Age of Wonders 4: Best Empire Skills

In Age of Wonders 4, players build their own factions and try to take them to victory across procedurally-generated realms. One of the most robust systems of customization that players have access to in Age of Wonders 4 is the Empire Skill tree. Empire Skills offer incredible bonuses, plentiful rewards, and vital abilities that can be essential to victory.

Empire Skills are based on the Affinities the player chose for their Empire, so they’re particularly well-suited to the playstyle players have chosen for their faction. The Empire Skill Tree is split into different branches that cover every affinity. This guide covers some of the best Empire Skills available in those branches.

Best Empire Skills in Age of Wonders 4

Empire Skills come in many forms. Some are abilities that players need to traverse certain environments, others are immediate payouts of rewards, and some improve resource gathering in certain ways. The following table captures a few of the best skills from each branch of the Empire Skill Tree.

Skill		Description
General Skills
	Basic Seafaring	Cost: 50 Imperium Unlocks the ability for Units to embark and use vessels to cross the water, and for Flying and Floating units to travel over water.
	Expanded Governance	Cost: 200 Imperium Increase the City Cap by +1.
	Forced March	Cost: 150 Imperium Unlocks the ability for Armies to use Forced March.
Materium Affinity
	Rite of the Armorer	Cost: 150 Imperium Gain the Breastplate of the Champion hero item.
	Master Masons	Cost: 250 Imperium City Structures cost 20% less Gold to build.
	Martial Ancestry	Cost: 500 Imperium Unit Upkeep is reduced by 10% perk Rank that unit has.
Chaos Affinity
	Impressment	Cost: 75 Imperium Unit tier I Units cost 30% less Unit Upkeep.
	Spoils of Destruction	Cost: 350 Imperium Razing Cities yields +20 Gold permanent income.
	Rites of Possession	Cost: 500 Imperium The Throne City loses -1 Population, but immediately summons a Balor with Power from Slaughter.
Shadow Affinity
	Shadow Binding	Cost: 100 Imperium Magic Origin Unit Upkeep is reduced by 20%.
	Rite of the Cryptblade	Cost: 150 Imperium Gain the Cryptblade hero item.
	Spying Shadows	Cost: 500 Imperium Immediately reveal the full World Map. The Throne City gains infinite Sensing Range. Armies in Sensing Range reveal their numbers and allegiance.
Astral Affinity
	Casting Reserves	Cost: 50 Imperium Gain +20 Combat Casting Points and World Map Casting Points.
	Rite of Conjuration	Cost: 350 Imperium Immediately conjure a defended Magic Material near each City in the player's Empire.
	Astral Binding	Cost: 500 Imperium New Magic Origin Units gain +3 Ranks.
Order Affinity
	Rite of Allegiance	Cost: 150 Imperium Instantly gain +20 Allegiance with all Free Cities.
	House Levies	Cost: 350 Imperium Recruiting Units during the Rally of the Lieges costs 50% Gold. Time between Rallies of the Lieges is reduced by 5 Turns.
	Rite of the Banners	Cost: 500 Imperium Call a Rally of the Lieges event, where players may recruit units at no cost. Gain +10 Recruitment Points.
Nature Affinity
	Fruitful Integration	Cost: 50 Imperium Founding or Absorbing Cities takes 2 fewer turns. Newly Founded or Absorbed Cities gain +1 Population.
	Expansive Reach	Cost: 200 Imperium Cities may expand to Provinces located +2 Provinces further from the center.
	Druidic Empire	Cost: 500 Imperium Acquiring new Population requires 50% less Food.