Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is in PC Early Access, so balance, systems and available content can change. The most useful beginner habits are simple: plan movement around roads and native terrain, inspect each hero’s specialization, preserve morale when building an army, treat Focus as a combat resource, and spend Faction Law progress deliberately. The current Early Access build includes six factions, three game modes, the opening campaign act, scenarios and a map editor, but the available evidence does not establish one universally best starting mode or faction. Use the opening campaign act for context or scenarios for repeatable practice, then adjust as you learn what kind of map and battles you enjoy.
What to know before you start Olden Era
Steam currently lists the PC version as an Early Access release dated April 30, 2026. Its store page describes six factions, three game modes, single-player and multiplayer, the opening act of the narrative campaign, a map editor and scenarios. It also warns that an Early Access game is unfinished and may change. Ubisoft’s May 28, 2026 roadmap likewise says planned features and timing can change, so treat exact balance values and long-term plans as provisional rather than permanent rules.
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That context matters when you read guides or copy another player’s opening. A tactic can be sound while a unit value, faction bonus or interface label changes in a later build. The tips below focus on durable decisions that the official Beginner’s Guide explains, while identifying numbers and mechanics that may be adjusted.
1. Pick a learning format, not a supposed “best” mode
New players often ask which mode to play first. There is no authoritative ranking that makes one of Olden Era’s three current modes best for everyone. Instead, match the format to the skill you want to practise.
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| Your immediate goal | Practical starting point | What to practise |
|---|---|---|
| Understand the setting and basic flow | The available opening campaign act | Town development, exploration, battles and progression in a narrative sequence |
| Repeat early decisions without replaying a story | A scenario | Movement routes, army composition and combat experiments |
| Build a custom learning exercise | The map editor, if you want to create one | Specific terrain, encounter and resource situations |
This is a learning framework, not a claim that one format produces the fastest win rate. If you play multiplayer immediately, expect to learn under pressure rather than through a carefully controlled tutorial. When a patch changes a rule, re-check the in-game descriptions before assuming an older opening still applies.
2. Make roads part of your movement plan
Roads reduce the cost of travelling through the wilds by 33%, according to the official Beginner’s Guide. That is a movement rule you can use every turn: compare the cost of staying on a road with the cost of cutting across open ground before committing your hero.
A road detour is not automatically correct. A shorter off-road route may still reach a mine, settlement or fight sooner, while a long road can waste the movement you need to retreat. Think in terms of the next meaningful action: if the road lets you visit an object and still return to safety, it is usually more valuable than shaving a few map tiles from an otherwise empty journey.
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Use native terrain and treat deserts as a warning
Heroes do not suffer movement penalties on their native terrain. The Beginner’s Guide also notes that deserts impose a much higher crossing penalty. Check the faction and terrain information for your current hero before plotting a route, especially when a desert separates you from an objective. Native-terrain familiarity can turn a route that looks longer on the map into the cheaper route in movement points; the exact benefit depends on the game’s current faction and terrain rules.
Press ALT when the map looks empty
Hold ALT to reveal visitable map objects. This is particularly useful after clearing a fight or entering a new area, when a resource, shrine or other interaction can be hidden by scenery. Make the key part of your exploration routine instead of relying on visual inspection alone.
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3. Read a hero’s specialization before assigning a job
Heroes lead armies, gather resources and improve through skills. The official hero reference explains that some specializations suit resource collection or scouting better than others. Do not give every new hero the same assignment by habit: open the hero information, read the specialization and decide whether that character should explore, gather, fight or support another army.
A scouting hero may justify a risky route because discovering locations is the job; a gathering-focused hero may be more valuable near mines and income-producing sites; a combat-oriented hero should spend movement on encounters that convert experience into strength. These are role decisions, not a universal tier list. The reference also warns that final mechanics may change, so re-read specialization text after major updates.
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Units prefer comrades from their homeland. The Beginner’s Guide says that mixing troops from different factions can impose morale penalties, while morale artifacts or skills can offset the problem. A larger mixed army is therefore not automatically stronger than a smaller force whose units fight with compatible morale.
When a mixed army makes sense
- Use a mixed force when a borrowed unit fills a clear tactical gap, such as ranged damage, healing or a durable front line.
- Check the army’s morale display after adding each foreign stack; do not assume the penalty is harmless.
- Look for the morale bonuses, artifacts or skills mentioned in the guide before committing to a long-term multi-faction composition.
