The second story scenario in Age of Wonders 4 is called "The Enchanted Archipelago." This one provides more lore about the Astral Sea and its inhabitants, and eventually it explains who the narrator is.
This map has the first serious challenge to players who have only been through the Age of Wonders 4 tutorial scenario and the first story mission. This time there are three rival factions instead of two, and unlike in the Valley of Wonders the first two factions aren't so eager to befriend the player faction. There's still a way through the Archipelago that doesn't involve conquering everyone, but players will need to put in more work to get it done.
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The backstory for this mission is that the player ruler is part of (or associated with) the Covenant, a group of orderly Godir who are fighting the chaotic Shad'rai. However, unlike in the first scenario, players can choose any faction and any leader type aside from the two from the first scenario and the three that are part of this one.
Just like the Valley of Wonders, players start at the north end of a randomized map and must work their way south. After the first few turns, a Covenant representative will contact players and tell them about a nearby city called Edendam they should contact. However, the city turns out to be in ruins, making it a bad place for information but a good spot for a second city.
After finding the city, the Covenant will offer players a reward. This reward is Basic Seafaring from the General branch of the empire development tree or Expert Sailors from the Nature branch if players already have Basic Seafaring. Players can also turn down the reward for extra Imperium. Buying Basic Seafaring to get Expert Sailors for free is the best move here: not only is Expert Sailors harder to get, it also costs more than the Imperium reward.
To the south of the flooded city, players will encounter two factions: the Atoning Toadmen under Decimus the Unwavering to the west, and the Drowned Recreants under Otto the Discarded to the east. Both factions want proof of the player empire's goodwill, and so both will offer a quest. Players can decline these quests and fight one or both factions, or they can agree and eventually befriend them. While these quests are active, it's impossible to offer any treaties or pronouncements, and players can't even declare war on the quest-giving faction.
Decimus wants a character reference, so he asks players to befriend a free city near his territory called Flotsam. This is easy enough, since the other factions won't compete for Flotsam's attention and players only need to reach the Pact of Loyalty level to complete the quest. Once it's complete, players get a permanent relationship modifier with Decimus and unlock the ability to make treaties and pronouncements with him. This boost is enough to start an alliance with Decimus, but players must first enter a defensive pact with him and wait the usual amount of time to propose an alliance.
Otto is currently under attack by non-aligned minions Nimue sent after him, and he wants the player faction to destroy this threat. To complete this quest, players must track down and defeat 6 NPC marauder units on the surface level and destroy a large monster den in the underground level. Because Otto's capital is underground and might be in the way, players automatically enter an open borders treaty with him. Just like Decimus, completing the quest will provide a permanent relationship boost that makes it easy to enter an alliance.
Something else to be aware of is that the two factions of Nimue's rejects can end up befriending or fighting each other. This will have no impact on their ability to ally with the player faction, although a war between them may make it harder for them to help against Nimue.
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There are several ancient wonders on the map that deserve special mention. The first is Elya's Prison, a bronze wonder where Nimue is keeping the Maer. The fight against her captors is difficult and completely optional, but players who pull it off and then annex the prison will get access to fairies of all four seasons (tier 3 units) as part of the Rally of the Lieges.
This map also features several gold ancient wonders with names like "Mother Ash," "Father Oak," and "World Tree." Players who clear and annex these wonders get one Entwined Thrall, Entwined Protector, and Entwined Scourge each in the Rally of the Lieges. The Protector and the Scourge are especially worth the trouble since they're tier 3 and 4 units respectively.
Just like Yaka in the Valley of Wonders, Nimue will declare war on players the moment her units encounter theirs, and the way to win the scenario is to defeat her. Unlike Yaka, Nimue does her best to expand over the course of the game, but the well-established factions of Decimus and Otto can track down and destroy her forces while players focus on bringing their troops to her capital of Siren's Throne.
Another common element is that Nimue's capital is on the far side of the map from where players start, but players can see where it is thanks to an objective marker as soon as they meet her forces and the quest to defeat her activates. As always, players should bring at least three armies full of strong units when the time comes to besiege and assault Siren's Throne.
Age of Wonders 4 is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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