Choosing a faction in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is only the first decision. Your starting hero is also crucial to your victory. Each faction fields 18 heroes split across two classes, and the gap between the strongest and weakest openers shows within the very first days of play.
This guide covers the best hero picks for every faction in Olden Era, with a breakdown of what each hero does, why they work, and which playstyle they suit best.
1. How Hero Selection Works in HoMM Olden Era
Check starting stats, fixed skills, and subclass pathing first when evaluating your options. These three factors interact from the very first level-up and determine whether a hero is a strong opener or a slow start in Olden Era.
Hero Classes and Starting Skills
Hero Skills
Every faction provides two distinct hero class types with different starting stats and scaling paths. Choose your class based on these foundational differences:
- Physical-class heroes: Start with higher Attack and Defence and scale these stats faster at lower levels.
- Magic-class heroes: Prioritize Spell Power and Intelligence, eventually equalizing with physical heroes after level 12. For example, Dungeon Warlocks begin with Attack 0, Defence 2, Spell Power 2, and Intelligence 3.
In addition to base stats, every hero begins their campaign with two fixed skills that cannot be changed. These starting abilities heavily influence your progression:
- Faction signature skill: A base ability tied directly to their chosen town.
- Personal specialization: A unique secondary skill for that specific hero. Heroes specializing in a magic school always start with that school’s skill, which directly shapes their available subclass routes.
Subclasses and Skill Pathing
Advanced Leadership Skill
Unlocking a subclass requires five specific secondary skills trained to the Expert level. This progression system creates strict planning requirements from the earliest levels.
- Innate advantages: Heroes who begin with Basic versions of faction skills and one active prerequisite are one step ahead of the roster on any subclass route.
- Skill slot flexibility: These optimized heroes often retain two free skill slots beyond the required five, allowing you to build immediate combat strength alongside your long-term goals.
- The core rule: Avoid forcing a subclass route unless you roll at least two or three of the required skills during the mid-early levels.
- Prioritize raw strength: If your early skill rolls do not support your intended route, pivot to more Damage-oriented skills to maintain your edge during late game run.
2. Best Temple Heroes
The Temple
Temple is the classic human faction on Jadame, fielding foot soldiers, crossbowmen, cavalry, Griffins, and Angels. The roster covers all combat roles cleanly, but the faction generates Focus Points slowly, which limits how often units and heroes can use active abilities.
Knight heroes focus on creature combat. Cleric heroes specialize in light magic and have access to the powerful Ascension subclass, which can eventually allow spell casting for free. Getting the hero pick right reduces the impact of Temple’s sluggish early-game start significantly.
Lord Edgar
Lord Edgar
Lord Edgar is the safest and most consistent Temple opener, recommended for both new players and veterans who want reliable scaling.
- Specialization: Percentage bonus to Attack and Defence for all friendly creatures, growing with hero levels.
- Subclass pathing: Comes with Basic Ascension already active and extra free skill slots beyond the required five, giving more freedom than nearly any other Temple hero.
- Why he works: The stat bonus applies to every creature in your army without requiring specific unit types or spell timing to activate.
- Best for: Players who want a no-conditions power increase that remains useful from the first fight to the final campaign battle.
- Weakness: No extra tricks or alternative win conditions. Opponents who reduce your Attack and Defence directly counter the passive.
Aeos the Exalted
Aeos the Exalted
Aeos is the strongest Temple pick for players building around Morale, which is one of the faction’s most underused combat levers.
- Specialization: Rousing Presence adds 1 Morale to all friendly creatures and increases the bonus action chance by 2% per Morale point, scaling by 1% every four hero levels.
- Why she works: Extra Morale directly offsets Temple’s slow Focus Point generation by granting additional actions to your ranged units, effectively multiplying their damage output without spending any resources.
- Best for: Ranged-heavy Temple builds with Crossbowmen and Lightweavers in the backline, where extra turns become fight-winning events.
- Subclass pathing: Starts with Basic Ascension and one prerequisite, with two free skill slots for the route.
- Weakness: Requires intentionally building around Morale. She underperforms if the army composition does not support consistent high Morale values.
Zenith
Zenith
Zenith is the best Temple hero for players who want to skip the faction’s slow early-game build and start with a strong army from Day 1.
- Starting army: Starts with Lightweavers in her opening army, bypassing the normal building investment required to recruit Temple’s Tier 4 unit.
- Spell: Heart of Hearts (Vulnerability), which makes the target take maximum damage and grants 1 Spell Power every three hero levels while it is active.
- Why she works: Lightweavers are a meaningful upgrade over Crossbowmen in both damage and utility. Getting them from the opening fight accelerates Temple’s clearing phase by a full building tier.
- Best for: Fast map-clearing strategies and games where early combat efficiency matters more than long-term subclass scaling.
