Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era News

FAQ: Part 2

Welcome to the Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era FAQ: Part 2! Here, you'll find answers to additional questions about the game, its features, and more. If you missed Part 1, you can check it out here.

[h3]How long will the campaign be? Will there be campaign-only heroes?[/h3]
Our aim is to release the first 8 missions of the campaign with EA, though keep in mind this is still subject to change. Right now we cannot estimate how long these will take, as some of you may try to speedrun them. However, we do still expect many hours of gameplay for everyone that will take on this challenge! There will indeed be campaign-only heroes that will not be present in skirmish games.

[h3] Will we see some previously known characters to be present, I hope we'll see their forefathers or maybe some long-living ones, will that be the case? [/h3]
Indeed, it makes sense for some characters to be alive at the time when OE happens — the undead, vampires, elementals, and maybe some extremely long-lived elves. And, indeed, some other characters may have ancestors. One faction in Olden Era happens to say “thank Forefathers” (instead of “thank gods” and the likes), and that’s for a reason! So you will see some familiar or semi-familiar faces.
But generally, we want to focus on characters who happen to be more of a blank slate. This game is such an interesting opportunity to create a backstory for characters that didn’t have it at all!

[h3] Will the slow late game be solved/shortened somehow? In the late game, players are endlessly chasing weak enemy heroes but can hardly have some tough matched combats. How will you fix this? [/h3]
This topic is a bit too broad to be conveyed in the FAQ. In short, we’re aware of the issue and are working on ways to solve it. For example, some templates and maps have unique win conditions designed to create a faster endgame. Such win conditions are optional, which means that players will be able to choose their preferred play dynamic. We can also mention that there will be a timer, for both turns and the battle itself that you can toggle, as well as a shorter 1 hero mode.

[h3] Will different towns have different maximum mage guild level? Like Stronghold had 3 maximum levels and Tower had 5 maximum levels in HoMM III. [/h3]
Yes. Also, mage guilds in different towns will have different specializations and a different chance to receive various spells. There will be a separate devlog about mage guilds in the future, where you will learn a lot more about the mechanics present in Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era.

[h3]Will there be Steam achievements?[/h3]
At some point, definitely. We’ll start Early Access with some campaign-related achievements and add more during this period.

[h3]Do you have any plans for a focused Tutorial to help beginners get to grips with competitive play?[/h3]
We are definitely planning to release tutorials during Early Access! We understand just how important this is, as we received a lot of feedback from the community. This is one of the most requested features in the game, so we will do our best to provide an easier introduction for everyone!

[h3]Where is it in terms of accessibility; colours, sounds, folks who have trouble using inputs etc, and also how is it in ease of introduction to gameplay I guess (for new people to the game)?[/h3]
We are working with the accessibility team, and customizations will definitely happen, but most likely during EA, closer to the 1.0 Release.

[h3]How does the AI work in Olden Era?[/h3]
The main AI feature is hero separation into different roles: the main hero fights in challenging battles against other opponents, and supporting heroes are gatherers and couriers who deliver troops and artifacts to the main hero. AI can follow different strategies and change its behavior based on the situation. For example, after collecting a certain percentage of value in a current area, it will change to the “expand and capture next area” strategy.

[h3]Will we be able to change the colour of the UI from blue?[/h3]
Not at the moment. We recognize the request, but our resources are limited and we want to polish the aspects of the game directly related to gameplay and only move on to providing aesthetic options after that. We will consider adding this feature around the 1.0 Release.

[h3]What features will be present in terms of competitive play and tournaments?[/h3]
We are implementing multiple features that will make tournaments much easier to host and watch. One of these is a spectator mode for all games. You will learn more in future devlogs about competitive play!

[h3]Will each faction start with their Unique Faction skill (i.e. Necromancy for Necropolis)?[/h3]
Yes, each faction will start with their faction skill. For specific details on each of them, you’ll have to wait for their particular devlogs. As you can see, we already shared Necropolis in our last reveal!

[h3]Will external dwellings keep their growth week after week?[/h3]
Yes! We really liked this feature as well, and the community heavily requested it. Therefore, dwellings will stack over time in the Olden Era.

