Paradox Interactive and Triumph Studios have launched The Silver Seas, a sea-faring expansion for the fantasy strategy game Age of Wonders 4, on PC, PlayStation 5 (PS5) and Xbox Series X|S.
According to a release, the downloadable content (DLC) costs $24.99 (£20.99/€24.99). It is the first of three expansions in Expansion Pass 4; the other two are slated for 2027. A release trailer went up alongside the news, and Paradox (which says it ‘doesn't usually support piracy’) is leaning hard on the pirate theme.
Age of Wonders 4 is a turn-based 4X strategy game, a genre named for its four goals: explore, expand, exploit and exterminate. Triumph Studios first released it in May 2023.
Mercantile culture and floating cities
The expansion centres on a new Mercantile culture, which turns deals, alliances and rivalries into profit. Cities can now sit on land or at sea. Players pick one of two subcultures: the Cartel, smugglers who run camouflaged routes and turn stolen secrets into an edge in battle, or the Barony, trade princes and nobles who command armies and put bounties on their enemies.
Two new Forms (the game's term for the physical race of a player's people) come with it. The Aqualon are elegant and near-human; the Sharkkin are toothy, battle-hungry monsters. Four new Tomes add spells to control waterways, plunder rivals, summon the souls of the damned or freeze the ocean itself.
The world map gains a pirate dwelling, too. Its captains vary, each with ‘their own personalities, benefits, demands, and stories to tell’, according to the release. New sea events, Landmarks, Ancient Wonders and Infestations join the map, along with wildlife such as electric crabs, a new Magic Material, new music and a new interface skin.
Manta Update and free weekend
A free patch, the Manta Update, is also out now for all Age of Wonders 4 players. It reworks water gameplay on the world map and in combat. Other additions include a new trade system, new Form Traits and pirate-themed pantheon options, plus bug fixes and balance changes.
Age of Wonders 4 will be free to play on Steam and Xbox from November 5th through the weekend. The Silver Seas is available now on Steam and other digital stores. More on the pass is on Paradox's Expansion Pass 4 page.
Age of Wonders 4 is developed by Triumph Studios and published by Paradox Interactive.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
