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Olegmods
Tavern Dweller
Wrath of the Creators lead dev
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posted April 18, 2026 10:36 AM |
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nokiahota said:
Text is slightly left.
Just little bugs,but great sadness.
 
I'd suggest asking the people who made that translation: the only officially supported languages for HotA are Russian and English, I'd guess that text being slightly left is a bug of the fanmade translation you've installed.
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AlexSpl
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted April 18, 2026 01:49 PM |
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If you take a closer look, you'll see that texts aren't centered in other translations as well.
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Olegmods
Tavern Dweller
Wrath of the Creators lead dev
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posted April 18, 2026 04:02 PM |
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AlexSpl said:
If you take a closer look, you'll see that texts aren't centered in other translations as well.
Hmm  ... If it's a thing with the official ones, then my bad, never noticed it.
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phoenix4ever
Legendary Hero
Heroes is love, Heroes is life
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posted April 19, 2026 03:49 PM |
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Ehm HotA Crew, are you aware that you kinda managed to break the game?
The Shield specialist, Dalton, will increase effect of Shield for every level.
In level 23, with Advanced or Expert Earth, his Shield will give 99% protection to level 1 units!
In level 24, with Advanced or Expert Earth, his Shield will give 100% protection to level 1 units! In practice this means they will only take 1 damage, every time they are hit by a melee attack, even if hit by 9999 Azure Dragons! Now that is what I call an effective shield!
In level 24, level 2 units will receive 66% protection and level 3 units 54% protection, which is also pretty insane.
Perhaps it would be better if he was a Stone Skin specialist, though we already got quite a few of those...
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Tewye
Tavern Dweller
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posted April 21, 2026 06:30 AM |
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AlexSpl
Responsible
Supreme Hero
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posted April 21, 2026 07:16 AM |
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Horn of the Abyss 1.8.1: In the wake of OMGs 
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bloodsucker
Legendary Hero
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posted April 21, 2026 11:14 AM |
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Yeah! I don't know what is the whirlpool with the efreet but it really seems like a WoG object.
OTOH, there is an Market of Time so, maybe, just maybe, they finally got that with 20+ usable skills you need at least ten skills slots and a way to get rid of unwanted skills.
P.S. I would love for this project to be finished, since they put out a backward incompatible new version in less time then I take to draw a large map so I have tree unfinished maps for older versions, accumulating hundreds of hours of unproductive work.
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Olegmods
Tavern Dweller
Wrath of the Creators lead dev
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posted April 21, 2026 11:37 AM |
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Antagarich do be burning in that 1.8.1...
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Phoenix4ever
Legendary Hero
Heroes is love, Heroes is life
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posted April 21, 2026 12:24 PM |
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bloodsucker said:
OTOH, there is an Market of Time so, maybe, just maybe, they finally got that with 20+ usable skills you need at least ten skills slots and a way to get rid of unwanted skills.
Yes, please!
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LordInsane
Known Hero
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posted April 21, 2026 05:29 PM |
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bloodsucker said:
Yeah! I don't know what is the whirlpool with the efreet but it really seems like a WoG object.
OTOH, there is an Market of Time so, maybe, just maybe, they finally got that with 20+ usable skills you need at least ten skills slots and a way to get rid of unwanted skills.
P.S. I would love for this project to be finished, since they put out a backward incompatible new version in less time then I take to draw a large map so I have tree unfinished maps for older versions, accumulating hundreds of hours of unproductive work.
I suspect someone is doing a bit of light trolling given the objects ported from other games and that it was posted by Tewye (who registered on the same day as posting it) rather than Tevye.
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Olegmods
Tavern Dweller
Wrath of the Creators lead dev
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posted April 21, 2026 09:32 PM |
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LordInsane said:
bloodsucker said:
Yeah! I don't know what is the whirlpool with the efreet but it really seems like a WoG object.
OTOH, there is an Market of Time so, maybe, just maybe, they finally got that with 20+ usable skills you need at least ten skills slots and a way to get rid of unwanted skills.
P.S. I would love for this project to be finished, since they put out a backward incompatible new version in less time then I take to draw a large map so I have tree unfinished maps for older versions, accumulating hundreds of hours of unproductive work.
I suspect someone is doing a bit of light trolling given the objects ported from other games and that it was posted by Tewye (who registered on the same day as posting it) rather than Tevye.
Well, it's a screenshot from the Antagarich Burning mod [url]http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=47638&pagenumber=3[/url] (probably URL won't work) for VCMI that's badly photoshopped a bit.
Original one looks like this:
So, it's indeed someone trolling.