[h3]How many heroes will we be able to play for each faction?[/h3]
There will be 18 playable heroes per faction in EA. We are also considering adding more later on — and that’s just Skirmish heroes! Some of the Campaign heroes are separate.

[h3]Will the Random Map Generator feature players vs. players maps? Players vs. AI? Co-op?[/h3]
At its launch in Early Access, the RMG will feature both players vs. players and players vs. AI modes. It won’t have co-op or the option to unite several players in a team. We aim to add this later during Early Access.

[h3]Will RMG support mirror templates?[/h3]
We understand just how important this feature is, so we will add mirror templates during early access after the release of the underground.

[h3]Will there be a gamepass for the base game and first few expansions?[/h3]
For Early Access, the game will only be released on Steam and with the basic purchasing model (i.e., you buy the base game—you get it). We want to focus on the game’s core before considering expansions and their distribution model. Content updates during EA will be free.

[h3]When will we see the secret faction?[/h3]
It will be playable in Early Access Day 1 👀

[h3]How will simultaneous turns and timer work?[/h3]
The timer system is similar to previous games: there is a separate timer for the global map and for each battle (including PvP). The game will use a modified chess timer: you get base time for the whole match, with more added every day, bonus time every week, and increment-delta for bonus time every day/week.
OE will feature clever sim turns - yes, they end when the players can meet each other, not after the meeting. Timer values can be tuned before starting a match (via lobby).

[h3]Will heroes specialization abilities become stronger with additional levels? Like instead of +2 growth of a specific creature you can have +1 growth per 5 hero lvls?[/h3]
This is exactly how specializations work in Olden Era! They scale with level.

[h3]Will there be control zones as in Heroes 6 and 7?[/h3]
We received a lot of mixed feedback, or even negative feedback, about this feature, so we decided not to use it in the Olden Era.

[h3]By the way, what is the dev stance on unsolicited ideas and designs?[/h3]
While we do have our creative ideas, and we mostly follow those, we understand just how important the community is to the Heroes of Might & Magic games. Because of this, we have been going through all of your feedback and will make changes accordingly to what is most requested, or of course, if balance changes are required. But do also note, we have our own vision for the game and we want to create something unique. However, we appreciate your passion for the franchise, and your ideas and requests can change our priorities!

[h3]Will we have the ability for offline LAN or Direct connections to a lobby?[/h3]
Not at the moment, but we will have Hot Seat mode during Early Access.

[h3]Will ranged units have a limited amount of shots, like in Heroes V, or unlimited, like in Heroes VII?[/h3]
Ranged units have an unlimited amount of shots in OE. The range penalty is not constant. It gradually increases based on the distance to the target.

[h3]Will Ubisoft Connect be required to play in Early Access?[/h3]
Early Access - that's stated to launch in Q2 2025 - will not require Ubisoft Connect to play.

[h3]Is it true that the developer Leonid is kept in the basement and is not allowed to go outside?[/h3]
Yes. In chains. We use them to tug him away from the computer; otherwise, he’d never sleep at all.

[h3]How can I support the project while it’s not released yet?[/h3]
We greatly appreciate any support! Here are a few ways you can help:
1. Add the game to your Steam wishlist, and feel free to join our Discord server, where you can chat directly with the developers!
2. Spread the word by asking your friends to also add the game to their Steam wishlists — this would go a long way in promoting the project!
3. Leave comments about the game under any related YouTube videos.
4. You can also support us by purchasing Iratus: Lord of the Dead.

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Devlog #5: Game Modes pt.2: Arena

Recently, we discussed two game modes: Classic and Single-Hero. But we have one more mode up our sleeve, which has seen the light of day because of the community requests. It brings all the players to the fast-paced, dynamic battle: Arena.

Why did we do this? you might ask. There are 2 points to be made here!

The first one, due to long working hours, and many responsibilities in their lives, not many people have the time to allocate to longer templates that have been the classic experience in other HOMM games. The second, to put it simply, arena modes are just very popular, and very entertaining templates to play. We want to not only improve on this idea, but bring you the best possible iteration of it! No traditional map exploration, no castle building, no resource gathering. Just. pure. battle.

The player picks the hero, their artefacts, spells, troops, and jumps into the single fight that determines the outcome.

