Thralls are a special global resource introduced in theAge of Wonders 4expansion “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 inAge of Wonders 4is to have an Eldritch Sovereign hero. And whileyou can get access to a special Eldritch Sovereign heroin one of the “Eldritch Realms” story realms, the Thrall resource is mostly exclusive to factions led by these new ruler types.
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 inAge 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 may 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.
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 spelland has no use inAge of Wonders 4’s combat.
30
3
45
80
1
Reveals closest undiscovered Ancient Wonder or Infestation from capital
2
Summons Astral Wisp unit (T1) on target hex
4
150
Target city gets +50 Draft for 3 turns
Phantasmal Ritual (requires 2 other Eldritch skills)
Target enemy army loses 20 percent of its total HP and 3 stacks of Status Resistance during the next combat
Quickening Ritual (requires 2 other Eldritch skills)
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)
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
SummonsMage 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 unitsto avoid losing Thralls every turn.
