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  3. Devlog #12: The Grail and its Sanctuaries

Devlog #12: The Grail and its Sanctuaries

[p]Hello — this devlog is a little bit smaller than usual, but it focuses on something unique to the Heroes games: the Grail itself. From the start of the series, Heroes of Might and Magic has consistently sought to reward explorers with powerful rewards. In Heroes I and II, this was done through special ultimate artefacts that had to be found. The subsequent games relied on a Grail instead — named Tear of Asha in the Ashan Universe — that, upon discovery, allowed you to create a special sanctuary building which granted extremely significant bonuses to economy, army growth, and various unique bonuses dependent on each faction.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]
The Grail Hunt and our approach to it
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We’re aware that the Grail Hunt was something everyone enjoyed doing in previous games, so we've taken a look at it and added our own take on it. In Olden Era, we also want to reward those who value map exploration and becoming the Grailseeker. However, our approach is unique and requires slightly more active planning on the player’s side. 
[/p][p]In previous games, searching for the Grail, while fun and encouraging map exploration, required a lot of steps to be taken in order to achieve building it, as it was a very powerful end-game tool. This was a commitment most would not go for in quick multiplayer matches . As we wanted to see the Grail be much more impactful in regular matches, we decided to do something different that would allow you — as a player — to build and benefit from the Grail Sanctuary more often as it’s an incredibly valuable structure that grants major bonuses and, frankly, is exciting to acquire. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]As you may have seen in one of our reveals, in order to obtain a Grail, you have to enter a special fight against your hero’s army within the Mirage structure. Keep in mind that the army within the Mirage will always be stronger than yours, so think carefully and wisely. Once you win, your hero adds the Grail to the pool of available resources. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]
Grail Sanctuaries in Olden Era
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A relic of immense power, the Grail will provide you with different bonuses based on the city’s faction that you choose to build it in. Now that the Grail is safe and sound once you’ve claimed it from the Mirage, you can go through your towns and pick one of them to build a Grail Sanctuary in. Unlike in Heroes III and IV, the Grail Sanctuary is available in the list of buildings from the start of the game and its bonuses can be read on the very first day. If you end up liking a specific faction’s bonus, you can confirm the construction of the Grail Sanctuary in its town, which will consume the Grail from your resources pool. Be aware — should your enemy capture the Grail Town, they will receive the bonuses the Grail Sanctuary grants for as long as they control the town! [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]As it is a very impactful feature that can change the fate of the match, we want to make the Grail acquisition difficult enough to still be a challenge, yet less time-consuming so that you can still feel the impact of obtaining the Grail:[/p]
  • [p]You will have to explore enough of the map in order to find the Mirage object;[/p]
  • [p]The fight within the Mirage is very tricky and difficult as you have to fight a copy of your hero with a much stronger army, significantly increased primary skills and the ability to use all the same spells that you’ve learned — however, there are mechanics put in place to prevent you from exploiting the fight (e.g. 1 troglodyte + magic arrow);[/p]
  • [p]It will also ensure that every encounter with the Mirage will be a refreshing one as your army composition will be different in every game;[/p]
  • [p]It is imperative to protect the town you build the grail in, in order to reap the benefits, which will add a lot of strategic thinking into your gameplay.
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[p]With this new system, our goal is for Grail Sanctuaries to show up more often in your games. We think that this new feature will make them much more interesting and add another layer of strategy to think of during the match. This straightforward method to obtain the Grail will ensure that it is easier for new players to come across it and utilize it to their liking in every game.

We’ll talk about more expansive topics soon — we were just really hyped to share more about the Grail and how it works! Stay tuned![/p][p][/p][p]Follow news and updates: [/p]