Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes available now

Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios have today released the Age of Wonders 4 expansion, Empires & Ashes. Featuring tons of new content, the biggest expansion to date expands gameplay with an “industrial culture of war, an additional Avian physical form, an added victory condition, and more.”

Empires & Ashes is available for £16.99 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5, and players who’ve purchased Age of Wonders 4 Premium Edition or the Expansion Pass will receive it at no additional cost.

In Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes, players revolutionize their realms with industry with the militant Reaver culture, combining magic and steel to create powerful war machines and take control of enemy cities. Players can put a feather in their army’s cap with the Avian Form, and claim a victory by unlocking the Seals of Power to rule the Astral Sea.

The key features for Age of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes include:

• Reaver Culture: Push progress forward at any cost in the Reaver culture, whose industrial might is fueled by conquests and raids. These expert engineers have mastered the art of binding magic to technology to achieve unparalleled power and dominance.
• Avian Form: Hatch your most cunning strategy yet with the new Avian Form, complete with a set of traits and customization options.
• 4 New Tomes: Sharpen your anti-magic prowess, unlock the secrets of transmutation, and muster legions of machines and automatons. Bring forth magical mechanical wonders and dominate the battlefield like never before.
• New Seals of Power Victory Mechanic: Locate and claim the Seals of Power to control access to the Astral Sea – and hold them long enough to control the realm in a fan-favourite Age of Wonders victory condition!
• 2 New Story Missions: Fight alongside Laryssa in order to stop the rampaging forces of Chaos from destroying the Astral Sea. 
• A New Ancient Wonder and Infestation Location: Unearth a new hidden wonder and explore infested derelict workshops. Harness the power of ancient relics and clear the path to greatness!
• New Wildlife Units and Mounts: From bear mounts to scrap hermits, ready to heed your orders, or fall before your might.
• 6 New Music Tracks: Let 6 new tracks transport you to a world of fantasy and adventure!

Along with the brand new expansion, there’s also a bunch of new content for free as part of the Golem Update, such as:

• Item Forge: Create fearsome equipment for your heroes and march into battle with unparalleled power and style.
• War Coordination: Give specific instructions to your vassals to aid you in times of war.
• Form Trait Rework: Design your race’s inherent physical abilities with greater levels of freedom.
• Additional Events: 25 in-game events to encounter, themed around war and conquest.
• Improved Water Gameplay: Graphical and mechanical improvements to sailing the seas on the world map and in combat.
• Updated Spellbook Interface: Browse your available spells from a proper Wizard’s tome.

You can watch the launch trailer for Ages of Wonders 4: Empires & Ashes below: