How to Play Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

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Instead of controlling individual countries in real time, players take turns moving heroes across an adventure map.

Each hero commands an army made up of creature stacks. A stack can represent one creature or hundreds of the same creature. When two armies meet, the game moves to a separate battlefield where units fight in turn-based tactical combat.

Your hero does not replace the army. The hero strengthens it through attributes, skills, spells, artifacts, and specialization bonuses.

Why is the Heroes series so popular?

Heroes of Might and Magic creates a strong sense of progression inside every match.

At the beginning, your hero may command a small army and struggle against basic neutral creatures. Several in-game weeks later, the same hero may carry legendary artifacts, cast powerful spells, and lead hundreds of upgraded creatures.

The series is especially memorable because almost every action creates a strategic trade-off:

• Do you collect nearby resources or rush toward a guarded treasure?
• Do you spend gold on buildings or recruit more creatures?
• Do you preserve your army or accept losses to capture an important mine?
• Do you improve the economy or unlock a stronger unit before the next week?
• Do you fight the enemy now or return to your city for reinforcements?
• Do you develop one powerful hero or recruit several specialists?

The maps also create a powerful “one more turn” effect. There is usually another treasure to collect, another building to complete, another level to gain, or another enemy movement to investigate.

How did the Heroes of Might and Magic series begin?

The original Heroes of Might and Magic appeared in the mid-1990s and established the main formula of the series:

• heroes exploring an adventure map;

• faction-based cities;

• weekly creature growth;

• resource collection;

• tactical battles;

• magic and artifacts;

• single-player and multiplayer scenarios.

Later games expanded the formula with additional factions, campaigns, spells, creature upgrades, larger maps, new skill systems, and different approaches to hero development.

Why is Heroes of Might and Magic III so important?

Heroes of Might and Magic III, released in 1999, became the main reference point for the series.

For many players, Heroes III represents the classic Heroes formula at its most recognizable:

• clear adventure-map exploration;

• seven-stack armies;

• memorable fantasy factions;

• large spell and artifact pools;

• powerful hero progression;

• fast tactical battles;

• a strong random-map and multiplayer scene.

Its expansions, Armageddon’s Blade and The Shadow of Death, added more campaigns, maps, creatures, artifacts, and mechanics. The Complete Edition combines the original game with both expansions.

Heroes III remains important because many modern discussions about the series still use it as the baseline. When players discuss map control, creature growth, hero chains, power stacks, town development, or spell balance, they are often building on ideas popularized by Heroes III.

Olden Era is not a remake of Heroes III, but it deliberately returns to many of the same foundations.

Why was Heroes of Might and Magic IV controversial?

Heroes of Might and Magic IV made some of the boldest changes in the series.

The most important difference was that heroes became active battlefield units. They could move, attack, cast spells, take damage, and be defeated during combat.

The game also changed several other familiar systems, including army movement, creature recruitment, town development, skills, and faction structure.

Some players loved Heroes IV for its experimentation, campaign writing, music, and powerful hero development. Others felt that it moved too far away from the strategic balance and army-focused structure of Heroes III.

This is why Heroes IV is often treated as the most controversial mainline game: it contains many creative ideas, but it also changes some of the rules that players considered fundamental to Heroes of Might and Magic.

What did the later Heroes games add?

Heroes of Might and Magic V returned closer to the traditional formula while moving the series into fully 3D environments. It introduced a new setting, modernized combat presentation, and retained familiar systems such as factions, cities, heroes, spells, and creature upgrades.

Heroes VI and Heroes VII continued to experiment with progression, resources, campaigns, faction mechanics, and combat systems.

However, no single sequel fully replaced Heroes III as the common reference point for the community. Olden Era therefore has an unusual goal: continue the series without simply copying one previous game.

What is Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era?

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is an official prequel in the Heroes of Might and Magic series.

It is developed by Unfrozen, published by Hooded Horse, and created in cooperation with Ubisoft, the owner of the Might and Magic franchise.

The game takes place in Jadame, a continent in the world of Enroth. Players recruit heroes, explore the map, build cities, collect armies, and fight for control of the continent.