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In DoR we trust.
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Sigmaverick
Hired Hero
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posted April 22, 2026 04:24 AM |
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Damn I almost got fooled by it , would have been cool if it was real . The blue ifrit looked weird and kinda give it out
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MurlocAggroB
Known Hero
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posted April 22, 2026 09:19 PM |
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A swamp recolour of the Pyramid would be cool, though. It's always bugged me that it's a South American pyramid in design with the colouration and terrain of an Egyptian pyramid.
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Ghost
Undefeatable Hero
Therefore I am
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posted April 23, 2026 05:39 AM |
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Edited by Ghost at 05:44, 23 Apr 2026.
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People believe or not because of lack of information.. An example of the unicorn whale exists in the Arctic Ocean, lol
EDIT: Vocabulary variation or not..
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Fight MWMs - stand teach
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Tevye
Adventuring Hero
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posted April 23, 2026 07:03 PM |
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Edited by Tevye at 21:31, 23 Apr 2026.
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HotA Crew: Preparing for Journey to Vori, Talking the Forge, and Other Future Content
This year promises to be quite eventful for the Might & Magic community. In light of that, Nikolai Persianov a.k.a. Kastore has once again sat with the Horn of the Abyss team to talk. Let's find out what's in store for us!
Tavern: Are you satisfied with the new release?
HotA Crew: More than satisfied.
On one hand, preparing this release took years – it's worth reminding that the concept of the Bulwark is older than the HotA project itself. On the other hand, its final implementation was completed within a relatively short timeframe by our team's standards. In certain aspects, it required coordinated, hard, and fast work, yet we proved to ourselves that nothing is impossible in what we do.
The core conceptual things, such as the visual elements and gameplay roles of Bulwark's components, along with the fundamentals of the extended event system, were developed to a high standard, and their execution in the game even surpassed our expectations. However, certain technical aspects still call for improvement.
In any case, it was an important thing for us to release both the Bulwark and the event system after years of work. We are glad to have finally accomplished this.
Tavern: Why did you decide to release the town separately from the campaign?
HotA Crew: Essentially, due to force majeure. For personal reasons, team members handling some specific development tasks couldn't fully commit as planned. At one point, it became evident that we could complete the Bulwark and event system by year's end but not the campaign. Ultimately, we opted not to hold the release back, bringing the community a New Year's present.
Tavern: Is there anything in the Bulwark's gameplay or patch 1.8.0 overall that you didn't anticipate, particularly moments where players surprised you with their creativity?
HotA Crew: Not exactly thus far, but not much time has passed since the release yet. We see quite a few features in the patch's content that can yet be put to good use both in PvP and PvE.
Nevertheless, there was an incident during testing involving online pro players (we extend our gratitude for their participation). Initially, Kynr was not considered a primary starter hero in PvP, but our testers were able to identify promising qualities in him.
Ultimately, we made a few minor adjustments to the kobolds' stats, and he proved to be a great option.
Tavern: Some users find the extended event system very complex. Are there any plans to provide additional resources on how to work with it?
HotA Crew: We aimed to create an event system that would be fairly intuitive for users without programming knowledge. However, given the system's extensive capabilities, it can be challenging to grasp all of them at once. A comprehensive reference manual for the event system is available on the HotA website.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask us. We might further expand this section to better address your concerns.
Tavern: Tevye once offered an interesting explanation of the meanings behind the standard names of Factory towns. Now, we would like to hear an interpretation of the names of Bulwark towns.
HotA Crew: These names were created using relevant roots drawn from the languages of various Northern peoples, or designed to give the impression of belonging to them. Some are slightly altered versions of real-world toponyms that carry interesting and evocative meanings.
The names Winterkill and Tundara are the easiest to explain—they are inherited from towns in Heroes of Might & Magic I and II, as well as the Might & Magic RPG series. We've used this approach before in the Factory (Corackstone). These two fit perfectly with the Bulwark's style.
Borea: derived from Hyperborea, the land of the north in ancient Greek myths. The idea of what Hyperborea is/was has evolved over time, but the concept remains popular to this day.
Jotunngard: an artificially composed name in the North Germanic flavor, literally "city of the Jotunns."
Windskalir: also an artificial Germanic-style name, from "wind" and the plural of "skal/skol" (cup, toast, celebratory speech).
Meghion: consonant with the name of Megion, a real existing city in the Khanty-Mansi region, which itself comes from the Khanty word "megi" (river bend).
Hallmer: another name based on a real-world toponym, that of Khalmer-Yu, a settlement in the north of the Komi Republic, whose name is based on the Nenets words for "death valley".