- Weakness: The advantage fades as other heroes catch up through normal building progression in the mid-game.
3. Best Necropolis Heroes
The Necropolis
Necropolis wins by outlasting opponents rather than overwhelming them. The faction converts fallen enemies into Skeletons after each battle through the Necromancy mechanic, builds toward Liches and Vampires in the mid-game, and becomes very difficult to contain once the attrition snowball is rolling.
The early game is the faction’s most dangerous phase, since most starting units are melee-only and have no ranged options until the Skeleton Archer upgrade is built. Your hero selection directly determines how fast you reach the snowball and how safely you survive the first week.
Funerella
Funerella
Funerella is the default Necropolis pick for any build centered on the Necromancy growth loop.
- Starting skill: Advanced Necromancy is already active, giving her a one-step head start on the SoulWeaver subclass route.
- Extra skill slots: Classified as a Universal Hero with two free slots beyond her subclass prerequisites.
- Why she works: Every Necromancy skill investment directly increases how many Skeletons rise after each battle. Funerella reaches Expert Necromancy faster than any other Necropolis hero, which means her army grows faster.
- Best for: Players who want the fastest possible ramp into the Necromancy snowball and plan to win through attrition and mass skeleton armies.
- Weakness: Less combat power than heroes who start with advanced units or offensive spells during the dangerous first week.
Artorius Veritas
Artorius Veritas
Artorius is the strongest Necropolis pick for spell-oriented players who need combat agency during the awkward early phase.
- Starting spell: Masterful Berserk, which forces affected enemy units to attack their own allies.
- Why he works: Berserk is one of Olden Era‘s strongest control spells. The Masterful version amplifies the effect enough to neutralize high-initiative opponents who would otherwise attack before your undead stack closes the distance.
- Scaling: Berserk improves in value throughout the entire game, remaining relevant when Liches and Vampires are online just as much as in Week 1.
- Best for: Players who prefer winning through spell disruption and control rather than pure army size, particularly useful against Temple ranged compositions and Dungeon Dancer stacks.
- Weakness: Relies on mana availability and correct spell targeting. Weaker in fights where enemies cannot be made to attack each other effectively.
Kel’Ghul
Kel’Ghul
Kel’Ghul offers the most aggressive early-game option available to Necropolis players.
- Starting army: Begins with Tier 6 units (Dread Knights) already in the army, skipping weeks of building investment.
- Specialization: Actively improves Tier 6 unit stats, adding extra Speed, Initiative, Health, Attack, and Defence.
- Why he works: Dread Knights provide the frontline durability that Necropolis’s default skeleton-heavy army lacks in early fights. The initiative bonus makes them act faster in combat, which directly improves early clearing efficiency.
- Best for: Map templates that reward fast clearing and an aggressive first month, particularly where early combat encounters are too dangerous for a skeleton-only army.
- Weakness: The advantage is most pronounced early. In longer games without a fast-push payoff, other heroes catch up through normal Necromancy scaling.
4. Best Grove Heroes
The Grove
Grove is one of Olden Era‘s most approachable factions, built around a multi-tier ranged backline protected by Faun and Hoplet melee screens. Ranged output is spread across Tier 1 Faun Archers, Tier 4 Aqualotls, and Tier 5 Herbomancers, keeping the faction effective throughout the entire clearing phase.
The faction also has a unique mushroom teleporter network that connects owned towns, adding a map control layer that compounds on larger templates. Hero classes are Warden for physical builds and Druid for magic and nature spells.
Grove’s main risk is heavy melee pressure on the backline, so the best hero choices either stop enemies early or boost ranged output immediately.
Faleor
Faleor
Faleor is the top Grove hero recommendation and the clearest answer to the faction’s early-game fragility.
- Starting spell: Masterful Fireball, a multi-target offensive spell that hits enemy clusters before they reach your ranged units.
- Class: Druid, growing Spell Power and Intelligence faster at lower levels.
- Why he works: Grove’s Tier 1 and 2 units are hardy but not powerful. Having an immediate area-damage spell available from Day 1 compensates for the army’s lack of raw combat punch during the first week.
- Best for: Magic-focused Grove builds and any game where enemies include heavy melee compositions (Hive, Schism, or Dungeon melee openings) that close distance quickly.
- Weakness: Relies on mana to maintain the Fireball advantage. In extended fights without mana recovery, the opening damage spike fades.
Elder Tss’kish
Elder Tss’kish
Elder Tss’kish is the best Grove pick for players who want to build around Herbomancers as the primary damage dealer, combining an economy bonus with meaningful in-combat scaling that compounds throughout the entire game.
- Specialization (Oldest Known Tree): Herbomancer weekly growth in all your cities increases by 1, giving a steady recruitment advantage from Day 1 onward.
