Tomes of Magic are your key to technological progress in Age of Wonders 4: After researching three technologies from your first Tome of Magic, you can unlock another one and so forth. This way you slowly progress to higher tiers of magic, unlocking ever more powerful world map and combat spells, units, buildings, siege projects, and race transformations.
Each Tome of Magic belongs to one of the six Affinities in the game, which represent what your empire stands for. These are: Chaos, Order, Materium, Astral, Nature, and Shadow. Unlocking the second tier of Tomes of Magic from a specific Affinity requires you to progress through two Tier I Tomes of the same type. That means that focusing on one Affinity is going to get you to stronger magic faster, but some strategies (or role-playing goals) can be better executed when spreading your research far and wide instead of deep. The choice is yours.
Here are all Age of Wonders 4 Tomes of Magic you can unlock in the game.
A basic package of technologies and spells is unlocked through the culture of your faction. There is also a bunch of research that’s shared across all factions.
Tier I Tomes of Magic give you a bit of a taste for how each of these paths is going to feel. They let you dip into the power of these different magic skills just a little bit, showing you what you can expect if you delve any deeper into them.
Tier II Tomes of Magic are where things are getting serious: minor race transformations, lots of great special units and spells, and more ammunition for role-playing.
Tier III Tomes of Magic throw you into the deep end as you suddenly find yourself completely changing how your faction looks and plays.
Tier IV Tomes of Magic allow you access to powerful buildings and units that will dominate your cities and armies. They will also change the way your empire looks, offering impactful terraforming magic.
Tier V Tomes of Magic see you rise from a mere mortal spell caster to something more akin to a god – though with very different flavors. Armies of undead spring from the ground at your behest, entire forests come to life, and you’re no longer bound by the petty constraints of time.
Check out our Age of Wonders 4 tips guide for more useful knowledge about the strategy game or read up on what the developers have to say about their historical launch in our in-depth interview with them.
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