White Mouth: named after the mouth, or estuary, of one of the rivers in Vori. On the Bulwark's screen, the town appears to be situated in a place where a mountain stream broadens and likely flows into a small ice-free lake or possibly into the surrounding sea.
Ellesmere: named after one of the largest real-world islands in the Arctic. This word was simply chosen for its euphony. In our world, the island is named after the Earl of Ellesmere, the chairman of the British Royal Geographical Society. In Vori, the town's name might have once honored some ancient explorer, but time has erased all memory of him, leaving only the name.
Stonefang: again a straightforward name. The town screen reveals a landscape dominated by mountains, suggesting that Vori's surface is rugged. Some notable peak with a distinctive shape might have inspired the name of a nearby settlement.
Ketpall: derived from the Chukchi word "kytepalgyn," which is the name of a wild snow sheep living in the mountainous regions of Eastern Siberia.
Thulekh: a name that is not only artificial but also synthetic, with features of two unrelated languages. It is a combination of the Yakut word "tuuleekh," meaning fur or pelt, sometimes used to describe woolly mammoths, and the name of the legendary northern island Thule, mentioned in ancient Greek sources.
Anabar: derived from the name of a river in Yakutia, presumably composed of two roots from different local languages, both curiously meaning "water." It is assumed that the river was first named Anu by the Yukaghirs, then the Evenks who came to the region added their word Bira with the same meaning; eventually, via the Yakut variant Anaabyr, the name took the form known to us today.
Varand: derived from the name of the Arctic settlement Varandey, which itself comes from the Nenets word for "edge/border." The name is truncated to give it consonance with North Germanic words, for which ending with "-nd" feels natural.
Everwinter: this is a reference to the Neverwinter Nights game series, adored by many team members, but with the opposite meaning, since winter in Vori obviously dominates the year's length.
Alfheim: derived from the antique name of a region in Sweden, known today as Bohuslän. This name can be translated trivially ("land lying between two rivers") or romantically ("home of the elves"); both options are thematically perfect for a Vori settlement.
River Anabar, Yakutia
Tavern: By the way, why is the yeti dwelling called the Mountain Embassy?
HotA Crew: The inhabitants of Vori are not one cohesive people but rather a loose confederation of diverse races. The Yeti are intelligent but self-reliant, prefer dwelling in the mountains and lead a unique lifestyle. In towns, they have their representative offices of a sort, where those seeking the services of their formidable warriors can negotiate. The elves once had to make arrangements with them, as well as with the other island dwellers, as part of the story that will be told in the Bulwark campaign.
Tavern: What about the heroes' names?
HotA Crew: Some are based on real-world names and concepts related to the cultures of the North, while others were created artificially, with an attempt to preserve the corresponding flavor.
Elves:
Dhuin: the name is consonant with the Celtic word dhuine, meaning "person, man," but one can also hear an echo of the Slavic root "dut" (to blow) there, reminiscent of the chilly wind. His nickname "Ironhand" is a reference to Czech athlete Jan Železný, world record holder in javelin throw; his surname literally means "of iron."
Curiously, the great artist Ivan Bilibin earned the same nickname, Ironhand, from his contemporaries for the unparalleled clarity of linework in his masterpieces; their aesthetic influence partly shaped the look of the Bulwark.
Oidana: an artificial name, created based on Yakut female names such as Aldana, Kydaana, Sardana, etc., as well as with some influence from Slavic flavor.
Neia: an artificial name, referring on one hand to the sorceress Naina from Alexander Pushkin's epic poem, Ruslan and Ludmila (her name means "woman, wife" in Finno-Ugric languages), and on the other to Siberian toponyms: the rivers Zeya and Bureya, etc.
Kriv: derived from the Russian word "krivoy" (lit. "crooked"), which has, among other things, a meaning "deprived of eyesight."
Glacius: a descriptive pseudonym, derived from the Latin root meaning "ice."
Sial: from the Slavic root "siyat" (to shine, radiate), and also as a kind of parallel to Ciele from Conflux, who also commands bolts, but of a different nature.
Czech athlete Jan Železný
Jotunns:
Eikturn: derived from the name of the mythical Scandinavian deer, Eikţyrnir.
Biarma: derived from Biarmia, a vast area in the north of Eastern Europe known from Scandinavian sagas and chronicles; some associate this name with the Russian toponym Perm.
Dalton: a quintessentially "ordinary" name. Most original factions feature heroes with names that could also be found among everyday people in our world. Dalton, while not the most common, is a name that can be easily encountered in the English-speaking realm.
