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Triumph Studios has released the Scorpion Update for Age of Wonders 4 alongside the Rise from Ruin content update. The patch introduces sweeping gameplay adjustments, including changes to unit movement, a rework of defense and resistance mechanics, and the addition of a new Magic Fighter unit role.
The update also introduces a passive experience system that allows units to gain experience each turn, along with new Pantheon customization content and additional realm creation traits. These changes aim to expand strategic options while refining combat balance and progression systems.
Patch Notes
Movement Changes
- Normalized world map movement speed across all regular units
- All standard units now have 40 Move Points on the World Map
- Scout units now have 48 Move Points on the World Map
- Added new Combat Speed stat
- Determines how many hexes a unit can move per turn during combat
- Adjusted rounding for Combat Speed to Action Point calculations
- Units generally receive more action points when moving similar distances compared to previous versions
- Floating and flying units now spend 6 movement points per hex instead of 5
Associated Balance Changes
- Form Feline now also gains the Elusive trait
- Form Lupine now also gains the Ferocious trait
- Form Trait Athletics
- Now increases Combat Speed only
- Cost reduced from 2 points to 1 point
- Form Trait Mount Masters
- Now also grants plus 5 HP to mounted units
- Form Trait Hardy
- HP bonus increased from plus 8 to plus 10
- Non flying Exotic Mount traits
- Cost reduced from 3 points to 2 points
- Beast Wrangler Ogre contracts for land mounts
- Cost reduced from 1000 Gold and 200 Imperium to 700 Gold and 140 Imperium
- Passive Infusion Fast Movement
- Infusion cost reduced from 2 to 1
- Passive Infusion Very Fast Movement
- Infusion cost reduced from 3 to 2
Defense and Resistance Rework
- Reworked Defense and Resistance systems to focus on damage source instead of damage type
- Defense now reduces all damage from abilities with Melee or Physical Ranged tags
- Resistance now reduces all damage from abilities with the Magic tag and spells
- If both Defense and Resistance apply to an attack, the higher value is used
- Damage Channel Resistance renamed to Damage Channel Protection
- Damage Channel Protection contributes to final damage reduction by adding to Defense or Resistance
- Added Physical Damage Channel Protection
- Rebalanced core unit stats
- Most units now have higher Defense than Resistance
- Battle mages, support units, and ranged units generally have higher Resistance
- Ability descriptors such as Magic and Base now include explanatory tooltips
New Unit Role
- Added Magic Fighter unit role
- Magic Fighters use melee range magical attacks called Magic Strike
- Added passive ability Melee Mage
- Allows ranged magic attacks to be used while engaged in melee combat
- Magic Fighters can use most Battle Mage enchantments and defensive fighter enchantments
Units Converted to Magic Fighters
- Astral Serpent
- Bone Wyvern
- Corrupt Soul
- Fire Wyvern
- Frost Wyvern
- Golden Wyvern
- Gremlin
- Ice Spider
- Ice Spider Matriarch
- Inferno Hound
- Inferno Puppy
- Lesser Snow Spirit
- Mistling
- Obsidian Wyvern
- Phoenix
- Plague Serpent
- Snow Spirit
- Spirit Hawk
- Spirit Wolf
- Stormbringer
- Stormscale Serpent
- Willthief
- Wind Rager
- Wyvern Fledgeling
- Zealot
Associated Balance Changes
- Form Trait Vulnerable to Physical
- Now reduces Physical Protection by 1 instead of Defense
- Form Trait Resistant
- Now grants plus 1 Resistance only
- Form Trait Tough
- Now grants plus 1 Defense
- Debuffs Sundered Resistance and Sundered Defense
- No longer reduce Status Resistance
- Passive Reinforced
- No longer grants plus 3 Resistance against physical ranged attacks
- Passive Warded
- No longer grants plus 3 Defense against magic attacks
- Hero Skill Warded Armor
- Now grants plus 2 Resistance
