Beta Patch: Balance Update — New Damage Formula, Smarter AI & New Creatures

The Unfrozen development team is currently putting the finishing touches on the most substantial balance patch since our entry into Early Access. This comprehensive update completely refines the damage calculation mechanics for Attack and Defense attributes, overhauls hero skills, artifacts, and creature alternate upgrades across every faction, introduces a significantly sharper global map AI, and deploys two brand-new combat units.

🗺️ Curious about PvE updates? If you happened to miss our previous patch notes, here is a quick recap: we recently introduced cooperative Alliances—allowing you to team up with allies against both computer-controlled adversaries and human opponents—alongside a fully randomized map generator tailored specifically for cooperative and single-player experiences. Prior to that, we rolled out the “Broken Alliance” map and the “Prisoners” scenario. Rest assured, we are already hard at work crafting compelling new story maps and solo adventures, with official announcements arriving very soon. Furthermore, the dramatically improved intelligence of our AI opponents in this patch is certain to delight PvE enthusiasts; playing against the computer is about to become vastly more engaging!

Because the changelog for this upcoming update is exceptionally extensive, we are launching it first on a public beta branch to gather your crucial insights and feedback, exactly as promised.

⚠️ Important Notice: None of the adjustments introduced in the beta phase are final. Depending on rigorous test results and community feedback, we may tweak, rebalance, or completely revert certain changes. Please keep in mind that the beta is not a popularity poll; our primary objective is to unearth underlying bugs, balance anomalies, and unforeseen mechanical interactions that escaped our internal testing.

The beta testing period is projected to run for several weeks. Should we deploy subsequent beta builds during this window, each iteration will be detailed in dedicated patch notes featuring a comprehensive, numbered list of modifications.

The fully polished version of this patch will officially launch once testing concludes. We will announce the definitive release date at a later time based on empirical test data.

We extend our deepest gratitude to everyone willing to participate in this testing phase.

1. Open Steam, navigate to your library, and right-click on Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.

2. Select “Properties”, then head to the “Game Versions & Betas” tab.

3. From the drop-down menu within the “Game Versions & Betas” section, choose the public-test-branch.

4. Allow Steam to download the required update files, then launch the game as you normally would.

5. Note: In rare instances, you may need to restart the Steam desktop application for the beta branch option to become visible.

How to revert to the live version: Simply return to the same “Game Versions & Betas” menu and select the “Default Public Version”.

Save Files: Beta save files are safely isolated and stored within the [c]saves_beta[/c] and [c]campSaving_beta[/c] directories.

Important Caveats:

• Upon switching to the beta, your existing save list will temporarily appear empty. Do not panic—this is entirely normal. Your progress remains safe and will instantly reappear once you switch back to the main branch.

• Steam Cloud saves are disabled throughout the duration of the beta test.

• Beta saves are incompatible and will not be visible when playing on the live version of the game.

Multiplayer Compatibility: To play together online, all participants must be running the exact same version of the game. Beta participants will matchmaking exclusively on a separate dedicated server alongside fellow testers.

We value specific, detailed feedback far more than vague expressions of approval or dissatisfaction. When sharing your thoughts, please let us know:

• How the newly implemented damage formula feels during late-game engagements and whether high-tier units retain their intimidating presence;

• Which specific creatures or alternate upgrades currently feel overwhelmingly powerful or entirely obsolete;

• Any unexpected, game-breaking synergies discovered between specific skills, prayers, or artifacts;

• How effectively the artificial intelligence navigates the global map during randomized matches;

• Any technical bugs or visual anomalies encountered as a result of these sweeping reworks.

Whenever possible, provide helpful context when reporting feedback—mentioning the specific faction, map template, game stage, and army composition.

• 🐛 Bugs and Glitches: The absolute best method for reporting a bug is pressing the F1 key directly inside the game. This automatically transmits a comprehensive diagnostic report straight to our QA department, allowing our developers to investigate the issue thoroughly.

• 💬 Gameplay Feedback: Please share your structured feedback within the designated [c]#beta-feedback[/c] channel on our official Discord server or via the dedicated Steam Discussion subforum.

Please direct your beta-related commentary exclusively to these channels to prevent any confusion with live-build bug reports. Thank you for your cooperation!

• Certain spells may temporarily lack icons or visual effect animations. These assets are actively being finalized.

v.0.82.02 BETA

Advanced AI Tactical Capabilities:

• Primary AI hero units will now intelligently retreat from doomed engagements if victory proves mathematically improbable, subsequently executing specialized recovery strategies to re-establish their competitive footing.

• The artificial intelligence now actively researches advanced global map magic disciplines within Magic Observatories.

• AI commanders have mastered the tactical deployment of popular utility spells to traverse the map with optimal efficiency.

• Resource management has been vastly refined, allowing the computer to develop settlements and recruit armies much more purposefully.

• AI heroes now equip artifacts with far greater strategic acumen, properly accounting for set bonuses, specialized skills, and overall army composition.

• Computer-controlled heroes exclusively pursue skills that genuinely complement their current battlefield role.

Alongside these profound structural upgrades, we have meticulously fine-tuned general AI decision-making trees for both strategic mapping and micro-level encounters. We look forward to sharing an in-depth breakdown of these improvements in a future communication once the update transitions to the live client.