Haugir and Creyle: these are invented names, aiming to resemble those found in Scandinavian and Germanic naming traditions.
Yeti:
Spadum: the Yeti's names were designed to sound plausible for their vocal capabilities, given their unique speech box.
Spadum holds no specific meaning or reference. It simply felt to us like the name a formidable yeti leader might bear.
Akka: phonetically, the name follows the same principle, but is also consonant with the name of a female progenitor deity from Sami beliefs. In modern Finno-Ugric languages, the word for "old woman" sounds the same.
Kobolds:
Kynr and Vehr: these are the names of supernatural beings, drawn from the folklore of the Far Eastern Nivkh people. Kynr is a particularly formidable spirit, often a shaman who has transformed into an ethereal being. Vehr, a rare female spirit, also shares a linguistic root with the Nivkh word for "laborer."
Humans:
Allora: this character was created many years ago, and to trace the exact origins of her name would be challenging. However, there's a strong likelihood it's a nod to Alora, a potential companion from Baldur's Gate, or to Alorra, a hero from Master of Magic.
Presumably, the developers at NWC also paid homage to MoM; one such example might have been King Roland himself.
Ergon: this character was inherited by us from HoMM I & II.
Ergon in HoMM II
Tavern: Ergon, a hero seen in Heroes of Might and Magic I & II, has a new specialty that hasn't been featured in the game before. How did you conceive this idea?
HotA Crew: The concept for this specialty emerged immediately after we implemented the secondary skill rebalance and modified the Pathfinding mechanics. It was tricky to balance it without making the hero overpowered (which is why we couldn't simply give him a standard specialty that scales with level); we opted for a fixed bonus as our solution.
We chose Ergon because of his memorable image in the first two HoMM games, and it felt only natural to give him the Pathfinding specialty: for Barbarians in HoMM II, it's a class skill, and in HoMM I, they ignore all terrain-related movement penalties.
Tavern: Bulwark stands as the only town in the game where Tier 7 units actively engage in the faction's activities as heroes. How did this concept come to you?
HotA Crew: The Bulwark is an assembly of diverse peoples on a more-or-less equal footing, united by the imperative to survive. To overlook Jotunns, the only known inhabitants of Vori Island mentioned in M&M VIII, aside from the elves, would be a glaring oversight.
Unlike the legendary Angels or the colossal Titans, Jotunns are known to engage in ordinary activities: they trade, wage wars, make cheese. In essence, they are a regular, intelligent, anthropomorphic race.
Moreover, Bulwark is not exactly exceptional in this regard. In Inferno, Devils also became part of the hero roster, or at the very least we can say that many of the heroes in that town bear a striking resemblance to its Tier 7 unit.
Tavern: In the puzzle map and some hero portraits, some memes or famous characters appear to be recognizable. The shaman's pose in the puzzle map calls to mind the memorable image of Vaas from Far Cry 3, and Biarma looks a lot like Baba Yaga as portrayed by Soviet actor Georgy Millyar. Are these mass hallucinations, or are some of the guesses correct?
HotA Crew: Some of the guesses are indeed correct. Certain references were made intentionally, however, inquisitive players have managed to find hidden meanings even where we didn't put them: for example, the Elf touching the mammoth on the Bulwark puzzle map was definitely not conceived as a nod to a scene from the movie Starship Troopers.
Soviet actor Georgy Millyar and his many characters in children's fairytale movies
Tavern: Were there any creatures that ended up getting cut from the Bulwark lineup, and why?
HotA Crew: There have been no such changes in the last three years. Earlier, there was the issue of Valkyries. The reason for not adding them was that they seemed too similar to certain images already existing in Heroes. It's also worth noting that in early concepts, Bulwark was initially envisioned as a town of dwarves. However, after the vision evolved, the dwarves were removed from the lineup.
More on that in the previous material on the Bulwark.
Tavern: The Factory's architecture draws inspiration from real-world structures and buildings from other parts of the Might & Magic RPG series. Can you name the references in the new town?
Inspiration chart of the elements on the Bulwark's town screen. By Balkron, Don_ko
HotA Crew: Let's begin with the Shaman Fane. It evokes the image of Stonehenge, the famed cromlech in Britain. Similar megalithic structures or their remnants are scattered across Northern and Western Europe. This building also harks back to Heroes of Might and Magic II: in the Sorceress's castle, Druids dwelt in similar structures.
The Sieidi of the Runes naturally complements this. Sieidi serve as sacred sites for the indigenous peoples of Karelia and Lapland. Given the likely ritual function of cromlechs, it made sense to associate the two. Rune stones are encountered in Scandinavia to this day, representing the cultural legacy of the Viking era.
