Which Faction Should You Join in Age of Wonders 4?

The Astral Sea’s gateway has opened, and now Godir can freely travel between realms. The age of your pantheon is at hand, and now you must choose a faction that is worthy of your image. Will you pick one of the predetermined Factions, or will you create your own? We are here to answer the question: Which Faction should you join in Age of Wonders 4?

How to decide on a Faction in Age of Wonders 4

Before you can jump into a realm in Age of Wonders 4, you must select a Faction. Factions are basically different kinds of civilizations, each with their own unique attributes. There are 20 premade Factions that you can pick from, all of which can be edited freely, or you can create one from scratch if you prefer full control.

There is no wrong or right answer when picking a Faction, and there is also no best or worst Faction either. Age of Wonders 4 is a game built on player-driven curiosity and experimentation, and the core of the game is balanced around this philosophy.

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If this is your first time playing Age of Wonders 4, we recommend reading through the list of premade Factions and see which ones catch your eye. If you want, you can also set the AI difficulty to Easy if you want to try out a new Faction without feeling too pressured. Remember that you can mouseover any of the underlined words in the game to see a quick explanation.

Feeling indecisive about your Faction choice? We can help you narrow down your choices by giving you a bit of guidance. Let us start with the Ruler, as every Faction has either a Champion or Wizard King Ruler.

Rulers: Champion vs. Wizard King

A Champion is a Ruler that started from humble beginnings and worked to get to the top. Champions are focused on city logistics, as they increase gold income and city stability, and all non-hero units gain more experience. They are also more adept at maintaining good relationships with Free Cities.

A Wizard King is a Ruler who rose to the top through domination. As such, Wizard Kings are focused on hostile takeovers, as cities under their rule regenerate mana faster, and they have more World Map Casting and Combat points to utilize. They cast an extra spell during combat thanks to the Overchannel ability.

In addition to their Ruler status, each Ruler also utilizes a special Tome of Magic, which determines what abilities they can use during combat. There are elemental Tomes, arcane Tomes, and even beast Tomes, so make sure to read up on them to see what you like.

So, if you want to play as a peaceful diplomat, you are best suited for the Champion Ruler. If you prefer to play aggressively and force the world into war, you are equipped to be a Wizard King.

Factions: Different Races & Culture

Once you have chosen a Ruler, you now have to examine the race and culture of the Faction. Each race has both a Body and Mind Trait, which grant them special abilities.

In addition to races, every Faction also has unique Culture and Society Traits. These effects determine your Faction’s good vs. evil alignment, and Magic Affinity, both of which determine your compatibility with other Factions. Good Factions can establish peaceful relationships with other Factions more easily, whereas evil Factions often find themselves at war.

There are even some Cultures that forego the good vs. evil alignment entirely, and instead opt to further their knowledge in their respective fields; the Wise Ones and the Settlers are such examples.

It bears repeating that many Faction attributes can be edited. We cannot stress enough that Age of Wonders 4 is all about player creatively, so if you do not like something, change it! When creating your own Faction, you have control over the following:

• Ruler
• Tome of Magic
• Race, Body, and Mind Traits
• Culture and Society Traits

As the game itself suggests, if you are jumping into the game for the first time, it is better to forego the raw numbers and data and instead role-play your favorite type of fantasy kingdom.