This update introduces sweeping alterations designed to profoundly reshape standard gameplay flow. Our core objectives were twofold: curbing the excessive stat scaling of creatures in the late game—which previously degraded tactical variety—and creating much clearer mechanical distinctions between alternate unit upgrades. Achieving this required a complex blend of targeted individual balances and systemic formulaic revisions.

Additionally, we have completely re-engineered how creature Attack and Defense values influence dealt damage. A detailed breakdown of the rationale behind these changes follows below.

Friendly Reminder: None of the changes deployed during the open test phase are final. Values, abilities, and mechanics may be adjusted, rebalanced, or reverted entirely based on telemetry data and player feedback.

The legacy damage multiplier formula utilizing creature attributes was structured as follows:

[c]Multiplier = (20 + ATK) / (20 + DEF)[/c], where ATK represents the aggressor’s Attack and DEF represents the target’s Defense.

Originally, this formula served two primary functions: ensuring low-tier cannon fodder retained minor relevance during late-game scenarios, and unifying both offensive and defensive differential states under a single mathematical umbrella.

However, this aging design cultivated several critical gameplay friction points:

• Because hero attribute pools scaled so massively, base creature attributes became functionally negligible in the late game; combat outcomes were dictated entirely by sheer stack size and raw base damage parameters rather than strategic Attack-to-Defense investment.

• Consequently, elite high-tier units lost their terrifying edge as matches progressed, failing to feel like formidable threats relative to their low-tier counterparts.

• Artifacts providing combat attribute bonuses offered virtually imperceptible strategic impact.

• Most importantly: as aggregate stat numbers inflated, their effective marginal power diminished. This created widespread confusion, making it difficult for players to intuitively assess battlefield states.

Let us examine this diminishing returns issue using a concrete example. Consider a baseline Troglodyte (Attack 2, Defense 3) clashing with a Waurm (Attack 20, Defense 20). Let’s observe how much a marginal +1 Attack investment actually matters across different stages of a match.

Early Game (Hero Attack and Defense = 0):

• Troglodyte striking Waurms:

  • (20 + 2) / (20 + 20) = 0.550. With +1 Attack: (20 + 3) / (20 + 20) = 0.575. Net Increase: +4.5%.

• Waurms striking Troglodytes:

  • (20 + 20) / (20 + 3) = 1.739. With +1 Attack: (20 + 21) / (20 + 3) = 1.783. Net Increase: +2.5%.

Late Game (Hero Attack and Defense = 80):

• Troglodyte striking Waurms:

  • (80 + 20 + 2) / (80 + 20 + 20) = 0.8500. With +1 Attack: (80 + 20 + 3) / (80 + 20 + 20) = 0.8583. Net Increase: +0.98%.

• Waurms striking Troglodytes:

  • (80 + 20 + 20) / (80 + 20 + 3) = 1.1650. With +1 Attack: (80 + 20 + 21) / (80 + 20 + 3) = 1.1748. Net Increase: +0.83%.

Notice how that exact same +1 Attack investment yields a meaningful 4.5% or 2.5% boost early on, yet collapses to less than a single percent by the end game. Attribute value plummeted as matches progressed.

Let us inspect the second structural flaw via another practical example. Picture 1,000 Troglodytes facing off against 75 Waurms (roughly mirroring a standard one-week creature growth milestone for each). A Troglodyte averages 2 base damage, whereas a Waurm averages 22.5. For the sake of clear comparison, we will isolate solely the Attack/Defense coefficient modifier.

Early Game (Hero stats = 0):

• Troglodytes inflict: 0.550 × 1,000 × 2 = 1,100 damage.

• Waurms inflict: 1.739 × 75 × 22.5 = 2,935 damage.

• Waurms deal roughly 2.67 times more damage.

Mid Game (Hero stats = 20):

• Troglodytes inflict: 0.700 × 1,000 × 2 = 1,400 damage.

• Waurms inflict: 1.395 × 75 × 22.5 = 2,355 damage.

• Waurms deal roughly 1.68 times more damage.

Late Game (Hero stats = 60):

• Troglodytes inflict: 0.820 × 1,000 × 2 = 1,640 damage.

• Waurms inflict: 1.205 × 75 × 22.5 = 2,033 damage.

• Waurms hold a mere 1.24 times advantage.

The longer a match dragged on, the more obsolete high-tier monsters became relative to low-tier swarms. Investing in elite stacks became fiscally inefficient. Minor base adjustments—such as acquiring a flat +1 damage buff from the “Drum of War” artifact—could easily cause an expensive elite stack to deal less comparative damage than a cheap low-tier horde by the late game.

The Solution: What We Are Changing. The revised formula anchors damage scaling to the direct mathematical *difference* between the aggressor’s Attack and the defender’s Defense, rather than their absolute cumulative values. We designate this metric as [c]Delta = ATK − DEF[/c].

The multiplier scales proportionally with this differential, with each subsequent point exhibiting gentle diminishing returns: the first point of differential grants +4.00%, the second +3.96%, the third +3.92%, continuing to taper off by 0.04 per point until hitting absolute zero. Once the differential reaches a Delta of 100, further attribute inflation ceases to affect damage output.

Under the hood, this computes an arithmetic progression:

• If ATK > DEF, outgoing damage is multiplied by [c](1 + Coefficient)[/c].

