Master the Art of Order: A Comprehensive Guide to Age of Wonders 4 Tomes

Age of Wonders 4 is a captivating 4X strategy game that takes players on a thrilling journey through a fantasy world, where they must guide their Faction from humble beginnings to ultimate supremacy. One of the unique features of the game is the Tomes of Magic, which replace the traditional technology tree found in other 4X games. These tomes contain powerful spells, units, and structures that players can unlock as they progress through the game.

The Tomes of Magic are categorized into six different Affinities, and the Order Affinity Tomes focus on healing magic for the faithful, as well as divine retribution for the heretics. Some of the Order Tomes work in unison to impose and punish the Condemned status effect, or to convert more of the player's units into faithful or zealous followers.

Tier 1 Order Tomes

- Tome of Faith

The Tome of Faith emphasizes healing and support, providing immediate access to the Knowledge-producing Abbey and the Mending Touch Hero Skill.

With the Staves of Mending unit enchantment spell, all Support units under the player's command receive an upkeep reduction and healing ability regardless of origin. The Chaplain unit unlock also possesses healing and support abilities, enabling players to keep their units alive while Wrath of the Faithful decimates their foes.

On the world map, Army Heal offers a rare out-of-combat healing spell, while the Convent Structure grants a substantial amount of Knowledge and Mana if the player can maintain their city's stability. In the early game, Faithful Whispers can be a significant buff, allowing Tome of Faith players to outpace other Factions in the race to gain the loyalty of a Free City.

- Tome of Zeal

The Tome of Zeal is a powerful tool for those who wish to focus on Zealous units and Condemned enemies. Its main feature is the Draft-producing Circle of Zealotry, which allows players to quickly build up their army. Additionally, the Condemn Hero Skill can be unlocked, which is particularly effective against enemies with high Status Resistance.

The real strength of the Tome of Zeal lies in its ability to apply the Condemned status effect. This lowers Status Resistance and increases damage from Zealous units. By using Condemnation, players can apply Condemned to enemies, which can then be taken advantage of by units like the Zealot and any that have been enchanted with Legion of Zeal. This combination can be further enhanced with Inspiring Chant, which boosts the damage of all Zealous units.

Finally, the Fanatical Workforce ability can be used to greatly increase Production in a City at the cost of Food for 3 turns. This can be a valuable tool for rushing out important structures or getting down a Special Province Improvement early to gain its benefits.

Tier 2 Order Tomes

- Tome of the Beacon

The Tome of the Beacon focuses on Faithful units and Free City diplomacy and immediately unlocks the Champion of the Faithful Hero Skill.

Mighty Meek empowers Tier 1 units with the Faithful trait and increases their damage against high Tier enemies. This fortifies the player's frontline while they concentrate on ranged units such as the Lightbringer, whose ability can temporarily convert enemy units. Moreover, the Divine Beacon complements this defensive army composition by providing a continuous heal and Morale boost within a 2-hex range.

On the world map, the Covenant of the Faith enables players to strengthen a Vassalized Free City by doubling Imperium and adding Faithful to all units recruited through Rally of the Lieges. If the player's Vassal is under assault, they can cast Blessed Reinforcements to add two resilient Blessed Souls units to their ally's army.

- Tome of the Inquisition

The Tome of the Inquisition expands on the Tome of Zeal by focusing on Condemned and Zealous units. It also immediately unlocks the Tithe Collector, which produces Gold, and the Zeal Hero Skill.

Inquisitor's Zeal is a powerful spell from the Legion of Zeal that boosts ranged Units' damage against Condemned targets and improves accuracy. The Tome of Inquisition offers two new methods for inflicting Condemned status, either through the Mass Condemnation spell or the special abilities of the Inquisitor Skirmisher unit.

To maintain high productivity and gain +1 Knowledge per Population, players can construct the Tribunal Structure on the world map. Meanwhile, the Burden of Guilt can slow down and damage enemy armies, providing friendly Cities with valuable time to prepare or preventing enemies from escaping.

Tier 3 Order Tomes

The Tier 3 Order Affinity Tomes not only grant access to powerful magic spells but also unlock the Seed of Order Special Province Improvement. This critical improvement is the first step to achieving a Magic Victory in Age of Wonders 4.

