Age of Wonders 4's The Silver Seas Expansion Brings Pirates and a Mercantile Culture
Paradox's strategy sequel sets sail with a new maritime culture, pirate captains, two new forms and four tomes, out now as part of Expansion Pass 4.
Paradox Interactive and developer Triumph Studios have released The Silver Seas, the first full expansion in Age of Wonders 4's fourth Expansion Pass, pushing the turn-based fantasy strategy series out onto open water for the first time. The DLC went live on November 3 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, arriving alongside a free update that patches the base game for everyone regardless of whether they own the pass.
The Silver Seas is built around a new Mercantile culture, which splits into two subcultures: the Cartel, built on information-trading and manipulation, and the Barony, a line of trade princes and nobles who field their own private armies. Rulers who lean into the culture can colonize the ocean itself rather than treat it as empty space between landmasses, turning sea lanes into territory worth fighting over.
Two new forms built for life on the water
The expansion adds two playable forms. Aqualon are described as near-human beings touched by the sea's deeper mysteries, while Sharkkin are a monstrous, battle-hungry race built around aggression in naval combat. Both slot into the existing Age of Wonders 4 form system, which lets players mix a culture, a form and a society trait to build a custom ruler rather than pick from a fixed roster of races.
A new society trait, Children of the Waves, transforms a player's people into Merfolk, giving landlocked empires a path to full aquatic armies without switching forms outright. Four new tomes round out the expansion's spellcasting options: Hydromancy, the Damned, Piracy and a harder-to-reach Tome of Eternal Ice.
Pirates, sea monsters and a reshaped world map
The Silver Seas adds a new dwelling called the Bond of the Free Captains, which lets players recruit from three distinct pirate captains rather than a single generic unit. The wider world map gains ocean-specific events, new landmarks, two Ancient Wonders and a new infestation type called the Spawning Shoal, plus a new magic material, Pale Tidebloom, for players who craft their own equipment.
New wildlife rounds out the maritime theme: fish swarms, Accursed Wisps, a Hoarfrost Manta and Rune Crabs join the bestiary, alongside a Seamare mount for players who want their ruler leading the charge from the water rather than the shore. Paradox also bundled in a new interface skin and a fresh music score from longtime series composer Michiel van den Bos.
Part of a pass, not a standalone purchase
The Silver Seas ships as the second piece of Expansion Pass 4, which went on sale October 1 for a suggested $49.99. Buying the pass unlocked the Singer of Storms content pack immediately, adding a premade ruler, a Storm Seamare mount and extra customization options for Champions, Wizard Kings and Elder Vampire Hybrids. That purchase also triggered a free "Witch Update" patch for every Age of Wonders 4 owner, pass or no pass, bundling general fixes alongside a new flying broom item for heroes.
Two more expansions are already dated for the pass. Court of the Archfey is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 with a new ruler type, a new form and glamour-and-illusion magic built around deepwood spirit alliances. Forge of the Firstborn follows in the second quarter of 2027, leaning into crafting and customization with its own form, tomes and a dedicated forge mechanic.
A strategy series still adding content three years in
Age of Wonders 4 launched in 2023 and has been sustained since through exactly this kind of paid expansion-pass model, layered on top of free content patches like the one that shipped alongside Singer of Storms. The approach has let Triumph Studios keep building out the game's culture-and-form character creator well past launch, rather than treating the base release as a finished product.
The Silver Seas is available now as part of Expansion Pass 4 on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, with Court of the Archfey and Forge of the Firstborn still to come over the next several months.
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Theo covers the business of games for Gamers6: studio moves, platform strategy and the press releases nobody else finishes reading. He files most days before the coffee is cold.
