Age of Wonders 4 Guide | Best Tomes, Imperium & Expansion Tips

In Age Of Wonders 4, Tomes Of Magic act as your research tree. Tomes unlock new spells, units, province improvements and race transformations that define your whole build. At first, you only have access to Tier I Tomes. 

As you unlock tomes, you gain affinity points, which you see at the top-right of the screen. These affinities decide which higher tier tomes you can choose later and push you toward certain playstyles.

Research happens in cycles. At the bottom of the research panel, you see how many picks you need before a new tome becomes available. A strong trick is to grab cheap, fast research options to rush new tomes. 

If a spell or upgrade takes only one turn, take it just to move the cycle forward. To unlock Tier II Tomes, you must complete two Tier I Tomes. To unlock Tier III Tomes, you need two Tier II Tomes, and so on.

Higher tier tomes give stronger spells such as Summon Phantasm Warrior, powerful buffs and race transformations. Spells cost mana and use casting points, so you need enough of both. 

A spell that costs more casting points than your limit takes several turns to prepare, even if you have the mana. Summoned units also have mana upkeep, so filling armies with summons raises costs very fast.

To reach Tier IV Tomes, you need at least six points in a single affinity. To reach Tier V Tomes, you need at least eight points, for example eight Nature Affinity for top nature tomes. 

If you spread your tome choices across too many affinities, you slow down access to the strongest magic and make a Magic Victory much harder.

Mana, Upkeep And Disbanding Units

Because summons are tempting, mana upkeep can get out of control. Every summoned unit, including things like Phantasm Warriors, adds extra mana drain each turn. 

If your upkeep outgrows your income, you can no longer cast important spells when a big battle starts. To avoid this, focus on buildings that boost mana and keep some reserve for wars and emergencies.

You can remove useless troops by disbanding them. Right-click a unit on the map and select the small skull icon to disband it instantly. This is better than throwing units into hopeless fights. 

Disbanding outdated scouts, weak summons or early units cuts upkeep and frees your economy for stronger stacks and better spells.

Imperium, Empire Development And Cities

Imperium is one of the most important resources in Age Of Wonders 4. It fuels the Empire Development tree, upgrades outposts into cities, boosts Free City relations and can even attract extra population to your towns. Early in the game, Imperium is rare, so every point matters.

You spend Imperium on Empire Development skills that improve your economy, armies and diplomacy. You also spend it to upgrade outposts into full cities, usually at around 200 Imperium. Promoting a well-placed outpost lets you forward settle enemies and claim key resource clusters before they do. Imperium can also speed up Free City allegiance, helping you reach Vassal status faster and gain extra units and income.

Another strong use is Attract Population. Instead of buying a small perk, you can pull extra population into a city to claim more provinces. 

More population means more tiles and resources right away, which often beats early minor bonuses. Just remember that heavy expansion and border pressure can hurt stability, so build structures like Taverns to keep cities happy.

Your main source of early Imperium income from buildings is the Wizard Tower. When your Town Hall in the throne city reaches level two, you can build a Wizard Tower there. 

This gives a flat +5 Imperium each turn, which is huge in the early and mid game. Rushing the Wizard Tower in your capital is often worth it if you plan to lean on development skills and Free City vassals.

Expansion, Food And Ancient Wonders

Strong expansion starts with good province picks. When you claim new provinces, you should prioritize tiles with rich resource nodes and special sites. Food is especially important early, because it grows your cities and unlocks more provinces quickly. 

Building Farms on many tiles, sometimes even over gold veins, can be the fastest way to scale. Extra food, plus bonuses like sheep resources, helps your cities reach new population levels and take more land.

As you explore, you will find Ancient Wonders. These special locations are some of the best sites on the map. They often give strong yields and unique bonuses when cleared and annexed. 

Bronze-tier wonders are the ones you should clear early. They are designed for early to mid-game armies and are much easier than higher tier wonders.

When you find a wonder like Hidden Wellspring, you should mark the area as a priority. You need a Hero leading an army to explore and fight inside the wonder. 

Bronze wonders still hit hard, so it is smart to bring a solid army and some good combat spells before you attack. If your army rating is much higher than the site, you can safely use auto combat most of the time.

After you clear an ancient wonder, annex it to a nearby city or outpost. For example, if you placed the Outpost Of Seoul near Hidden Wellspring, you can later upgrade the outpost into a city such as Seoul and claim the wonder. 

A site like Hidden Wellspring can give a lot of food and around +5 Imperium, acting like a super farm plus a development engine in one tile.

Ancient wonders combine nicely with Attract Population and farm-heavy builds. You use Imperium to grow a city, that city takes more provinces, those provinces include wonders, and the wonders give even more Imperium and yields. Over time, this loop turns a single good city into the core of your empire.

Synergy Between Tomes, Imperium And Wonders

When Tomes Of Magic, Imperium and Ancient Wonders all support the same plan, your realm becomes much stronger. Focused tome choices give you high affinities and unlock Tier IV and Tier V Tomes. 

Steady Imperium from the Wizard Tower, Empire Development, Free City vassals and wonders lets you keep upgrading cities, founding new ones and attracting population.

At the same time, careful mana management, smart disbanding and food-based growth keep your armies efficient and your cities big. 

With this setup, you reach top-tier magic faster, field stronger transformed units and turn key wonders like Hidden Wellspring into engines that drive your victory in Age Of Wonders 4.

Also, check our other guides below:

• Age of Wonders 4 Beginner’s Guide | Gameplay Tips & Tricks
• Age of Wonders 4 Guide | 7 Biggest Mistakes To Avoid
• Age of Wonders 4 Guide | Top 10 Builds for Archon Prophecy