Beginner’s Guide#
Welcome to Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era! As the official prequel to the HoMM series, it builds on the classic turn-based strategy formula while adding innovations like faction Laws, sub-classes and terrain advantage. Whether you’re a series veteran or a complete newcomer, this guide gets you up to speed fast.
Installation and Launch#
Where to Get It#
| Platform | Purchase / Subscription | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Steam | Direct purchase | $39.99 (25% off = $29.99 during EA) |
| Microsoft Store | Purchase / Xbox Game Pass | $39.99 / included with PC Game Pass |
| Third parties (CDKeys etc.) | Steam key | roughly $22-26 |
Installation Steps#
- Steam: search “Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era”, add to library → download (about 6.8 GB)
- Game Pass: find the game in your PC Game Pass library → install
- First launch: the game compiles shaders (2-3 minutes), then shows the language selection
- Language: set both interface and subtitles to your preference. Note that voiceover is English only
Verify Your Specs First#
Before launching, confirm your system meets the bar:
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
| CPU | i3-10300 / Ryzen 3 3100 | i5-12400T / Ryzen 5 5500 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 1650 / RX 5500 XT | GTX 1660 / RX 5600 XT |
| Storage | 8 GB SSD | 8 GB NVMe SSD |
On a laptop, set the power plan to high performance and confirm the game runs on the discrete GPU, not the integrated one.
Interface Tour#
Main Menu#
After launch you land in the main menu:
| Menu Item | Function |
|---|---|
| Campaign | Play the story’s first chapter (available in EA) |
| Skirmish | Custom matches vs AI or other players |
| Multiplayer | Online battles (2-8 players) / Hot Seat mode |
| Map Editor | Create and edit custom maps |
| Options | Graphics, audio, controls and more |
| Quit | Back to desktop |
Adventure Map Interface#
In game, the adventure map is your main exploration and management screen:
| Element | Position | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Resource bar | Top of screen | Current gold, wood, ore, mercury, sulfur, gems and crystals |
| Week / day | Top center | Current turn count and week (seven turns per week) |
| Hero panel | Left | Selected hero’s portrait, level, movement, attack, defense, mana |
| Minimap | Bottom right | Explored-area overview; right-drag to pan quickly |
| Mini menu | Top right | End turn / system menu / quick save |
| Town list | Upper left (collapsible) | All your towns and what they can build |
| Status feed | Bottom center | System notices and battle reports |
Combat Interface#
Combat switches to a hex-grid battlefield:
| Element | Function |
|---|---|
| Battlefield grid | Hex grid split into your deployment zone and the enemy’s |
| Unit queue bar | Bottom of screen; all your stacks with counts and current HP |
| Turn order bar | Right side; all units sequenced by speed |
| Spellbook | Bottom left; opens the hero’s available spells |
| Defend / Wait | Two buttons bottom right — Defend (reduce incoming damage) and Wait (delay action) |
| Auto combat | Top right; lets the AI resolve the battle |
| Retreat | Top right; retreat succeeds with some probability (affected by hero stats) |
Town Interface#
Towns are where you recruit armies and grow the economy:
| Element | Function |
|---|---|
| Town view | Central 3D scene; click a building to enter it |
| Building list | Left; all buildable / built structures |
| Recruitment panel | Inside dwelling-type buildings; available creatures, counts and costs |
| Resource income | Top; the town’s daily resource output |
| Laws button | Bottom right; opens the faction Law tree (unlocked by a special building) |
| Garrison info | Right; the town’s current garrison and hero |
Basic Controls#
Hotkeys#
| Hotkey | Function |
|---|---|
| Enter | End current turn |
| Space | Wait (in combat) |
| D | Defend (in combat) |
| C | Toggle hero / town view |
| H | Open hero screen |
| T | Open town screen |
| M | Open spellbook |
| Q/E | Cycle to previous / next hero |
| W/S | Cycle to previous / next town |
| A | Open adventure map overview |
| S | Save game |
| L | Load game |
| F1-F4 | Quick-select preset army groups |
| Mouse wheel | Zoom |
| Middle-drag | Pan the view |
| Right-click | Cancel selection / move (adventure map) / view unit info |
| Left double-click | Jump into town / hero details |
| Tab | Cycle army stacks on a hero |
| Delete | Disband selected stack |
Mouse Actions#
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Left-click ground | Move hero to target position |
| Left-click enemy | Initiate attack / view info |
| Left-click resource / artifact | Pick up / view details |
| Right-click unit | Show detailed stat panel |
| Left-drag stack | Transfer troops between heroes / hero and town |
Core Concepts#
Movement#
Each hero gets movement points per day; terrain changes the cost:
| Terrain | Cost per Tile | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Road (own territory) | 100 points | Fastest travel |
| Plains | 150 points | Standard terrain |
| Forest | 200 points | Slower; some factions have bonuses |
| Mountains | 250 points | Slow, but wide visibility |
| Swamp | 300 points | Very slow; Necropolis units are unaffected |
| Water | Requires a boat / flight | impassable without a vessel |
Heroes gain +100 max movement per level. Visiting windmills, stables and similar structures can temporarily add movement for the day.
