DLC REVIEW: Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms

The demons are rising from the abyss in the latest content pack of Age of Wonders 4, “Eldritch Realm.” This is the fourth DLC in the Age of Wonders 4 Expansion Pass and follows the same structure as others. This new DLC will be familiar to players with the Expansion Pass since Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms DLC adds additional new tomes of magic, two new physical forms, new realm content, a new ruler type, new mounts, new spells, and more general features.

Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms, much like the content packs from 2023, “Dragon Dawn,” “Empires and Ashes,” and “Primal Fury,” are here to expand gameplay options and player customization. There have been dragons, warbirds, the fae, and beasts that expanded on specific affinities in Age of Wonders 4, and now it is time for the “Dark” and “Shadow” cultures to get some love.

Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms DLC, like its name, is focused on bringing fear and sinister creatures to the game. This all starts with two main components of the new realm trait: the Umbral Abyss. This adds an entirely new map layer and the Eldritch Sovereign, a new Ruler Type, along with all the sinister creatures and demons that go with the Eldritch aesthetic.

Looking at the Umbral Abyss is a new realm trait that, on the surface, is just a new map layer. Underneath it, however, the Umbral Abyss is full of surprises that lead to a whole new world of gameplay. As a map layer, the Umbral Abyss works like the Underground layer in that you need to use passages located on the map to access them, and they can be very limiting. The size is usually small, with sections that are almost burrow-like and do not connect, so navigating around them can be tedious. However, there are other components of this map layer, as cities can not be built in this layer, just what are known as “Sanctuary Outposts.”

These outposts are important and necessary as this layer is full of “Gloom,” which works kind of like a dread that gives units within this map layer a debuff trait called “Umbral Malady,” which has units lose health each turn they are in this Gloom. These Sanctuary Outposts, when made, give off a Beacon of Light that removes that debut when units are in the domain. This Umbral Malady can tear through units after just a few turns in the Umbral Abyss, thus making navigating very difficult.

This Gloom also spreads throughout the realm, so while it starts in the Umbral Abyss, as the game moves on, the Gloom will spread to the surface and ruin all the terrain. Now, players can use the terraforming spells to counter the spread of the Gloom, but if not controlled, it can really become a nuisance for everyone.

Umbral Abyss also contains its version of Free Cities called Umbral Dwellings, which are only located within the Umbral Abyss. The Umbral Dwellings, unlike regular Free Cities, can only be aligned by usually giving up a resource and/or sacrificing something. They are always Evil Alignment, so players must commit devilish acts to gain their favor since they cannot use the Whispering Stones. Thus, these dwellings are much harder to align with and, honestly, sometimes not worth the trouble and better to exterminate depending on how a player’s faction is being played.

If players can align with the Umbral Dwellings, they can form an “Eldritch Pact,” which gives them special spells and abilities that they can purchase. If players cannot align with them for various reasons, they will send swarms of Umbral demons to attack your cities.

“Eldrich Realms” is really giving players a chance to showcase the dark side and enhance on the dark magic of Age of Wonders 4, which until now really hasn’t been touched on. Players have the setting in the Umbral Abyss, however they also need the spells and rulers to go with it. This is where the new Ruler Type of Eldritch Sovereign comes in, along with the new tomes.

The Eldritch Sovereigns have been corrupted by this Umbral Abyss, which allows players to succeed in a new realm of darkness. Eldritch Sovereigns, like the Dragon Rulers, have unique abilities and customizations. Visually, they are floating Umbral demons with weird tentacle-looking legs, and also, like the Dragons, they can’t equip specific gear. In the Eldritch Sovereign’s case, they must use a Relic as a weapon, can’t equip leg/boot gear or a secondary weapon, and have no mounts.

Read our interview with Age of Wonders 4 Developers here.

They are also unique in that they have their own spell-casting mechanic that uses Thralls. Thralls work similarly to Souls, but on a smaller scale as usually only gained from killing Heroes and higher level units. The Thralls can be used in various ritual spells that range from summoning units to gaining resources such as Knowledge or even, in some cases, Souls. If players choose their Tomes properly, then Souls and Thralls can work together, and players can use spells to interchange the two currencies.

Obviously, you can’t be the ruler of the Umbral Abyss without proper spells. There are three new tomes in Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms called Tome of the Tentacle, Tome of Corruption, and Tome of the Cleansing Fire. Tome of the Tentacle is usually a starter Tome and gives players various spells and units that are some sort of use of tentacles, mostly in a defensive way. Tome of the Cleansing Fire is not quite a counter to all the darkness, but it sure feels like it. It helps players who play more of the blessed light path that buffs faithful units while debuffing condemned units.

Tome of Corruption is the big Umbral tome for this expansion. This tome has players really embrace the Umbral demons and includes a major race transformation called Gloom Strider that turns all players’ dark units into basically Umbral demons. They lost their mounts and legs, but they did gain the ability to move throughout the Gloom without taking any damage.

There are two new forms to round off the Eldritch aesthetic: the insectoids and the Syrons, which are returning from Age of Wonders’ past. Insectoids is definitely for a select group of people; if players are not fans of insects, then that is not the form for them. As usual, there are a variety of customizations, including new mounts, such as giant beetles, that players can now use and select from.

There is some new story content with two new story Realms for players that enjoy the story content in Age of Wonders 4. I did the enjoy the start of Shadow and Torches Part 1 as had the unusual start of players start in the Umbral Abyss with no Throne City and must fight their way out and get to their Throne City and if their Hero dies well then game over.

An Age of Wonders 4 content pack wouldn’t be complete without a free update. The Mystic Patch will include the usual qualify of life and bells and whistles that a lot of the updates have included over the past year. This includes randomized realms with hidden traits, pantheon content, and rework of the Mystic Culture. The unknown realm is quite entertaining and can be a real challenge. As a player that tends to make a faction to semi-work with the realm I am going to play in, being dropped into a randomized realm without knowing the traits makes for an on-your-toes game, as I need to make adjustments on the fly.

Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms DLC is a great start to a new year for the game—and a celebration for the franchise’s 25th anniversary. Playing as Shadow Affinities and Dark seemed to be lacking in some ways, but this gives players much more versatility in that dark, chaotic magic playstyle. The new map layer, almost like a plague that spreads throughout the realm, adds new elements as players either enjoy glee in the Gloom or have to figure out a way to survive it. Eldritch Realms really is a game-changer.

Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms DLC is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Xbox Game Pass, and PC now as part of the Age of Wonders 4 Expansion Pass.