Tomes are a new twist on the usual strategy-game tech tree inAge Of Wonders 4.Throughout each campaign, you’ll get several opportunities to add a new Tome to your library. Each comes with a unique ability and a set of unlockable powers that you can gain through research. This lets you customize your empire in ways that few other games can match!
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There are dozens of Tomes available at any given time, so it can be tricky to pick which one is best. It’s usually a good idea to pick one that fits your main Affinity, but if all else fails, these are the best Tomes to pick.
10Tome Of Revelry
Morale is critical in battle, and the Tome Of Revelry helps ensure that your troops are always at their best. Enhance them withReveler’s HeartandBloodfury Weaponsto keep them at high Morale even during long, slogging battles, while a Skald provides buffs! Be sure to have a Hero withReveler’s Triumphleading your army so that you canmaximize damage from all the critical hitsthat you’ll be landing.
TheCarnival Of Fleshis a great way to increase the Food and Draft of a city, especially when it’s surrounded by Farms. Chaos excels at churning out low-tier units, so be sure to useRevels Of Carnageto level them up quickly!
9Tome Of Amplification
Rulers with Astral Affinity tend to cast even more spells than most, and this early Tome lets themget the most out of their Mana. Astral Blood lets your units increase their critical hit rate whenever you cast a spell in combat, along with the extra damage they’re already getting from Star Blades. You can alsoenhance their ranged attackswith Amplified Arrows, letting them deal lightning damage from afar.
Chain Lightning is anexcellent direct-damage spell, made even better by the Spell Amplification Hero ability that gets unlocked when you select the Tome of Amplification. On top of it all, the ability to constructResonance Fieldsmeans you’ll never be short of Mana!
8Tome Of Necromancy
If you’re harnessing dark forces for personal gain, the Tome Of Necromancy is practically a must.Raising swarms of zombies from the deadon the battlefield is a great way to turn the tide, but the Tome Of Necromancy lets you turn them into shambling bombs with theRotting Explosionspell.
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you may alsorecruit Necromancerswith this Tome, who can raise and bolster undead units of their own. Be sure to enhance them (and any other Battle Mages and Support units) with Necrotic Magic to inflict Decaying on their targets!
7Tome Of Transmutation
This clutch Materium Tome would be fantastic just for itsAdaptive Armorspell, which allows units to boost their magical defenses every time they take non-physical damage. There’s a lot more to the Tome Of Transmutation, though!Steel Skincan enhance the physical and Blight defense of an entire species andTransmute Resourceslets you convert a city’s excess Mana into other things.
Transmutation is great on offense, too! The Transmuter is a unique Battle Mage that deals physical damage and canstun a one-hex radius of enemies, temporarily turning them to stone. Be sure to soften up your targets first withMelt Armor, which deals moderate Fire damage while debuffing their physical defense.
6Tome Of Glades
The Nature Affinity has some excellent Tomes, and the Tome Of Glades is an excellent choice even if Nature isn’t your primary.Aspect Of The Rootenhances Polearm and Shield units, letting them self-heal and enter Defense Mode all at once; alternately, you couldsummon a front line of Entwined Protectors, who do one better and heal adjacent allies as well!
Glade Runners aresolid mid-level Ranged units, especially when transformed with Leafskin for forest camouflage. No forests? No problem! The Tome Of Glades lets youcreate Forests on the world map,ensuring you’ll get the bonuses you want.
5Tome Of Sanctuary
Easily one of the best defensive Tomes in the entire game, the Tome Of Sanctuary keeps your troops in the fight no matter what. TheAnointed Peopletransformation protects them from negative status effects, while Salvation provides a full heal and removes any debuffs that manage to get through. To top it off,Keeper’s Marklets your units ignore the first fatal blow they receive in battle!
The Tome Of Sanctuary offers even more bonuses while defending your home territory.Healing Spiresin your cities let your troops get passive healing while fighting off a siege, andConsecrated Domaingives friendly troops within a city’s borders extra Morale and Resistance!
4Tome Of Cycles
The Tome Of Cycles is frightfully effective, mainly since it gives access to theDruid Of The Cycle, arguably the best Support unit in the entire game. Even without the Druid, theDiffuse Healthspell lets you steal an enemy unit’s HP, whileParting Giftsheals your units whenever a nearby ally dies.
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Projectiles Of Decay is a simple solution for handling healing-focused enemies. Your Ranged units will deal bonus Blight damage, which few units have any Resistance to, and prevents their targets from healing while Decaying is in effect!
3Tome Of The Demon Gate
Every Chaos build will eventually want to unlock the Tome Of The Demon Gate. As its name implies, it lets you call forth infernal fiends to terrorize your enemies! Give all your Heroes theDemonic Anthemability, and whenever their troops die a low-level demon will appear in their place!
The Tome’s summoning spells usually cost Population in a friendly city, but you can circumvent this bybuilding a Demon Gate province improvement.This lets you recruit fiends like any other unit in the host city! UseFight For Powerto combine two fiends of the same tier into a higher-level one; you can even grind out mighty Balors this way.
2Tome Of The Great Transformation
A Tome with such an impressive name is bound to be good, and the Tome Of The Great Transformation includes a staggering array of powerful abilities.Fetid Legiongives your melee units Weakening Aura, which reduces incoming damage and lets youcapitalize on Cull The Weakif your empire has the Dark Origin Culture. If you’re going all-in on necromancy, you can use theWightborntransformation to make your entire species undead!
Domain Of Deathincreases the Stability of your cities, eliminating the need for costly Overlord Towers, and enhances the fighting power of undead units fighting in your territory. You can also useDesecrate Structureto squeeze every ounce of Mana out of your domain, casting more spells and raising more shambling minions!
1Tome Of The Golden Realm
You can never have enough Gold in Age Of Wonders 4, but the Tome Of The Golden Realm can help you get awfully close. Luxury Markets, Reagent Refineries, and the Bazaar Of Wonders all let you turbocharge your cities' economies, whileGilding BlastandGold Golemslet you turn your enemies into cold, hard cash.
The cherry on top (a golden cherry, of course) is theGoldtouchedtransformation. This causes each city populated by the transformed species to generate one extra Gold per turn per population, and gives the species' troops two extra points of Resistance! Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy allies - and to win the game, that might be all you need.