[h2]But not so fast![/h2]

Arena is not our unique invention. Its predecessor first appeared as a full-fledged mode in HoMM 5 and was called Hot Seat Duel Mode (as if your seat is not hot enough…..). The concept was simple: a quick battle between two preset heroes. The settings weren’t extensive, but the mode still became a hidden gem for those who wanted to dive straight into battle without spending time gathering armies and developing cities.

Hot Seat Duel Mode in HoMM 5 featured 18 preset heroes from different factions, each with unique abilities and equipment. But the choice essentially boiled down to one thing — picking the hero.

But players still missed the option to customize their hero, skills, and armies, so the community created alternatives in other Heroes games — sometimes makeshift (but inventive!). In these Arenas, players could level up their hero — for instance, by gathering everything from Pandora’s Boxes. Some Arenas relied more on luck, others on thought out choices. All were united by specially created maps.

However, modders couldn’t add a fully-fledged new mode to the game. The maps always had to be custom, and this created an issue with finding the templates to begin with, as well as not being very popular, so it was hard to find opponents. It was always very specific ideas, that belonged to individuals, without much balance to it. And so we want to change that!

[h2]What about Olden Era?[/h2]

For starters, we’ve always enjoyed these Arenas! Our team is no stranger to short sessions whenever you want just a quick break. So, we added that to Olden Era as a separate game mode that doesn’t require special maps. On one hand, it’s a format familiar to fans, but on the other, we’ve reworked and adapted it to be approachable to the new audience.

Our Arena is a classic draft. As a player, you're offered a choice of one of three heroes. Then you select their skills (again, one of three, with multiple level ups), artefacts, spells, and army. In other words, you assemble and customize your build, but it’s very fast-paced — the entire draft takes around five minutes. You may choose to fight the other player, or the AI. After all the preparations are done – to battle!

Making this mode was not without its challenges, for sure.
There were questions like ‘what do we do with skills or spells that are only useful on the adventure map (like Logistics or control spells)?’ or ‘How do we use the heroes who specialize in them?’. Not to mention that heroes in the Arena start with an empty skill pool (unlike the regular map, where they always have two or three skills to start) — which means that specialist heroes don’t always get their key primary skills.

So we took it step by step.
We’ve started with improving the balance. Specialist heroes have an increased chance of learning their corresponding skills, and mages always start with a basic spell.
The leveling process has also been simplified — you receive the 2nd level of a skill from the start (the level that allows you to immediately choose a subskill). Additionally, artefacts and skills now influence the magic offered.

We ensure that the draft is fair: if you get a rare artefact, your opponent will be offered an equally powerful one, both players being offered artefacts of the same rarity. But grabbing everything won’t work — it’s crucial how you use your resources, so be mindful of the combinations.

And of course! The same goes for units. Tiers and upgrades will be similar, so we ensure the battle is as close as possible without giving the same choices to players.

Our goal is to preserve the uniqueness of every fight, as well as balance, so that it will always bring a new challenge.

We see Arena not just as a new ‘format’. Quick battles, allowing the player to jump in with minimum preparation and take maximum action, are a good starting point for those who are not very familiar with the series, as well as for those who want to enjoy the game on their lunch break. We hope this will be a great opportunity for both the newer, and the more experienced players, to enjoy the Arena mode, even when they don’t have the time for hours and hours of gameplay. This also brings a way for everyone to very quickly understand and improve their knowledge about the game.

Leaving the best for last, the Arena mode will not only be a quick, and accessible template to play, but it will also have its own separate rating system, and matchmaking, just like the Single-Hero and Classic modes. This will bring a difficult, new challenge, to even the most competitive players!
You will learn more about what kind of competitive aspects this will bring, in one of our future devlogs about the ladder system!

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Devlog #4: On Necromancy and the Necromancers' Guild

There can be no necromancers without necromancy, that much is a fact. Throughout the franchise’s history this unique school of magic has gone through multiple transformations, much like humans’ concept and belief of death. From raising simple skeletons, to awakening liches, dragons and vampires, necromancy has been one of the most controversial abilities that’s been considered extremely powerful if not outright overpowered by most players. In Heroes III it was possible to obtain a powerful set to further empower it, whilst in Heroes V it was limited by Dark Energy.

