14 DAY TRIAL // Dutch developer Triumph Studios has revealed some new pieces of information regarding their upcoming turn-based strategy fantasy game Age of Wonders 3, in the form of details about the Theocrat leader class.
Age of Wonders 3 aims to introduce some role-playing game style character building to the core strategy experience, allowing players to customize their leaders based on some class-based particularities.
The leader is the player's in-game persona, having a race, a main class and specializations, and being at the heart of their realm.
Their role-playing game style skills will have an effect on the entire empire, and characters will range from ruthless Warlords and nefarious Rogues to noble Elven Princesses.
The Theocrat class leads the masses by their hears, using healing, persuasion and conversion as their main tools. Their zealots are fiercely loyal, and their lack of directly offensive powers has led many to believe them powerless or innocuous, ignoring the lessons of history.
Theocrat leaders employ a wide array of crusaders in their armies, among which the Martyrs, who have the ability to absorb the damage dealt to another units, sacrificing themselves for the holy cause, the Evangelist, who infuse the Theocrat's ranks with their Touch of Faith ability and even Convert enemies to your cause and the loyal Exalted, pious followers who grow angel-like wings and fly into battle.
Theocratic armies carry with them the holy Shrine of Smiting, able to rain death and destruction on enemies by sending Smiting Prayer Bolts who are boosted by the zealous units in the supporting army.
Apart from the loyal units in the ranks of their armies, the Theocrats can also unleash a variety of personal skills to change the tide of battle, from a spell that allows meek friendly units to gain increasing bonuses for each level of difference between their target in veritable David vs. Goliath fashion, to the end of the world itself, the Armageddon, to which the Theocrat's armies are impervious, unlike their enemies, which will be severely weakened.
Also among the Theocrat's faith-imbued abilities are the Instant Wrath spell, able to inflict half of the damage to a certain ally back to the attacker; the Mark of the Heretic, which will make the targeted enemy take increased damage from all Devout units; and the Great Purge, which channels divine power to cleanse the land of all that is supernatural, making the caster's army deal bonus damage in a zealous crusade against the wicked.
Age of Wonders 3 is currently available for pre-order on both Steam and GoG, and will be released globally on March 31 as a digital download, and also in retail form in Europe.