How to Get and Use Town Portal in Olden Era

This makes town-portal useful for several important tasks:

• returning to your main city for weekly creature growth;
• collecting upgraded units;
• restoring mana;
• defending a threatened city;
• moving between distant parts of the map;
• preparing your army before entering the opponent’s territory;
• avoiding several wasted days of walking back through cleared zones.

In longer games, town-portal becomes one of the main tools for converting economic development into actual map pressure.

Limitations to Unlock Town Portal

town-portal belongs to the Neutral Magic progression, which is connected to Astrology.

Unlike ordinary spells that may appear through a faction’s Mage Guild, Neutral Magic spells are generally unlocked separately. This means that constructing a Mage Guild alone may not immediately give your hero Town Portal.

Step 1: Generate Astrology Points

Cities can generate different strategic resources depending on how you develop them. To unlock town-portal earlier, you need to invest in Astrology generation.

This creates an important early-game decision:

• Gold improves your immediate economy;
• Law Points strengthen your faction and army development;
• Astrology Points accelerate access to powerful neutral spells and mobility.

town-portal and second-wind are often the first major reason to prioritize Astrology. The spell can save so much movement that an early Astrology investment may indirectly produce more resources, experience, and map control than another economy building.

Step 2: Unlock Town Portal

Open the Neutral Magic or Astrology-related spell progression available through your interface.

Select Town Portal and spend the required progression resource, called Insight, to unlock it.

Unlocking the spell makes it available to eligible heroes, but it does not necessarily place it immediately into every hero’s spellbook.

Step 3: Reach the Required Hero Level

Your hero must meet the level requirement used by the current map template.

The standard reference lists town-portal as learnable from hero level 4, but competitive templates and current game configurations may use different requirements. Players have reported templates requiring higher hero levels, so always treat the template rules as the final authority.

This is why two players may unlock Town Portal at the same time but receive it on different days: one hero may already meet the level requirement, while the other still needs more experience.

Step 4: Visit a City With a Mage Guild

After unlocking town-portal, bring the hero into a city that has a Mage Guild.

The hero normally learns available spells when visiting an eligible city, you dont need to explicitly click any buttons.

Why Do Some Games Start With Town Portal in Spellbook?

Town Portal rules can differ between map templates.

Depending on the selected template, Town Portal may:

• already be present in the spellbook;
• be available from the start with no mana cost;
• be available from the start but use its normal mana cost;
• require Astrology Points;
• require a particular hero level;
• be restricted or modified by the map rules.

Players have observed several different starting versions of town-portal, and current template descriptions do not always explain every rule clearly.

Always check your spellbook at the beginning of a match. Do not automatically invest in Astrology before confirming whether the template already gives you the spell.

How to Use Town Portal

Once Town Portal appears in your hero’s spellbook:

1. Open the spellbook on the adventure map.
2. Find Town Portal in the Neutral or adventure-map spell section.
3. Select the spell.
4. Choose one of your eligible cities.
5. Confirm the destination.

Your hero will be transported to the selected city.

Before casting, check:

• whether the hero has enough mana;
• whether Town Portal still has an available daily use;
• whether the intended destination appears in the city list;
• whether teleporting now will end or severely limit the rest of your movement;
• whether another city would give better access to creatures, mana, or the next objective.

Why Is Town Portal Not in My Spellbook?

If you unlocked Town Portal but cannot cast it, check the following conditions.

Your Hero Has Not Visited a Mage Guild

This is the most common cause.

Bring the hero into a controlled city with a Mage Guild after unlocking Town Portal. The spell should then be added if all other conditions are satisfied.

Your Hero Level Is Too Low

The required level may depend on the map template.

Continue gaining experience and return to a city with a Mage Guild after reaching the required level.

You Unlocked the Spell After Visiting the City

If your hero was already inside the city when Town Portal was unlocked, the spell may not be added immediately.

Try leaving the city and entering it again.

The Destination City Is Not Eligible

A city may need its own Mage Guild or may need to have been properly visited before it becomes an available destination under the current rules.

If a controlled city is missing from the destination list:

1. construct a Mage Guild there;
2. visit the city with your hero;
3. reopen the spellbook;
4. try Town Portal again.

The Map Template Changes Town Portal Rules

Some templates grant, restrict, or modify powerful traversal spells.

Check:

• the template description;
• starting spells;
• banned spells;
• special game-mode rules;
• the hero’s current spellbook.

You Have Already Used the Daily Limit

The base spell normally has a limited number of uses per day. Upgrading Town Portal can increase the number of available casts.

You Do Not Have Enough Mana

The standard base mana cost is 24. An upgraded version can reduce this cost.

Should You Rush Town Portal?

