Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era News

[p]A few days ago we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Heroes of Might and Magic series — today we are proud to announce that Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era hit over 750,000 wishlists on Steam! [/p][p][/p][p]This makes us maintain our ranking as the top-1 in the Turn-based Strategy and puts us among the top-5 titles in the Strategy categories, as well as among top #31 on the global wishlists list in the official Steam Wishlist chart all of that in A YEAR. Frankly? WOW! You guys are absolutely incredible when it comes to your love for the game! [/p][p][/p][p]This has been beyond any of our dreams and we are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received! Without all of your feedback and trust in us, none of this would have been possible! It's really hard to put into words how massive this is for us so again ... just wow! [/p][p][/p][p]Once more, THANK YOU! Your ongoing support means the world to us![/p][p][/p]

[p][/p][p]We kept it hidden long enough. Today, it is finally here! Welcome to Schism reveal!  [/p][p]As we have already revealed all the other factions, we think it is about time to showcase a very unique addition to the Heroes of Might and Magic Universe. Schism will be the last of the 6 playable factions present once Early Access starts.

First, let's take a look at who we’re talking about: what is Schism? As a renegade group of Alvari Elves, these determined scholars and soldiers went looking for answers among the ruins of their Vori ancestors and became altered because of what they found. In search of power, they have opened the Rift to the Abyss, a lower layer within the Plane of Water that connects to the Realm Between Realms, which you may be familiar with from other Heroes of Might and Magic games or the Might and Magic RPG games. This allows them to summon planar creatures that are very unique and mysterious to the genre, yet extremely powerful.

To follow up on the lore, now that we know where their origins are, the in-game lineup for the faction will consist of multiple altered Alvari Elves, as well as some creatures and monstrosities that they are capable of summoning. Together, they will form the faction we named Schism. [/p][p]
[/p][p]Just like the others, Schism will have its own unique faction skill, called Abyssal Communion, which greatly ties the faction’s flavour with its gameplay! The way it works is very simple: Every time you go into a battle, your army’s size will increase based on your Communion level  you have. It will decrease every day, but can be increased (up to a certain limit) with each fight you win. However, every hero will have their own Abyssal Communion level, so you will have to make strategic decisions on which one of them takes the fights! These bonuses to army size can be very impactful, especially if you’re taking into consideration subskills or hero specialisations. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]With this faction skill, Schism can become very powerful the longer the game goes. The more units you have, the more units you will get extra in every battle. So whether you are against it, or playing faction yourself, plan your actions accordingly. Keep in mind that these additional units are available only during combat and do not persist after the battle so you cannot transfer them between heroes.

[/p][p]For a much more detailed look at all the Schism units you can watch our latest full faction reveal that has it all:
[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Our intention with Olden Era is to create an original game, so that the community can explore new and unique factions alongside the old ones. Olden Era is a standalone game, and not a remake of any former parts, so our main goal is to combine the old with the new, in order to bring something fresh to our audience. We thought there is no better opportunity than to create a faction that was never explored before in the franchise. Our decision was solidified even further by the many mentions of creatures or monsters that we can find throughout the lore bits from previous games, that never found their place or played an incredibly minor role. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The description of Elemental Planes and its inhabitants affected by Realm Between Realm’s madness, taken from RPG Might and Magic VIII[/p][p][/p][p]The origins of Enroth and Elemental Lords as explained by Tarnum in Heroes III Chronicles[/p][p]
Therefore, Olden Era’s Early Access will have 3 familiar factions (Temple, Dungeon and Necropolis) and 3 “new” ones (Hive, Sylvan and Schism). We are considering adding more factions into the game through potential DLCs later on.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Even though Schism is a brand new faction, we always aim to ensure that the foundation of each faction we create draws from the old lore. What we found was a solid and interesting framework for a faction that plays with power they do not fully understand, which slowly twists them into its own image. Thanks to all the information about Jadame in the RPG Might and Magic VIII we know that our playable party faces Escaton the Destroyer within Realm Between Realms (referred to as Plane Between Planes there) — an interdimensional landscape that walls off the Material World and the Arcane (or Elemental) Planes from one another. What they come across there is a place full of literal Nightmares (not Hors :D) and incomprehensible monstrosities that defy any laws or logic. Players also get to see eldritch creatures for a short time during the adventures of Gauldoth Half-Dead in Heroes IV, where they enlist the aid of Ice Demons and Venom Spawns in his quest against his master.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Nightmares (not the horses) within Realm Between Realms in RPG Might and Magic VIII[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Spawning Pits of Venom Spawns from Heroes IV[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The Frost Gates of Ice Demons from Heroes IV[/p][p]
Despite the limitations of time, budget and available technology back then, Realm Between Realms has proven itself to be a very memorable place that left a lasting impression on the players. It gave us room to introduce something outright abominable, eldritch and twisted — a field of ideas that was only barely touched upon in the grander scheme of the universe. In other words — lore that asks to be explored.[/p][p][/p][p]Additionally, from the texts scattered among Heroes of Might and Magic and Might and Magic games we’ve learned that the barrier between each elemental realm and the Material World is thinnest in the deepest crevices of the world of Enroth that lead to a sinister, darker layer of that plane which borders Realm Between Realms. These are the following:[/p]

