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Terrain[]

Terrain is made up of the Climate and the Overlay. There are many different types of terrain in Age of Wonders 3. Most prominently, the kind of terrain influences Movement Movement cost, City Happiness or Unit Morale.

Movement[]

For more information, see Movement.

The base Movement Movement cost of terrain depends on the Climate, after which a modifier is added based on the Overlay. Basically, moving over flat land costs 4Movement, and Movement Abilities apply modifiers.

Climates[]

Climates are the general type of terrain, like volcanic, temperate, or arctic. By default, climates can only be disliked by races. For every Climate (except Water), there is a spell that will make a single city like that Climate, and a spell that will spread that Climate through your Domain (except Volcanic, Subterranean and Water).

Suppress Nature Suppress Nature prevent all your units and cities from suffering from terrain morale penalties.

Arctic[]

Arctic Terrain is dominated by snow and ice. While not technically arctic, it is usually combined with the frozen terrain feature on water. While livable, few races enjoy arctic conditions, and the sparsity of good farmland means few large populations can survive in them for long.

  • Units with Arctic Walking Arctic Walking have a -1 Movement cost modifier (this ability has no effect when travelling on roads).
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  • Domain of Winter Domain of Winter makes a city and units in its Domain like Arctic terrain, and will remove Arctic from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Having a Heart of the Arctic in your domain will remove Arctic from the Disliked/Hated list in all your units and cities.
  • Arctic Empire Arctic Empire slowly transforms tiles of the caster domain into Arctic tiles.
  • Units with Arctic Concealment Arctic Concealment are Invisible on Arctic Terrain.
  • Units with Path of Frost Path of Frost will transform surface terrain they pass through into Arctic.

Tropical[]

Tropical lands, as a rule, are hot. Some are arid, baking deserts, while others are steaming, choking jungle, but all are hot and teeming with life of one kind or another.

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  • Domain of the Sun Domain of the Sun makes a city and all units in its Domain like Tropical as well as Volcanic terrain, and will remove those from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Having a Heart of the Tropics in your domain will remove Tropical from the Disliked/Hated list of all your units and cities.
  • Tropical Empire Tropical Empire slowly transforms tiles of the caster domain into Tropical tiles.
  • Goblin´s Racial Government Champion Economic will remove Tropical from the Disliked list of all your Goblin units and cities.

Volcanic[]

Volcanic terrain is blasted, scorched wasteland characterized by rivers of molten lava and high blackened crags. Barrens are common, and dragons and draconians can be commonly found in these areas.

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  • Domain of the Sun Domain of the Sun makes a city and units in its domain like Volcanic as well as Tropical terrain, and will remove those from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Having a Heart of the Volcano in your domain will remove Volcanic from the Disliked/Hated list of all your units and cities.
  • Goblin´s Racial Government Champion Economic will remove Volcanic from the Hated list of all your Goblin units and cities.

Blighted[]

The blight is the slow corruption that has been rotting the world in its presence since long ago. All races except goblins have a natural, base aversion to the wrongness of blighted lands, and hideous beasts make their homes there. Huge forests of mushrooms and gnarled vines, swamps smelling of death, and cracked wastelands are all you can expect to find in blightlands. The great tomb-cities of the Archons are surrounded by blight as a rule.

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  • Domain of Corruption Domain of Corruption makes a city and units in its domain like blighted terrain, and will remove it from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Having a Heart of the Blight in your domain will remove Blighted from the Disliked/Hated list of all your units and cities.
  • Blight Empire Blight Empire slowly transforms tiles of the caster domain into Blighted tiles.
  • Units with Blight Concealment Blight Concealment are Invisible on Blighted Terrain.
  • Units with Path of Decay Path of Decay will convert surface terrain they pass through into Blighted.

Temperate[]

Temperate lands are ideal for life, ranging from sparse plains to dense forests but always containing the building blocks of agriculture and civilization. Humans have built empires on the green plains, while the elves have long watched from the forests.

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  • Domain of Life Domain of Life makes a city and units in its domain like temperate terrain, and will remove it from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Having a Heart of the Glades in your domain would remove Temperate from the Disliked/Dated list of all your units and cities, but there is no race to dislike it.
  • Temperate Empire Temperate Empire slowly transforms tiles of the caster domain into Temperate tiles.
  • Units with Path of Life Path of Life will convert surface terrain they pass through into Temperate.

Water[]

Much of the planet's surface is covered in water, and many Strange and Fearsome things can be found in the depths of the oceans--but so can many things of great wonder and value.

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  • Units with Water Concealment Water Concealment are invisible on Water Climate, no matter whether the Terrain overlay is Water, Frozen or Blocked.

