Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era – All Factions Tier List

Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launched in Early Access on April 30, 2026, bringing six fully playable factions set across the continent of Jadame. Each town fields seven creature tiers with two upgrade paths each, totaling 21 unit variants per faction and 126 creature types across the entire game.

This tier list ranks every town based on early-game clearing power, native terrain advantage, rare resource dependency, and late-game unit ceiling.

1. Heroes Olden Era Faction Tier List

Not all six factions perform equally in the current Early Access build. The gap between the top and bottom tiers is real and noticeable in practice, though every faction is fully viable with a deep understanding of its mechanics.

The table below summarizes the current standings, followed by a detailed breakdown of each Faction.

This ranking reflects the Early Access launch version. Unfrozen and Hooded Horse have confirmed ongoing content updates and balance passes based on community feedback, so faction standings can shift meaningfully with each patch.

2. How We Ranked Each Faction

Temple Faction’s gameplay

Ranking the factions required looking beyond raw unit stats. The criteria below reflect the decisions players face every session, from the first neutral camp on Day 1 through the decisive late-game army clashes that settle maps.

2.1. Measuring Early-Game Power

If you lose troops clearing resource mines in the first two days, your economy stalls. Factions with strong Tier 1 to Tier 3 units compound their gold lead and build infrastructure faster. Factions with a poor early game need player skill or patience to survive the first week intact.

2.2. Native Terrain Bonus

Every faction fights best on its native terrain. Units gain +1 Initiative when fighting on home terrain, and an advanced-level subskill unlocks an additional +10% Damage dealt and -10% Damage received on that terrain type.

• Temple: Grass
• Necropolis: Deathland
• Dungeon: Dirt
• Grove: Autumn
• Hive: Lava
• Schism: Snow

Heroes also suffer no movement penalties crossing their native terrain, making map geography a real strategic layer in both campaign and skirmish modes.

2.3. Rare Resource Dependency

The six rare resources in Olden Era are Wood, Ore, Gems, Crystal, Mercury, and Alchemical Dust. Tier 7 units require rare resources beyond gold to recruit.

Factions with heavy dependency on multiple rare resources simultaneously are harder to sustain on maps with uneven resource distribution. Factions with lighter requirements scale more predictably regardless of map generation.

3. Dungeon (S-Tier)

The Dungeon

Dungeon is the strongest faction in Heroes Olden Era Early Access by a clear margin. Built around the Alvar Pact, an underground alliance of dark elves, minotaurs, medusae, and dragons, the faction delivers consistent power at every game stage.

Its defining feature is that every single unit can switch between two attack types, giving it tactical flexibility that no other town can match.

3.1. Dungeon’s Early-Game Opening

Notable Characters for the Dungeon

The Onyx Dancer at Tier 3 defines the Dungeon opening. Stack them heavily, build the Amphitheatre II, and upgrade into Aureate Dancers. Their initiative becomes so high that the Dungeon frequently acts before opponents get a proper turn.

• Recruit as many Onyx Dancers as gold allows in the first days.
• Build Amphitheatre II early to unlock Aureate Dancer upgrades.
• Use Medusae to cover ranged control once mid-tier buildings are up.
• The best hero pick is Motley, who starts with a full Onyx Dancer army.

3.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Dungeon’s native terrain is Dirt, covering underground and subterranean map sections. This stacks naturally with the faction’s already-high unit initiative on underground layers.

Resource dependency relies on Mercury and Crystal for mid- to high-tier buildings. On maps with poor Mercury distribution, the mid-game building transition slows noticeably. Claim Mercury outposts before pushing expansion.

3.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Dungeon’s Units

The Dungeon’s T7 unit, the Black Dragon (or its Ashen Dragon upgrade), is immune to spells. This removes a significant counterplay option from opponents relying on magic-based strategies. Pairing spell-immune Black Dragons with Medusae ranged control creates a genuinely difficult endgame composition.

• Aureate Dancer (T3 upgrade): Sustained ranged damage with initiative dominance.
• Medusa (T5): Ranged control and battlefield disruption.
• Black Dragon / Ashen Dragon (T7): Spell immunity, high raw stats.

3.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Ashen Dragon

Dungeon dominates most matchups, but its reliance on specific mechanics and resources can be exploited. Consider the following advantages and vulnerabilities:

Strengths

• Dual-attack versatility enables in-combat adaptation to any enemy composition.
• Initiative advantage from Aureate Dancers often means Dungeon acts before opponents every round.
• Spell immunity from Black Dragons hard-counters magic-dependent strategies.
• Consistent power from Week 1 through the final campaign push.

