I was messing around with the Wonder rush option this morning and nearly blew it a couple of times. The Wonder only shows up after you hit Imperial Age—if you’re still in Castle or Feudal, forget it. I spent ages clicking “Advance to Imperial,” gathering food, gold, stone, wood. If you’re not there, the Wonder icon won’t even appear. So, how do you buil a wonder in Age of Empire 4?
When I finally hit Imperial, I saw the Wonder button, but it was greyed out—my resource counts weren’t even close. Most civs need around two thousand of each resource (wood, gold, stone), though a few might be a few hundred off in either direction. I was short on wood, so I dropped extra lumber camps near forests, hoping villagers would haul faster. Works, but you still wait.
Once you have enough, you click the Wonder icon—some civs show it as a little temple, others a scroll. Then you pick a spot on the map. Don’t put it out in the open. I learned that after a tower rush of Knights tore through my walls and smashed the half-built Wonder in seconds. Best advice: tuck it behind a wall, near a tower or two, maybe even right beside your Town Center so villagers don’t take forever to walk back and forth.
After placement, villagers swarm in—hauling resources, hammering stone. The timer starts immediately, counting down in real time for about four minutes or so. If they destroy it before time’s up, it’s gone—no rebuilding. In one game, I had enough gold and stone but was still short on wood, so I clicked the button anyway and watched my wood count slip into the negatives until new logs arrived. Kinda ugly on the UI, but it works.
You’ll want a small garrison of soldiers or a few siege engines nearby. I once parked some crossbowmen and a single Elephant unit beside my Wonder—didn’t stop a sneaky ram push, but slowed them down enough that my Wonder almost finished.
Two knocks you will run into: some civs hide the Wonder behind a specific Imperial Landmark—like Delhi Sultanate’s Wonder only shows after you pick their final Landmark. And if you try placing it too close to other buildings, it just won’t click down. You have to find a free tile with enough space.
That’s basically it. No Imperial, no Wonder. No resources, no Wonder. Enemy runs in, gets to the construction site, and you’re scrambling or conceding. If you’re aiming for a Wonder Victory, plan for a dirty defense around minute 20 or so—raiding parties often swing in before you’ve even hit all your resource goals. That’s why we love Age of Empire 4.
In short:
- Reach Imperial Age.
- Gather roughly 2k wood, 2k gold, 2k stone (varies slightly by civ).
- Select the Wonder project in the Imperial menu, then place it somewhere safe.
- Rally villagers to build it, keep troops nearby to fend off raids.
- If the Wonder survives its four-minute timer, you win. If not, you can’t rebuild, so pivot to military or economic play.
Hope that helps next time you see “Wonder Victory” on the settings. If you’ve spotted anything weird—like a civ that needs more or less resources—let me know.
