Age of Wonders 4: Archon Prophecy expansion revealed

Triumph and Paradox have revealed the next DLC for Age of Wonders 4. The fourth instalment in Expansion Pass 2, Archon Prophecy expansion is set to launch on 12th August for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Archon Prophecy will add a new culture, the Architects, allowing players to construct huge magical monuments within cities. There’s also new Forms, a new narrative path to follow, two new story realms, and more.

The Archon Prophecy expansion will arrive alongside a free update, dubbed the Griffon Update. This will have new features that include the Extra Faction data, the new Form trait Flaws, and Hero Class Updates.

Here’s the breakdown of Archon Prophecy from Triumph:

• New Culture: 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.
• Two New Forms: 
  • Elysian – ascended, heavenly beings that bring a touch of the divine to your realm. 
  • Ancient – withered and bent beings from the depths of history – and other, more sinister places.
• New Narrative Content: 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. 
• Two New Story Realms:  
  • Rings of Emnora – Enter the hidden realm of Emnora, stronghold of the Archons, in a search for aid in the eternal war against Urrath. 
  • 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.
• Four New Tomes:
  • Tome of Virtue: Empower your armies with unwavering righteousness and bolster their fighting strength until the bitter end.
  • Tome of Prophecies: Weave fate into every moment with prophetic spells and omens that shape the battlefield.
  • Tome of the Revenant: Channel the power of the dead, and take vengeance against the living.
  • Tome of the Archon: Summon celestial allies and ascend your units to the ranks of Archons. 
• New Hero Class: 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.
• And So Much More, including seven new wildlife units roaming the wilds, two new mounts, five new music tracks from composer Michiel van den Bos, several map updates, new interface skin and many other smaller things!

Age of Wonders 4 came out in May 2023 and, while we unfortunately weren’t able to review the game at that time, it had a broadly positive reception. It saw the series return to the fantasy setting of the earlier games, after the sci-fi divergence of Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and brought some fun new ways to mix and match your wildly customisable empires and races.

Source: press release