Olden Era combines the familiar structure of classic Heroes games with new systems, including:

• branching creature upgrades;

• active creature abilities;

• Focus as a combat resource;

• faction Laws;

• Astrology and Neutral Magic progression;

• hero specializations;

• multiple competitive game modes;

• modern matchmaking;

• a built-in map editor;

• procedurally generated map templates.

Is Olden Era a remake of Heroes III?

No.

Olden Era is a new game with its own:

• factions;

• heroes;

• creatures;

• campaign;

• maps;

• spells;

• progression systems;

• balance;

• multiplayer modes.

It is strongly inspired by the classic Heroes formula, particularly the exploration, town development, hero progression, and tactical combat associated with Heroes III.

A Heroes III player will recognize the basic structure immediately, but will still need to learn Olden Era’s new units, abilities, Laws, spell systems, map templates, and game modes.

Is Olden Era already available?

Yes.

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era entered Steam Early Access on April 30, 2026.

Early Access means the game is playable and can be purchased, but development is still continuing. Balance, interface elements, factions, maps, game modes, and other systems may change through patches.

The developers currently plan to expand the game with more campaign content, scenarios, map templates, map-editor improvements, and an Underground map layer.

Where can you buy Olden Era?

Olden Era is available through Steam.

To buy the game:

1. Create or sign in to a Steam account.
2. Install the Steam desktop application.
3. Search for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.
4. Open the official store page.
5. Purchase the game.
6. Add it to your Steam library.
7. Install and launch it through Steam.

The price may differ depending on your country, currency, sale period, or regional pricing.

Is there a free Olden Era demo?

Yes.

Steam currently provides a separate free demo for players who want to test the game before buying it.

The demo is useful for:

• checking performance on your computer;

• learning the interface;

• trying the basic exploration loop;

• testing tactical combat;

• deciding whether you enjoy the Heroes formula.

Progress and available content may differ from the full Early Access version.

How to install Olden Era

Step 1: Install Steam

Download and install the Steam client, then create an account or sign in.

Step 2: Add Olden Era to your library

Purchase the full game or add the free demo to your account.

Step 3: Install the game

Open your Steam Library, select Olden Era, and press Install.

Choose the installation drive and wait for Steam to download the required files.

Step 4: Launch the game

Press Play from the Steam Library.

Steam will automatically download available game updates before launching.

What are the Olden Era system requirements?

Olden Era currently requires a 64-bit Windows PC and an SSD.

The minimum requirements listed on Steam include:

• Windows 10 64-bit;

• Intel Core i3-10300 or AMD Ryzen 3 3100;

• 8 GB RAM;

• GTX 1650, RX 5500 XT, or comparable graphics;

• DirectX 11;

• 8 GB of storage;

• SSD storage.

The recommended requirements include:

• Windows 10 64-bit;

• Intel Core i5-12400T or AMD Ryzen 5 5500;

• 16 GB RAM;

• GTX 1660, RX 5600, or comparable graphics;

• DirectX 12;

• 8 GB of SSD storage.

Requirements may change as Early Access development continues.

Is Olden Era available on Mac, Linux, or consoles?

The current Steam version officially lists Windows as the supported operating system.

There is currently no officially listed native macOS, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch version.

Future platform plans may change, but players should check the current official store page before purchasing.

What content is already available?

The Early Access version is already a complete playable strategy game rather than a short preview.

Currently available content includes:

• six playable factions;
• more than one hundred heroes;
• single-player gameplay;
• online PvP;
• local Hotseat multiplayer;
• an opening campaign act;
• standalone scenarios;
• procedurally generated maps;
• handcrafted maps;
• three main game modes;
• matchmaking;
• a map editor;
• Steam achievements;
• multiple interface and subtitle languages.

Because the game is in Early Access, additional content and system changes are expected.

What factions are in Olden Era?

Olden Era currently has six playable factions.

Temple

A disciplined faction built around knights, religious warriors, griffins, and strong defensive or supportive abilities.

Temple is generally straightforward to understand and can be a comfortable starting point for new players.

Necropolis

An undead faction using skeletons, vampires, liches, necromancy, life drain, and effects connected to death and corpses.

Necropolis can grow powerful armies by turning successful battles into additional long-term value.