Moreover, Scandinavian motifs are clearly visible in the appearance of the Capitol: it begins as a modest structure with a distinctive sod roof, gradually transforming into one resembling a grand wooden stave church.
Same for the Hall of the Bold. This one is the Vori version of the longhouse, familiar to anyone who knows anything about the Vikings.
Visually, the Mage Guild building also gravitates towards this style, however, it is based on wooden belfries characteristic of the north of the European part of Russia: it is a multi-tiered octagonal log structure with a shingle-covered roof, carved cornices, and a small onion dome at the top.
The Frosthome is another example of Russian architectural influence. This great, multi-tiered palace, where the Jotunns reside, with its elegant architraves, balustrades, and keel-shaped gables, echoes a gate fortification depicted in the pre-revolutionary book "Russian Architecture According to the Legends of Folk Antiquity" by Academician Vladimir Suslov. This collection features hypothetical structures that expand on motifs from ancient architectural monuments found in our land.
The town screen also features various interpretations of traditional dwellings and structures of peoples living in the Far North and Siberia.
For example, the small houses scattered across the screen, along with the tavern, are inspired by the Altai ayil. This traditional dwelling is a low log structure with a hexagonal plan. Its distinctive roof is covered in bark and reinforced with short log segments.
The Marketplace was inspired by a unique structure found among the coastal Koryaks, known as a lymgiyan. This traditional dwelling features a frame constructed from slender logs, topped with a distinctive, wide, flared roof. In coastal regions where these structures were built, heavy snowfalls were infrequent, but strong, drifting snow was a constant problem. When the entrance to the home was blocked with snow, residents would access it through the smoke hole in the roof. The lymgiyan's inverted umbrella-like design effectively prevented snow from being blown onto the roof.
The Mountain Embassy, a cone-shaped tent of hides where the Yeti are available for hire, is a nod to dwellings typical of many northern peoples; consider the Chukchi yarangas, Yakut urasas, or Sami vezhas. While they vary slightly in appearance, their essence is the same: they are frames of poles covered with hides, birch bark, or other lightweight, dense materials.
Several structures stand out for featuring massive bones. This alludes to ritual sites of the Chukchi and Inuits—whale cemeteries. These are alleys adorned with whale ribs and skulls embedded in the earth.
The inhabitants of Vori have mammoth bones at their disposal for this purpose, but it is also entirely possible that the coastal elves, given their talent for hurling spears, excel as harpooners.
The Colliery with its characteristic mechanisms is based on a sketch of a mine that was made back during the development of HoMM III by artist George Almond, but never got used.
The Castle is a fantasy playing on the theme of a star fort. In our reality, crownworks (or kronwerks, which was the town concept's initial name) are known in fortification as bulwarks of a characteristic shape with protrusions resembling crown teeth. They can be seen in their natural form on the siege screen. Furthermore, the shape of the merlons topping the town's huge towers also harks back to crowns.
The Frigid Spur, the dwelling of the Argali, is inspired by a distinctive natural feature. Such formations of hexagonal "pillars" can be found across the globe. The most renowned example is the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. However, these geological wonders also appear in other places, like Franz Josef Land, an archipelago in the Arctic.
Tavern: The Bulwark's Grail building has an intriguing design. How did you arrive at this solution? How does your team typically conceptualize these structures?
HotA Crew: When it comes to Grail buildings, we try to adhere to the traditions set by NWC. These structures offer an economic bonus of 5000 gold and promote creature growth, along with an atmospheric quality linked to the faction's characteristic traits. Consequently, the benefits of Grail buildings vary in utility. For instance, the Grail buildings of the Tower or Conflux are almost always useful, while others can be more situational or just about decorative. This is especially true for properties that grant stat bonuses during sieges.
With the Bulwark's Grail building, there was next to no discussion. The town inherently favors defense, and the absence of a +20 Defense bonus among the Grail buildings felt like a gaping hole. Considering this property and the town's overall aesthetic, we chose its appearance. We worked on it last, as it's one of the rarest buildings in the game; that said, we aimed to make it visually striking and in harmony with the town's atmosphere. The design is a nod to the mighty Thirty-Three Bogatyrs from Alexander Pushkin's "The Tale of Tsar Saltan," as well as to the Terracotta Army and ancestral cults typical of shamanistic communities.
Tavern: Are further changes to any of the current skills planned?
HotA Crew: If we're talking about secondary skills, then we are generally satisfied with the current balance. Except, of course, for the schools of magic, but their rebalance requires a separate, major effort.
