By introducing unique RPG-inspired classes and specializations, players are able to craft empires of their own design, developing unique strategies and play styles. The world-changing conflict plays out on sweeping landscapes, loaded with mythical locations waiting to be uncovered, conquered and exploited.

In Age of Wonders III, we extrapolate RPG style classes to be the leaders of fantasy empires. For example: as a Goblin Theocrat you can build your own holy empire, recruit little goblin crusaders or cute winged goblin angels equipped with flaming weapons, and wage war on your heathen enemies. We want players to be able to choose between lots of different play styles, without being restricted by fantasy clichés, like All Goblins Are Evil.

The new engine truly reflects the choices players have made by affecting how their realm and units are represented. It makes the gameplay on both the strategic and battle maps more immersive than ever, while retaining the gameplay and feel of the previous games.

Age of Wonders III introduces RPG-style, class-based character building to the strategy genre. The leader persona of the players, consisting of a main class, race, and specializations, forms the heart of their realm. RPG style skills are extrapolated to affect a whole empire. Leader characters range from Elven Princesses, to Machiavellian Rogues and ruthless Warlords. Today we reveal details of the Arch Druid Class.

"Arch Druids lead from natural sanctuaries in remote locales. Their cities are natural, self-sufficient places founded on the bedrock of natural balance. Their lands burst with life, sweet springs overflow bringing lush wilderness to arid wastelands. Their domains are well guarded by hunters, shamans, and wild  beasts. Even the trees appear to bend to the Arch Druid’s will. The Arch Druid Lords I encountered ruled with unquestioned power that at times seemed cruel, but upon reflection is justified by their need for constant balance. To master the forces of nature, they do not blindly protect life, for death is the natural consequence of life." -"Gifted Lords of the Third Age" by Ralinstone Pedant, Chronicler

Examples of Archdruid Class Units include:

• Ancestral  Spirit – Arch druids can call these spirits of their forefathers as reinforcements during battle.
• Gargantuan Animals  - The Arch druids can summon giant wild beasts to join their armies. These include giant spiders, serpents and birds.
• The Horned God - In the quiet forest walks the Horned God.  Like the mighty oak, it will weather an ice storm, but despises destructive fire.  Lightning crackles at its call. The animals of the forest are its children. Like the one great buck that all hunters envy with its impossibly large antlers, it passes through tangled trees and hunter's nets unobstructed.
  
  Archdruid Skill Examples:

• Twisting Roots- Forces the roots that run deep down in the earth to the surface, impeding all units moving by land. All Walking units on the battlefield have their movement radius halved.
• Hornet Swarm - Deal 25 damage to target enemy unit. The effect jumps a maximum of 4 times to other enemy units 3 or less hexes away. Machine and Undead units are immune.
• The Wild Hunt -  The caster's forces have become one with the wild, gaining an unswayable will and the ability to move at extreme speeds over any type of terrain. Bestows Floating and Strong Will on all the caster's units.
• The Archdruid Class can be mixed with any of the six races and can be further augmented using specializations leading to additional magical skills. 

In addition to hand crafted story campaigns and standalone scenarios, Age of Wonders III offers a Random Map Generator (RMG)

• The RMG gives you the experience of truly exploring and conquering varied uncharted worlds; both in single and multiplayer games.
• Support for many, varied map types, suach as land locked maps, Island Maps, Underground Maps, etc.  We've worked hard to fix the predictable nature of randomly generated maps from the previous games in the series, so that each map feels new and interesting.Good flow and balance; e.g. ensuring that player’s don’t start right next to hostile high level structures like a Dragon’s Peak with raiding dragons.
• Support for randomly selected AI players, so you don’t know who you’ll be encountering as you play.
• A Quick Start Option allowing tweaking of the core settings, like size, # players and starting power.
• Advanced options with filters allowing experienced players to tweak every step of the creation process, such as the abundance of forests or the exclusion of particular races.
• And last but not least, the lands should look natural, with locations fitting in their natural surroundings. Rivers flowing into seas, etc approaching the look of a hand crafted map