• If DEF > ATK, outgoing damage is divided by [c](1 + Coefficient)[/c].

Let us re-run our previous case studies using the new framework. A vital property of this new model is that outcomes rely strictly on the relative Delta, independent of total hero attribute scaling.

• Troglodyte vs. Waurms: Delta = 2 − 20 = −18 (Defense dominates, resulting in a divisor operation).

• Waurms vs. Troglodyte: Delta = 20 − 3 = 17 (Attack dominates, resulting in a multiplier operation).

• These differentials remain invariant as hero leveling progresses, because hero stat bonuses apply symmetrically to both creature stacks.

• Applying the progressive summation for Delta = 17 yields 62.56%; Delta = 18 yields 65.88%.

First Example Recalculated:

• Troglodyte modifier: 1.00 / 1.6588 = 0.6028.

• Waurm modifier: 1.00 × 1.6256 = 1.6256.

Crucially, the marginal value of a +1 Attack investment is now entirely uniform across every stage of the game:

• Troglodyte vs. Waurms: 0.6028 shifts to 0.6152 with +1 Attack (a consistent +2.06% increase).

• Waurms vs. Troglodyte: 1.6256 shifts to 1.6588 with +1 Attack (a consistent +2.04% increase).

Hero leveling milestones and match progression no longer dilute attribute utility.

Second Example Recalculated:

• Troglodytes inflict: 0.6028 × 1,000 × 2 = 1,206 damage.

• Waurms inflict: 1.6256 × 75 × 22.5 = 2,743 damage.

• Waurms maintain a stable advantage of 2.28 times greater damage output—a performance ratio that remains consistently locked from the opening turns to the final endgame battle.

Summary of Systemic Improvements:

• A single attribute point delivers identical tactical performance regardless of total accumulated stats.

• Relative damage scaling between high-tier and low-tier stacks is preserved, ensuring elite creatures remain lethal and viable throughout the entire match.

• Artifacts and combat attribute bonuses maintain predictable, reliable potency from minute one to the final confrontation.

• Low-tier creatures experience a modest early-game bump while avoiding runaway, game-breaking power scaling in the late game.

We have implemented a deterministic bad-luck protection system designed to curb excessively long runs of consecutive positive or negative Morale and Luck triggers. The frequency of these stochastic events will now align much more closely with statistical probabilities and player expectations. Scenarios where your fully optimized elite stack sporting 5 Morale fails to proc a single bonus action, while an enemy unit sitting at 1 Morale triggers extra actions on nearly every turn, are now rendered virtually impossible.

We have modernized the combat interface, introducing several highly requested quality-of-life enhancements:

• Refreshed visual aesthetics providing cleaner, more responsive game elements.

• Enhanced initiative tracker indicators, making active stack traits much easier to parse at a glance.

• Faction-specific active hero abilities have been relocated to dedicated skill panels, successfully decluttering the primary hero command interface.

• Introduced the “Favorite Spells” system: players can now pin up to 3 preferred combat spells directly within their spellbook for lightning-fast casting access.

This section outlines significant modifications to hero skill trees, featuring the long-awaited redesign of the Temple faction skill, the addition of a brand-new skill line, and targeted tweaks to existing abilities. Our overarching goal was repositioning subskills to unlock fresh, creative build paths for players.

Historically, the Temple faction’s mechanical identity straddled two distinct pillars: positive buffs and raw hero attribute scaling. In alignment with our broader initiative to rein in late-game attribute bloat, we have pivoted away from the heavy focus on personal hero stats. The redesigned faction skill decouples power progression from creature casualties or massive hero stat inflation, instead providing commanders with flexible tactical prayers.

The skill has been completely rebuilt:

• The reworked skill empowers the hero to invoke one of three distinct combat prayers: “Song of Wrath”, “Plea for Healing”, or “Hymn of Power”. Once channeled, the active prayer persists until the end of the combat encounter or until a different prayer is initiated.

• The active prayer passively supercharges any friendly stack whose turn arrives while the prayer is maintained. This enhancement persists until control passes to the next unit in the queue.

• “Song of Wrath”: Attacks executed by a blessed stack deal additional Pure Damage.

• “Plea for Healing”: When an affected stack suffers damage, it instantly regenerates a portion of its hit points and gains the ability to resurrect fallen comrades.

• “Hymn of Power”: When a blessed stack utilizes active abilities, the duration of all positive status effects currently active on it is extended.

• The overall potency of all prayers scales directly with the hero’s current experience level.

• Corresponding subskills have been completely revamped:

  • “Fields of Serenity”: Friendly Temple units inflict +10% damage and take −10% reduced damage when fighting on their native terrain.

  • “Secret of Mana”: Following the invocation of any prayer, allied stacks restore 1 temporary mana point to the hero whenever their turn arrives, lasting until the end of the current round.

  • “Piety”: Grants the hero a permanent +10% experience gain bonus.

  • “Requiem”: Each time any creature perishes on the battlefield, all of the hero’s primary attributes receive a temporary +1 boost until the end of the round.

  • “Care for Others”: Instantly triggers the active prayer’s effect on the currently acting allied creature stack.

  • “Contemplation”: Invoking prayers no longer consumes Focus Charges.

• “Hive Power” Subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Granted the hero +1 Luck and Morale.

  • New Effect: Reduces both the mana cost and cooldown of the “Premature Emergence” ability by 1.

  • Relocated to Tier 2.

• The “Ravage” subskill has been moved to Tier 3.

• “Always Heads” Subskill: The gold acquisition bonus found on the global map (including income from capturing map structures) has been reduced from 25% to 10%.

• The “Enlightenment” subskill has been replaced by the brand-new “Understanding the Ephemeral” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Provided an additional +10% experience bonus.

  • New Effect: Increases damage dealt against summoned entities by +50% for both the hero and all friendly creature stacks.

• Magical damage scaling bonus reduced from 20/30/40% down to 20/25/30%.

• The “Piercing Spells” subskill has been replaced by the new “Protective Sorcery” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Spells ignored 25% of enemy magic resistance.

  • New Effect: Decreases friendly damage dealt by Heroic Strike by 20%. This bonus is doubled if the hero possesses the “First Aid” skill.

• The “Summoning Sorcery” subskill has been relocated to Tier 3.

• “Sticky Magic” Subskill:

  • Effect duration bonus reduced: 2 turns → 1 turn.

  • Relocated to Tier 2.

In line with our broader philosophy of reducing creature stat inflation in late-game scenarios, we are substantially reworking “Battle Magic”. Previously, this skill granted broad army power scaling independent of tactical context. It was heavily exploited by both Might and Magic heroes alike, contradicting its original design intent as a tool to bolster magic-focused commanders. Recognizing that this adjustment constitutes a soft nerf, we will monitor its performance closely while rolling out a comprehensive revision of its subskill tree.

• The skill no longer merely boosts creature Attack and Defense based on the hero’s Spell Power and Knowledge; it now actively dampens how much baseline Attack and Defense creatures inherit from the hero’s raw stats. How it functions: Normally, creatures draw 100% of their Attack scaling from the hero’s Attack attribute and 0% from Spell Power. At maximum “Battle Magic” proficiency, creatures derive 60% of their Attack from the hero’s Attack stat and 40% from their Spell Power.

• Attribute conversion bonus scaled upward from 15/20/25% to 20/30/40%.

• The “Aura of Destruction” subskill has been replaced by the new “Piercing Spells” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Granted +1 Attack per spell cast until the end of battle.

  • New Effect: Spells bypass 25% of target magic resistance.

• The “Aura of Protection” subskill has been replaced by the new “Mana Return” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Granted +1 Defense per spell cast until the end of battle.

  • New Effect: Restores 2 temporary mana points to the hero each time a spell is cast.

• The “Aura of Wizardry” subskill has been redesigned:

  • Previous Effect: Granted +1 Spell Power per spell cast.

  • New Effect: Grants both +1 Spell Power and +1 Knowledge per spell cast until the end of battle.

  • Relocated to Tier 3.

• The “Battle Mage’s Authority” and “Mage Protector’s Authority” subskills remain unchanged and do not suppress attribute inheritance from the hero’s stats.

• The “Magic Time” subskill has been moved to Tier 2.

• “Fast Metabolism” Subskill Reworked:

  • Previous Effect: Reduced duration of negative effects on friendly units by −1 round.

  • New Effect: Negative status effects applied to friendly creatures cannot persist for longer than 2 rounds.

  • Relocated to Tier 3.

• The “Time Shift” subskill has been moved to Tier 2.

• Attribute bonus granted when waiting or skipping a turn reduced: 20/30/40% → 10/15/20%.

• The “Melee Mastery” subskill has been replaced by the new “At the Ready” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Friendly creatures dealt +10% and took −10% melee damage.

  • New Effect: When a friendly stack utilizes the Wait command, it gains +1 Speed until the end of the round.

  • Placed in Tier 3.

• The “Long Reach Mastery” subskill has been replaced by the new “Fortifying” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Friendly creatures dealt +10% and took −10% damage from ranged attacks.

  • New Effect: When skipping a turn, friendly stacks receive an additional +20% Defense bonus.

• The “Manacraft” subskill has been moved to Tier 2.

• The “Summon Destruction” subskill has been replaced by the new “Parasitic Summon” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Hero and friendly creatures dealt +50% damage against summoned entities.

  • New Effect: The summoned avatar restores 3 temporary mana points to the hero whenever it deals or receives damage.

A new skill line accessible to all heroes across every faction.

• Core Passive Effect: After achieving victory in battle, surviving stacks in the hero’s army automatically resurrect/restore 20/30/40% of the creature casualties suffered during the engagement.

• Subskills:

  • “Return to Service”: Restores an additional 10% of combat losses. This bonus is doubled if the hero possesses “Recruitment”.

  • “Healthy Decoctions”: Grants friendly creatures a flat +2 Health bonus.

  • “Antidotes”: Active ability—cleanses all negative status effects from a target stack.

  • “Thrill of Battle”: Each time a friendly stack destroys an enemy unit, it instantly restores its health pool to maximum. Does not resurrect permanently slain creatures.

  • “Adrenaline”: Whenever a stack takes damage but survives, it gains +10% damage dealt and −10% damage taken until the end of the next round.

  • “Ammonia”: Active ability—once per battle, permits the resurrection of a fallen friendly stack, partially restoring its numbers relative to its starting roster size.

• Introduced as a starting skill for the following heroes: Julius, Leira, The Iron Master, and Typhona.

• “Strenuous Training” Subskill Reworked:

  • Previous Effect: Granted friendly creatures +2 Health.

  • New Effect: Reduces the active ability cooldowns of friendly creatures by −1 round.

• “Elite Guards” Subskill Reworked:

  • Previous Effect: Tier 1–3 friendly creatures inherited 25% of the hero’s Attack and Defense. Doubled with “Tactics”.

  • New Effect: Permits unrestricted retraining of friendly creatures directly into their alternate upgrade variants.

• The “Mentors” subskill has been replaced by the new “Militia” subskill:

  • Previous Effect: Allowed upgrading friendly creatures away from towns if already unlocked, at an increased cost.

  • New Effect: At the start of combat, Tier 1–3 friendly stacks receive a reinforcement boost equal to 5% of their total numbers. Doubled if the hero possesses “Tactics”.

• Identical artifacts can no longer be equipped simultaneously in multiple slots.

• Brand-new artifacts added to the drop pool:

  • Common Main Weapon “Soldier’s Sword”: +1 Attack and Spell Power.

  • Rare Ring “Alchemist’s Signet-Ring”: +2 Attack and Spell Power.

  • Epic Belt “Kergar Buckle”: +3 Attack and Spell Power.

  • Common Ring “Commoner’s Ward”: +1 Attack and Knowledge.

  • Rare Belt “Battle Mage’s Belt”: +2 Attack and Spell Power.

  • Epic Off-Hand “Greater Djinn’s Bracers”: +3 Attack and Spell Power.

  • Common Cloak “Satchel”: +1 Defense and Spell Power.

  • Rare Off-Hand “Ritual Shield”: +2 Defense and Spell Power.

  • Epic Boots “Boots of Dreams”: +3 Defense and Spell Power.

  • Common Armor “Leather Armor”: +1 Defense and Knowledge.

  • Rare Boots “Enchanted Jackboots”: +2 Defense and Knowledge.

  • Epic Helmet “Archmage’s Hood”: +3 Defense and Knowledge.

• Two new items integrated into the “Living Arrows” set:

  • Epic Off-Hand “Elven Blade”: Removes melee attack penalties for friendly ranged shooters.

  • Epic Item “Ripe Apple”: Friendly creatures deal +10% increased ranged damage.

  • Set bonuses now unlock upon collecting 3 and 5 pieces (previously 2 and 3).

• New item added to the “Ambassador’s Word” set:

  • Legendary Cloak “Diplomat’s Robe”: +10% Persuasion Power.

  • Set bonuses now unlock upon collecting 3 pieces (previously 2).

  • The “Ambassador’s Sash” is now classified as a belt rather than a cloak.

• Rarity of the “Orb of Destruction” increased from Rare to Epic.

  • Integrated into the “Hero of Tales” set. Set bonus now unlocks at 3 pieces (previously 2).

• Rarity upgrades: “Tactical Guide” (Epic → Legendary), “Orb of Inhibition” (Epic → Legendary), “Monster Head” (Rare → Epic), “Ring of Neutrality” (Rare → Epic).

• The enemy Spell Power reduction bonus provided by the “Crimson Resonance Controller” artifact has been decreased from 20/30% to 10/15%.

• The “Vortex Robe” artifact now restores temporary mana instead of permanent mana reserves.

High Neutral Magic

• “Second Wind”:

  • Mana cost decreased: 17/13/13/13 → 15/11/11/11.

  • Movement points restored adjusted: 40/40/60/60 → 35/35/50/80.

  • Cast limitations adjusted: 1/1/1/2 → 1/1/1/1.

• “Pocket Dimension”: Mana cost increased from 14/10/10/10 to 22/18/18/18.

• “Gate of Light”: Mana cost decreased from 28/20/20/20 to 18/10/10/10.

Alongside our core damage formula revisions, we have comprehensively re-evaluated creature Speed balancing. Consequently, select stacks—particularly high-speed units—have received minor statistical tweaks. However, the vast majority of faction updates focus on revamping alternate creature upgrades to ensure distinct operational identities.

Our design philosophy dictates that every creature must fulfill a unique tactical niche and diverge meaningfully from its alternative path. We do not demand a perfectly even split in pick rates; rather, every unit stack must offer distinct utility, specialized gameplay loops, or unique strategic synergies.

Note: Certain units have undergone targeted stat reductions. If a stack receives a powerful new passive ability, its baseline attributes are naturally trimmed to preserve overall game balance.

Furthermore, we have balanced global faction laws affecting creature output to better align with each unit’s intended battlefield role.

• Tier 1:

  • Swordsmen, Guard Captains, and Sun’s Aegis guards now possess the active ability “Shields Up”, granting a temporary buff that reduces incoming ranged damage.

  • Swordsman: Attack 4 → 3, Defense 4 → 3.

  • Guard Captain: Attack 6 → 5.

  • Sun’s Aegis: Defense 8 → 7.

• Tier 2:

  • Crossbowman: Attack 5 → 4.

  • Austringer: Attack 5 → 6, Speed 4 → 3.

• Tier 3:

  • Griffin: Damage spread 5-9 → 6-8.

  • Temple Griffin: Attack 8 → 7, Defense 6 → 10, Damage 5-9 → 6-8.