In the future, a further strengthening of Ballistics is possible by increasing the frequency of situations where it will be in demand. We are also currently observing how Runes are performing in the meta. However, we don't feel any need for additional changes to the mechanics of how skills work.
Tavern: Runes are a new feature of the new town, like Necromancy for Necropolis. There are several different artifacts for Necromancy in the game. Do you plan to add artifacts that somehow work with Runes?
HotA Crew: The very design of the Runes mechanic offers few possibilities for applying modifiers, plus ways of obtaining it outside the faction are limited. First and foremost, it was important for us to utilize Runes in the properties of buildings and creatures.
Considering this, artifacts for the Runes skill are unlikely to be of much interest to the player, and also might annoyingly spawn instead of more useful ones. An obvious example of this problem is artifacts that boost Necromancy, which are only of interest when playing as Necropolis. Therefore, for now, we don't intend to make artifacts exclusively tied to a single skill. While their appearance isn't entirely ruled out, there are currently no specific plans.
Tavern: The Trapper Lodge is a new map object generated on snow. What was the idea behind adding it?
HotA Crew: During internal testing of the Bulwark, we noted how Lean-tos tend to spawn excessively in snow biomes. To enhance visual variety, we opted to introduce an alternative object in the same category, offering a slightly different reward—either gold or a few extra troops. While its primary purpose is atmospheric and decorative, it aims to enrich the game environment without significantly altering gameplay dynamics.
Tavern: Are any new neutral creatures planned? What criteria are used to select candidates? In this regard, we noted how Dalton's bio mentions ice demons.
HotA Crew: Neutral creatures are not an essential part of the game; they hardly ever appear in most games, and typically only as guards on the map. Creatures with an unused, intriguing image suitable for HoMM III can be candidates for becoming neutrals. An added benefit is the potential to give them abilities that would be effective even with a small number of these creatures.
The team is planning new neutrals, buy we would rather abstain from revealing more details at this time. Suffice to say, players will likely encounter a new neutral in the next release. However, it will not be an ice demon. 
Tavern: Some players complain that the new maps are still too hardcore. Are there plans to release something more on the meditative side for the casual players' enjoyment?
HotA Crew: The vast majority of maps in the game assume casual gameplay, and even among the new HotA maps, most are designed for that. Some HotA maps are more difficult, but there are next to no truly hardcore examples in the HotA collection; the closest are the Factory campaign on 200% difficulty and, perhaps, the Carnival of the Abyss scenario.
All other offered scenarios are much more forgiving to the player, including plenty of very easy ones (e.g., Air Tyrants, Key to Victory: Second Key"). In the future, we plan to release maps of varying difficulty for different types of our players.
Tavern: The Bulwark and the event system are ready. What are the team's plans for the near future?
HotA Crew: First and foremost, we aim to release the Bulwark campaign, which requires adding new content to the game.
We plan to design the campaign so that players can experience it at their own pace. For those who simply want to explore the story, we'll offer the Pawn difficulty level. For those seeking a true challenge of their mettle, King will be a fit. We'll also make targeted balance adjustments to the Bulwark, where necessary, and refine the content included in version 1.8.0.
In the near future, we'll focus on a magic rebalance. We'll also enhance the map editor by improving the event system, adding a battlefield editor, and offering more customization options for hero specialties.
Tavern: A few words about the Bulwark campaign, please.
HotA Crew: The campaign will span a significant portion of Enroth's history. Players will explore the causes of Vori Island's glaciation, the creation of the Sword of Frost, and other events leading up to the Reckoning. Players will also discover how the Bulwark's peoples came together. Central to this story will be Elure, a powerful cryomancer.
Concept art of Elure and a brief description of his role in the campaign. Concept author: Nosferatu, design and description: Tevye
We will tailor this campaign to suit different player types. The Pawn (80%) level will be akin to a story mode. By contrast, King (200%) will offer a difficulty level similar to that in the Factory campaign, ensuring a challenging experience even for seasoned players.
This approach will yield options that cater to community members with different skill level.
Tavern: Are new hero specialties planned, ones that haven't existed before, for campaign or regular heroes? Can you give an example?
HotA Crew: Yes, such plans exist. For example, the campaign will feature specialists in Runes and in Jotunns.
One more new specialty is on the horizon, but we'll keep it under wraps for now—let the players be pleasantly surprised.
Tavern: Are there new town concepts that excite you, but you haven't yet figured out how to bring them to the game?
HotA Crew: No, there aren't. A caveat should be made here: for any content of this scale to appear in the game, its concept must first be thoroughly elaborated. Therefore, our approach is reverse: first, we envision what a global element might look like, and only then do we integrate it into our plans.
