Ancient Wonder provinces can be found around the map in Age of Wonders 4. Players can claim these wonders and have ownership over them while also earning great rewards.
To explore Ancient Wonders, you’ll need to clear any enemies on top of the province, move your army to the center of the wonder, and then press ‘Explore’.
In this guide, I will explain how to explore and annex Ancient Wonder provinces in Age of Wonders 4.
If you’re just trying to expand your city, check out our guide on how to found cities and outposts in Age of Wonders 4.
How to Explore Ancient Wonders in Age of Wonders 4

To explore an Ancient Wonder in Age of Wonders 4, follow these steps:
- Clear the area of enemy units.
- Move your army with your Ruler or Hero to the center of the Ancient Wonder.
- Select “Explore” on the panel of the structure.
As long as the ruin is occupied, you will be able to explore it. If you don’t have the “Explore” option, it means the ruin is empty and the only way to get its benefits is by annexing the Ancient Wonder.
How to Annex Ancient Wonders in Age of Wonders 4

After exploring and clearing any enemies from the Ancient Wonder, you’ll be able to annex it and make it a part of your territory to earn its benefits.
Wonders can be annexed in the same way that normal provinces are annexed. To annex an Ancient Wonder, follow these steps:
- Have a city nearby – If the city is one tile away, a level 1 Town Hall will be enough. You will need a level 2 Town Hall if it’s two tiles away, level 3 if it’s three tiles, and so on.
- Make sure your city has enough population to annex a new province – Each population allows you to annex one extra province.
- Select the city and then the Ancient Wonder province you want to annex.
With that, you’ll earn all the benefits this Ancient Wonder has to offer.
Keep in mind that you can’t build Outposts or found cities in Ancient Wonder provinces, so you’ll have to build as close as possible and level up your Town Hall.
Wrapping up
To sum up this Age of Wonders 4 guide, players can explore Ancient Wonders by moving to their central tile and selecting ‘Explore’.
Then, they can annex these wonders by having a city nearby and claiming that province after expanding the city’s population.
Have you claimed any Ancient Wonder provinces? What kind of bonus did you get? Let us know in the comments below.
Now that you’ve started claiming Ancient Wonders, don’t forget to check out our guide on how to win an expansion victory in Age of Wonders 4 to help you defeat all your opponents.
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