I’m Lennart Sas, co-founder and studio manager at Triumph Studios, and in case I haven’t gotten the chance to introduce my team to you over the last 20 years, we’re the folks behind the Age of Wonders series. For over 20 years, our games have brought you our iconic blend of role-playing and tactical strategy gaming, where creative empire creation, 4X strategy, and tactical turn-based combat come together into something we think is pretty special.

We’re especially proud of our latest iteration: Age of Wonders 4. Our community has reacted with so much love and positive feedback since our launch last year, and that community has grown tremendously thanks to what has turned out to be our biggest and most accessible game so far. But we’re only just beginning – Expansion Pass 2 has launched, letting you tell new stories over the course of the next year.

Everyone has an idea for a fantasy empire, which they’ve been able to bring to life in our worlds – whether it’s a rampaging horde of bloodthirsty, flame-slinging mole people, or a grand, pious army of angelic goblins. We’ve also heard a number of your stories of the unexpected: factions that started with a simple idea but, through your trials and tomes, evolved into something quite different! Inspired by that last point – evolution – I’m eager to share some of the ideas we’re adding to the game in our next wave of updates and expansions.

This week, we revealed the next wave of content coming to Age of Wonders 4 in our second Expansion Pass. It kicks off with Herald of Glory, a modest but exciting collection of new items for your Heroes – your in-game squad leaders and most powerful battlefield pieces – along with some new options for the factions those heroes are out to fight alongside.

That’s just to whet your appetite before we start adding even more stuff – more than you might expect! Make no mistake, we have more tomes of magic and more new faction cultures on the way, but our game has seen a lot of changes directly inspired by your feedback over the last year and a half. We’ve taken your suggestions to ensure we’re not just adding more stuff; we’re putting a lot of focus on making the existing stuff better.

Take the Ways of War expansion, which we also announced. We designed the content in Ways of War with an emphasis on players’ control over the story and theme of their empires, allowing them to shape the narrative of their rise to power. The new “Oathsworn” culture rewards players for sticking to their warrior code, whether that’s only challenging worthy adversaries, or even avoiding war whenever possible. At the same time, we’re adding new Intrigue events that involve assassinations, betrayals, and downright dishonorable foes to see how far our players are willing to stretch the limits of those codes.

We’re also adding more player choice in the updates we’ve made to the base game. The hero upgrade system has been completely revamped, adding new progression trees so you can make each character’s journey a better fit for both your personal stories and your strategic needs. This comes alongside the changes we’ve made over the last year such as the updated Mystic Culture schools, the item forge, new ascension options, and so much more.

There are already some details we’ve shared on more content yet to come to Age of Wonders 4. We’re adding Giant Kings, new handcrafted map regions, and the fulfillment of a prophecy that brings the Ancient Archons back to the realms – but I’m getting ahead of myself. The point is, Age of Wonders has always been about providing a broad array of choices so players can rule any fantasy empire they can dream up. Now, our focus is on making those choices deeper, more detailed, and richer.

If you haven’t tried an Age of Wonders game before now, I feel confident in telling you this is the best time yet. Check out Ways of War and our new expansion pass and see what’s waiting for you!

Age of Wonders 4: Premium Edition

Paradox Interactive

☆☆☆☆☆
372

★★★★★

$89.99

Get it now

Purchase Age of Wonders 4: Premium Edition and gain access to Age of Wonders 4 and the Age of Wonders 4: Expansion Pass.

The Age of Wonders 4: Expansion Pass includes the Archmage Attire, the Dragon Dawn content pack (Release: June 20th 2023), the Empires & Ashes expansion (Release: November 7th 2023), the Primal Fury content pack (Release: February 27th 2024) and the Eldritch Realms expansion (Release: June 18th 2024).

After much anticipation, Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 7 is now available on Xbox Series X|S, bringing with it fresh mutations, mutilations and multiplayer options to continue your adventures across The Sword Coast. With so much added, we thought it’d be helpful to break down what’s new, especially as some elements may be slightly less familiar than others!

Kicking things off are our brand new Evil Endings – there are 13 in total (what an auspicious number), all designed to reward those of you with the cast-iron stomachs needed to make some truly dastardly decisions across the course of your playthrough. You asked, we answered… just be careful what you wish for.

Alongside this, we’ve brought an updated version of our Dynamic Split Screen from Divinity: Original Sin 2 to Baldur’s Gate 3. No more shall your couch co-op sessions be littered with arguments over which direction to go in! This update means that, whenever you and your fellow party members want to go in different directions, the screen will split dynamically and remerge again when you’re back within range.