Weaknesses

• Mercury and Crystal dependency create exploitable bottlenecks on poorly generated maps.
• High skill ceiling on dual-stance management; underperforms significantly if players ignore stance switching.
• Strong enough that opponents will specifically target resource denial strategies against it.

3.5. Best For

Dungeon suits competitive or experienced players who want the strongest overall package and are willing to learn stance mechanics. It is also the best choice for anyone entering multiplayer for the first time, since its raw power compensates for matchup unfamiliarity.

4. Necropolis (A-Tier)

The Necropolis

Necropolis earns its A-Tier placement through a Necromancy snowball that becomes overwhelming in the mid-to-late game. Governed by the Head of the Necromancers’ Guild in Shadowspire, Necropolis is one of the most lore-rich factions in the game.

The faction does not win through burst damage. It wins by outlasting every opponent, growing its army after each battle, and entering the decisive engagements with more forces than it started with.

4.1. Necropolis’s Early-Game Focus

Notable Characters in Necropolis

The early game is Necropolis’s weakest phase. Strong ranged options are limited until the Skeleton Archer upgrade becomes available. The correct early approach is to prioritize Skeleton Warriors immediately, since the Necromancy mechanic converts fallen enemies into Skeletons after each battle.

• Start with a Necromancer hero and stack Skeleton Warriors fast.
• Unlock the Skeleton Archer upgrade as a primary building target.
• Accept that early fights may feel tight; the army grows over time rather than starting strong.
• Use Slow and Blind spells against armored factions like Temple, whose physical damage neutralizes Skeleton Archers.

4.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Necropolis’s native terrain is Deathland. On Deathland-heavy maps, the initiative and combat bonuses compound with Necromancy army growth. A notable faction law, Terra Mortis (Tier 4), grants Necropolis heroes native terrain combat bonuses even when fighting off Deathland.

Resource dependency leans toward Gems and Crystal for upper-tier undead buildings. The Necromancy loop partially offsets this by reducing unit loss rates over time, lowering the total recruitment cost burden across a full campaign.

4.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Necropolis’s Units

The Lich at Tier 6 and the Vampire at Tier 7 are the payoff for a patient early game. Vampires drain life on every attack, sustaining the attrition loop that defines Necropolis all the way through the highest-stakes fights.

• Skeleton Archer (T1 upgrade): Core early ranged option that enables safer clearing.
• Lich (T6): Spell-casting undead with wide area damage and debuff capabilities.
• Vampire (T7): Life-drain sustain, high raw power, forces opponents to commit resources to counter the regen loop.

4.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Vampire Lord

Necropolis is a slow-burn faction that requires patience to scale. Keep the following factors in mind when piloting this town:

Strengths

• Necromancy turns losses into gains, meaning bad fights still grow the army.
• Vampire life drain sustain makes late-game engagements extremely difficult to close out against.
• Lich spell coverage provides crowd control and area damage that Skeleton Warriors cannot.
• Terra Mortis faction law compensates for the scarcity of Deathland terrain.

Weaknesses

• Virtually no early ranged capability until the Skeleton Archer upgrade is built.
• Early-game clearing power is the lowest among the top three factions.
• Necromancy snowball is slower on maps with low neutral army density.
• Requires patience; players expecting early aggression will underperform.

4.5. Best For

Necropolis suits methodical, defensive-minded players who prefer building compounding advantages over time. It is also the most forgiving faction for newer players in single-player, since the Necromancy mechanic covers up tactical mistakes by growing the army after imperfect battles.

5. Grove (A-Tier)

Grove

Representing the Forces of Nature and Fey Folk from the forests of Murmurwoods, Grove fields ranged attackers at multiple tiers, making early fights significantly cleaner than most other towns. Grove is the most accessible faction in Olden Era without sacrificing competitive viability.

The core strategy is simple: ranged units do the damage while melee screens protect them. A unique mechanic, the mushroom teleporter network, links owned towns across the map, adding a mobility layer that matters enormously on large maps.

5.1. Grove’s Early-Game Tactics

Notable Characters in Grove

Grove’s early advantage comes from having ranged output spread across multiple tiers rather than concentrated in one slot. Fauns and Faun Archers (T1), Aqualotls (T4), and Herbomancers (T5) provide consistent backline damage throughout the clearing phase.