  • Guardian Griffin: Attack 9 → 10, Defense 10 → 6, Damage 7-7 → 8-8, Initiative 10 → 11.

• Tier 4:

  • Lightweaver: Attack 11 → 12, Defense 11 → 12.

  • Hierophant: Attack 13 → 12, Defense 16 → 17.

  • Sun Herald: Attack 16 → 17, Defense 13 → 14, Damage 11-18 → 11-17.

• Tier 5:

  • Cavalry: Defense 17 → 18, Morale 1 → 0.

  • Noble Cavalry: Defense 17 → 18, Damage 12-16 → 10-14, gained passive “Inspiring” (boosts positive Morale proc rates for nearby allies).

  • Sunspear Cavalry: Defense 22 → 18, Morale 2 → 1, gained active ability “Strike and Return” (retreats to starting hex after striking).

• Tier 6:

  • Mother Superior: Health 125 → 120, Initiative 9 → 7, gained passive “Malleus Maleficarum” (reduces magic damage taken by nearby allies).

  • Excommunicator: Attack 26 → 20, Damage 23-33 → 29-33.

• Tier 7:

  • Angel: Speed 4 → 5.

• Dwelling construction costs and Pandora’s Box creature reward amounts adjusted.

In light of the extensive rework to the Righteousness faction skill, Temple faction laws have been consolidated back to two upgrade tiers:

• All “Elite” creature laws: Upgrade tiers reduced from 3 to 2.

• “Resource Riches I–III”: Activation cost increased to 2/3/4.

• “Tax Collectors”: Activation cost increased to 3/3.

• “Architect’s Mastery”: Activation cost increased to 3.

• “Execute Excellence”: Completely removed from the law pool.

• “Elite Griffins”: Now grants +2 / +4 Attack and Defense to Griffins (replaced health bonus).

• “Training: Melee Combat” & “Training: Long Reach”: Activation costs increased to 4/4.

• “Elite Cavalry”: Now grants +3 / +6 Attack and Defense to Cavalry (replaced defense-piercing bonus; speed bonus retained).

• “Elite Inquisitors”: Now grants +15 / +30 Health to Inquisitors (replaced attack-piercing bonus; speed bonus retained).

• “Encouragement”: Activation cost increased to 3/3.

• “Hero’s Blessing”: Upgrade tiers adjusted to 3; activation cost 4/2/2.

• “Elite Angels”: Angels now bypass 10% / 20% of target Defense and attacker Attack (replaced stat inheritance mechanic).

• “Sacred Protection”: Activation cost increased to 5.

• Tier 1: Skeleton Defense 1 → 2; Skeleton Warrior Defense 3 → 2, Initiative 5 → 6; Skeleton Archer Defense 1 → 2.

• Tier 2: Base town growth reduced 19 → 18 (starting army sizes adjusted accordingly).

  • Wight: Health 8 → 9.

  • Wraith: Health 8 → 9, Speed 7 → 6, lost active “Howl of the Banshee”, gained active “Gates of Afterlife” (summons Wights on adjacent hex).

  • Phantasm: Health 8 → 9, Defense 4 → 6, Initiative 6 → 7, Speed 7 → 6, gained active “Howl of the Banshee”.

• Tier 3: Base growth reduced 14 → 13.

  • Undead Pet: Initiative 5 → 6.

  • Barghest: Defense 6 → 4, gained passive “Double Strike”, lost active “Call the Pack”.

  • Armored Hound: Health 18 → 14, Attack 4 → 6, Defense 8 → 10, Initiative 5 → 6, gained active “Call the Pack”.

• Tier 4: Base growth reduced 10 → 9. Graverobbers and upgrades transitioned toward dedicated support roles.

  • Graverobber: Attack 11 → 7, Defense 10 → 8.

  • Merchant of Death: Attack 11 → 7, Defense 10 → 8, Damage 7-10 → 9-9, Initiative 5 → 6, lost “Ensnare Memories”, skeleton summoning scaling reduced (3× → 2× stack size), gained passive “Throwing a Bone” (buffs Speed and Initiative of allied Skeletons).

  • Kennelmaster: Attack 14 → 7, Defense 10 → 8, gained passive “Pack Leader” (buffs Speed and Initiative of allied Undead Pets).

• Tier 5:

  • Lich: Attack 12 → 14, Defense 12 → 13, Damage 13-16 → 12-15.

  • Pestilent Lich: Attack 12 → 14, Defense 12 → 13, Damage 16-16 → 15-15, Speed 3 → 2, gained passive “Plague Aura” (extends negative status durations).

  • Sanguine Lich: Attack 12 → 14, Defense 16 → 13, Damage 13-16 → 12-15, Initiative 4 → 5, gained active “Last Spark” (destroys target corpse to restore temporary hero mana).

• Tier 6:

  • Dread Knight: Health 80 → 85, Attack 19 → 22, Damage 12-14 → 12-16.

  • Avatar of War: Health 80 → 85, Attack 19 → 22, Defense 20 → 18, Damage 18-20 → 18-24.

  • Hollow Reaper: Health 80 → 85, Attack 25 → 22, Damage 24-26 → 24-32, gained passive “Paralyzing Dread” (increases negative Morale proc chance for nearby enemies).

