InAge of Wonders 4, players don’t build cities directly. Instead, they build outposts that can eventually grow into cities with a little investment. Outposts are more vulnerable than cities, but they also need less management and can help players stake a claim in new territories.
Building an outpost is one of many steps covered by theAge of Wonders 4tutorial, but this tutorial doesn’t fully explain how the game’s interface works when it comes to building new outposts. This guide will help players who may be frustrated by this aspect of the game by explaining exactly how to create an outpost and then upgrade it into a city.
RELATED:Age of Wonders 4 Arrives After 9 Year Hiatus
Outposts, Provinces, and Heroes
The first thing to understand is that every map inAge of Wonders 4is divided into provinces of different shapes and sizes. When a city gains more population,it can claim an adjacent province and build up its resources. These provinces are also essential for building new outposts and cities.
Players can see the map’s provinces by selecting an empty hex in the overworld map. There’s also a button by the minimap that highlights provincial borders and shows what kinds of resource buildings they can support. A good city should have access to many options, so this map view can help players identify the best spots for outposts and cities.
Some provinces can’t support outposts. Mountain and ocean areas are off limits, and any province with an ancient wonder must be annexed by a city and not start as one.
Step one to building an outpost is to select a province.Step two is to bring in a hero unit. Any hero will work, and the hero can stand on any hex within the province. Once they’re present, players can press the “Build Outpost” button to spend 25 gold, and on the next turn the outpost will appear. Each outpost costs 10 gold to maintain, and since a gold vein provides 10 gold an outpost will never bring in a lot of money. The best use for an outpost is to eventually become a city, or to claim a rare magic material.
One more thing players should understand is the claim system.If players build an outpost near another player’s territory, they may end up creating a grievance with their faction. The closer the outpost is, the bigger the grievance is, and it’s possible to create grievances with several factions at once. Players can avoid this by signing a treaty with the other faction that says that neither side will worry about outpost proximity.
How to Upgrade an Outpost
Once the outpost exists, players can let their heroes wander off since they can interact with the outpost directly. By selecting an outpost, players can spend gold to build a few structures like a work camp, stone walls, and a watch tower. Each structure will become something useful after the outpost becomes a city, so feel free to buy them. In particular, work camps let an outpost claim a second province, and this one can hold an ancient wonder.
A decision players may have to make is regardingwhich race to use to populate the city. If players have conquered or integrated other cities into their empire, they can use those populations instead of the capital’s to found a city. The basic cost is the same, but the time needed may be different depending on which population is closest. The population of a city determines what kinds of units players can create, so choose wisely.
One more thing to keep an eye on is the faction’s city cap. Outposts don’t count against the cap, but cities do, and going above this cap will cause some pretty serious penalties. So while building a lot of outposts may be expensive in terms of upkeep, it can be a relatively cheap way to claim territory before someone else can.
Age of Wonders 4is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Cities: Skylines 2 Has a Good Reason For Its Lack of Multiplayer