- Tome of Sanctuary

For those seeking to focus on healing and defensive magic, the Tome of Sanctuary is the perfect choice. It immediately unlocks the Mana-producing Sanctuary and the Sanctify Hero Skill, which can prove invaluable in battles.

The Keeper's Mark, on the other hand, adds the Faithful Trait to nearly all melee unit types and provides a special buff that grants immunity to damage for one turn when reduced to 0 HP in battle. Combined with Salvation and Healing Spires, this makes the player's armies nearly invincible.

The spell for transforming the minor race, the Anointed People, enhances the durability of the player's units, providing the entire race with additional Status and Spirit Resistance. Additionally, the Consecrated Domain protects the player's units from Morale and magical damage as long as they are fighting in the domain of the target city.

- Tome of Subjugation

Modeled after the Chaos Tomes of Magic, the Tome of Subjugation focuses on conquest and fear, granting immediate access to the Terrifying Aura Hero Skill.

The Tyrant Knight serves as one of the most formidable Shock units in Age of Wonders 4, capable of dealing both HP and Morale damage with its powerful charge. This ability is further amplified when all Shock units are strengthened with the Intimidation Aura, which doubles the impact of Morale damage. When the pressure of this damage becomes too much to bear, Final Ultimatum can be used to target fleeing enemy units, compelling them to either join forces or meet their demise.

Tier 4 Order Tomes

The Tome of Subjugation is an invaluable tool for any conqueror looking to take over enemy Cities. Its Subjugating Raid Siege Project can successfully steal away Population regardless of the final outcome of the assault. Once the enemy City has been conquered, the Baron's Palace will not only maintain Stability but also generate a significant amount of Gold. Additionally, each Tier 4 Order Affinity Tome unlocks the Root of Order Special Province Improvement, which is crucial for achieving the Magic Victory in Age of Wonders 4.

- Tome of Exaltation

The Tome of Exaltation serves as the ultimate addition to the Faithful build, providing a myriad of potent spells to bolster their units. Upon unlocking this tome, players will gain access to the Ruler's Statue, which produces Imperium, and the Exalted Brilliance Hero Skill.

While the transformation to the Angelize major race may come at a high price, it offers some of the most advantageous buffs in Age of Wonders 4. All members of the race will receive Flying movement and the Celestial and Faithful traits, which, when combined with Ascended Warriors, can rapidly construct an elite angelic army for an Order player.

The Shrine of Smiting capitalizes on the power of faith by gaining a bonus to its primary attack based on the number of Faithful units in the army. Although the Shrine's strength may decrease as Faithful units fall, players can simply revive them with the Resurrect Unit spell. Lastly, the Temple of the Exalted structure is a valuable asset to any city, increasing Mana and Stability, while also doubling all Governor income bonuses.

- Tome of Supremacy

The Tome of Supremacy is a versatile Tome that focuses on Condemned enemies and unlocks the Supreme Magic Hero Skill. The enchantment spell, Supreme Magic, grants Zeal to all Support and Battle Mage units and causes their attacks to explode enemy units upon killing them. This damage can be amplified by using the powerful Condemn Army spell, which inflicts 20 Spirit Damage and lasts for 3 turns.

In addition to these abilities, the Tome of Supremacy also includes the Eagle Rider Shield unit and the Anthem of Victory buff spell to further boost its strength. Lastly, the Monument of Supremacy can be used to significantly increase Draft income and City Stability.

Tier 5 Order Tome

- Tome of the God Emperor

The Order Affinity Tome is a vital resource for any player looking to bolster their support spell arsenal. With this powerful tome, players will gain access to the Heart of Order Special Province Improvement, the ultimate stage in achieving a Magic Victory in Age of Wonders 4. Additionally, the Conjure Dome of Protection Hero Skill is immediately unlocked, providing an extra layer of defense for your heroes on the battlefield.

The combination of Divine Protection and Mass Revive spells makes it nearly impossible for players to lose units, as the former restores all killed units after a successful battle and the latter resurrects all deceased units with Faithful or Zeal. On the offensive front, the Exalted Champion spell stands out as one of the most powerful buff spells in Age of Wonders 4, capable of transforming a single unit into an unstoppable killing machine for a period of three turns. Additionally, the Wrath of the Emperor spell can inflict significant damage on enemy armies on the Realm map while also demoralizing and condemning them. Age of Wonders 4 is currently available on PS4, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.