[h2]How does it work in Olden Era?[/h2]

We wanted to preserve the feeling of power and grandeur raising the dead gave you in the previous games, whilst at the same time trying to ensure it doesn’t get too crazy too quickly. In order to do that, we made it so that necromancy affects ALL of your units - however, it can only raise units that you already have in the army (so no farming peasants to get vampires during the first week) and the amount of units raised is based on the total health pool of enemies slain in combat. We hope that by introducing these checks and balances on Necromancy both the Necromancer and the potential skele…We mean, the enemy player will enjoy facing each other off. We’ll definitely keep an eye on it and adjust it should there be any concerns in the future.

That is not all, though. Whilst uncovering this knowledge for you, we’ve come across an arcane page from our scholarly friend’s lexicon where he records a conversation with his dark but rather friendly acquaintance. Here’s what it says:

Kelarr: Many legends and rumors surround you and your kind. Some call necromancy “the magic of death”.

Khel: True in a way, but the more precise term would be “the applied science of death”. The art of necromancy has its roots in alchemy even more so than in magic, though darker magical practices are certainly important as well. We study death and what happens with the spirit after death. Necromancers strive to perfect the process of resurrecting the dead, to remove any limits to it that traditional spirit magic might have, and achieve immortality.

Kelarr: And you have been working towards those goals for a long time now — in Jadame and elsewhere.

Khel: Indeed, necromancy began centuries ago. Among magicians and clerics there were those who sought to peer beyond the veil of death, to master it, which would allow them to avoid it as well as gain more power and knowledge. One can say that such studies coalesced into what is now known as necromancy when a mage first came back to life as a lich in the west — in Enroth. But many students of death made important discoveries separately from each other, as it oftentimes is with various fields of science.

Kelarr: And yet eventually you “death scientists” became quite organized.

Khel: It was only natural for practitioners of an art like ours to form an order that would help us share knowledge with colleagues, coordinate research efforts and protect ourselves. But although the Necromancers’ Guild operates worldwide, its branches across different lands and continents are quite autonomous. The ways they operate also vary. Here in Jadame, necromancers don’t have a solidified ruling body — the Guild acts more like a support network. While in Antagarich, for instance, Guild members rule a feudal monarchy called Deyja, the kingdom of death. And in Enroth, our colleagues are subjects to the crown and the Mandate of Heaven, though not easily accepted by the populace.

Kelarr: From what I gather, there is actually more than one chapter of the Guild in Jadame alone.

Khel: The most well-known and currently strongest one in terms of military is based in the Shadowspire region of eastern Jadame, as you are well aware. But there are indeed others. it is much more a land. I myself belong to a different branch operating in the isles of the Ifarine Sea. Though we do work closely with the Shadowspire Guild, and I visit those parts rather frequently and with pleasure.

Kelarr: And your reputation as a researcher does precede you… That reminds me. My apologies, but which spelling of your name is correct?

Khel: *chuckles* I know a genie who has been asked the same thing. I prefer “Khel” a bit more, but “Kehl” is also an acceptable way to spell my name.

Kelarr: Thank you. Regarding Shadowspire, while it is an important stronghold of necromancers today, and has been in the past, it is actually ruled by vampires.

Khel: I would say this is rather simplifying it but they do hold sway there, yes. Although the relations between us necromancers and the children of the night have not always been easy (or peaceful), we have enjoyed fruitful cooperation with vampires for several centuries now. Our cultures are indeed separate, but they are intertwined — both in Jadame and other lands. The Necromancers’ Guild itself is rather young by vampire standards. Our history began during the first several centuries after the Silence, and they have been around since millennia before that. Having similar powers and their own brand of immortality, they sometimes help us in our studies, also learning much themselves.

Kelarr: I suppose the fact that the current head of the Necromancers’ Guild in Shadowspire is a vampire certainly helps.

Khel: Oh, yes! Lord Thant doesn’t hail from Jadame, but has made quite a name for himself here. A powerful practitioner and researcher of Nightshade Magic, some of his creations have done much to help his vampiric brethren in their endless struggle with the sun, gaining Thant favor with the legendary Nosferatu Korbu himself — and Thant is certainly a highly talented necromancer himself, an asset to the Guild.

