Having already spoken at great lengths as to why Age of Wonders 4 is phenomenal, we're back at it again to discuss the game's latest new expansion pack: Empires and Ashes. This exciting new upgrade delivers the first major industrial-era culture and technology trees to the game, making it a delightful choice for those who prefer mechanical brawn over puny magic.

Compared to the previous Dragon-themed DLC, then, Empires and Ashes serves up an entirely different niche. It's a hefty upgrade for those who want more of Age of Wonders 4, and it builds onto the game's already incredible replayability and flexibility. In our book, it is a must-have, and over the next couple of sections, we'll help you decide if it's a good fit for you, too!

READ MORE: Why is Customization Such a Big Deal in Age of Wonders 4?

Age of Wonders 4: Empires and Ashes DLC Overview

While there's absolutely no drought of interesting and flexible 4X strategy games on the market right now, few of them are truly inventive in their own right. 4X is a road well trodden at this point, and we haven't seen true innovation and a meaningful push forward in a very long time. Enter Age of Wonders 4, with its meta-progression systems, extreme levels of customization, and the ability to truly make each faction your own.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Age of Wonders 4: Empires and Ashes underlines everything that makes the base game such a good deal. Developers have leaned heavily into adding more stuff into every major content category with this DLC, as well as building onto the DLC's accompanying free Golem content update. The end result is an experience that'll feel like a natural fit for fans of the core gameplay loop.

In more concrete terms, though, you're getting all of the following by purchasing Empires and Ashes:

The obvious focus is, of course, on providing you with an avenue to set up a fantasy modernization for your factions. If you felt that the base Age of Wonders 4 experience lacked firearms, tanks, cybernetics, and other similar features, Empires and Ashes is absolutely the way to go. Avians, too, are a lovely customization option that, naturally, stacks with all the other goodies you may or may not have unlocked in the game. Expect a huge bump up in the sheer number of customization options for your peoples, be they Avian or not!

Get the Empires and Ashes DLC for Age of Wonders 4 today!

A Comprehensive Content Upgrade for Age of Wonders 4

The addition of new content is, naturally, a big deal in and of itself. Each new element added into the mix compounds with everything else that's available in Age of Wonders 4, due to the nature of the game. New Cultures and races aren't the biggest upgrades to consider here, however.

We'd like to draw your attention to Tomes and Seals of Power, instead. Tomes are self-explanatory: these families of spells, units, and technologies essentially shape your faction into something new with each new level-up, and Empires and Ashes is a triumph in this regard. For example, the Tome of the Dreadnought is dedicated entirely to tanks and artillery, allowing you to militarize your nation like never before. Alchemy, on the other hand, is industrialization on an entirely different level, leaning heavily into area-of-effect and damage-over-time effects.

Seals of Power are a big deal in their own right, unlocking an entirely new win condition for you to pursue. Seals are, in essence, something like a Capture the Flag/Hill mini-mode, forcing you to leverage your fighting forces into defensive positions. It's a great change of pace and will add to the game's already impressive level of variety.

Why is Empires and Ashes more expensive than Dragon Dawn?

Those who've already purchased the Dragon Dawn DLC may notice that Empires and Ashes is twice as expensive as the first DLC was. Indeed, whereas the dragon DLC only costs $9,99, the industrialization DLC will set you back $19,99, bringing its value proposition into question.

Get the Empires and Ashes DLC for Age of Wonders 4 today!

This is understandable, naturally, but we'd like to highlight the fact that Empires and Ashes is, effectively, about twice as substantial as Dragon Dawn was. To compare just a few of their respective features, Empires has added twice as many new Tomes, a new Culture, a new win condition, story missions, regular world-gen units, and more. It is, in the simplest terms possible, a way heftier and more substantial DLC.

What Do The Reviews Say?

In more practical terms, you may be curious about what the reviewers and players have to say about Empires and Ashes. On that front, consider that - at the time of writing - the DLC has got a 'Very Positive' review rating with almost 100 reviewers leaving remarkable impressions overall.

For Sports Illustrated, Marco Wutz said that "Age of Wonders 4 was already a fantastic base game and the Dragon Dawn DLC added quite a few neat elements. The Empires & Ashes DLC goes further, making substantial additions to gameplay that are themed superbly, greatly enhancing the role-playing aspect as well."

High praise indeed, and much of it is echoed by the players themselves on Steam.

For ButWhyTho, Matt Donahue concluded that "Overall, Age of Wonders 4: Empires and Ashes gives players plenty of new content to dive into." He felt that the only real downside is that the game appears to funnel the new Reaver culture into a warlike state, though it is possible to avoid this if you're careful.

Is Empires and Ashes Worth It?

As for our own conclusion, we find ourselves hard-pressed not to heartily recommend Empires and Ashes. The DLC is a crowning triumph for the developer, and its substantial and meaningful additions can prove darn well game-changing in some respects.

On that note, there is something we need to circle back to, as we previously have with the Dragon Dawn DLC: this new expansion pack does not really do anything new with Age of Wonders 4. In other words, if you loved the game on launch day, you're going to love it still. At the same time, if you found it lacking, don't expect Empires and Ashes to change your assessment.

CHECK OUT: Understanding the Core Concept of Age of Wonders 4

Having already spoken at great lengths as to why Age of Wonders 4 is phenomenal, we’re back at it again to discuss the game’s latest new expansion pack: Empires and Ashes. This exciting new upgrade delivers the first major industrial-era culture and technology trees to the game, making it a delightful choice for those who prefer mechanical […]