- Combat buffs: Herbomancers under his command gain +1 Speed, +1 Initiative, and +20% HP; their Attack and Defence increase by 1 for every 3 hero levels; enemy Herbomancers lose an equal amount of Attack and Defence in any engagement.
- Starting army: 8–11 Fauns and 2–3 Herbomancers, giving an immediate frontline screen backed by Grove’s most important ranged unit from the opening fight.
- Starting spell: Song of Power, a support spell that amplifies the damage output of the units already receiving his passive buffs.
- Why he works: The growth bonus means Herbomancer stacks fill out faster than with any other Grove hero; the Initiative buff lets them act earlier in combat, which is critical for a ranged unit that needs to deal damage before the enemy frontline closes in.
- Subclass options: Celestial Envoy (hero gains access to all spells, turning him into one of the most versatile casters in the faction) or Heaven’s Fury (Heroic Strike hits all enemies within a 1-hex radius, adding area damage to his already strong Herbomancer-buffing kit).
- Best for: Players who want to commit fully to a Herbomancer-centered Grove build with both recruitment economy and scaling combat value built into a single hero pick.
5. Best Dungeon Heroes
The Dungeon
Dungeon is the strongest faction in Olden Era‘s Early Access, and the clearest hero guidance of any faction in the game. The entire early strategy revolves around the Onyx Dancer at Tier 3, a dark elf ranged unit that upgrades into the Aureate Dancer via the Amphitheatre II building.
Aureate Dancers gain dramatically higher Initiative, letting the Dungeon army act before most opponents in the opening round. Combined with Medusae for ranged control and Black Dragons for the late game, Dungeon builds a composition that is difficult to stop on any template.
Native terrain is Dirt, covering underground and subterranean map layers, where the faction’s already-high Initiative units receive additional combat bonuses.
Motley
Motley
Motley is the definitive Dungeon opener and the strongest Day 1 hero pick in the entire game.
- Starting army: Entirely composed of Onyx Dancers, meaning the faction’s most important early unit is ready to fight from the very first combat.
- Starting spell: Twilight, which prevents a target enemy unit from using ranged attacks for one round.
- Twilight value: Against ranged-heavy factions like Temple or Grove, Twilight directly neutralizes the most dangerous opening threat and buys your Dancers the time to deal full damage first.
- Weakness: Starts with Attack 0. Fix this at a Pauper Knight Order building as early as possible, a cheap and fast correction that resolves the only real drawback.
- Subclass paths: Amelchia’s Heir and Great Merchant, with Summon Avatar required for the former.
- Best for: All Dungeon games where maximum Day 1 efficiency matters, particularly competitive multiplayer and fast-clear skirmish templates.
Stinger
Stinger
Stinger is the best alternative to Motley and the superior long-game Dungeon pick.
- Starting skill: Basic Triumvirate’s Strength (Dungeon’s faction skill) plus one prerequisite skill for the advanced class already active.
- Extra skill slots: Two free skill slots beyond the required subclass prerequisites, more flexibility than nearly every other Dungeon hero.
- Why she works: The extra free slots reduce the risk of wasted skill rolls blocking a subclass route, which is the most common way Dungeon heroes underperform in extended games.
- Best for: Long maps, multi-town templates, and games where reaching an advanced class before the mid-game ends determines the outcome.
- Weakness: Does not arrive with a pre-built Dancer army. The early-clearing advantage that Motley provides is absent, necessitating gold investment to replicate it.
Devir, Son of Devir
Devir, Son of Devir
Devir is a strong secondary option for players who want to build around Dungeon’s Minotaur units rather than committing entirely to the Dancer-first strategy.
- Specialization: Increases Minotaurs’ power, making them significantly more durable and effective as frontline anchors.
- Starting skill: Leadership, which means Minotaurs receive their combat bonuses from the very first fight without requiring a building unlock.
- Why he works: Minotaurs are the Dungeon’s best melee frontline unit. With Devir’s passive and Leadership active early, they free Onyx Dancer stacks to deal ranged damage without taking retaliatory hits.
- Best for: Players who prefer a melee-supported ranged composition over stacking Dancers exclusively.
6. Best Hive Heroes
The Hive
Hive is the most mechanically distinct faction in Olden Era, with no effective ranged options beyond the Tier 1 Gnat and the Tier 6 Pyroboros upgrade. Every Hive game is built around the Hivemind passive, which improves specific units at the start of combat based on how many distinct Hive unit types are fielded.
This rewards mixed army compositions over single-stack stacking and demands an aggressive playstyle that closes distance before opponents establish a ranged backline.
Native terrain is Lava, which appears less frequently than Grass or Autumn on random maps. Resource dependency skews toward Gold and Ore, which makes Hive’s economic curve simpler and more predictable than Temple, Dungeon, or Schism.
