Not even two months after launch,Age of Wonders 4has some DLC for us to dig into. Dragon Dawn is a reptile-themed content pack that introduces a ton of new customisation options, and also has a new realm (read: campaign type) to try. With the major criticism levied at Age of Wonders 4 being its repetitive nature, it’s clear that this pack aims to assuage that particular condemnation.
Dragon Lords are ostensibly the main draw and serve as a third leader type alongside Wizard Kings and the Champions. They are distinguished by their massive size and incredibly powerful ability set, which is compensated by their inability to equip regular equipment. I found the Dragon Lords very fun to experiment with, and they change things up in terms of strategy - for example, you’ll be going for fewer enchanted items when your leader finds them useless and can decimate armies without them. Playing as a Dragon Lord feels significantly different from the usual leader types, and that’s not just novelty talking.
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As you’d expect from Age of Wonders 4, the dragons themselves are impressively customisable. You can tweak almost everything about their appearance, which makes each Dragon Lord feel unique and plays to the game’s strength in creating personal narratives for you to play through, rather than cookie-cutter campaigns.
On the flip side, Dragon Lords do feel quite underwhelming in certain respects. They are still faction leaders and, thus, are as easy or difficult to kill as any other faction leader at the same level. This makes them feel quite squishy unless you invest a great deal into their defensive capabilities, and this doesn’t fuel the power fantasy of controlling a dragon. They are also bound by the same movement rate as other leaders; while they will fly to their destinations, they’re harried by mountains and difficult terrain.
The new Lizardfolk race also adds some nice variety. While they are simply another basic template for a faction that doesn’t really matter beyond aesthetics, it’s nice to see a classic fantasy race make it into the game, and their designs are great - the High Lizardfolk are my favourites, it’s rare to see reptiles all dressed up in silks.
When it came to the new Tomes of Magic, I did worry that the new additions would feel like filler and add only more fodder to be clicked blindly or skipped over in my search for my favourites. In a nice surprise, both new Tomes prove worthy and interesting, both dual-aspected and playstyle-altering.
The first is the Tome of Evolution, which grants access to units that evolve into stronger units when they reach Champion level - this adds a whole new viable strategy to the game in purposefully growing your weaker units and adds some much-needed value to the game’s various experience bonus buffs. The other Tome, the Tome of Dragons, leans heavily into draconic power fantasies. It’s wonderfully thematic, and raising a late-game brood of dragons was one of the biggest joys I experienced.
Conversely, I experienced my lowest low with the DLC when I delved into the new Realm type, The Ashen War, which is a Tier 4 realm with a unique story-based realm feature. Choosing this realm thrusts you into a world filled with six powerful Dragon Lords, split into two factions of equal sizes, and gives you the objective to either slay or ally yourself with all six. This realm and its unique campaign are incredibly difficult to thrive in.
No matter which side you align yourself with, you can expect to be swarming with enemies within 20 turns at the earliest, and every single Dragon Lord is set to the game’s Hard AI. War is ostensibly the only option, and unless you’re someone who has forged themselves on the hexagonal battlefield, you’re likely to have a bad time. The quest is doable, but you’re barely given any breathing room, making it a miserable experience. It would have been greatly appreciated had there been a less-intense version of the Realm for those who want to experience new narratives without having to bash their head against a dragon-shaped wall.
Unfortunately, The Ashen War is Dragon Dawn’s only new realm, with no offerings for newer or more laidback players. For those who cannot cope with high-level play, the new customisation options and Tomes of Magic are all Dragon Dawn realistically has to offer. But that might be all you need to have a good time with this pack. Age of Wonders 4’s biggest strength is the level of customisation on offer from beginning to end, and Dragon Dawn’s additions, in that respect, are high-quality and worth considering.