• [p]The Abyss within the very depths of the oceans;[/p]
• [p]The Chthonic Depths deep beneath the crust of the world;[/p]
• [p]The Underworld (also referred to as Hell in Heroes III: Chronicles in some languages) in the volcanic caverns of Underground Realms (such as Nighon or Jadamean Cave Network);[/p]
• [p]The Starry Firmament (sometimes called the Stratosphere by those who still retain the knowledge of the past) high in the sky.[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p]Orb of Silt hinting at the thin barrier between Elemental Plane of Earth and Material World deep within Enroth from Heroes III The Shadow of Death[/p][p]
As the Abyss is a lower layer of the Elemental Plane of Water that connects directly to the Realm Between Realms, its denizens have a lot of aquatic features and that is reflected in the design of Schism units and the alterations that mutated the elven half of their roster.

We know that there are a lot of fans of H. P. Lovecraft and his work, and so far that kind of space hasn’t really been explored in the Heroes of Might and Magic games yet, which is exactly what we aimed to do with Schism. We want Olden Era to feel familiar, but also be a completely new and unique experience for any player to enjoy.[/p][p] This is why we made sure to connect Schism to the existing pieces of lore within the universe by digging very, very deep into the older games, sometimes pulling information from the tiniest snippets of lore such as, for example, artefacts or physical manuals for the games. On this, we also collaborate with Heroes IP team in order to keep everything appropriate to the Might and Magic universe, which they’ve been greatly helpful with.  As a lot of that information would be a massive spoiler for our Story, we’ll let you discover more yourselves! However, there’s one thing we can share about the powers these renegades have acquired: all of it hails back to the discoveries their Vori ancestors have made upon recovering some artefacts from the mysterious Triton Empire. [/p][p][/p][p]Trident of Rulership from RPG Might and Magic VIII. What secrets did the Tritons know?[/p][p]
To give a quick summary of what to expect from Schism:[/p][p] [/p]

• [p]A brand new faction that was never developed before in Heroes of Might and Magic Universe![/p]
• [p]Unique faction mechanics that can alter the course of each game. Plan accordingly![/p]
• [p]A very close connection to H. P. Lovecraft and his work, for all the fans of things eldritch and abominable![/p]
• [p]Going deeper into the lore that was available within the Might and Magic Universe, but never had a chance to be fully explored!
  [/p]

[p]We have great respect and love for the universe of Might and Magic, but we also wish to expand on its horizons whenever an opportunity is offered. This made Schism a perfect fit for us and the continent of Jadame that is known for its plethora of magical leylines and thin barriers between planes. A new land — a new story behind it — comes with new threats that pose new challenges to face.

Once we expand the campaign with the future acts, you will be able to learn more about Schism as we will uncover the veil of mystery around their creation and rise to power. This will be done after Early Access release and during the journey towards full release.[/p][p][/p][p]Follow news and updates: [/p]

• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Official page[/p]
• [p] X / Twitter[/p]
• [p] Bluesky[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]
• [p] Facebook [/p]

[p]Something ancient and forbidden is coming to Jadame! Join us as we reveal the secret 6th faction and unleash otherworldly powers in Olden Era! Built around unavoidable damage and ability control, Schism is finally here to unveil its mysteries! [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]Follow news and updates: [/p]

• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Official page[/p]
• [p] X / Twitter[/p]
• [p] Bluesky[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]
• [p] Facebook [/p]

[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][p]
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][p]
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.
  [/p]

[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]

• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Official page[/p]
• [p] X / Twitter[/p]
• [p] Bluesky[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]
• [p] Facebook [/p]

