Series creator Steve Fawkner, who once again heads the development team this time around, has likened the combat system to a collectible card game. It does have a feeling of strategy versus counter-strategy, punch versus counter-punch, and battle results can vary a fair bit if you replay them. Even when one side seems a fair bit stronger, something like a couple of lucky attacks with the aforementioned Assassin skill can turn the tide in favor of the underdog. Overall, this aspect of Warlords IV does rate as a strength, although it might be even better with an auto-resolution option. You can tick a box that makes the AI choose your units, but the actual fights still play out attack by attack even when one side has no chance to kill even a single enemy. With up to 16 defending units and eight attackers per battle, such instances can add up.