Grove

A nature faction made up of fae creatures, elemental spirits, forest guardians, and magical beings.

Grove armies often rely on mobility, magic, summons, and unit synergies.

Dungeon

A faction of dark elves, minotaurs, hydras, dragons, and other underground creatures.

Dungeon can create powerful armies with strong direct combat units and aggressive hero strategies.

Hive

An insectoid faction built around swarms, evolution, positioning, bodies, and unusual unit interactions.

Hive can be difficult for beginners but offers many unique tactical combinations.

Schism

A faction connected to cultists, demons, transformation, sacrifice, and dangerous supernatural powers.

Schism armies can create powerful effects through specialized mechanics and careful resource management.

To compare their current strength, see the Olden Era tier lists.

Which game modes are available?

Olden Era has three main strategic game modes.

Classic mode

Classic is closest to the traditional Heroes of Might and Magic experience.

You can recruit multiple heroes, capture several cities, transfer armies, collect resources, and manage a larger strategic empire.

This mode rewards:

• scouting;
• secondary heroes;
• logistics;
• resource chains;
• city management;
• army transfers;
• long-term map control.

Single Hero mode

Single Hero focuses the entire game around one main hero for each player.

It removes much of the hero-chaining and secondary-hero management found in Classic mode. The result is a more direct competitive experience where every movement decision matters.

Single Hero is easier to understand structurally, although competitive matches can still be extremely demanding.

You can explore current competitive results in the Olden Era leaderboard.

Arena mode

Arena removes most adventure-map development and concentrates on tactical battles.

Players create a hero and army loadout, then fight another player.

Arena is useful for learning:

• unit abilities;
• combat positioning;
• spell timing;
• Focus management;
• stack interactions;
• damage calculation.

However, it does not teach the full exploration and economy side of Heroes of Might and Magic.

Which mode should a beginner play first?

Start with the tutorial, campaign, or a small single-player scenario.

These options allow you to learn the interface and basic systems without the time pressure of competitive multiplayer.

A good learning order is:

1. Tutorial.
2. Campaign or beginner scenario.
3. Small map against easy AI.
4. Single Hero against AI.
5. Arena for combat practice.
6. Online multiplayer.
7. Classic multiplayer.

How does a normal Olden Era match begin?

You usually begin with:

• one faction;

• one city;

• one hero;

• a small starting army;

• limited resources;

• unexplored territory.

Your first goal is not to attack the enemy immediately.

You need to build enough momentum to explore safely and improve your army.

During the first turns:

1. Inspect your hero specialization.
2. Review your starting creatures.
3. Check nearby resources and neutral armies.
4. Choose fights with acceptable losses.
5. Capture resource-producing structures.
6. Begin your city build order.
7. Recruit additional creatures.
8. Gain hero levels.
9. Find the route into the next part of the map.

How does adventure-map exploration work?

Every hero has limited movement points each day.

Moving across roads is cheaper than moving across difficult terrain. Different terrain types may also affect factions and armies differently.

The map contains:

• loose resources;

• treasure chests;

• artifacts;

• mines;

• creature dwellings;

• stat-increasing locations;

• spell sources;

• neutral armies;

• cities;

• guarded passages;

• quest or victory objects.

Many valuable locations are protected by neutral creatures. You must decide whether the reward justifies the expected army losses.

How do battles work?

Battles take place on a tactical battlefield divided into hexes.

Each army is divided into creature stacks. Units act according to their initiative and can:

• move;

• attack;

• defend;

• wait;

• use active abilities;

• retaliate;

• cast creature abilities;

• interact with combat mechanics.

Heroes support their armies with spells, Heroic Strikes, faction mechanics, attributes, artifacts, and specializations.

A strong army is not determined only by the total number of creatures. Positioning, speed, initiative, Focus, spell timing, stack composition, and unit abilities can completely change the result.

What should you do during your first week?

A simple first-week plan is:

1. Explore the area around your starting city.
2. Collect easily accessible resources.
3. Fight easy and normal neutral armies.
4. Avoid battles that would destroy your most important stack.
5. Construct buildings that support your planned army.
6. Unlock an important creature dwelling or upgrade.
7. Gain enough gold to recruit new weekly growth.
8. Identify the path toward the next zone or city.
9. Prepare for the new week’s creature growth.

