.[/p][p][/p][p]Their units are likewise adaptable, each having a partially hybridized unit role and matching their (non-physical) damage type to their Dominant Affinity, letting you lean in to builds that make extended use of specific damage types (such as going full Astral lightning and inflicting lots of lightning weakness!)[/p][p][/p][p]Most notably, the Architect build Monuments, but before we can lay down the first bricks we must acquire a powerful building material: Wonderstone.[/p][p][/p][h2]Wonderstone[/h2][p]The Surveyor is a useful scout, quick on their feet, with a keen eye for extracting Wonderstone.[/p][p]
A unique material created from the residue of Magic Materials via secretive methods, Wonderstone is used to lay the foundations of Monuments and to build each Tier upon them.[/p][p][/p][p]Wonderstone can be obtained from Magic Materials in 2 ways:[/p][p][/p][p]Surveying provinces with magic materials is the quickest way to gain Wonderstone, but can only be done by your Surveyors and only once per province. So while it is an excellent early source of the resource, it cannot support your projects indefinitely.[/p][p][/p][p]Magic Materials your empire owns grant some Wonderstone each turn, a slower source than surveying, but much more consistent.[/p][p][/p][p]As this income is global, the source of the Material is irrelevant, be they in annexed territory, provided through Vassals, trade agreements or even synthesized using Transmutation, each grants that much needed income of Wonderstone.[/p][p][/p][p]While obtaining Magic Materials is vital to Architect cultures’ Monuments, how you get them is up to you. So how about those Monuments then?[/p][p][/p][h2]Monuments[/h2][p]Each Architect city may build a Monument, this is done in a similar manner to other Special Province Improvements. The first step is laying down the foundations.[/p][p][/p][p]When laying down the foundation, you must choose which Affinity this Monument will be dedicated to, this dedication has a low minimum Affinity requirement. Your people must at least understand what they are building towards after all.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Tier 1: the Foundation[/h3][p][/p][p]The foundation grants your units one stack of Affinity Incarnate, the type is dependent on the Affinity the Monument was dedicated to. Each stack gives +1 damage to the appropriate channel. So if we dedicated this Monument to Chaos, we would gain a stack of Chaos Incarnate, granting +1 Fire Damage to all attacks (+2 for single shot attacks).[/p][p][/p][p]More interestingly perhaps the Foundation grants +1 of the Monument’s Affinity to the owner. Thus if this is our aforementioned Chaos dedicated Monument, our empire now gains +1 Chaos affinity, accelerating our Empire Development unlocks and potentially letting us access higher tier Chaos tomes without needing to invest in earlier Tomes of that Affinity![/p][p][/p][p]The Monument also counts as a Conduit for the purposes of Adjacency bonuses and boosts.[/p][p][/p][h3]Tier 2: the Sanctum[/h3][p][/p][p]The sanctum grants an additional stack of Affinity Incarnate of the Affinity that the Monument was dedicated to. In addition it grants +20 City Stability, letting the city grow more rapidly. The affinity gained increases, further increasing your empire's development.[/p][p][/p][h3]Tier 3: the Zenith[/h3][p][/p][p]The sanctum grants an additional stack of Affinity Incarnate of the Affinity that the Monument was dedicated to. (bringing us up to 3!)[/p][p][/p][p]In addition at Tier 3 your units gain bonus resistance based on the Monument’s affinity (Thus our Chaos Monument would grant +2 Fire Resistance)[/p][p][/p][p]The affinity gained increases again, further increasing your empire's development. The city that owns this monument now gains +10% more Food, Production and Draft. Accelerating its growth and development.[/p][p][/p][h3]Tier 4: the Apex[/h3][p][/p][p]The apex represents the final step of the Monument’s construction, as with the previous Tiers it grants another Affinity Incarnate for a total of 4.[/p][p][/p][p]The resistance bonus likewise increases at this tier, thus our Chaos Monument would be providing a solid +4 Fire Resistance to our units.[/p][p][/p][p]The affinity gained increases further still. That +10% bonus income that the previous tier gave now extends to all resources, turning the city that this Monument belongs to into a true economic powerhouse![/p][p][/p][p]Additionally at Tier 4, the Monument counts as a Gold Wonder, letting you use these impressive structures as a way to attain Magic Victory by binding them as you would any other Gold Wonder![/p][p][/p][h3]Affinity Effigies[/h3][p]Becoming available to build in Architect cities that possess a Tier 4 Monument, this is a structure project that can be repeated, increasing in cost each time it is completed.[/p][p][/p][p]Each completion however grants the city a hefty income bonus of +20 Food, +10 Gold and +10 mana! Enough to turn the heads of any magistrate, but even more impressive as it combines with the multiplier given by the Monument itself![/p][p][/p][h3]The Cost[/h3][p][/p][p]Monuments however are only impressive if they outdo the last, thus each time a Monument Tier is built, the cost of constructing another of that same tier increases significantly as they seek to outdo their “competition” with grander and grander projects.[/p][p][/p][p]This practically means that as an Architect empire you may choose between building multiple lower tier Monuments to varied Affinities, or dedicating to completing fewer Monuments for the increased economic effects.[/p][p][/p][p]Each Monument requires a significant investment of structure production as well, thus prioritizing effective structure production is often a priority for Architect cultures.[/p][p][/p][h2]Development[/h2][p]A whiteboard full of chaos, many more deleted takes and rewritten documents later…[/p][p][/p][p]Getting this mechanic right has proven to be quite a challenge, no culture concept that I’ve worked on has gone through as many varied iterations as the Architect. We wanted to have a Culture that could represent the Archon indirectly, and avoid adding another Order focused culture. Thus we focused instead on what the Archons created, and made a Culture themed around those creations.[/p][p][/p][p]The architect city went through some iteration after its original concept turned out too “floaty” for a culture about construction and architecture.[/p][p][/p][p]Then in order to represent more than just that, we decided they should lean into the Affinities, playing with them in interesting ways. There were many iterations, each more mind-boggling than the last (well maybe not each, I did scale down the mind boggling sometimes) but eventually we settled on a relatively restrained take that keeps the overall balance intact, letting the player interact with Affinities in new ways and gain power over time. Eventually outscaling the opposition.[/p][p][/p][p]Monuments came together decently quickly, we wanted to represent the Affinity in each stage visually. I am particularly fond of the affinity icon being visible in the foundation.[/p][p]
The units in particular have some fun twists on them that I'm proud of, but those will be seen in the next Dev diary![/p][p][/p][h2]Conclusion[/h2][p]There is more to talk about still, but the powers that be decreed that it shall have to be spoken of in the next week. We will go into detail on the units and spells available to the culture then. Thank you for reading and hope this provides an interesting introduction to the newest Culture of Age of Wonders 4![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Get Expansion Pass 2:[/h3][p]
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[p][/p][p]Dear Godir, [/p][p]
We are excited to announce that the Archon Prophecy expansion and the free Griffon Update will be released on August 12! Join the celestial Archons as they strike back against Urrath’s corrupt forces. Consult the oracles, glimpse hidden prophecies that shape the fates of the realms and become the master of your own destiny.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h3]Archon Prophecy Expansion Key Features[/h3][p]New Culture: [/p][p]Build your empire with the help of the Architects — construct vast, magical monuments within your cities and dedicate them to the affinity of your choice to empower your economy and unlock powerful bonuses. Shape your domain and carve your ideology into the world.[/p][p][/p][p]Two New Forms bring their eternal struggle to the soul of your empire: [/p]

