Age of Wonders 4 is one of the most compelling games in the 4X turn-based strategy genre. There are so many additions to the gameplay loop, with new mechanics, perks, skills, and systems at play that increase playability.
Something this game does very well are the six different races that you can choose from. Each race features different ‘affinities.’ It gets quite complicated, with every single affinity line having 13 different skills that change the gameplay in their own way. If this all sounds overwhelming, here’s a simple rundown of the best affinities in Age of Wonders 4, ranked from worst to best.
6 Materium Affinity
The Materium affinity is mostly about acquiring more Draft, allowing you to deploy your units faster and build a strong society. This is by far one of the most difficult materials to get, so the Materium affinity comes in quite handy. Almost all of the skills revolve around this ability to gain Draft faster.
For example, you’ve got the Warsmithing skill, which gives you extra Draft and gold for each mine you own. Of course, it’s not all about the dough. With the Siegemaster skill, the Materium affinity ensures you’ve got the best siege projects, plus you can also use a different skill to get your units a defense and resistance boost.
5 Nature Affinity
Nurturing your society is a crucial part of the gameplay loop to ensure you’re keeping your city stable, and the Nature affinity aligns perfectly with that concept. It is created for population boosts, founding cities, and absorbing pre-existing societies. It’s just a phenomenally new tactic that hasn’t been introduced to this scale before.
It’s got skills such as Fruitful Integration, which helps boost populations faster. Then you have Soiltenders, which allows your farms to produce an extra five food, along with the Natural Recovery that keeps your troops healthy and fresh in ally domains. It’s a genuinely helpful affinity line that keeps you up to battle standards.
4 Order Affinity
Making connections with other cities is important for your empire in Age of Wonders 4, and the Order affinity lets you do that. This affinity tree will allow you to unlock relationships with other cities and whispering stones. There are also skills that can help you make this process better, faster, and stronger.
Pacification is the first perk you can acquire in this affinity, giving you +300 Relations to all other free cities for ten turns whenever you destroy an infestation or conquer a free city, and it's a steal at only 50 Imperium. Diplomatic Channels gives you a Whispering Stone, which is awesome for setting up alliances early on. It’s just an incredibly strategic affinity!
3 Shadow Affinity
The Shadow affinity primarily revolves around the practice of necromancy and acquiring knowledge. These hold up quite powerfully, making this a very significant affinity in Age of Wonders 4. You can make this affinity even stronger by merging it with the Chaos affinity. This can improve your chances of conquering cities effectively, especially due to the selection of skills you get.
Knowledge Extraction, for example, gives you +50 Knowledge per level of heroes defeated in combat. It is one of the most potent early-game skills you can get because knowledge is power. The more knowledge you’ve got, the better you’ll get. There’s always more where that came from if you choose the Shadow affinity. Plus, the Necromancy is always so much fun to play with!
2 Astral Affinity
Ready to conquer the world with magic? If so, the Astral affinity is definitely for you. This affinity utilizes the acquisition of knowledge, so you can create powerful magical troops that will take over enemy cities with literal ease. Equipping the Tomes with Astral affinity association will provide dominant skills that give you an edge in every single battle.
It’s got incredibly powerful skills, too. If you ever need some backup in a tough battle, you can use the Rite of the Astral Summons skill, which will summon magical army units with low maintenance to defend you. It’s flashy, it’s strong, and it’s great for battles.
1 Chaos Affinity
Finally, at the top of the rankings, we have the Chaos affinity, created for war and battle to quench your bloodlust. If you’re into battling, constantly keeping on the move and ready for war, along with reaping those sweet battle rewards, the Chaos affinity is the go-to option. It’s got skills that will only make you stronger and more potent at the war system at play in this game.
You can gain free units without any training requirements with the Call of Chaos skill, and gold has never been easier to acquire with the Battlefield Looting skill. There are also skills that reap bigger rewards once you’re done conquering a city, such as the Lure of the Horde skill. This one grants you a 50 percent chance of granting a Tier 1 or Tier 2 Unit when you win a battle, and Rite of War summons a bandit army to get you some much-needed defense. This affinity is by far the strongest one in the game, and it’s not a close competition.