Subterranean[]

Athla is riddled with enormous cave systems, allowing for great exploitation of the earth's riches, if you can handle life without the sky--and the things that live in the depths. Dwarves are exceedingly comfortable underground, and goblins thrive there. Underground, units without Night Vision Night Vision have a -2 vision range.

  • Units with Cave Crawling Cave Crawling have a -1 Movement Cost Modifier (this ability has no effect when travelling on roads).
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  • Domain of Earth Domain of Earth makes a city and units in its domain like Subterranean terrain, and will remove it from the Hated/Disliked terrain list.
  • Units with Cave Concealment Cave Concealment are invisible underground.

Overlays []

In Age of Wonders 3, there are many Overlays that make up the shape of the lands. They will affect gameplay in a couple of ways, most notable through increasing City Happiness and Unit Morale and impeding movement. Once Terraformer Terraformer is researched, some of these overlays (barrens, fertile plains, dense vegetation and wetlands) can be changed into another of those overlays at the cost of 12 Mana Mana per hex. This can be done with the intention of increasing city happiness, impeding movement of possible invading enemies, or because you like how it looks.

Barrens[]

Barrens are bare, rocky lands that won't grow much, but they allow for fast travel and simplicity in battle.

  • Movement Cost Modifier: 0 Movement.
  • Units with Barrens Running Barrens Running have a -1 Movement Cost Modifier (this ability has no effect when travelling on roads).
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Fertile Plains[]

Fertile plains are the fields where farmers grow their food. Easy to traverse, they are extensively farmed, and battles within the range of a city are often impeded by farmhouses and fences.

  • Movement Cost Modifier: 0 Movement
  • Units with Plains Running Plains Running have a -1 Movement Cost Modifier (this ability has no effect when travelling on roads or flying).
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Dense Vegetation[]

From deciduous woods to dense tropical jungle to bizarre blight-mushroom groves, dense vegetation is the all-encompassing descriptor for forests in Age of Wonders, light vegetation not warranting a hex descriptor. Battles in forests are often heavily hampered by terrain, favoring those who have higher mobility, or those who have an advantage when fighting at range.

  • Movement Cost Modifier: +2 Movement.
  • Units with Forestry Forestry take no penalty.
  • Units with Tree Crusher Tree Crusher can crush each Dense Vegetation hex at a movement cost of 6 Movement. When this is done, the terrain changes to Barrens.
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Wetlands[]

Wetlands are the swamps. Because you have to watch your step, movement cost is increased. Swamp battles are surprisingly simple affairs, the only impediments being deep pools between the solid ground.

  • Movement cost Modifier: +2 Movement.
  • Units with Wetland Walking Wetland Walking take no penalty (this ability has no effect when travelling on roads).
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Mountains[]

Mountains cannot be changed into another terrain type. Their extreme movement costs make them a natural barrier against your enemies. Battles taking place there occur on high, rocky plateaus, featuring plenty of rocks to hide behind.

  • Mountains do not exist in subterranean areas.
  • Movement Cost Modifier: +10 Movement.
  • Mountaineering Mountaineering reduces Movement penalty by 8 Movement Cost, taking only a penalty of +2 Movement.
  • Improved Mountaineering Improved Mountaineering reduces Movement penalty by 10 Movement Cost, taking no Movement penalty.
    • Results in 4 Movement Movement cost in most cases.
    • Does not stack with Mountaineering Mountaineering, instead making it redundant.
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Dirt Cavern Wall[]

  • Dirt Cavern Wall can only exist on Subterranean Climate, is a solid dirt and unpassable, but it can be dug out by a unit with Tunneling Tunneling at a movement cost of 6 Movement. When this is done, the terrain changes to Barrens. This change cannot be reversed.
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Rock Cavern Wall[]

  • Rock Cavern Wall can only exist on Subterranean Climate, is solid rock and unpassable. It can never be dug out.
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Water[]

Water is not only a Climate but also an Overlay.

Dwellings that like Water:

Blocked[]

Blocked terrain exists only on water (Climate) and is also known as "rapids".

  • Blocked means that only Flying Flying or Floating Floating units can traverse this Terrain.

Dwellings that like Blocked:

Frozen[]

Frozen terrain exists only on water (Climate). Since it's a solid surface a Walking Walking is enough to traverse this terrain.

  • Frozen terrain can be created on water by Freeze Water Freeze Water spell (the effect of this spell lasts only for 3 Turn). When the effect of this spell ends, the units on the water drown. 
  • Units traversing the Water can not cross Frozen Water Terrain without disembarking.

Dwellings that like Frozen:

Lava Pool[]

Lava Pool exists only on Volcanic terrain, and can never be altered.

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