• Tier 7: Vampires (all variants) Vampirism passive effectiveness increased from 50% to 66.6%. Vampire Scholar Speed 5 → 6.

• Necropolis faction laws: Resource Riches costs adjusted 2/3/4; Tax Collectors tiers 2 → 3; Bloodthirst Vampirism bonus 60% → 50%; Elite Dread Knights max damage 8/8; Free Death cost 4/3/3; Terra Mortis cost 6; Return to the Soil tiers 2 → 1, cost 5; Death’s Presence tiers 2 → 1, cost 5.

The Grove faction has received our most extensive suite of changes. Previously, its upgraded units suffered from homogenous playstyles and unclear tactical identities. To compensate for a precarious early game where losing a single unit could prove catastrophic, we are moderately boosting the faction’s early potential.

• Tier 1: Base growth increased 13 → 15. Fauns and upgrades gained active ability “Outsider Eradication” (heavy single-target strike). Faun Archer Attack 4 → 8, Defense 3 → 4; Faun Warrior Attack & Defense 6 → 8.

• Tier 2: Base growth increased 9 → 11.

  • Hoplet: Defense 5 → 6, Damage 4-8 → 4-6, Initiative 6 → 7, Speed 5 → 6.

  • Dawn Hoplet: Attack 9 → 6, Initiative 6 → 8, Luck 2 → 1, gained passive “Whirlwind Strike”.

  • Dusk Hoplet: Attack 7 → 8, Defense 7 → 8, Initiative 9 → 8, Speed 5 → 7, Morale 2 → 1.

• Tier 3 (Iriyads): Minor stat buffs across Vine, Fungal, and Crystal variants (Defense 11 → 13, Initiative increases).

• Tier 4:

  • Naiad: Health 40 → 50, Attack 11 → 12, Initiative 5 → 6, Speed 5 → 4.

  • Vernal Naiad: Health 40 → 50, Attack 11 → 20, Defense 14 → 12, gained active “Whirlpool” (pulls enemies toward target coordinates).

  • Brumal Naiad: Health 40 → 50, Attack 15 → 12, Defense 10 → 18, Initiative 6 → 8, gained active “Hypothermia” (debuffs enemy hero stats).

• Tier 5:

  • Sporemancer: Lost “Protective Roots”, “Swarm of Bees” upgraded to “Bees Invasion” ( AoE damage and status on surrounding hexes), “Mushroom Magic” mana discount increased −2 → −3.

  • Murmurmancer: Gained active “Protective Roots”.

• Tier 6 (Qilins): Base health reduced 130 → 120 across all variants, Luck set to 0. Thunder Qilin lost “Cloud Nine”, gained “Scintillating Scales” (amplifies magic damage taken by nearby enemies). Mist Qilin gained “Cloud Nine”, “Opportunity Attack”, reworked “Mist Form” (reduces incoming damage to a flat 1), and “Forest Haze” (disables enemy ranged attacks).

• Tier 7 (Phoenixes): Flaming Phoenix gained “Flaming Agony” (deals damage to surrounding stacks upon dying).

• Grove Laws: Blooming Pond no longer requires Mage Guild; Elite Fauns grants double counterattack (pre-emptive and reactive); Forest Magic cost 3/3; Focus cost 2; Live roots cost 5; Elite Mancers allows ability use without ending turn; Elite Qilins grants +3 / +6 Attack and Defense.

• Fire Larva: Health 16 → 20, explosion damage reduced (passive 15 → 10, active 30 → 15), gained passive “Castes” (Might heroes boost larva attack by 50%; Magic heroes boost explosion damage by 50%).

• Tier 1 (Parasites): Warden Parasite gained “Strike and Return”; Ravager Parasite “Topple the Strong!” damage scaling increased +3% → +6% per tier difference.

• Tier 3 (Hornets/Chanter/Stinger): Initiative and speed rebalanced for sharper role differentiation.

• Tier 4 (Scorpions): Volcanic Scorpion adaptation abilities now affect all allied stacks at 50% effectiveness. Spelaean Scorpion repositioned as a dedicated brawler (Attack/Defense 16/16).

• Tier 5 (Reavers): Menacing Reaver lost “Rapid Assault”, gained “Swift Strike”, Morale 3 → 0.

• Tier 6 (Waurms/Devourer/Pyroboros): Devour execute threshold reduced 40% → 30%. Pyroboros lost “Corpse Eater”, gained “Mana Eater” (consumes corpses to restore hero temporary mana).

• Tier 7 (Hive Queen/Mother/Huntress): Base Attack and Defense 25 → 30. Faction-hate bonus against Temple/Necropolis reduced 25% → 20%.

• Hive Laws: “Hive Offsprings II” provocation effect restricted exclusively to the first round after hatching.

• Tier 2 Votary: Gained passive “Rift Conductor” (boosts Initiative of allied Ra’Shoth units).

• Tier 3 Aga’Shoth Mat’ha: Gained passive “Raid” (boosts Speed of allied Ra’Shoth units).

• Tier 5 (Concubus/Mistress/Bewitcher): All variants gained passive “Seduction” (forces incoming damage to minimum threshold). Mistress of Chains mana tax increased −2 → −3. Bewitcher gained “Flog Idle Mind” (bonus damage scaling with current army Focus).