However, as some players have already guessed, we are working on the Forge – an evil, technology-based faction that was originally supposed to appear back in Armageddon's Blade until it was replaced by the Conflux. Recognizing that players may have polar opinions on such content, we will implement this faction under the campaign content rules, similar to heroes like Gelu or Kilgor. And yes, the hero under the purple flag you've seen in some of our materials is indeed one of this faction.
The Forge itself and its elements will not appear on random maps unless allowed on a specific template, and it (along with all related elements – monsters, thematic objects, etc.) will not be available by default on most maps.
However, we are considering supplying some special maps and templates that will feature the Forge, but their list has not been determined yet.
Lava will be this town's native terrain. Its gameplay will revolve around powerful, yet low-numbered and costly creatures.
The Forge is currently at an earlier stage of development than the Bulwark was at the time of its announcement, so don't expect it to appear as quickly. Our absolute priority is the quality of what we introduce into the game. We intend to take as much time as is needed to ensure that the Forge's quality is equal to that of the previously implemented towns.
By the way, this faction, along with the Bulwark and Factory, will be introduced as expansions for the official Heroes III Board Game. In the Board Game, the Forge will look slightly different from that in HotA, but both versions will be consistent.
Female hero (Magic) of the Forge and the Pyro in battle; male heroes of the Forge (Magic) on the adventure map. By DrSlash and Balkron
In the context of the Forge's development, we actively trade ideas with the Board Game's creators, and also with Gregory Fulton, the lead designer of Heroes of Might & Magic III. Notably, it was Gregory who conceived the character showcased in the screenshot. Her name is Zeestral, and there's a significant connection between her and one of the most iconic heroes in the original game.
By the way, we were able to ask Gregory many questions, receiving extremely intriguing answers. Expect a publication that will shed light on many mysteries that have long interested the Heroes community.
Promo image of the newest Heroes III Board Game expansions. By Archon Studio
Tavern: Which town do you think is the least powerful as far as balance goes? Why do you believe this is the case? What solutions do you have to address this issue? Or do you consider underperforming towns to be an inherent part of the game, offering a challenge for dedicated players?
HotA Crew: It's important to recognize that some towns will inevitably be stronger or weaker than others. Issues, however, emerge when a town's weakness (or strength) is so pronounced that it cannot be balanced out through bidding in online play. Similarly, it's problematic if a town's unique characteristics aren't effectively showcased on any of the more popular templates.
At present, there are no major concerns in this regard. However, minor adjustments are feasible (primarily for Inferno, and to a lesser extent for Factory and Fortress).
One more clarification about balance is needed here. In HotA, balance is adjusted primarily for the experience of competitive PvP. We chose this approach because this gameplay is the only mode that allows us to directly assess the strength of one faction against another, as players strive to use the opportunities provided by the faction as effectively as possible. This doesn't mean that other play styles are less valuable to us, but when establishing game balance, a more or less homogeneous base for comparing different game elements is necessary.
Experience in PvE on random or premade maps depends too much on the individual player's style, and therefore cannot provide an objective basis for comparing the strength of factions and the demand for game elements. Within this experience, only the most general characteristics related to typical player behavior can be considered: for example, balancing the overall strength of a town's total creature growth; but this only has a rather indirect impact on the town's true strength.
As for hardcore PvE, although many possibilities of game elements are used there, the strength or weakness of a faction in this format depends on how the mapmaker designed the gameplay. Therefore, it is practically impossible to properly balance anything for it.
Note, however, that we are currently striving to ensure that new elements introduced into the game provide certain opportunities for advanced mapmaking, and we try to factor in its needs when choosing between different options as we balance game elements.
Tavern: Snow and lava still don't look diverse enough. What directions or ideas does the team have for making them look more lively?
HotA Crew: There are ideas specifically for lava, which lacks its own unique visitable objects: for example, additional objects that use the digging mechanic. However, any new elements will be added selectively, as there are already a great many options in the game.
The problem of snow is more related to the visual diversity of decorations: it is usually difficult to use elements intended for other terrains there. Glaciers have already been added in the Bulwark release; other new decorations may appear in the future. Perhaps such decorations for lava will also appear with the Forge. The recently added new mountains for lava are content that was originally intended specifically for decorating locations with this town.
Tavern: Speaking of the new glaciers (an analogue of mountains for snow). They are not yet generated on random maps. Are there plans to add some dependency for them on the presence of the Bulwark on the map? And a similar question for Stronghold and the Cove, Rampart and Castle: is some visual distinction planned for biomes through decorations and objects where there is more than one town per terrain?