• Prioritize Faun Archer upgrade (ranged variant) over Faun Warrior for the first weeks.
• Build melee frontline units as shields; never lead with ranged stacks.
• Set up the mushroom teleporter as early as infrastructure allows on multi-town maps.
• Hero classes are Warden (physical combat focus) and Druid (magic and nature spells).

5.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Grove’s native terrain is Autumn, a commonly occurring tile type on forest-themed random maps. Autumn coverage is broadly available, meaning the initiative and combat bonuses trigger regularly without requiring unusual map conditions.

Resource dependency skews toward Wood and Gems. Forest-heavy maps typically generate abundant Wood nodes near Grove starting positions, making the building curve more consistent than resource-intensive factions like Temple or Dungeon.

5.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Grove’s Units

The Phoenix at Tier 7 is one of the strongest late-game units in the current build. Its regeneration mechanic and raw combat presence cap off a faction that has already accumulated a ranged damage lead through careful, low-loss mid-game play.

• Faun Archer (T1 upgrade): Core early ranged unit that enables low-casualty clearing.
• Aqualotl / Polar Aqualotl (T4): Strong mid-game ranged anchor.
• Phoenix (T7): Regeneration, high area presence, punishing to rush down.

5.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Grove is highly reliable, but a coordinated rush can break its defensive screens. Keep these aspects in mind during your campaign:

Strengths

• Ranged coverage at Tier 1, Tier 4, and Tier 5 keeps clearing casualties low from Day 1.
• Mushroom teleporters provide unmatched repositioning speed on large maps.
• Autumn terrain is common enough that the terrain bonus applies consistently.
• Beginner-friendly design provides a clear, readable win condition.

Weaknesses

• Mid-tier unit Vine Iriyad is considered overpriced relative to its stats and abilities in the current build.
• Slower peak damage output than the Dungeon; wins through efficiency rather than dominance.
• Ranged-heavy composition requires careful positioning; melee pressure can dismantle the strategy quickly if screens fall.

5.5. Best For

Grove suits new players and returning HoMM veterans who want a familiar ranged-frontline format without the mechanical complexity of Dungeon’s stance system. It is the most consistent choice across both single-player campaigns and casual multiplayer matches.

6. Temple (B-Tier)

Temple

The Temple is the classic human knight faction of Olden Era, governed by the High Inquisition from their bastion on Karigor Isle. The roster covers all the familiar roles: foot soldiers, crossbowmen, cavalry, flying units, and divine defenders.

Temple is genuinely powerful in the late game, but the road to that power is slower and more expensive than the top two tiers, which is what keeps it at B-Tier in the current Early Access meta.

6.1. Temple’s Early-Game Priorities

Temple’s Notable Characters

The Temple’s early game is held back by slow Focus Point generation (which restricts unit ability usage) and a building path that requires significant investment before top-tier units become accessible. Crossbowmen at Tier 2 provide the most reliable early ranged output.

• Recruit Crossbowmen immediately for early ranged damage.
• Consider hero Zenith, who brings Lightweavers into battle from Day 1.
• Treat Lightweavers as a mid-game upgrade; they outperform Crossbowmen but cannot be recruited early.
• Support the early army with Guard Captains, Marksmen, and Guardian Griffins.

6.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Temple’s native terrain is Grass, the most common tile type on standard map templates. This is a passive, low-effort advantage. Grass coverage is broadly available, meaning Temple heroes rarely suffer movement penalties, and the terrain combat bonus applies in most engagements.

Resource dependency is Temple’s most significant structural weakness. Reaching Cavaliers at Tier 6 and Angels at Tier 7 requires heavy investment in Gold, Ore, and Gems simultaneously. Managing all three creates meaningful economic pressure during the mid-game.

6.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Temple’s Units

The Angel at Tier 7 is one of the best units in the entire game. Its ability to resurrect fallen allied troops mid-battle transforms losing engagements and turns already-winning fights into complete routs.

• Griffin / Guardian Griffin (T4): High initiative, unlimited retaliations, reliable aerial pressure throughout the game.
• Cavalier (T6): High-damage armored cavalry that forms the offensive core of the late-game push.
• Apotheosis (T7 Upgrade): Buff propagation via Forging Perfection, full self-heal without ending turn, Purity Aura immunity for itself and adjacent units.

