Age of Wonders 4 Receives Griffon Update

Patch notes for the Griffon update, which landed on Age of Wonders 4 on Aug. 10, 2025, were posted on the game’s official Steam page on Aug. 11, 2025.

Age of Wonders 4 received new content and features, including a new type of Form Trait, a split-up of Magic Hero Classes, expansion of Faction Creation with new Advanced Settings, Tactical AI profiles as a replacement for Handicaps, and more.

As for the main new content and features, the Griffon update brought:

New Content: Flaws (& Inner Radiance)

Flaws are a new type of Form Trait that introduces meaningful drawbacks to your form. Unlike typical traits, Flaws add points rather than costing them when selected, allowing you to invest more into strengths elsewhere.

• [Flaw] Vulnerable to Physical
  • -1 Defense
  • Incompatible with Tough
• [Flaw] Vulnerable to Magic
  • -1 Resistance
  • Incompatible with Resistant
• [Flaw] Uncooperative
  • 10% chance to Fumble attacks while adjacent to a friendly unit.
  • Incompatible with Defensive Tactics, Pack Tactics and Overwhelm Tactics
• [Flaw] Careless:
  •  -1 Defense/-1 Resistance in Defense Mode.
  • Incompatible with Bulwark
• [Flaw] Weak Constitution
  • Health Regeneration in the World Map is reduced by 50%
  • Incompatible with Fast Recuperation
• [Flaw] Coward
  • Morale Loss is increased by 25%, Morale Gain is reduced by 25%
  • Incompatible with Cheerful and Cold Blooded
• [Defense] Inner Radiance
  • Incompatible with Inner Fire/Frost/Lightning, Poisonous
  • +3 Spirit Resistance; Melee Attackers sustain 3 Spirit Damage

New Content: Hero Classes

Magic Hero Classes have gotten their themes and mechanics split up to create new classes that more effectively cover their associated themes. These changes increase the variety of mage-type heroes that show up during the game, and improve replayability.

Hero Class: Elementlist

Did a complete rework of the Mage hero class, now known as the Elementalist. 

• This class is more focused on magical damage, setting up attacks or delivering the killing blow with powerful Elemental abilities. 
• Each Elementalist hero chooses a discipline that determines the element of their abilities.

Hero Class: Ritualist

Did a complete rework of the Ritualist hero class. 

• Ritualist is a nature based support class with many healing and utility abilities.
• Utility Ritualist Heroes choose whether they focus on Friendly or Hostile Crowd Control
• Support Ritualist Heroes choose whether to focus on Healing or Cleansing

Hero Class: Warlock

Created a new Warlock hero class. 

• Warlocks are debuff and undead experts.
• Curse Warlocks focus on using powerful debuffs to weaken their opponents
• Necromancy Warlocks empower undead summons they raise during battle

New Feature: Extra Faction Data

We’re expanding Faction Creation with a new Advanced Settings menu to give players more control over how their custom Factions behave when controlled by the AI. This feature is designed for players who want a more consistent and immersive experience—particularly when playing in worlds where their own custom Factions show up.

Added Advanced Faction Settings to the Finalize Screen in Faction Creation

• Moved Personality Setting to the Advanced Settings Menu
• Added City Name Lists
  • Space for 20 City Names
  • These City Names are used when founding new Cities of your Race or Migrating to your Race.
• Added Hero Library
  • Space for 15 Heroes
  • Allows for Visual, Name, Loadout, Ambition and Governor Trait Customization
  • These Heroes are always part of your Race (Form, Culture etc.)
  • Created Heroes replace the Unaffiliated Heroes in your Recruitment Pool
  • Can be disabled from the Advanced Settings – Hero Settings
• Added Tome Pathing
  • Determine the Tomes for your Rulers when played by AI Rulers
  • First Tome is always based on your Tome Choice in the Creation Flow
  • Normal Tome Restrictions apply

New Feature: AI Strategic Bonus

AI Strategic Bonuses are a way of giving selected AI players tailored early-game bonuses. These are designed to help them scale faster and apply pressure sooner, making each playthrough feel more tense, risky, and unpredictable.

