Griffon Update Adds Flaws to Age of Wonders 4

The Archon Prophecy expansion arrived in Age of Wonders 4 last week. Dropping with this new content is the Griffon Update. One of the highlights of the free update is the addition of Flaws.

Flaws are a new type of Form Trait that introduces meaningful drawbacks to the form of the players. Compared to the usual traits, Flaws add points instead of costing them when selected. This means players can invest more into strengths elsewhere. However, Flaws aren’t meant to be shrugged off considering that they feel impactful.

Here are some of the details:

[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

AI Strategic Bonus

The update also makes some changes to how the AI works in the game. In a post, the development team shared that "game difficulty isn’t always quite there." While there are already tools in place to make adjustments to the challenges, the result is often in gameplay that feels artificial or even uninspired. To improve the experience, AI Strategic Bonuses has been added. What this does is give selected AI players tailored early-game bonuses. These have been designed to help them scale faster and apply pressure sooner. This should make each playthrough feel more tense, risky, and unpredictable. Here are some details: