Are you new to Age of Wonders 4 and looking for a beginner build? Look no further! This guide will teach you a simple Nature and Materium Feudal Build, with a touch of Green Knight theme.
1. Faction Creation
+8 HP
Repeating Melee and Physical Ranged attacks deal +2 Physical Damage.
Non-repeating Melee and Physical Ranged attacks deal +4 Physical Damage.
Most of your Damage comes from Melee and Archers.
+1 Defense, +1 Resistance and +10% Evasion when standing next to a friendly unit with Defensive Tactics. This does not stack.
Feudal already wants to put their units next to each other for their +20% damage.
Culture:
Feudal
Society Traits:
Fabled Hunters:
Units regenerate an additional +5 Hit Points per Turn.
Start with an extra Ranged Unit.
Runesmiths:
Unit Enchantments cost -30% upkeep.
Start with an extra Shield Unit or Polearm Unit.
First Tome:
Tome of Warding
Ruler:
Type:
Champion
Warrior: Lance
Ambition:
Explorer
Major Ambition
Explore a Golden Ancient Wonder
Reward: 100 Renown
Skill reward
FARSEER
This unit has:+6 Vision Range, +6 Sensing Range, Truesight
Minor Ambition
Explore an Ancient Wonder
Reward: 100 Renown(repeatable)
Mainly picked because it seems farily reliable to max out, something else could be picked.
2. Tomes and notable spells
-Phantasm Warrior:
An amazing early game summon, get it as soon as possible to support your Ruler to clear the map.
-Magical Wards:
+2 Lightning Resistance, +2 Fire Resistance,+2 Frost Resistance
A decent minor transformation ,which also counteracts some penalties from later transformation.
-Staves of Warding
Makes Support abilities of enchanted units: Grant +2 Bolstered Resistance to affected units.
Good for the AOE support abilitles of Bannerman and Nymph
2. Tome of Stone
-Obsidian Weapons:
Makes base Melee and Physical Ranged attacks of enchanted units gain:
+1 Physical Damage, a base 60% chance of applying Bleeding.
-Earthkin:
Makes rock growths develop on the target race, granting them:
+1 Defense. Mountain Camouflage, which allows them to hide on Mountain terrain. Mountain Walk, which allows them to traverse Mountain terrain faster.
-Rock Blast:
Target enemy unit:
Suffers 24 Physical Damage. Has its Defense Mode canceled. Has its Retaliation Attacks removed.
-Alternatively Tome of Enchantment or Tome of Alchemy could be picked.
3. Tome of Fertility
-Blossom of Life:
Friendly units in a 2-hex radius gain 3 Regeneration.
Good and cheap AOE heal. One of your main combat spells.
-Summons Nymph:
Summons a Nymph onto the target world hex
4. Tome of Winds
-Dust Storm:
Enemy units in a 2-hex radius:
Sustain 10 Physical Damage. Have a base 90% chance of becoming Blind for 1 Turn.
Cheap AOE damage, Materium amplyfier lens doubles the damage.
-Seeker Arrows:
Grants Physical Ranged attacks of enchanted units:
+1 range.
-Zephyr Archers:
Unlocks a tier 3 Archer.
-Alternatively Tome of Shades could be picked, if you prefer Skirmishers over Archers.
5. Tome of Transmutation
-Melt Armor
Target enemies in a 1-hex radius:
Gain 3 Sundered Defense. Sustain 20 Fire Damage.
-Transmutes the target race’s skin into steel, granting them:
+2 Defense. +2 Blight Resistance. -2 Lightning Resistance.
6. Tome of Vigor
-Supergrowth
Makes the target race grow in mass and stature, granting them:
+10 Hit Points. +1 Retaliation Attack. Decreased number of units in formation.
-Empowered Beasts
Makes enchanted units:
Deal +20% damage. Gain +10 Hit Points. Gain Demolisher, making them able to destroy reinforced obstacles. Decreased number of units in formation.
Affected Unit Types: Animal
Huge Buff for animals.
7. Tome of Paradise
-Gaias Chosen:
Infuse the target race with the blessing of nature. They gain:
The Plant unit type. +3 Status Resistance. +20 Hit Points.
Your major racial transformation, giving a good chunk of HP. in addition the Plant type enables some synergies with other tomes and perks.
-Enchanted Bloom
Target friendly city:
Starts altering terrain to Forest and Grasslands (Fungus Fields and Mushroom Forests when Underground) at 1 Province per Turn. The spell extends up to 1 Province outside the Domain. Terrain will gradually revert if the spell is canceled.
While the spell is active, provinces within the domain with either Grasslands, Forests, Fungus Fields or Mushroom Forest features provide:+2 Food +2 Production +2 Draft
-Exhilaratong Pollen
All friendly units gain +15 Morale.
All enemy units have a base 90% chance of becoming Distracted.
With the nature Matrix it also heals all your units for 10 HP.
8. Tome of the Crucible
-Lava Burst:
Targets a 2-hex radius:
All units sustain 30 Fire Damage. All units are inflicted with Burning. All units are Slowed. The ground is set On Fire.
Big damage in a big area.
-Meteor Shower:
2 meteors impact next to random enemies when you cast this, as well as at the start of your Turns.
Each meteor deals 15 Fire Damage and 15 Physical Damage in a 1-hex radius. Lasts 3 Turns.
Good as the first spell to cast in a fight.
-Meteor Arrows
Makes base Physical Ranged attacks of enchanted units: Deal +3 Fire Damage to the target and adjacent enemies. Gain Demolisher, making them able to destroy reinforced obstacles. Effects are increased for non-repeating attacks.
Affected Unit Types: Ranged Unit Skirmisher Unit
-Alternatively Tome of Prosperity could be taken for more defensive enchnatment and a tier 5 unit.
9. Tome of the Goddess of Nature
-Mass Rejuvination
Heals all friendly units +40 Temporary Hit Points.
Brings all dead friendly Animals and Plants back to life with 50% of their total Hit Points.
-Force of Nature
Enchanted units gain: +20% Critical Hit chance. +4 Blight Damage on base attacks. Effects are increased for non-repeating attacks.
Affected Unit Types: Cavalry, Dragon, Plant, Anima, Fey
Both work on your racial units as the Gaias Choses major racial transformation turn them into plants.
3. Unit Overview
Scouts.
Peasant Pikeman:
Cheap spearunit, it can evolve into the Defender. However once the Defender is availible you should no longer build them, as they loose all their exp when they evolvle.
Defender:
Your Bread and Butter frontline unit, cheap and durable.
Phantasm Warrior:
Cheap summon, whcih can get benefits from your racial transformations.
Archer:
Cheap Archer.
Zephyr Archer
Better Archer with a full-Action AOE attack.
Knight:
Mobile Shock unit, can easily flank enemies and cancel their reatalitation attack.
Bannerman:
Support units, which can AOE buff and heal.
Nymph
Support unit, which can give AOE regeneration and mind control.
Various Animals:
You get them from Wild Expansion empire tree perk or the Summon Greater Animal spell.
4. Ruler Build – The Green Knight
-Use the Item Forge to craft a Tier 4 Lance
-Breastplate of the Champion from the Materium Tree
-A cool Mount
-Whatever else can be found, stolen or looted from corpses.
Levels:
2 Decisive Command
3 Knight
4 Initiate of Nature, Second Wind
5 Prepared Charge
6 Guarded Charge
7 Weakening Charge
8 Adept of Nature, Comitted Charge
9 Greater Defence
10 Willbreaker
11 Killing Momentum
12 Adept of Materium, Meteor Strikes
13 Graceful Charge
14 Offensive Formation
15 Champion of War
16 Paragon of Nature, Avatar of Nature
5. City Building
3 Farms adjancent to each other.
They get upgraded to Levy Camp, Bountiful Fields and Garden of Bliss.
3 Quarries adjancent to each other.
One gets upgraded to the central Quarry.
2 Forester.
Nessesary for the Armory Building, once it is build you can replace them with Transmutation Circle, Great Foundry, Spelljammer or Teleporter.
As many Mines and Research Posts as possible.
You do not need Conduits as the Arcane Artisans Perk from the Materium Empire Tree gives your mines +10 Mana income. Also build either Merchants Guild or Scholars Guild in your cities, depending on what type of improvement is more abundant.
Nature Bolstering Matrix:
Nature Buff and Healing Spells heal for +10 Temporary Hitpoints.
Since your Buff and Healing Spells come fron Nature tomes.
Materium Amplifier Lens:
Materium Damage Spells deal +10 physical damage.
Materium Debuff Spells also Inflict Sundered Defence.
Since your Damage Spells come from Materium Tomesmore available.
And that wraps up our share on Age of Wonders 4: Feudal Beginner Build. If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by Gundalf, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!