Kelarr: And not only that. As far as I know, his policies actually helped bridge the gap between necromancers and common people.

Khel: Also true. Many living people that dwell alongside necromancers (or under our rule) in various towns and regions of Jadame entrust us with the remains of their dead. While those sanctimonious priests from the Temple of the Sun constantly blame us for “interfering with the passing of souls” and whatnot, at times the funeral rites we perform actually help the spirit ascend.

Kelarr: However, it should be noted that this is not the only reason Sun clerics and others revile your kind. They say necromancers prey upon life itself, much like vampires drink blood. To restore life the way you do, you need to get life energy somewhere.

Khel: Practicing our art does require such sacrifices.

Kelarr: Sometimes, quite literal ones…

Khel: True, but many necromancers are beginning to shy away from ritual sacrifices. They prefer to draw life from the land, and use more subtle, slow ways.

Kelarr: We’ve talked about the Sun worshippers, but the Moon Temple is no less relevant to the necromancers…

Khel: The twin Churches of Sun and Moon have competed for the hearts and minds of people across the globe for so long now, sometimes clashing openly. While our order is separate from the Church of the Moon, we naturally prefer them over the Sun clerics, and many Moon clerics practice necromancy and employ undead in their armies. Those in our Guild who are more religious actually practice either the Moon faith or its offshoot called the Path of Dark. I myself am more of an agnostic when it comes to powers that be.

Kelarr: While I agree that the Necromancers’ Guild has been rather peaceful for a long time, there are some necromancers and vampires who may disturb that peace. Like the certain someone I’m sure you have heard about…

Khel: Ah, Galthran. Freshly bitten, and very young by vampire standards, he does indeed seem rather ambitious and warlike. Galthran’s experiments with skeleton transformation are both admirable and risky. I have been privy to many talks among our leaders regarding what should be done about him, if anything at all. He seeks to gain power separately from the Guild. While he has every right to try and do so, he could get himself and others in trouble that way.

Kelarr: I only hope that the people of Jadame will not have to suffer from that.

Khel: Time will tell.

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Necropolis Faction full reveal (Happy Halloween!)

🌹 Roses are red🌹
Violets are blue
🩸We still haven't fixed the blood issue (oh we know) 🩸
But here's the Big Necropolis Faction Reveal just for you!

Happy Halloween!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Devlog #3: On Lore and Subjectivity

Franchises require a very special approach to lore when you’re not the original creator. As a fan, you want to add something to the world you love that is faithful to its spirit, but meaningful enough so that it doesn’t feel like gushing fanfiction. This becomes even harder if a franchise is old (like Might and Magic) and has a complicated history (like Might and Magic).

Heroes of Might and Magic as a series is a spin-off of the Might and Magic franchise and partially shares a world (MM6-MM8) with it — up until HoMM3, that is. Then an eschatological event happens, and HoMM4 takes place in a new world, as do the following games. Some inhabitants of the original Enroth escape to Axeoth from HoMM4, but HoMM5 is, in terms of grand cosmology, a kind of pure fantasy soft reboot of the setting in the world of Ashan.

It is, of course, irrelevant to us as HoMM:OE is a return to Enroth. But the soft reboot happened for a reason. And that reason was, the HoMM community is very… split on the franchise’s origins.

[h2]Are Demons Space Aliens?[/h2]
This is because the Might and Magic universe isn’t fantasy — it’s space techno fantasy about powerful high-tech races and ancient creatures terraforming a world that only looks medieval. The Might and Magic series explores this in full detail, but the Heroes of Might and Magic sub-franchise conceals this aspect. Of course, it’s not like the original creators considered HoMM to be separate from MM lore-wise — quite the contrary. But the fact remains, in all of the Heroes games the sci-fi aspect was never ever made explicit. You wouldn’t know that the devil Kreegans from Inferno are actually a race of spacefaring aliens (a few hints in the campaigns notwithstanding), unless you search external sources, like the Might and Magic games or Internet sites, for this information. So a lot of players fell in love with Heroes without knowing about its roots.

