Age of Wonders III Pre-orders Open

I can’t vouch for the final quality of the title and I tend to be against pre-ordering by principle, but I’m sure there are people among our readers that were convinced by the previews and gameplay footage available to give a chance to Age of Wonders III, and might want to get the title on either on Steam or GOG. Unfortunately, it looks like GOG is using regional pricing for this title, so the game will cost €39,99/$39.99/£29.99 on both services, whereas the deluxe edition costs €44,99/$44.99/£34.99.

At least, it looks like GOG is sweetening the deal, just like they did for The Witcher 2:

Note, that just as we have done before in such occasions, we’ll be throwing in a little something extra to the deal, to accommodate those of you, who end up paying more than the others due to the currency conversion rates applied. We’ve picked some games that fit well with the genre represented by Age of Wonders III, and if you’re one of those people, you’ll get to pick one of them. You’ll be sent a gift-code allowing you to redeem one of the following excellent titles: Master of Magic, Lords of Magic: Special Edition, Eador: Genesis, King’s Bounty: The Legend, Disciples II: Gold, and Etherlords II.

Also worth of note, there are two extra scenarios for the title, one available for every pre-order, and the other one exclusive to the Deluxe Edition:

Preorder Scenario – Elven Resurgence
Return to the roots of the Age of Wonders with this unique pre-order gift for our loyal fans. Once a sanctuary of the Elven Court, Heartwood Forest is now a defiled battleground, with savage clans warring over its natural treasures. Following The Mending of the Wood Elves and the Dark Elves, the newly formed High Elves vow to retake Heartwood Forest and restore it to its ancient glory. You can play this standalone scenario featuring sylvan wars and underground clashes versus AI opponents or in multiplayer with up to 6 players.

Deluxe Edition – Dragon’s Throne Scenario
An extra large standalone scenario. Legends tell of dragons who ruled the fabled Sea of Flames at the dawn of time. However, no one has seen a True Dragon in living memory. The Isles are still loaded with treasure and have become popular with adventures, merchants, scoundrels and sightseers. Now eight rival lords have found a mysterious dragon’s egg, and each sees it as proof of their claim to the Dragon’s Throne. The sages warn they risk unleashing the wrath of the Dragons, but the Lords pay no heed as they prepare for war. You can play the Dragon’s Throne versus AI opponents or in multiplayer with up to 8 players.

I really hope the game will actually turn out to be as good as it’s looking like right now.