• [p]Elysian — ascended, heavenly beings that bring a touch of the divine to your realm. [/p]
• [p]Ancient — withered and bent beings from the depths of history - and other, more sinister places.[/p]

[p]New Narrative Content:[/p][p]Forge your destiny with Prophecy Traits — new society traits that help you shape your empire. Early in your journey, a vision will appear, challenging you to define your ruler’s purpose and ambitions. How you interpret it is up to you, but fulfilling the Prophecy will unlock powerful rewards. 
[/p][p]Two New Story Realms to learn the secrets of the mysterious Archons: [/p]

• [p]Rings of Emnora - Enter the hidden realm of Emnora, stronghold of the Archons, in a search for aid in the eternal war against Urrath. [/p]
• [p]Cliffs of Sordünn - Land on the Coast of Sordünn and explore an ancient land that fell into the endless horrors of the Umbral Abyss. Reclaim the realm from Urrath's clutches and fulfill a Prophecy that will shape the war between light and darkness.
  [/p]

[p]Four New Tomes:[/p]

• [p]Tome of Virtue – Empower your armies with unwavering righteousness and bolster their fighting strength until the bitter end.[/p]
• [p]Tome of Prophecies – Weave fate into every moment with prophetic spells and omens that shape the battlefield.[/p]
• [p]Tome of the Revenant – Channel the power of the dead, and take vengeance against the living.[/p]
• [p]Tome of the Archon – Summon celestial allies and ascend your units to the ranks of Archons. [/p]

[p]New Hero Class: [/p][p]Answer the call of the divine with the power of the Battlesaint. Whether guiding the faithful as a sacred support unit or standing firm as a martyr-like tank, the Battlesaint turns virtue into strength and sacrifice into victory.[/p][p]And So Much More, including seven new wildlife units roaming the wilds, two new mounts (Chariot & Griffon), five new music tracks from composer Michiel van den Bos, several map updates, new interface skin and many other smaller things!
[/p][p]Alongside Archon Prophecy, all Age of Wonders 4 players will receive a free content update on August 12th. The Griffon Update will include new features such as Extra Faction data, New Form traits - Flaws, Hero Class Updates, and new Notifications Settings and more! Full details on these free additions will be shared in the game’s patch notes shortly before launch.[/p][p][/p][carousel][/carousel][p][/p][h3]Dev Diaries and Streams Schedule[/h3][p]We want to make sure that our players are informed and as excited about Archon Prophecy as we are, so Dev Diaries will be posted weekly every Thursday starting this week and up until the release (with the first one introducing the Architect culture!). We are also quite active on Discord if you have any questions about upcoming content![/p][p][/p][p]However, due to limited availability during summer (a lot of things are happening behind the scenes!), Dev Streams will start later. The First Look Dev Stream will take place on July 24th, and more streams will happen weekly after that. [/p][p][/p][h3]What happens to Expansion Pass 2 in August?[/h3][p]After the release of Archon Prophecy, Expansion Pass 2 will become a dynamic bundle on Steam. Which means you will be able to “complete the set” if you already bought a standalone DLC from the pass and get a nice discount.
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