Age of Wonders III combat movement, flanking and retaliation
Spend action points and position units to avoid costly counterattacks.
Edition covered
Base Age of Wonders III with its original six races and six leader classes. Golden Realms, Eternal Lords, Necromancer and expansion races are excluded.
Move only as far as needed
Units have a limited action budget during their turn. Long movement can reduce the attacks available afterward, so compare a full charge with a shorter move that preserves more damage or a stronger defensive position.
| Choice | Benefit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Short move | Preserves more action capacity | May leave a target out of reach |
| Long move | Reaches an important position | Can reduce attacks afterward |
| Flank attack | Exploits facing where permitted | Requires safe positioning |
| Defend | Improves survival and facing control | Gives up immediate aggression |
Create a flank with two units
Facing matters in tactical combat. One unit can draw attention while another attacks from an exposed direction, but check the target's abilities because some defenses change the normal flanking interaction.
| Check | Question | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Damage type | Does the target resist it? | Avoid poor damage trades |
| Retaliation | Can the target strike back? | Protect low-health attackers |
| Facing | Is a flank available? | Improve the attack where possible |
| Support | Can another enemy reach the attacker? | Do not win one exchange and lose the unit |
Respect retaliation and engagement
Melee attacks can trigger retaliation, and moving away from an engaged enemy can be dangerous. Use ranged attacks, disabling effects or a durable unit to reduce the risk before committing a fragile attacker.
Inspect damage types and resistances
Physical and elemental damage do not perform identically against every target. The unit panel and Tome of Wonders identify protections and weaknesses; choose an attack that the target actually struggles to resist.
References
| Reference | Website |
|---|---|
| Publisher game and edition listing | store.steampowered.com |
| Publisher classes and races | www.paradoxinteractive.com |
| Developer on the in-game manual | steamcommunity.com |