6.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Temple offers a balanced roster but suffers from economic bottlenecks. Weigh these pros and cons before selecting this faction:

Strengths

• Apotheosis turns every positive effect in your army into a double application through Forging Perfection, compounding spell, and Morale buffs every round.
• High innate Morale creates frequent double turns that can swing otherwise even fights.
• Grass native terrain applies broadly on most maps, providing a low-maintenance terrain bonus.
• Well-rounded unit mix provides options at every tier type (ranged, melee, cavalry, flying).

Weaknesses

• Slow Focus Point generation limits hero and unit ability usage more than any other faction.
• T6 and T7 upgrades demand Gold, Ore, and Gems at a volume that strains most mid-game economies.
• Generates momentum slower than Dungeon or Necropolis in both the early and mid game.
• Over-reliance on buffs and morale can leave the whole strategy vulnerable to poorly timed debuffs from opponents.

6.5. Best For

Temple suits HoMM veterans who prefer a familiar unit mix and are comfortable managing a slow build toward a strong late game. It is also the best pick for players who enjoy spell-and-buff synergy and want a faction that rewards careful Hero skill selection.

7. Hive (B-Tier)

The Hive

Hive is one of two brand-new factions in Olden Era and the most mechanically distinct aggressive option in the game. Representing an insectoid swarm corrupted by the Dragonfly King and operating out of the Ironsand Desert, Hive replaces the old Inferno faction’s demonic chaos.

Built around molten bugs and close-range swarm tactics, the faction works brilliantly when played correctly but punishes players who try to adapt mid-strategy.

7.1. Hive’s Early-Game Aggression

Notable Characters for Hive

Hive’s early game is straightforward in design but demanding in execution. The entire approach is to rush, overwhelm, and close fights before opponents stabilize. The critical constraint is the near-total absence of ranged capability across the roster.

The Hivemind passive compensates for higher casualties: the more distinct Hive unit types fielded in one army, the stronger certain units become at the start of combat. This rewards army diversity over single-unit stacking.

• Mix Hive unit types in your army from the first fights to activate Hivemind bonuses.
• Rush aggressively; do not allow opponents time to build ranged backlines.
• Use hero Zoran, The Self-Founded for the strongest aggressive opening.
• Invest in faction Laws early, as Hive’s law tree can generate a significant unit production snowball.

7.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Hive’s native terrain is Lava, a high-movement-penalty tile type that appears less frequently than Grass or Autumn. On maps with significant Lava coverage, the initiative and combat bonuses apply consistently. On Grass or Autumn-heavy maps, the terrain advantage is largely absent.

Resource dependency skews toward Gold and Ore, making Hive’s economic curve simpler and more predictable than Temple, Dungeon, or Schism. This is one of the faction’s genuine underrated advantages: the building path rarely stalls due to rare-resource shortages.

7.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Hive’s Units

The Hive Queen at Tier 7 (with upgrades into Hive Mother or Hive Huntress) brings the faction’s sustain loop to its peak. The Corpse-Eater ability allows Hive units running low on health to consume fallen enemies and recover HP on the spot.

• Mantis / Vermilion Mantis (T4): Core mid-game melee damage dealer.
• Waurms / Pyroboros (T6): The Pyroboros upgrade finally provides a high-tier ranged option, shifting army composition in the late game.
• Hive Queen / Hive Mother (T7): Corpse-Eater sustain, strong raw stats, Hivemind synergy cap.

7.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Hive rewards unrelenting aggression but struggles if forced into a protracted ranged battle. Consider these factors when playing the swarm:

Strengths

• Corpse-Eater ability provides in-combat sustain that partially compensates for high casualty rates.
• Hivemind passive rewards diverse army composition and creates compounding strength in long fights.
• Gold and Ore dependency make the economy significantly easier to manage than most factions.
• Faction law investment can generate a meaningful snowball in unit production over a full campaign.

Weaknesses

• Virtually no ranged capability until Pyroboros (T6) is available, leaving a long window of melee-only play.
• High casualty rate per fight compared to ranged factions; Corpse-Eater cannot fully compensate in bad engagements.
• Lava native terrain is rare on most standard maps, reducing the terrain advantage to a situational benefit.
• Falls apart quickly if opponents build strong ranged backlines and deny Hive the rush it needs.

7.5. Best For

Hive suits aggressive players who enjoy a high-pressure, close-range playstyle and are comfortable accepting losses in exchange for forward momentum. It is particularly rewarding for players who enjoy optimizing faction law progression and managing unit diversity.