Naturally, this split the community. Some people enjoy the techno fantasy aspect. Others treat it as a sort of easter egg! But there are also people who heavily dislike the “techno” part — they rebelled against the original (unreleased) Forge faction in HoMM3, which was meant to represent this more technological aspect. A significant portion of the Heroes of Might and Magic fans view it as pure fantasy. Which is one of the reasons the series moved to more traditional worlds in later installments.

Now, dear reader, we suspect you have an opinion on the matter, whether pro- or anti-techno element. Since the announcement we’ve read a lot of passionate discussions on the matter, with mutually exclusive points made from both sides. To some people, removing the techno fantasy aspect is removing the DNA of the series; to others, adding it dilutes the Heroes identity and makes the world less immersive.

Since we at Unfrozen are fans, our team is actually also split on the matter — some people enjoy the techno fantasy roots, others don't. And so the question is: how do we create a game that makes everyone happy? Is it even possible?

[h2]Here Come the Tropes[/h2]
Here’s a fun question for you: who writes unit or item descriptions in a game? More often than not, a sort of omniscient narrator/demiurg figure does — basically it’s the creators of the game saying, “This is the objective truth.” Games like Magic: The Gathering shift this tradition, utilizing in-universe quotes from characters for their flavor texts. And some games, like Hollow Knight, go even further — their artbook is presented as a bestiary written by an in-universe character who has a name and a story (and who can thus be mistaken — or at least has a clearly subjective view of the world).

The cool thing about Heroes of Might and Magic is that it’s a game about clashing worldviews. Factions are different on every level, from visual design to gameplay perks, and we emphasize that in Olden Era. So why not make their worldviews equally varied?

Different people of Jadame may have different ideas on where magic comes from. Or how the world began. Or whether gods exist and what they do. Or what the movement of stars means. Instead of giving a definitive answer, why not use conflicting interpretations to our advantage?

[h2]Subjective Narration[/h2]
In Olden Era, followers of the Temple believe that the Sun is a magic chalice where all good souls go after death. This is why they preach self-improvement: the better you make yourself in life, the stronger your soul becomes, feeding their central object of worship. This is also why templars hate necromancers so much, as they tie souls to mortal remains in an unnatural way, denying them this bliss and obligation.

Now, is the Sun actually a chalice? Do faithful souls really go there?

Do we need an objective answer?

https://youtu.be/M2anFK-Gwb8

From Rashomon to A Song of Ice and Fire, stories with multiple narrators, subjective and unreliable, have been a great way to show conflict where each side has their own truth and no one feels like an objective villain. To an Alvar dark elf, the conflict between Temple and Necropolis might look ridiculous because they know that the sun is just an orb of fire in the sky. To a Murmurwood satyr, it makes sense, as they are equally convinced that all souls are sucked back into the world after death, but the Temple’s desire to inflate them artificially feels unnatural. No one is “objectively” right or wrong here, it’s just different worldviews clashing — over things more fundamental than a piece of land or a powerful artifact.

We will, of course, mostly explore this in the campaign. But even in skirmishes or on the Arena, this trace of subjectivity is still present. All unit descriptions, for example, are written by an in-universe character, a scholar, who does his best to be impassive, but still comments on aspects of other cultures he finds questionable, and he can still be wrong.

And yes, it’s an old minotaur

In fact, New World Computing sometimes made good use of the “unreliable narrator” tropes. For instance, some people in Enroth think that VARN was a seafaring ship, or the whole deal with Kreegans being labeled as “devils” and their enslaved humans as possessed Demoniacs.

All that said, there are aspects of HoMM:OE’s world that aren’t open to interpretation — like Jadame’s people, their social structures and politics. Or pure geography.

WIP! This iteration of the map of Jadame is inspired by an awesome fan version by Markon Phoenix — although it has changed somewhat since then.

The largest volcano on Jadame is in Shadowspire, but it’s dormant. The ones to the south are active. These are undeniable facts. But it’s not necessarily possible to tell whether that was the cause of the new fiery power appearing in those parts of the continent (attracted and bolstered by the elemental force of the volcanoes, maybe?) or if the power boosted the volcanoes. Were the Wasp Nest insectoid inhabitants corrupted by this new force — or did they summon it voluntarily?

Some of these questions will be answered in the story. But others will remain open-ended. Because everyone has their own truth.

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