Thralls are a special global resource introduced in the Age of Wonders 4 expansion "Eldritch Realms." The way they work is similar to the standard Souls resource, but there are a few important differences.
For one, you don't get access to Thralls unless you also have access to the ritual spells that use them, and the only way to get ritual spells in Age of Wonders 4 is to have an Eldritch Sovereign hero. And while you can get access to a special Eldritch Sovereign hero in one of the "Eldritch Realms" story realms, the Thrall resource is mostly exclusive to factions led by these new ruler types.
Age of Wonders 4: Tharru'Cath Guide
The first story realm of Age of Wonders 4: Eldritch Realms tosses you straight into the deep end, and you'll have to swim hard to get out.
How to Gain Thralls
As soon as you get access to a "ritual" spell, the Thralls global resource will appear along the top border of your interface. Much like your other global resources in Age of Wonders 4, Thralls has an income per turn on the right, but you shouldn't expect to see the number change from zero.
Instead, the way you gain Thralls is by defeating enemies in combat. Any enemies will do, including undead, astral beings, and the umbral monsters introduced in the expansion. The more enemies you fight, and the more powerful these enemies are, the more Thralls you can expect to gain when you win.
Experienced players may notice that you can get Thralls and Souls the same way. Fortunately, if you have access to both the Thralls and Souls resources, you can get both of them from the same combat. Gathering Souls doesn't affect your Thrall gains, and vice versa.
There are also a few ways to get Thralls that don't involve fighting.
- If you have the Thralls resource, you get free access to the Ritual Spell "Enthrall Population." This spell costs 30 Mana and 30 Casting Points. On top of that, you must sacrifice a Population point to get three Thralls. You can only use the spell on owned or vassalized cities.
- If you have both the Thralls and Souls resources, you get free access to the world spells "Soul Drain Ritual" and "Thrall Effigy." "Soul Drain Ritual" costs 3 Thralls and 45 Casting Points to give you 30 Souls, and "Thrall Effigy" costs 30 Souls and 80 Casting Points to give you 3 Thralls.
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The Shadow Tomes in Age of Wonders 4 are all about death, darkness, and despair, allowing players to overwhelm their foes with misery.
How to Spend Thralls
Eldritch Sovereign heroes can't access the usual "Warfare" category of Hero Skills. Instead, they get their own "Eldritch Sovereign" category, which includes all the ritual spells that spend Thralls. When reading the list below, keep in mind that every ritual spell is a world map spell and has no use in Age of Wonders 4's combat.
|
Spell Name |
Unlocked By |
Thralls |
World Casting Points |
Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Enthrall Population |
Enthralling Presence (Free) |
1 Pop |
30 |
+3 Thralls |
|
Soul Drain |
3 |
45 |
+30 Souls |
|
|
Thrall Effigy |
30 Souls |
80 |
+3 Thralls |
|
|
Clairvoyance Ritual |
1 |
45 |
Reveals closest undiscovered Ancient Wonder or Infestation from capital |
|
|
Astral Wisp Ritual |
Astral Wisp Ritual |
2 |
80 |
Summons Astral Wisp unit (T1) on target hex |
|
Dark Knowledge Ritual |
Eldritch Rituals |
4 |
150 |
+200 Knowledge |
|
Mesmerizing Draft Ritual |
1 |
45 |
Target city gets +50 Draft for 3 turns |
|
|
Phantasmal Ritual |
Phantasmal Ritual (requires 2 other Eldritch skills) |
2 |
80 |
Target enemy army loses 20 percent of its total HP and 3 stacks of Status Resistance during the next combat |
|
Quickening Ritual |
Quickening Ritual (requires 2 other Eldritch skills) |
2 |
80 |
Target friendly army gains Very Fast Movement for 2 world map turns |
|
Astral Siphoner Ritual |
Astral Siphoner Ritual (requires Astral Wisp Ritual and 4 total Eldritch skills) |
5 |
200 |
Summons Astral Siphoner unit (T3) on target hex |
|
Mass Phantasmal Ritual |
Mass Phantasmal Ritual (requires Phantasmal Ritual and 4 total Eldritch skills) |
3 |
100 |
All enemy armies in target Province lose 15 percent of their total HP and 2 stacks of Status Resistance |
|
Mage Bane Ritual |
Mage Bane Ritual (requires Astral Siphoner Ritual and 6 total Eldritch skills) |
10 |
300 |
Summons Mage Bane unit (T4) on target hex |
Something to keep in mind is that, while several of the ritual spells summon units to serve you, these units cost Mana to Upkeep, not Thralls. Unlike the Souls needed by undead units, you'll never have to worry about disbanding units to avoid losing Thralls every turn.
Age Of Wonders 4
- Released
- May 2, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Triumph Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based Strategy
