The Age of Wonders series has always had a rich history of imaginative races and factions for you to play as or against, and even though the latest game in the series takes sci fi for inspiration rather than fantasy, it’s no exception. Age of Wonders: Planetfall has a wide variety of factions and races to play as, each with their own unique aesthetic and play style.

If you’re just starting out on your Age of Wonders: Planetfall journey or you’re just curious about the game, there’s no better starting place than by looking at the game’s marvellous playable menagerie.

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You can’t go wrong with a faction of warrior women whose main means of transport are bio-engineered dinosaurs. In Planetfall they have an affinity for forested areas, for bending creatures to their will, and for biological weapons. 

Weapon Groups:

• Bio
• Laser

Bonuses:

• Command genetically engineered beasts
• Terraform forests and manipulate wildlife
• Increased economy and combat capability in forests

Racial Ability:

• Forest Affinity

Assembly

You can’t kill what’s already dead, and you definitely can’t kill something that keeps coming back to life again, and again, and again. The Assembly are biomechanical creatures that specialise in reviving units, scavenging battlefields to rebuild their forces. 

Weapon Groups:

• Arc
• Firearms

Bonuses:

• Reassemble fallen units, bringing them back to life
• Gather extra resources from battlefield victories
• Excellent research capabilities

Racial Ability:

• Natural resistance to Arc Damage

Dvor

Warhammer doesn’t have the monopoly on space dwarves, Planetfall has their very own take on bearded sturdy grumpy folk. After the collapse of the Space Union the Dvor became very attached to their disaster survival suits, which along with their technology lends them an almost steampunk appearance. Thankfully due to these suits they can survive almost anywhere on the game’s map.

Weapon Groups:

• Explosive
• Firearms

Bonuses:

• Powerful area of effect and medium range attacks
• Strong focus on production
• Terraforming options to destroy and create mountains

Racial Ability:

• Ignore happiness penalties from Volcanic

Kir’Ka

Sentient insectoids your thing? Then the Kir’Ka are the race for you. They get buffed from being near other Kir’Ka units, meaning they play like a swarm. Which is good because that’s exactly what they are. In addition they break down enemies with corrosive spit, which is just as gross as it sounds.

Weapon Groups:

• Bio
• Psionic

Bonuses:

• Rapid population growth and large armies
• Swarm Shields protect units in combat
• Biological units with good melee capability

Racial Ability:

• Swarm Shields
• Faster Regeneration

Syndicate

The traders and spymasters of the game, the Syndicate specialise in stealth and making shady backroom deals. If you don’t want to be seen until you’ve dismantled your foes from the inside, or you want to get the best out of every deal, the Syndicate might be the faction for you.

Weapon Groups:

• Arc
• Psionic

Bonuses:

• Indentured slave units ignore morale penalties
• Excellent stealth capabilities and covert operations

Racial Ability:

• None

Vanguard

The face of baseline humanity in the fat future, the Vanguard specialises in getting their message out, and in attacking from afar. If you’re looking for a faction that embraces technology and what technology can do for them, from the internet and communications to heavily armed troops, then we’d suggest looking up the Vanguard.

Weapon Groups:

• Laser
• Firearms

Bonuses:

• Deploy combat drones and turrets
• Use of propaganda and military force
• Powerful ranged units, weak melee capability

Racial Ability:

• None

Hopefully you should have an idea about what faction will be yours when you jump into Age of Wonders: Planetfall, and which futuristic species you’ll make your own.