The Resource System#
There are seven resources:
| Resource | Main Uses | Sources |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Recruiting, building, buying artifacts | Town taxes, gold mines, artifact income |
| Wood | Basic construction | Lumber mills, map piles |
| Ore | Advanced construction | Ore pits, map piles |
| Mercury | High-tier recruitment, magic towers | Mercury mines, map piles |
| Sulfur | Top-tier recruitment, magic research | Sulfur mines, map piles |
| Gems | Advanced magic research, special buildings | Gem mines, map piles |
| Crystal | Top-tier recruitment, spell costs | Crystal mines, map piles |
Every Monday, each town automatically produces a round of resources. Claiming the map’s mines early is the core of economic play.
Morale#
Morale affects the chance a stack acts in combat:
| Morale | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Low morale — roughly 3% chance to freeze |
| 3-4 | Normal morale — acts normally |
| 5-6 | High morale — roughly 5% chance of an extra action |
| 7+ | Very high morale — roughly 8% chance of an extra action |
Morale factors: the hero’s Leadership skill, same-faction bonuses, cross-faction penalties, artifact bonuses and spell effects.
Luck#
Luck governs the chance of double damage on an attack:
| Luck | Crit Chance |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0% |
| 1 | 4.2% |
| 2 | 8.3% |
| 3 | 12.5% |
| 4 | 16.6% |
| 5 | 20.8% |
| 6+ | 25%+ |
The Grove faction has special mechanics tied to luck. Luck can be raised through magic, artifacts and hero skills.
Mana#
Casting spells costs mana:
| Hero Level | Base Max Mana |
|---|---|
| 1 | 10 |
| 5 | 25 |
| 10 | 50 |
| 15 | 80 |
| 20 | 120 |
- Mana regenerates daily (recovery depends on the hero’s magic power / intelligence skills)
- A magic fountain restores all mana at once
- Resting in your own town doubles mana recovery
Your First Hour#
Turns 1-3: The Opening#
- Inspect your starting hero: check stats and skills. Advanced Tactics or Leadership at the start is a good omen
- Choose an exploration direction: read the minimap and head toward resource-rich areas
- Claim nearby resources: week one’s core goal is grabbing wood and ore mines so building never stalls
- Build in town: the first builds are usually the Capitol (raises gold income) and the lumber mill
Turns 4-7: Week One Development#
- Recruit troops: buy out all available basic creatures — never let dwellings idle
- Clear neutrals: use your main hero to clear nearby weak stacks (peasants, sprites and other tier-1s) for XP and economy
- Second hero: recruit a secondary hero around turn 5 to collect map resources while the main hero pushes onward
- Claim key resources: prioritize mercury and sulfur mines — they bottleneck mid/late-game high-tier recruitment
Turns 8-14: Week Two#
- Building upgrades: time to upgrade core dwelling buildings (like the Temple’s swordsman training structure)
- Expand territory: push toward the map center looking for claimable extra towns
- Handle stronger neutrals: evaluate your power and likely losses before engaging; avoid pointless attrition
- Magic tower: get the mage tower built (level 1 at least) for starting spells
- Laws unlock: some factions unlock the Laws system after a specific building — the key mid-game turning point
Your First Battle, Step by Step#
| Step | Action | Key Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pre-battle deployment | Tanks front, shooters rear or on high ground |
| 2 | Opening read | Check both sides’ speed values to gauge turn order |
| 3 | Tanks advance | Frontline moves up to soak hits and protect shooters |
| 4 | Ranged output | Use archers / shooters to kill enemy shooters or fast units first |
| 5 | Spell support | Turn one Slow / Haste can control the flow |
| 6 | Cleanup | Focus fire the remaining enemies down one by one |
Common Beginner Mistakes#
| Mistake | Correct Play |
|---|---|
| Massing troops while ignoring the economy | Balance economic and military buildings; prioritize gold-income structures weekly |
| Sending the main hero on errands | The main hero clears neutrals and fights enemies — leave resource pickup to secondaries |