- Wildlife Umbral trait
- Replaced plus 2 Defense with plus 2 Physical Protection
- Ethereal unit type
- Replaced plus 2 Defense with plus 2 Physical Protection
- Unit Enchantment Shadow Blades
- No longer ignores Resistance
- Units Magelock, Magelock Cannon, and Dragoon
- No longer apply Breaching
- Hero items Magelock Rifles and Sword and Pistol
- No longer apply Breaching
- Materium Monument Zenith and Apex improvements
- Defense bonus replaced with Physical Protection
- Architect unit Guardian
- Incarnate Disruption now reduces Physical Protection instead of Defense when Materium is dominant
Experience System Update
- Units now gain experience automatically each turn
- Combat experience gains reduced by half
- All experience values multiplied by 10
- All units gain 10 XP per turn passively
- Palisade Walls structure
- Grants an additional 5 XP per turn to stationed units
- Stone Walls structure
- Grants an additional 15 XP per turn to stationed units
- Added Endless Unit Ranks for non hero units
- Each Exalted Rank grants plus 10 maximum HP
- Endless ranks can be disabled in Advanced Game Flow settings
Associated Experience Changes
- Adaptable trait
- Combat XP bonus increased from 20 percent to 30 percent
- Devotees of Good society trait
- Passive XP increased from 2 XP to 10 XP per turn
- Applies to all units
- Experienced Seafarers society trait
- Combat XP bonus increased from 20 percent to 40 percent
- Mana Channelers society trait
- Combat XP bonus increased from 20 percent to 30 percent
- Order empire skill Career Soldiers
- Now grants plus 10 XP per turn instead of a percentage bonus
- Chaos empire skill Impressment
- Combat XP bonus increased from 50 percent to 100 percent
- Rapid Evolution enchantment
- Now grants plus 15 XP per turn
- Hero skill Experienced Leader
- Passive XP increased from 2 XP to 15 XP per turn
- Crimson Court structure
- Passive XP increased from 2 XP to 10 XP per turn
- Revels of Carnage world spell
- Combat XP bonus increased from 30 percent to 100 percent
- No longer affects heroes
- Trainer ambition reward
- XP bonus reduced from 50 percent to 25 percent
- Focus Crystals magic material
- Combat XP bonus increased from 10 percent to 20 percent
- Vision of Destiny Mark of Astral
- Combat XP bonus increased from 20 percent to 40 percent
- Army Trainer item forge infusion
- Combat XP bonus increased from 10 percent to 30 percent
Pantheon Content
- Added nine fracturing themed Pantheon customization items
- New banner icons
- Molecule
- Winds
- Ouroboros
- New customization items
- Fractured Mage Hat
- Fractured Mage Body
- Fractured Mage Shoulder and Cape
- Item Forge visualization
- Mancatcher Staff
- Exotic Mount trait
- Fractured Eagle
- Society trait
- Transformation Aesthetics
DLC Pantheon Content
- Dragon Dawn DLC additions
- Fractured Dragon Head
- Fractured Dragon Body
- Fractured Dragon Horn
- Fractured Dragon Neck Ornamentation
- Eldritch Realms DLC addition
- Eldritch Sovereign Fracture Mage Head
New Realm Creation Traits
- Added multiple Low Magic realm traits
- Geography trait Barren Pangea
- Creates a single massive landmass surrounded by desert
- Mountain and stalagmite province features become rare
- Misc realm trait Dissonant Enchantments
- Enchantment magic requires significantly more mana to cast and maintain
- Misc realm trait Timelocked Tomes
- Tomes unlock based on timed cycles rather than research
- Tome unlock pacing depends on research speed settings
- Slowest every 24 turns
- Very Slow every 18 turns
- Slow every 15 turns
- Normal every 12 turns
- Fast every 9 turns
- Very Fast every 6 turns
Age of Wonders 4 released on May 2, 2023. Developed by Triumph Studios, the strategy title is available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Scorpion update arrives alongside the Rise from Ruin content pack released on March 9, 2026.
Have you noticed these changes? Share your thoughts in the comments!
