Age of Wonders 4 Comprehensive Combat Guide

First, lets talk about the defensive stats
Def and resistance:
2 = 19% =>123%
3 = 27% => 136%
5 = 41% => 169%
6 = 47% => 188%
7= 52% => 208%
11 = 69% => 322%
16 = 81% => 526%Defense and resistance are modeled to have diminishing returns. While you get 8% damage reduction from 2 -3 armor , you only get about 5% per armor around 6-7 armor .

On the other hand, diminishing returns are typical when there is a damage mitigation effect. The effective HP based on these reduction values, which we can see is actually expanding quadratically, is what we should really be focusing on.

In conclusion, each armor point provides greater health the more armor there is.

Next up, let s talk about health and casualty penalty.
Unlike other 4x games, health percentage has a huge impact on the damage output due to casualty penalty.In AOE4, the casualty penalty operates similarly to the classic game Master of Magic. It functions by a figure system. Each unit has a certain # of figures depending on the unit type.
The current number of figures in the unit depends on the unit s current health percentage. The percentage of unit figures left in a unit correlates with how much damage your unit outputs.

As an illustration, if your unit has four figures (like the Steelshapers support unit), each figure equals one-fourth of the unit’s overall damage. You lose 1 figure and lose a quarter of your damage for every quarter of your health that you lose.A 4 figure unit with 60% health will do 3/4 of its original damage, however a 2 figure unit with the same health percentage won’t because both figures are still there.

As a result, units with more figures are more vulnerable to the casualty damage penalty since every time they sustain damage, their damage output decreases.While 1 figure units are totally immune to the casualty damage penalty, units with 2 figures only suffer a casualty damage penalty at 50% health.

The amount of numbers are restored by temporary health healings, which also replenish damage output.

The enemy should be attacked with a single, powerful first strike from a unit with several figures before any damage is dealt. With the exception of Polearms, doing damage on the enemy initially renders them defenseless.

In conclusion, having larger, less numerous figures in a group increases your resistance to the penalty.

A good moment to discuss attack instructions and counterattack because they affect who is injured first.

Each attack triggers a retaliation strike if the defender has any retaliation charges left.
Normal melee units only have one charge, while shield units have 2.Units that are attacking on their turn strike first before retaliations trigger. This is important to shock unit types as they can output a large amount of damage to cause massive casualty penalty, crippling their damage while canceling their retaliation..

The fact that Polearms may strike first to punish the attacker with a casualty penalty and have charge cancellation to take less damage themselves makes them an effective response against Calvaries or units focused on attacking first.

Chaos Spawnkin is a useful metamorphosis to use in conjunction with the first attack construct since it makes the unit hit harder at the expense of raising their figure count, which makes them more susceptible to casualties. This makes it more advantageous to strike first and strike hard, decreasing the damage done by the enemy as they take casualty penalties initially.

Nature Supergrowth, on the other hand, performs the exact opposite.

The next section is action items.You’ll observe that your units occasionally launch multiple attacks. This depends on the sort of attack and the attackers’ action points:

The three crescent-shaped abilities imply that it will attack as many times as you have remaining action points.They are typically seen in shield units.

Furthermore, because they hit less forcefully each time and cause retaliation in the process, shield units benefit more from remaining stationary or not moving at all (because moving at all costs two action points).

No of how many white circles there are, those without the crescent icons will use all of their action points while only making a single attack.

The number of circles indicates the bare minimum needed to activate each ability.

In conclusion, single heavy attack units should move and strike first in their turn against non-pole arms to initiate casualty penalty loss, whereas multi strike units may not wish to employ all moves or wait for engagement to save action points for attacking repeatedly versus melee.

In relation to action points, let’s discuss movement.

As previously stated, using only half of your movement will only consume one action point, whereas using all of your movement would consume two. A zone of control is also exercised by the guarding units.

Every melee unit that is facing you will launch an attack of opportunity if you move away from an enemy who is facing you. The majority of ranged units are likewise unable to utilize standard attacks when a zone of control is in effect. When travelling through ZoC, units are only permitted to move one tile at a time.

It should be noted that attacks from multiple-hit units often cause less damage per hit than attacks from single-hit units.

Morale is among the final few more difficult concepts.

The morale scale ranges from -60 to 40. A unit’s crit chance will rise during periods of high morale. When a unit’s morale is low, its attack may deal less damage or even escape if the morale reaches -60.

Lastly, let s talk about accuracy, critical chance, and status effects.
While accuracy and crit are mostly self explanatory, there are few things worthy of mention.

An accuracy% for ranged troops will occasionally be visible. It also implies that it will strike the units nearby the targets in addition to suggesting that they will miss. Be cautious while firing at a target that is surrounded by teammates with poor accuracy.

It goes without saying that crit boosts your damage by 50% and is typically brought on by perks, equipment, or strong morale.

The majority of status consequences are intuitive. However, it is important to note that while fighting, you may see your unit’s current status effects by moving your cursor over its name.

Let’s discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the standard Group plan and Flank strategy before we wrap up the movie.

A tight formation is usually preferred by troops with ranged weapons over flanking because of the zone of control and attack of opportunity effects. Tanks or ranged will be forced out of position by flanking, making the ranged susceptible to engagement.

Ranged units that are engaged have two options: (1) wait for rescue because they are unable to attack, or (2) use opportunities to disengage and fire, only for the gap to tighten again the following turn.

Ranged weapons typically lack reprisal assaults and are soft.

In conclusion, these situations practically demand tanks and tight formations for ranged-oriented compositions.

Overwhelm/Defensive Tactic, the wolf mount, and feudal bonuses are all viable options for ranged-tank compositions. Another excellent choice for CCing the opposition and preventing them from attacking your ranged units is the spider mount.

Due to their ability to perform specific spells while engaged, many mages and support are less affected by this. Since they can cast numerous support spells to their full potential regardless of figures, mage and support are also less subject to the casualty penalty.

Melee-heavy compositions should be used for a flanking tactic due to the drawbacks of ranged in an engaged situation. Flanking focuses on moving behind the opposition and dislocating yourself in the process. It is advised to utilize single-hit melee units, possibly alongside a few support units, because flanking necessitates a lot of repositioning. Mobile units are quite beneficial for flanking as well. Mobile shock units are the best option because to all of these factors.

Sneaky and unicorn mounts are perks that will help flank strategies because of the extra damage or mobility and ease of disengaging they provide.