• Schism Laws: Elite Cultists grant Health instead of Damage; Elite Aga’Shoth Riders grant Damage instead of Health; Elite Concubi stat bonuses increased 4 → 6.

• Tier 2 Infiltrators: Guile Infiltrator gained “Sharper Blade”, “Liquidation” (instantly executes low-health enemies), and “Swift Strike”. Bleak Infiltrator retained “Shadowstrike” and “Ambush” mechanics.

• Tier 3 Dancers: All variants gained active ability “Blade Dance” (grants double attacks until round end).

• Tier 4 Minotaurs: All variants gained active ability “Minotaur’s Onslaught” (knockback strike). Minotaur Vanguard gained “Balthazar’s Tramp” (AoE Speed debuff).

• Tier 5 Medusae: Medusa Sculptor gained “Marble Arrows” (Initiative debuff on attack). Medusa Queen gained active “Hail of Arrows” (multi-hex targeted AoE bombardment).

• Tier 7 Dragons: Cave, Black, and Ashen Dragons received health pool and attribute buffs (Cave Health 275 → 300; Black Health 350 → 375).

• Dungeon Laws: Elite Infiltrators grant max damage; Elite Dancers grant Luck/Morale; Elite Minotaurs grant Attack/Defense; Elite Medusae grant Attack; Elite Hydras grant Defense. Elite hero class attribute inheritance scaled down from 100% to 40%.

• Stat adjustments: Pixies (Health/Stats trimmed), Ghouls, Animated Armor, Starchild, Giant Toad, and Couatls.

• Introduced two brand-new neutral combat enemies: Mummy (Tier 5) and Kitsune (Tier 7).

• Pandora’s Boxes completely reworked: all variants now permit the player to select their preferred reward.

  • Experience boxes now let you choose between Hero XP, Law Points, or Astrology Points (object value increased by 25%).

  • Gold boxes now let you choose between Gold, standard resources, or Alchemical Dust (object value increased by 20%).

  • Creature and spell boxes standardized; spell boxes now let you pick the desired magic school regardless of Wisdom or skill prerequisites.

  • Stat-granting Pandora’s Boxes split into “Combat” (Attack/Defense or 20/30% Movement restoration) and “Magic” (Spell Power/Knowledge or 20/30% Mana restoration) pools, with significantly reduced intrinsic value.

• Creature Bank guardian stacks significantly strengthened across all tiers (e.g., Colosseum, Point of Balance, Ritual Pyre, Carrion Pile).

• Chimerologist creature conversion penalty reduced from 15% to 10%.

• Added the new tournament-focused map object “Hell Light Spire”, allowing players to register their active dueling hero.

• Designated tournament dueling heroes are now visibly displayed in opponent tooltips during match setups.

• “Siegecraft” skill removed from level-up offering pools on Blitz, Chosen One, Exodus, Helltide, Infinity, Jebus Cross, Massacre, and Symmetry templates.

• Diplomacy-related artifacts (“Diplomatic Gifts”, “Ambassador’s Sash”, “Diplomat’s Robe”) temporarily removed from random map generation until the Diplomacy skill is overhauled.

• Introduced the brand-new Jebus Arena template—a 160×160 variation of Jebus Cross lacking central towns, utilizing the “Hell Light Arena” for decisive duels.

• Jebus Cross template size expanded from 160×160 to 176×176; central zone layouts completely redesigned.

• Infinity template reformatted into a Best-of-Three tournament format featuring simultaneous turns.

• Classic and Single Hero mode map pools streamlined, removing underperforming templates to elevate queue quality.

• Ranked victory/defeat point gains adjusted: defeats deduct a flat 40 points across all divisions; victories award 40 points in Iron/Bronze/Silver, scaling down to 20 points in Master division.

• Restart allocations adjusted: Iron/Bronze divisions feature 0 restarts; Master division features 2 restarts; all other divisions feature 1 restart.

• Players may now occasionally be offered creature stacks during drafting that they previously selected in earlier phases.

• Drafted creature stack sizes increased by 15–20%.

• Hero starting stat bonuses rebalanced across the entire Arena roster.

• Instant-kill abilities no longer trigger incorrectly on static obstacles.

• Units summoned directly onto Firewalls or active traps no longer suffer instant death.

• Fixed an issue where unit corpses failed to clear properly when crushed by knockback kills.

• Fixed various tooltip calculation errors and animation lockups during the Wait command.

• Player nicknames in victory/defeat screens now render correctly.

• Fixed a rare crash and soft-lock occurring when clicking “Custom Game” from the main menu.

• Multiplayer desync recovery handling improved; restart prompts and Escape key conflicts resolved.

• “Garner Hills”: Fixed an infinite dialogue loop with the bridge rider.

• “Never-ending Conflict”: Fixed conflicting quest trigger states for escaped priestesses.

• “Burning Hearts”: Stargazer riddles now properly dispense rewards upon correct completion.

• “Deal with a Vampire”, “Saving the Knight”, “Alvar Diruil”: Resolved progression-blocking bugs, quest soft-locks, and script breaks.
  ⚠️ Note: Most campaign script fixes require restarting the respective mission and do not apply retroactively to legacy saves made deep within chapters.

Thank you for helping us shape the future of Olden Era. See you on the battlefield!

Warm regards,

💙 The Unfrozen Team

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