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The tactical battles inAge Of Wonders 4are where campaigns are won and lost. Commanding your troops effectively, and bolstering them with spells, can give you an enormous edge over your opponents and let you seize the advantage on the world map.
Related:Age Of Wonders 4: Beginner Tips
If you want to see the victory screen, especially on higher difficulty levels, you’re going to need to know how to win battles. This guide will teach you everything about combat in Age Of Wonders 4, giving you the knowledge necessary to defeat even the strongest foe.
How Many Units Can Fight In A Battle?
Whenever a stack of units attempts to enter a space occupied by an enemy stack, a battle occurs. Up tothree stacks on each side can participate- generally, this will be the main attacking and defending stack, plus the two nearest stacks from each side within two spaces of the battle. Ally and Vassal stacks can also join the battle if they are close enough.
Since stacks can have up to six units, the most units that can participate in a battle areeighteen per side. However, additional units can be summoned to the field - usually through spells - so it is possible to have more than eighteen units deployed after the battle starts.
How Do Action Points Work?
Each turn, every unit in an army getsthree Action Points, represented by white orbs. Moving and using abilitiesalmost always costs at least one Action Point, while some powerful abilities require all three. There are a handful of “free” abilities that do not cost Action Points, but the unit must have at least one available;a unit with no Action Points left is effectively done for the round.
A unit can’t spend more than two Action Points on movement; in most cases, this allows them to attack or enter Defense Mode after moving.
Zone Of Control, Retaliation, And Opportunity Attacks
Most units with a melee attack exert aZone of Controlon the three spaces directly in front of them (or every adjacent space, if they are in Defense Mode). An enemy in those spacescannot make Ranged or Magic attacks. If an unit tries to leave an enemy’s Zone of Control, that enemy will get afree melee attackagainst them, called an Opportunity Attack.
Units that exert a Zone Of Control also get oneRetaliation Attackduring their opponent’s turn; the first time they’re targeted with a melee attack, they will strike back if they survive.
An attack that hits a unit from outside its Zone of Control (that is, from the rear or side) is considered Flanking and deals twenty-five percent more damage.
How Is Damage Calculated?
Every attack has a base damage rating that you can see byhovering over it.When the attack hits a target, that damage is modified by the target’sDefense, Resistance, or both.However, it’s not a strict one-to-one reduction; instead, the total damage is reduced by a percentage based on the defensive stat, as follows:
Defense or Resistance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
52 percent.
As you can see,each point of Defense or Resistance is slightly less effective than the previous one.Getting these stats as high as possible for your units is still a good idea, but there’s no perfect defense!
Defense is used to resistPhysical damage.Resistance is used to resistevery other damage type.
Multiple Elements
Many attacks have several damage types, usually due to weapon enchantements. For example, a Defender with Legion Of Zeal might dealnine Physical damage, plus two Spirit damagewith each attack, for a base total of eleven. In those cases, the target’s damage reduction iscalculated separately for each element.
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Does Damage Make A Unit Weaker?
As a unit takes damage,soldiers fall in battle based on the unit’s total remaining health; for example, a unit of five soldiers reduced to eighty percent of its health will lose one troop. The unit’s damage output will bereduced by the same proportion(in this case, twenty percent) until the unit’s health is restored.
Units that consist of a single creature - usually Heroes and Mythic units -fight at full strength until they are killed.
How Does Morale Work?
Each unit has an individual Morale rating, indicated by themask on the left side of their status barin combat. Defeating enemies, along with the effects of spells and abilities, causes Morale to go up, while seeing nearby allies fall can cause Morale to drop.
A unit will get bonuses or penalties based on their Morale, as follows:
High Morale (20 or higher)
Neutral Morale (between -19 and +19)
Low Morale (less than -20)
Very Low Morale (less than -40)
Routing (-60 or less)
How To Cast Spells In Combat
Each side of a combat can castone spell per roundat any time during their own turn. This is limited by their total Combat Casting points (which are separate from World Casting points) and available Mana. Rulers with the Wizard King background can use the Overchannel ability when they are on the field to cast an additional spell.
You can open your spell list by clicking on thestar icon next to your Ruler’s portraitin the lower-right corner of the screen. Spells can deal damage, heal, inflict buffs and debuffs, and do many more things in combat. They can turn the tide of a fight, but they aren’t always available. Youcannot cast a spell in combat if:
You can choose three of your combat spells as Favorites by clicking the star next to their name on the list - these spells will appear near your Ruler portrait, letting you cast them without opening the menu.
Every Unit Type In Age Of Wonders 4
Each unit in the game can be heavily customized thanks to species bonuses, enchantments, and other powers. However, they are broadly categorized by class. This means you can usually tell at a glance how a unit will fight, even if you aren’t sure of the specifics.
Bow and Arrow
Sword and Shield
Sword and Arrow