Your exact plan depends on faction, hero, map template, and available resources.

What is the main objective?

The victory condition depends on the map or game mode.

Common objectives include:

• defeating all enemy heroes;
• capturing enemy cities;
• controlling a special map location;
• completing a campaign objective;
• winning a scheduled final battle;
• defeating an opponent in Arena.

Always read the victory and loss conditions before committing to a long-term strategy.

Is Olden Era difficult to learn?

The basic loop is easy to understand:

explore → collect → build → recruit → fight → expand.

The complexity comes from learning:

• which fights are safe;

• which buildings are urgent;

• which creatures form your power stack;

• how to preserve your army;

• when to return to your city;

• how to spend Law and Astrology Points;

• which skills and spells fit your hero;

• when to enter the next zone;

• how to prepare for the enemy.

You do not need to understand every system before playing. Start with one faction and learn through short games.

Do you need to play the older Heroes games first?

No.

Olden Era is designed for both returning players and newcomers.

Knowledge of Heroes III or other games helps with the general structure, but Olden Era has its own tutorial, campaign, interface, factions, abilities, and progression systems.

You can begin directly with Olden Era.

Is Olden Era good for Heroes III players?

Yes, especially for players who enjoy:

• turn-based exploration;

• tactical hex-grid combat;

• faction-based cities;

• weekly creature growth;

• hero progression;

• artifacts and spells;

-random maps;

• Hotseat or online multiplayer.

However, Olden Era should be treated as a new game rather than Heroes III with modern graphics. Strategies, unit values, spell balance, map tempo, and hero development are different.

Can you play Olden Era offline?

Single-player modes can be played without competing against human players.

Steam may still require account authentication, installation, or occasional online access depending on the client’s offline-mode configuration.

Online matchmaking and multiplayer require an internet connection.

Does Olden Era have Hotseat multiplayer?

Yes.

Steam lists shared and split-screen PvP support, allowing multiple players to take turns on the same computer.

Hotseat has traditionally been one of the most recognizable ways to play Heroes of Might and Magic with friends or family.

Does Olden Era have a campaign?

Yes.

The Early Access version includes the opening act of the narrative campaign.

The developers plan to add the remaining campaign acts during development.

Does Olden Era have random maps?

Yes.

Olden Era supports procedurally generated maps based on map templates.

Templates define important structural rules such as:

• map size;

• starting zones;

• available paths;

• neutral army strength;

• resource distribution;

• timing of player interaction;

• special objectives.

Different templates can create very different games even within the same mode.

Does Olden Era have a map editor?

Yes.

The Early Access version includes a map editor for creating custom maps and scenarios.

The developers have stated that they plan to improve the editor throughout Early Access.

Is Olden Era finished?

Not yet.

The game is currently in Early Access. It is fully playable, but the developers are still adding content, improving systems, and responding to community feedback.

Players should expect:

• balance patches;

• interface changes;

• new maps and templates;

• campaign additions;

• editor improvements;

• changes to skills, heroes, creatures, and game modes.

For current changes, see the latest Olden Era patch notes.

What is the best way to learn Olden Era?

The most effective learning process is:

1. Complete the tutorial.
2. Choose one accessible faction.
3. Play a small map against AI.
4. Read your hero specialization.
5. Inspect every creature ability.
6. Avoid unnecessary army losses.
7. Learn one city build order.
8. Review why each difficult battle was won or lost.
9. Compare your decisions with faction guides.
10. Move into multiplayer only after you understand the basic economy and combat loop.

Do not try to memorize every hero, spell, artifact, and creature immediately.

Learn one faction deeply, then expand to the others.

Final beginner advice

Heroes of Might and Magic is not only about winning individual battles.

The real game is converting limited time and resources into a stronger position:

• movement becomes map control;
• resources become buildings;
• buildings become creatures;
• battles become experience and artifacts;
• cities become reinforcements;
• hero levels become army power;
• preserved units become future victories.

Every decision affects the next one.

That combination of exploration, progression, tactical combat, and long-term planning is what made Heroes of Might and Magic an enduring strategy series—and what Olden Era is trying to bring into a new generation.