| Underusing secondary heroes | Keep at least 1-2 secondaries dedicated to collecting and transporting; it multiplies efficiency |
| Mixing factions without checking morale | Stay same-faction; cross-faction armies lose morale |
| Hoarding mana | Spend it — key mid-fight spells dramatically cut losses |
| Refusing to sacrifice chaff | Low-tier units exist to protect high-tier ones; trade them deliberately |
| Ignoring terrain | Fighting a favored faction on bad ground means heavy losses |
| Random build order | Plan a clear building route instead of improvising |
| Ignoring map mines | Map mines are the mid/late-game economic lifeline — claim them early |
| Skipping the Laws system | Laws are a core feature of this game — unlock early and pick a route that fits |
Recommended Starting Factions#
| Faction | Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Temple | ★★★★★ | Balanced units; the classic swordsman-tank + archer combo from turn one; an intuitive Law route; forgiving |
| Grove | ★★★★☆ | Fast units, strong shooting, an immediately readable luck mechanic. Requires some positioning skill |
| Necropolis | ★★★★☆ | Necromancy refills your army automatically, easing the economy. Weak early — needs patience |
| Dungeon | ★★★☆☆ | Powerful magic but demanding controls; newcomers often mismanage mana |
| Hive | ★★☆☆☆ | A unique rush tempo and an evolution mechanic that requires knowing the upgrade chains — not for newcomers |
| Schism | ★☆☆☆☆ | The chaos-sacrifice mechanic is extremely risky and demands precise loss math — strongly not recommended for beginners |
Settings Optimization#
Graphics#
| Option | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | Native monitor resolution | Keeps things sharp with a well-sized UI |
| V-Sync | Off | Cuts input latency |
| Anti-aliasing | TAA | The quality/performance balance |
| Shadows | Medium | Costly for little strategic benefit |
| Textures | High | Drives town and unit model clarity |
| Grass density | Low | Grass hides units in battle; low density reads better |
| Ambient occlusion | Off | High cost, limited payoff |
Combat Settings#
| Option | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Battle animation speed | Fast | Shortens fights; enable once familiar |
| Show movement range | On | Essential for newcomers — visualizes reach |
| Combat hints | All | Includes damage forecasts and counterattack info |
| Autosave every turn | On | Prevents a misclick from erasing hours |
Difficulty Advice#
| Difficulty | AI Bonus | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | None | Complete newcomers / story-only players |
| Normal | AI gets 10% more resources | Players who know the basics — the recommended first pick |
| Hard | AI gets 25% more resources + extra starting troops | Players fluent in the systems |
| Expert | AI gets 50% more resources + more starting troops | HoMM veterans |
| Epic | AI gets 100% more resources + a large head start | Hardcore challenge seekers |
Suggested path: start on Normal, try Hard after 3-5 games, and attempt Expert or Epic only once each faction’s mechanics are mastered.
The Newcomer Roadmap#
| Games Played | Goal | Faction | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Learn the interface and basic controls | Temple | Normal |
| 3-5 | Master resource management and build order | Grove | Normal-Hard |
| 6-10 | Learn advanced tactics and the magic system | Necropolis / Dungeon | Hard |
| 10+ | Chase high difficulties and all factions | All | Hard-Expert |
Where to Go Next#
After the intro phase, dig deeper in this order:
- Faction overview and selection: study each faction’s signature mechanics and find the one that fits your style
- Unit compendium and stats: learn every unit’s stat lines and upgrade paths
- Hero system and skill synergy: hero skill trees and sub-class choices
- The magic system in full: spell effects and when to actually cast them
- Economic optimization: resource management, build order, development routes
- Multiplayer tactics: faction matchups and tempo control in PvP
Details for each live on the guide’s other pages.
— Chasun, NTGame Editor-in-Chief