Summary
- The Silver Seas, the latest expansion for Age of Wonders 4, is out now and is loaded with pirates, sharks, and more things our players have been asking to see.
- Community reactions to the game have helped shape the new things we’re adding today and in the future.
- Also, there is a sea shanty, because why shouldn’t there be a sea shanty?
Ahoy there, folks! I’m the Captain of Age of Wonders 4, a game we’ve been sharing with you for either four years or twenty-seven years, depending on how long you’ve been playing the series. Everyone here at Triumph Studios has spent a lifetime coming up with fantastical ideas to add to our games, but now that Age of Wonders 4 is entering its fourth year and kicking off its fourth set of expansions, it’s officially the longest-running title in the franchise in terms of ongoing support.
It makes me proud to work on a game whose players are still hungry for more new stuff, from dragons to vampires to otherworldly terrors beyond comprehension. It makes me even more proud to have players who are so enthusiastic that we have enough great suggestions and ideas from all of you that we can make entire expansions themed around your requests, which is what The Silver Seas is all about. It’s out today, and it’s loaded with goodies that you’ve asked to see!
Let’s start with Pirates. Age of Wonders 4 is a game where your empires and armies sprawl across forests, deserts, underground caverns, on land and at sea, but our players have been asking for more seabound gameplay since launch. Of course, you all made it very clear that you didn’t want to expand onto the sea without being able to build your own swashbuckling pirate fantasies in the process, so we started there. The heart of The Silver Seas is the new Mercantile Culture, which allows you to place cities at sea, and transform them into floating fortresses to rule the waves. We built around two different “flavors” of piracy, adding the Cartel, who grow through smuggling and secrecy, and the Barony, who use their lavish fortunes to place bounties on their enemies and import whatever their empire needs.
Of course, we couldn’t do an aquatic expansion without adding some watery new forms for your people to take. The Silver Seas comes with Sharkkin and Aqualon, two seafaring people who are both, believe it or not, based on player suggestions in their own ways. The Aqualon made their debut (sort of) as a piece of concept art that we shared with our community while working on the Eldritch Realms expansion. So many of you commented that it was a unique and intriguing design that we decided to dive back in and explore what they might become! As for the Sharkkin, every time we’ve asked players what sort of new people we ought to add to the game, there has always been a healthy portion of “Sharks!” in the responses.
Now that we can see how that looks, yeah, fair enough; you were right. Just look at these smiling faces.
Once we had all of these ideas to build out The Silver Seas, the rest came together with designs that just made sense. If we’re going to play out in the water, we ought to add a Magic Tome that uses water magic, and ice magic is a natural progression for water magic. We didn’t add any vapor magic this time around, but who knows? We also added new Pirate Dwellings and pirate-themed stories, terrifying sea creatures to battle, and so much more.
I especially want to thank all of our players for these ideas because it’s not just all of you who get to enjoy playing your Inner Pirate selves. We’ve been indulging in all things buccaneer and swashbuckler here at Triumph, and it’s finally given us an excuse to write a Sea Shanty for work. As you sail The Silver Seas, may this tune keep your compass straight and your sails full. We’ll be seeing ye, me hearties!
Age of Wonders 4
Paradox Interactive
Triumph Studios’ award-winning strategy series has emerged into a new age, evolving the game’s iconic empire building, role-playing, and warfare to the next level. A new storytelling event system and hugely customizable empires provide an endlessly replayable experience, where each game adds a new chapter to your ever-growing saga.
Powerful Wizard Kings have returned to the realms to reign as gods among mortals. Claim and master the Tomes of Magic to evolve your people, and prepare for an epic battle that will determine the ages to come.
Create the Empire of Your Wildest Fantasies
Craft your followers by combining bodily forms, societal traits and arcane powers. Build anything from a clan of cannibal halflings to mystic moon elves, or recreate your favorite fantasy tropes
Seek powerful tomes of magic to enchant your armies and evolve your people! See your people physically change as they morph into angelic beings or scions of chaos to face their enemies. Seek glory through brutal domination, cunning alliances, or ultimate arcane knowledge, and write your legacy into the very fabric of the realm itself!
Strategy Meets Role-Playing Like Never Before
Every choice opens up new possibilities and tactical advantages; deep, multilayered strategy allows you to try new tactics or explore new powers at every turn
Tactical turn-based battles bring your armies to life, showcasing their power in an environment shaped by your decisions. From skirmishes with roaming monsters to vast sieges with dozens of units on each side, with the addition of a morale system and more features, every battle brings a fresh challenge
Tremendous variety in empires, units, and environments keep the game endlessly replayable. Age of Wonders is more moddable and open-ended than ever in the series’ history
Make Your Mark on a Vast, Reactive World
Explore a new realm with each game – or create your own! Challenge new variations and combinations of locations and features, from frozen wastelands ruled by ice queens to desolated ruins where dragons roam
A new event system provides unexpected levels of storytelling for 4X games. See your decisions shape the world around you, from growing cities and roaming armies to world-warping magic effects
Guide your empire to greatness – but the story doesn’t end with your victory or defeat! Ascend your rulers to an in-game pantheon and unlock ways to further customize your experience. Encounter your own creations as potential rivals or allies in subsequent games, and experience the next chapter in your own story!
Paradox Account required for certain features of the game. You have to be 16 years or older to create a Paradox Account. See https://legal.paradoxplaza.com/eula for details.
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