[p]In the last devlog, we talked about magic and everything that’s related to it. Today, we’re going to have an in-depth look into skills and the subclass system. Olden Era, just like its predecessors, features a wide range of skills — various passive and active effects that your heroes can learn. We’ve taken a look at the way skills worked in Heroes III and V, and decided to build a system that’d effectively be a hybrid of the two by combining the classic Heroes III’s system and the versatile strength of Heroes V’s. [/p][p][/p][p]We also have a video devlog to go with this one. Check it out here:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]
[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]The leveling system in Heroes games has been one of its core elements, which provided great variety to how you would play in any different scenario. We wanted to keep that feeling and only expand on it even further, as it is something tried and true which the community always loved. We’re not trying to revolutionise the game, but to improve it and because of that the changes we’ve done are additions to the levelling system rather than a full redesign.  [/p][p]
As with all previous titles, the basic requirement for obtaining new skills is experience. All heroes earn experience points by fighting, visiting certain adventure sites and picking up treasure chests. Once they earn enough of them, a hero levels up and can either improve one of their already picked skills or choose a new one. Additionally, they also gain a bonus to one of their four stats: Attack, Defence, Spellpower or Knowledge. Certain skills and artefacts can increase the amount of experience a hero gains from those sources. There are also some adventure sites that can teach your hero a new skill or improve one of their already picked ones. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]
One of the most important quality of life changes we wanted to bring to Olden Era is skill variety. In previous Heroes games there were a few very powerful skills that players always preferred over others thanks to their raw efficiency. While it is a good system and worked for many years, it still has room to grow and become more interesting to both veteran and new players alike.[/p][p]
As we want to make it so that each faction feels unique to play in Olden Era, each hero always starts with their faction’s iconic skill, which we now have as a unique skill for each present faction (like Necromancers in Heroes III or all heroes in Heroes V) and, mostly, an additional one. These starting skills cannot be changed by any means and are influenced by the heroes’ specialisation — a unique bonus specific to each hero. For example, heroes that specialise in a specific school of magic will always start with that school’s skill. You can learn a total of 8 different skills, including the starting ones.[/p][p][/p][p]To further enhance the feeling of building a hero that reflects your choices, we adapted the core of Heroes V’s perks system into the form of subskills. Each skill has 5 subskills. When upgrading a skill to an advanced level, you get to choose 1 of the 3 first subskills and when upgrading it to an expert level, you get to choose 1 of the 2 last subskills. For example, when you level up and pick Advanced Logistics, you will be given a choice between 3 subskills, and when you level that to Expert, you have a choice between the last 2. Each subskill offers a significant bonus and can alter the effectiveness and role of your hero based on your strategy. Additionally, many of them become enhanced if you have a specific other skill, encouraging soft synergies during your hero development.

All of these additions serve as a means to offer flexibility, skill variety and a little bit of individuality for the player while letting them make different decisions every game during hero development. Various subskills will provide even more options and synergies now than what you might be accustomed to, making room for many build paths instead of just a “meta” one. We want players to feel that their choices matter and they’re not forced into making the same decisions every single match. Of course, we expect you to come up with various builds, for such is the nature of the game![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
Additionally, we’ve taken a look at Heroes VII and its subclass system and found it to be pretty interesting as one of the more defining features that game had to offer. We saw potential in it and how much additional room it offers when it comes to building a hero. By making the system optional in the Olden Era, we left the decision of investing into acquiring a subclass entirely in the players’ hands.[/p][p]
The subclass system allows players to unlock further enhancements to their heroes as they progress in levels and power. Each hero class has access to 2 subclasses that require specific skills and subskills to be unlocked. As you level up your hero, the game will notify you if a skill or subskill you decide to choose contributes to unlocking a subclass you’re interested in. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Subclasses further empower each decision you make as they grant you a reward for developing your hero a certain way, yet you can still have a strong hero even if you ignore them entirely. The choice is yours![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
Without further explanations, here is a list of all the skills — some returning and some new — that will be present in Olden Era: [/p][p][/p][p]
There are still a lot of balance changes happening to subskills, which is why we’re not showcasing a list of them, however you’ll be able to explore them very, very soon by yourselves, so stay tuned for more![/p][p]
Follow news and updates: [/p]

• [p] Discord[/p]
• [p] Official page[/p]
• [p] X / Twitter[/p]
• [p] Bluesky[/p]
• [p] YouTube[/p]
• [p] Facebook [/p]