• Added AI Starting Bonus to the Advanced Realm Settings
• Strategic Bonuses include additional Cities & Units, Advanced Tome Progression, Starting Heroes and Ruler Level
• AI Rulers with Predefined Tomes and Starting Bonusses will use these Tomes
• You can select Predefined Packages or set Custom Values yourself
• AI Starting Bonus are saved per slot in the Custom Realm

New Feature: Combat Difficulty

We’re introducing Tactical AI profiles as a replacement for Handicaps. These profiles change the behavior and difficulty of the combat AI to make Tactical Combat feel more balanced, dynamic, and satisfying. Profiles can be selected for Rulers, Free Cities and Marauders independently.

Forgiving:

• Less focus on killing off low health enemy units
• Less focus on optimal unit positioning
• Less intelligent unit targeting
• Free City/Players: At the start of combat, the AI moves its units forward in formation until at least 10% of its army is within 6 hexes of their nearest enemy unit.
• Marauders: At the start of combat, exit Cautious Approach immediately.

Challenging(default):

• Focusses on killing off low health units
• Picks safest positioning for ranged units
• Melee units prefer to stand on the frontline
• Lowered priority for targeting summoned units
• Free City/Players: At the start of combat, the AI moves its units forward in formation until at least 60% of its army is within 6 hexes of their nearest enemy unit. 
• Marauders: At the start of combat, the AI moves its units forward in formation until at least 10% of its army is within 6 hexes of their nearest enemy unit.

Challenging+:

• Same settings as Challenging
• Deals 20% more damage
• Receives 20% less damage

New Content: Pantheon

• 3 Banner Items
• 2 Ruler Helmets
• 4 Giant King Exclusive Customization Items
• 7 Item Forge Infusions
  • Passive: Fearless
    • Usable on non-wand misc items.
    • 1 Infusion Point
    • Requires: 1 Rainbow Clover
  • Active Ability: Bless
    • Useable on Wands and Support Staffs.
    • 1 Infusion Points
    • Requires: 1 Archon Blood
  • Passive: Innate Spell Jammer
    • Useable on non-wand misc items.
    • 4 Infusion points
    • Requires: 1 Astral Dew, 1 Silvertongue Fruit, 1 Tranquility Pool
  • Passive: Inner Grace
    • Useable on Shield items
    • 2 Infusion Points
    • Requires: 1 Archon Blood, 1 Arcanium Ore
  • Passive: Mirror Veil
    • Useable on Shield items
    • 2 Infusion Points
    • Mutually Exclusive with all other reflection passives
    • 1 Focus Crystals, 1 Tranquility Pool
  • Active Ability: Overcharge Spell
    • Useable on Wand misc items and Support Staffs
    • 3 Infusion Points
    • 1 Astral Dew, 1 Haste Berries
  • Passive: Greater Farsight
    • Useable on non-wand misc items
    • 2 Infusion Point
    • 1 Focus Crystals
• 1 Society Trait – Astrological Diviners
  • Every 10th turn:
    • Your units gain Aligned Starts, granting +100% Critical Hit Chance
    • Non-Hero Units drafted, recruited or summoned during a 10th Turn permanently gain Born under the Stars, granting +20% Critical Hit Damage.
    • City Structures and Special Province Improvements completed during a 10th Turn grant 100 Knowledge.

The rest of the massive patch notes are avalilable via link.

Developed by Triumph Studios and published by Paradox Interactive on May 2, 2023, the 4X turn-based strategy game Age of Wonders 4 became the sixth title in the Age of Wonders series, following Age of Wonders: Planetfall. The game is playable on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X|S.

As of the time of writing, Age of Wonders 4 has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with 13,827 reviews and an all-time peak of 42,877 players, according to SteamDB.