In many Single Hero games, Town Portal is one of the strongest early strategic goals.

Without Town Portal, returning to your city may consume several entire turns. During that time, your opponent may continue clearing the map, capturing cities, collecting artifacts, and developing their army.

Town Portal reduces this logistical cost.

A typical Town Portal-focused plan is:

1. secure enough gold to maintain normal development;
2. capture additional cities;
3. use one or more cities to generate Astrology;
4. level your main hero;
5. unlock Town Portal;
6. visit a Mage Guild;
7. use the saved movement to accelerate the rest of your game.

This strategy is especially effective on large templates or maps where your hero moves far away from the starting city.

However, rushing Town Portal is not always correct.

You may want to delay it when:

• the template already provides the spell;
• the map is very small;
• the final battle happens early;
• your faction urgently needs Law Points;
• your economy cannot support basic army development;
• your hero remains close to the main city;
• the template heavily restricts Town Portal.

Best Ways to Use Town Portal

Collect Weekly Creature Growth

Plan your route so the hero clears distant objectives and returns to the city shortly after new creatures become available.

This avoids wasting movement by manually walking back.

Restore Mana

Starting a new turn in a city with a Mage Guild can restore your hero’s mana, making Town Portal especially valuable for magic-focused heroes.

You can use the spell to return after an intensive clearing route, restore mana, collect troops, and leave again.

Defend Multiple Cities

Town Portal makes it much harder for the opponent to capture an undefended city safely.

A hero positioned far away may still return immediately if:

• the spell is available;
• the hero has enough mana;
• the daily cast has not been used;
• the threatened city is an eligible destination.

Consolidate Your Army

Instead of carrying every unit throughout the entire map, you can leave new creature growth in cities and collect it later through Town Portal.

This is particularly useful when preserving movement speed or waiting for important unit upgrades.

Prepare for the Final Battle

Before entering the opponent’s zone, Town Portal can be used to:

• collect the latest army growth;
• purchase missing units;
• rearrange stacks;
• restore mana;
• equip stored artifacts;
• complete city upgrades.

After that, your hero can begin the decisive push at full strength.

Town Portal vs. Back to Town

town-portal should not be confused with other movement abilities such as back-to-town!

Town Portal generally provides more control because it can allow you to select a controlled city. Other return abilities may send the hero only to the nearest city or impose stronger movement restrictions.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Building a Mage Guild but Ignoring Astrology

A Mage Guild does not automatically unlock every Neutral Magic spell.

You still need the appropriate Neutral Magic progression.

Unlocking Town Portal but Never Revisiting a City

The spell may be globally unlocked while remaining absent from the hero’s spellbook.

Visit a city with a Mage Guild after unlocking it.

Investing in Astrology Without Checking the Starting Spellbook

Some templates already provide Town Portal.

Always inspect your starting spells before committing city development to Astrology.

Using Town Portal Too Early in the Day

Because the spell has limited daily uses, an unnecessary morning teleport may leave you unable to respond to a more important threat later.

Teleporting Without a Plan

Before casting, decide what the hero needs to accomplish in the city:

• recruit troops;
• upgrade units;
• restore mana;
• defend;
• collect artifacts;
• move toward a new zone.

Town Portal saves movement only when the destination fits the next part of your route.

Frequently Asked Questions

What level do you need for Town Portal in Olden Era?

The standard reference currently lists hero level 4, but the required level can differ depending on the map template or game settings. Check the rules of the template you are playing.

How much mana does Town Portal cost?

The standard base version costs 24 mana. Upgrading the spell can reduce the cost to 18 mana.

How many times can Town Portal be used?

The base version can normally be used once per day. Higher spell levels can add more daily uses.

Why did I unlock Town Portal but not receive it?

Your hero probably needs to visit a city with a Mage Guild or has not reached the required level.

Do I need a Mage Guild to use Town Portal?

A Mage Guild is generally required for the hero to learn the spell after it has been unlocked. Some map templates may provide Town Portal directly from the start.

Does every hero learn Town Portal automatically?

Not necessarily. Each hero may need to meet the level requirement and visit an eligible city after the spell has been unlocked.

Is Town Portal worth prioritizing?

Usually yes, especially in Single Hero games on medium or large maps. The movement saved by Town Portal can translate into more battles, resources, cities, experience, and strategic flexibility.

Final Tips

Town Portal is not simply a convenient way to return home. It is a strategic tool that connects your economy, army growth, mana management, city defense, and map movement.

Remember the basic sequence:

Generate Astrology → unlock Town Portal → reach the required level → visit a Mage Guild → check the spellbook.

Before every match, also check the selected template. Town Portal may follow different starting and unlock rules, and understanding those rules can completely change your first-week development plan.