Zoran, the Self-Founded
Zoran, the Self-Founded
Zoran is the strongest Hive opening and the recommended pick for the faction’s core aggressive strategy.
- Starting army: Two Waurms only, no additional base units.
- First action: Go directly to town and recruit Parasite and Locust stacks to support the Waurms immediately.
- Why he works: Waurms have the Corpse Eater ability, which lets them move to the same hex as a fallen unit and devour the corpse to recover HP. Combined with their strong base health, this makes Waurms near-impossible to remove in the early game.
- Hivemind activation: Parasites and Locusts alongside Waurms immediately activate Hivemind bonuses, since three distinct unit types are fielded from the first fight.
- Best for: Aggressive rush strategies on any map template, and the default recommendation for new Hive players learning the faction’s rhythm.
Niev
Niev
Niev is a great Hive pick for players who want a scaling offensive hero that buffs the entire army without requiring specific unit type conditions to activate.
- Specialization (Shooter): All creatures in her army deal +10% basic attack damage, plus 1% more for every two hero levels. Additionally, all creatures gain +1% Ranged and Long Reach damage for every two hero levels
- Starting spell: Favorable Wind, a mobility spell that supports Hive’s core rush playstyle by accelerating unit positioning in the opening round
- Starting army: Three stacks fielded from Day 1, covering both frontline and supporting roles with a large enough combined count to activate Hivemind bonuses immediately
- Why she works: The flat damage bonus applies universally to every unit, meaning the passive delivers value regardless of army composition. The Ranged and Long Reach bonus further rewards stacking Gnats and any units with extended attack range alongside your melee core
- Scaling: The per-two-level growth means Niev becomes measurably stronger with every two levels rather than only at thresholds, making her one of the most consistent mid-to-late scaling heroes in the faction
- Subclass options: Broodmother (doubles base stats of summoned Fire Larvae) or Soul Eater (consume a target corpse to gain stacking Attack, Defence, and Spell Power until the end of that battle)
- Best for: Players who want a clean, universal power multiplier across the whole army rather than a hero whose value is tied to one specific unit type or mechanic
7. Best Schism Heroes
The Schism
Schism is Olden Era‘s deepest faction, built entirely around Abyssal Communion, a momentum resource that increases with battle victories and decreases over time. At the start of each combat, extra units are added to the army based on the current Communion level.
Those additions only exist for that fight and cannot be carried over to the next battle. This makes winning the first two weeks critical. A fast start builds Communion quickly, and a slow start makes stabilization extremely difficult.
The faction’s combat identity centers on the resurrection mechanic held by Ra’Shoth and Grand Shoth units, which can each summon a replacement stack once per battle when destroyed. Activating this on Grand Shoths rather than Ra’Shoths provides dramatically more value per use.
The Eye Collective
The Eye Collective
The Eye Collective is the best Schism opener for players who want to leverage the resurrection mechanic from Day 1.
- Starting army: One stack of Ra’Shoth and two stacks of up to three Grand Shoths each.
- Why it works: The starting composition is designed specifically to support the resurrection interaction. Grand Shoths are available in large enough numbers to activate the mechanic productively in the earliest fights.
- Communion acceleration: Winning the first map encounters with the resurrection-extending fights means more total Communion is generated from each battle.
- Best for: Players who want to learn Schism’s core identity through its most defining mechanic from the very first session.
Matastala the White
Matastala the White
Matastala is the best Schism pick for players who prioritize map-clearing speed and consistent combat reliability over the resurrection gimmick.
- Specialization: Improves unit placement at the start of combat and increases Initiative across friendly creatures.
- Why she works: Initiative is Schism’s most exploitable combat stat. Faster units build Communion faster through more combat actions per fight, which compounds the Communion snowball more efficiently than the resurrection loop alone.
- Why the placement matters: Schism’s army is melee-heavy. Better starting positions reduce the time units spend crossing the battlefield and lower casualties from ranged opponents before contact.
- Best for: Experienced players who want a consistent, efficient Schism game without relying on the Grand Shoth resurrection as the primary win condition.
Nihil
Nihil
Nihil is the best Schism pick on large maps where map control determines the first-month outcome.
- Specialization: Movement bonus that extends the hero’s effective weekly range significantly.
- Why he works: Schism plays most like a tower-rush faction that benefits from reaching multiple resource points, neutral armies, and secondary towns before opponents can respond. More movement per week compounds directly into Communion from additional battles.
- Walkha alternative: Walkha prevents enemy heroes from casting one school of spells and specializes in that same school, providing strong summoning options and spell disruption. She is a solid pick against magic-heavy opponents.
- Best for: Multi-town random map templates where covering large distances per week matters more than raw combat power during the opening month.
