How to Increase City Cap in Age of Wonders 4

In order to become a real pro in Age of Wonders 4, it will take a lot of careful planning and managing of resources, population, and the army to start with. One of the core elements that your empire will be based on is the cities.

You probably already know that, like heroes and some other things, cities also have a cap, and if you go over that cap, you will pay penalties/higher upkeep. That’s why it’s vital for you to always be in balance and not exceed the limits that the game sets for you. In that regard, we have investigated what are the best ways you can increase your city cap in Age of Wonders 4, and here are the results.

Related: How to Annex Ancient Wonder in Age of Wonders 4

Best Ways to Increase Your City Cap in Age of Wonders 4

City cap can be increased in a couple of ways in Age of Wonders 4. The first and easiest way is through the Empire Development tree, where you can select the “Expanded Governance” nod on the left side of the General branch. You will need to pay with Imperium to increase your city cap by 1, and the cost of this upgrade will increase the more you use it.

The second way you can increase the city cap is to select the Adept Settlers trait, which increases the city cap by one at the start of the game. The last way is through mods. There will undoubtedly be many mods created in the near future, and if you are a player who wants to build many cities, look for those that will allow you to increase the city cap much easier.

Lastly, another option to increase your city cap in Age of Wonders 4 is by upgrading outposts, absorbing minor nations, and conquering your rivals through warfare. But these methods do still require you to increase your city cap via development. 

You will always be able to see your current city limit in the top bar, marked with a little citadel icon.

Do You Really Have to Make a Lot of New Cities?

Creating many cities isn’t exactly the goal of Age of Wonders 4. Instead, try and use what you have in the best possible way you can. For example, when you’ve reached your city cap, focus on developing settlements you already have. As their population grows, they grow and gain the ability to annex nearby areas.

If you increase your city cap and want to create another city somewhere, build it in a strategically important spot. Try and build it near important resources, in a place that is not too open so you can easily defend yourself, and, most importantly, make sure it’s connected to your other settlements so that the enemy can’t cut off your new city easily.

How Big Do Cities Get in Age of Wonders 4?

In Age of Wonders 4, cities are designed to grow organically. They won’t suddenly explode in population and cover an entire sector like in Age of Wonders: Planetfall. 

In Age of Wonders 4, cities will increase up to a maximum of 15 population and 15 provinces. This is a more confined approach to expansion than previous entries in the franchise and allows you to focus on specific resources or defense points to contain and manage your empire more efficiently.

We hope you enjoyed our guide. For more Age of Wonders 4 articles, you can check out How to Recruit Heroes in Age of Wonders 4 and How to Disband Units in Age of Wonders 4. Follow Gamer Journalist on Facebook and get many more interesting articles like this one in your news feed.