But the real meat of today’s update comes in the form of our new Mod Manager, which enables console players to embrace that special breed of mayhem usually reserved for PC players. That said, with so many mods available, we appreciate it can be a bit overwhelming. So, to get you started, here’s a rundown of five of our favorites that really show off the depth of the new toolkit:

1) Paladins Have Gods by Baladeur

The deities overseeing the lands of The Forgotten Realms are a fickle bunch, frequently putting the “god” in “god-awful”. So why not give your stalwart Paladin a few extra curveballs to deal with by pledging their allegiance to one of these reprobates? We promise it’ll add depth, flavor and new dialogue options – and we’d never break an oath to you!

2) Path of Nightmares – Dark Urge Dice by elliegreenart

There are a plethora of mods on offer that add visual customization options to your Baldur’s Gate 3 adventures. We’ve got mods for hair, mods for faces, and even dye packs and clothes packs. But when faced with so much choice, remember to spare a thought for the humble icosahedron – or D20 to me and you. Why not pair your latest run exploring Patch 7’s new Evil Endings with these beauties from elliegreenart? Go on – they’ll put the “die” back in your dice.

3) Adjustable Party Limit by PixellBytes

To paraphrase the great Lesley Gore: A big party? You can try if you want to! Yes, one of the most-demanded requests we’ve seen has finally been realized thanks to the noble work of Pixellbytes, who’s added functionality allowing you to wander The Sword Coast with a party of up to 16 adventurers. Couple of fun facts: that’s exactly 1.7 times the size of a certain famous fellowship of nine, and the mod even works in multiplayer. Okay, maybe only one of those is actually fun.

4) The Celestial Warlock Subclass by tepkunset

Despite the existing offering of 12 classes and 46 subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3, we’re firm believers in a change being as good as a rest. Consider then, this alternate subclass for the Warlock from tepkunset. Inverting the original premise of a Warlock as being bound to a demon, the Celestial Warlock draws power from a resident of the Upper Planes, offering a very different gameplay and roleplaying experience. A star is born, indeed.

5) UnlockLevelCurve – Level 13-20 by Dustbag

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely, so what better way to celebrate our new Evil Endings than by turning it up to 11, adding more fingers to the monkey’s paw and blowing more than just the bloody doors off? This mod from Dustbag lets you develop your characters beyond level 12 by adding levels 13-20 for all classes, enabling you to be the true terror you were always meant to be. Go get ‘em, tiger.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Larian Studios

☆☆☆☆☆
841

★★★★★

$69.99

Get it now

Abducted, infected, lost. You are turning into a monster, but as the corruption inside you grows, so does your power. Forge a tale of fellowship and betrayal, sacrifice and survival, and the lure of absolute power. Caught in a conflict between devils, deities, and sinister otherworldly forces, you and your party will determine the fate of the Forgotten Realms.

THE ULTIMATE D&D EXPERIENCE
Choose from a wide selection of D&D races and classes, or play as an origin character with a hand-crafted background. Adventure, loot, battle, and romance as you journey through the Forgotten Realms and beyond. Play alone or as a party of up to four in multiplayer – and select your companions carefully.

SEAMLESSLY SWITCH BETWEEN SINGLE AND MULTIPLAYER
Each character weaves their own story, alone or in a party. Combine your forces in combat and split your party to follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it. With split-screen co-op for up to two players on one Xbox, or as up to four players online, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an adventure made to be played alone, or shared with friends.

NO ADVENTURE WILL BE THE SAME
The Forgotten Realms are a vast, detailed, and diverse world, and there are secrets to be discovered all around you – verticality is a vital part of exploration. Sneak, dip, shove, climb, and jump as you journey from the depths of the Underdark to the glittering rooftops of the Upper City. How you survive, and the mark you leave on the world, is up to you.

A CINEMATIC STORYTELLING EPIC
Forged with the new Divinity 4.0 engine, Baldur’s Gate 3 gives you unprecedented freedom to explore, experiment, and interact with a world that reacts to your choices. A grand, cinematic narrative brings you closer to your characters than ever before, as you venture through our biggest world yet. Romance, deceive, aid, obstruct, and grow alongside your friends thanks to Larian’s next-generation RPG engine.

NOTE – Local co-op is currently not supported on Xbox Series S.

Certain features of the game, including mods, may not be accessible by Xbox child accounts. At Xbox, a child means players under the age of 13, unless local laws specify differently.