HotA Crew: There are currently no plans to tie new glaciers specifically to the Bulwark. There are long-term plans to improve the configurability of the random map decoration mechanism. This could allow the generator to separately choose the type of decoration for each zone.
This approach would allow using a number of objects currently left out and distributing them into new decoration types, instead of inappropriately mixing them into existing landscape variants.
Tavern: Does the Crew still have plans to improve/fix the random map generator for water? As well as add more objects and, subsequently, improve the appearance of official water-rich templates?
HotA Crew: The task of improving water generation in RMG is in our distant, still rather hypothetical plans. It can be split into 2 directions:
1. Improving the existing generation options, "Normal" and "Islands". It is necessary to stabilize the amount of generated water and the generation of Shipyards so that most standard templates with this option allow creating maps of adequate structure. Furthermore, there will be need to make the generation of objects on water more stable and add the ability to configure value ranges and the frequency of filling water zones.
This direction will allow water on random maps to become a more or less full-fledged "intermediate" part of the map, albeit with weak content, but nevertheless a legitimate part of the map's logistics, which roughly corresponds to the intention for water zones in the original random map generator.
2. Adding full-fledged water zones with diverse content and the ability to configure them alongside standard zones.
This direction requires, first of all, adding a large number of new objects and other types of content, which would allow water zones to become as rich as land zones. This would make it possible to create full-fledged water-based templates; however, the implementation of such a scenario can only be considered hypothetical for now.
Tavern: By default, on most templates, banks are generated that provide solely creatures from the original game, i.e., wyverns, angels, cyclopes, giants, and phoenixes. HotA has already added three new factions, however, there are no banks for the new creatures from the expansion. Yes, there is the Pirate Cavern, but it does not generate on random maps by default. Are there plans to add new banks for creatures?
HotA Crew: We have already introduced some diversity into the creature banks available in the game. Note that the set of units offered as rewards in banks generated by default on the map differs from what was in the original game. While angels and wyverns are flying creatures (and in the original game, banks only existed for these units), cyclopes are shooters, and giants are slow-moving melee troops.
Despite the situation having improved and now being considered acceptable, we do not believe the problem of creature banks is completely solved. The issue of armies in final battles largely featuring the same units still exists; often there is even no point in building up an army in your native town. At the same time, creature banks are an integral part of the gameplay, and we do not want to radically change this by reducing their role.
We have some ideas about potential changes, but they are still in the early stages of conceptualization. We definitely don't want to simply add more banks for different creatures to the common pool. This approach in itself would only dilute their pool, making it harder to amass an army.
Tavern: Are there plans to add new biomes?
HotA Crew: Making a new terrain is a very significant undertaking, primarily a challenge for the artists. For now, there are no immediate plans for new terrains, nor any clear candidates that have garnered unanimous support within the team.
However, the possibility of introducing new terrains in the future remains open. This type of content offers abundant decorative options for the map editor without dictating changes to game mechanics, which we always approach with caution.
Tavern: Where is the new cactus? Encased in ice and frozen out of time!
HotA Crew: Stay patient, and rewarded your wait shall be!
Tavern: What is your wish for the community this year?
HotA Crew: We wish you more inspiring adventures in our beloved world of Heroes! We, in turn, will do our best to make them as engaging as possible.
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gnollking
Supreme Hero
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posted April 23, 2026 07:24 PM |
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Amazing news! Very excited for the future.
Tevye said:
We'll also enhance the map editor by improving the event system, adding a battlefield editor, and offering more customization options for hero specialties.
Yes!!!
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pellish
Famous Hero
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posted April 23, 2026 07:44 PM |
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Yes, wow! Fantastic news. Thanks for the big post and update. Keep doing what you do, HotA! 
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Sigmaverick
Hired Hero
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posted April 23, 2026 10:22 PM |
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Tevye I have no doubts that you and your team will deliver , I had suspicions you were working on the forge since a member of your team alluded to it. So much in this update and I cant get enough lol. Still surprised there is a new upcoming faction the total is now at 13 , one slot left . I'll try to guess it is a sand egyptian mediteranean faction could be called alcazar with t7 sphynx hehe . Will await the new update knowing it will be a homerun as usual .
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Syth1984
Known Hero
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posted April 23, 2026 10:24 PM |
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Any answers on the skills and spell balance patch?
Thank you for your great effort!
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Alustor
Famous Hero
ooo da :)
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posted April 23, 2026 10:28 PM |
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very nice and very intresting update, especialy where the names came from; very excited about the Forge news, waiting for the campaing of course; when Cathedral?
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