8. Schism (C-Tier)

The Schism

Schism is the most mechanically unique and currently most underpowered faction in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era. A faction of cultists and eldritch abominations drawn from the Plane Between Planes, their armies are built on a win-streak mechanic that scales well in theory but creates a consistently rough early game in practice.

The C-Tier placement is not a judgment on the faction’s ceiling; it reflects how difficult that ceiling is to reach in the current build.

8.1. Schism’s Early-Game Struggle

Notable Characters in Schism

Schism’s core mechanic is Communion level, which increases with battle victories and decreases passively each day. At the start of every combat, extra units are added to the army based on the current Communion level. The critical catch: those extra units only exist during the fight and cannot be retained after battle.

• Day 1 Communion level is low, providing minimal extra units in combat.
• Any lost fight drops the streak, reduces Communion, and shrinks the combat reinforcement.
• Each hero maintains a separate Communion level, requiring strategic decisions about which hero to commit to fights.
• The base roster is fragile relative to equivalently tiered units from other factions.

The best hero pick is The Eye Collective, who starts with a Ra’Shoth stack and two Grand Shoth stacks, giving immediate access to Schism’s resurrection mechanic from Day 1.

8.2. Native Terrain and Resources

Schism’s native terrain is Snow, a tile type concentrated in northern map sections and uncommon on standard map templates. On maps that generate heavy Snow coverage, Schism becomes significantly more competitive. On mixed or Grass-heavy maps, the terrain advantage is largely absent.

Resource dependency leans on Gems and Crystal, placing Schism alongside Necropolis and Temple as one of the more expensive factions to fully develop. Schism lacks a Necromancy loop to offset those costs, making careful resource management a high priority.

8.3. Late-Game Unit Ceiling

Cultist unit

Schism’s resurrection abilities are the faction’s most important combat tools. Ra’Shoth and Grand Shoths can each summon a new stack in place of a destroyed one, once per battle. Using this on Grand Shoths rather than Ra’Shoths provides significantly more value per activation.

• Grand Shoth / Unspeakable Shoth (T4): Resurrection ability provides a second stack in combat, extending fights and banking on opponents running out of resources first.
• Arbitrator / Rift Arbitrator (T6): High-tier eldritch damage dealer.
• Abyssal Envoy (T7): Peak damage and crowd control output, the payoff for sustained Communion management.

8.4. Strengths and Weaknesses

Disgorge Storm ability

Schism is a volatile faction that lives and dies by its Communion streak. Be prepared for a challenging campaign curve:

Strengths

• Communion mechanic is genuinely powerful when the win streak is maintained.
• Resurrection abilities extend battles beyond what opponents plan for, creating loot and resource farming opportunities.
• Unique identity offers tactics with no direct equivalent across the other five factions.
• Snow terrain bonus is a strong swing factor on maps with heavy northern generation.

Weaknesses

• Win-streak mechanic makes early-game losses disproportionately punishing; a bad Day 3 can stall the entire campaign.
• Communion combat reinforcements are temporary and cannot be used to build long-term army strength.
• Snow native terrain is situationally rare, limiting the terrain advantage to specific map rolls.
• Weakest starting roster among all six factions; requires deep player knowledge to survive the first two weeks.

8.5. Best For

Schism suits veteran HoMM players who want the highest mechanical challenge and are interested in win-streak management and eldritch army theory-crafting. It is not recommended for new players or anyone learning Olden Era‘s systems for the first time.

9. How to Pick Your Faction in Olden Era

Combat

Tier placements describe a faction’s ceiling given optimal play, not an absolute ranking of player outcomes. Several practical factors should influence your final pick, particularly during Early Access, where the meta is still forming. Keep these guidelines in mind before locking in your choice:

• Playstyle compatibility matters most: Dungeon is S-Tier, but a player who ignores stance switching will underperform someone who understands Temple’s buff loops. Pick a faction whose core mechanic interests you.
• Check the map terrain before committing: Schism on a Snow-heavy map punches well above its tier rating. Hive on a map without Lava coverage plays closer to C-Tier. Scan the map template for terrain distribution.
• Consider your mode: Necropolis’s attrition snowball is devastating against the AI, but human opponents punish slow starts more aggressively. Grove is the safest pick across both modes, and Dungeon is the strongest for competitive multiplayer.
• Respect the Early Access caveat: Building costs, upgrade values, Faction Laws, and AI behavior are all subject to change during Early Access patches. Return to this tier list after major updates to see how the landscape shifts.

Best Guides for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era

Week 1 Build Order Guide

Best Heroes in Each Faction

Complete Beginner Guide