Faction identity can also change how you approach battles. Ubisoft’s Gamescom overview quotes Narrative Lead Alexandra “Alphyna” Golubeva: “Graverobbers can summon Skeletons, Dungeon units have unique battle stances, and Sylvan Druids are casters whose array of spells may rival a beginner hero,” says Narrative Lead Alexandra “Alphyna” Golubeva at Unfrozen. “That’s a lot of options to explore in battle!” The quotation illustrates variety among factions and units; it is not a recommendation that one faction is best for beginners.
5. Split stacks to control counterattacks
Most units can counterattack only once, according to the Beginner’s Guide. The guide recommends splitting a unit stack into smaller groups so you can draw out that counterattack and then attack with another unit that would otherwise be punished.
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- Identify the enemy stack whose counterattack matters most.
- Separate one of your units into a smaller stack when the interface allows it.
- Send the expendable or less valuable stack into the first contact.
- After the enemy has used its counterattack, make the attack that delivers your real damage.
“Most” is important: do not assume every creature follows exactly the same counterattack rule. Check the unit’s current combat information, and avoid splitting when the smaller stacks become so fragile that area damage or retaliation eliminates them immediately. The purpose is to manipulate a limited response, not to divide your army on every turn.
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6. Track Focus as carefully as health
Focus is one of Olden Era’s new combat resources. Heroes and units gain Focus by dealing and receiving damage, and Focus enables their abilities, the Beginner’s Guide says. Skills and spells can also affect how Focus is gained.
Before spending a turn, inspect which ability is close to becoming available. A unit that has nearly filled its Focus requirement may be worth protecting for one more exchange; a hero that can trigger a decisive ability may prefer to take a calculated hit rather than retreat. Conversely, do not allow a low-health unit to remain in danger merely because it is close to an ability. Focus changes the value of damage, but it does not replace survival.
A simple Focus checklist
- Check current Focus on the hero and key units before selecting an attack.
- Note whether the next ability requires a threshold or another condition.
- Remember that incoming damage can generate Focus as well as outgoing damage.
- Reassess after a spell or skill changes Focus gain; an old timing assumption may no longer hold.
7. Keep the spellbook and mage guild in your opening routine
Magic can help overcome a stronger force, which is why the Beginner’s Guide directs newcomers to the spellbook and mage guild. On a keyboard, press B for the spellbook and O for the mage-guild shortcut. These are keyboard shortcuts, so controller or remapped-key users should use the equivalent interface command.
Open the spellbook before combat rather than waiting until a battle is going badly. Identify which spells can protect a vulnerable stack, improve damage, control movement or exploit the enemy’s formation. Visit the mage guild when available so you know what your town can currently provide; a hero’s magical options are part of army planning, not an emergency feature used only after troops are hurt.
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8. Turn Faction Laws into a deliberate progression plan
Faction Laws form a progression chain. The Beginner’s Guide says that gold income in towns and hero battles generate Law Points; those points convert into Seals, which unlock faction-specific bonuses. Open the in-game Laws screen regularly so you know what the next unlock requires and what it changes.
- Collect town income and fight battles that produce Law Points.
- Watch the conversion into Seals rather than treating the points as an unrelated currency.
- Read the available faction bonuses before spending Seals.
- Choose an unlock that supports your current plan—economy, scouting, combat or another role—rather than selecting blindly.
Because Faction Laws are tied to faction identity, the right choice depends on your map position and army. A bonus that accelerates expansion may be less useful when you are defending a compact territory, while a combat bonus may matter more before an expected confrontation.
9. Understand what hero stats actually change
The official Heroes reference describes heroes as army leaders and explains the broad role of their core attributes. Attack affects troop damage, Defence affects damage reduction, and Spell Power and Intelligence affect magic. Experience and skills further develop a hero.
| Attribute or development | Beginner question to ask | Likely role |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | Will this hero lead direct engagements? | Improving troop damage |
| Defence | Will the army need to survive repeated exchanges? | Reducing incoming troop damage |
| Spell Power | Are spells central to this hero’s battle plan? | Increasing magical impact |
| Intelligence | Does the hero depend on magical resources or casting? | Supporting magic use |
| Skills and specialization | Does the role match scouting, gathering or combat? | Defining how the hero earns value on the map |
Exact numbers and final mechanics can change during Early Access. Use the current in-game descriptions when choosing a level-up, and avoid building every hero toward the same stat spread.
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Gold income determines how quickly you can recruit, construct and sustain an army. The official Economy page lists passive-skill examples of +500 Gold daily for Basic Economy, +750 Gold daily for Advanced Economy and +1000 Gold daily for Expert Economy. These are game-mechanic values that may change with balance updates, not guaranteed income in every situation.
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Use the figures to understand the scale of an economy skill, not to justify a fixed build order. Compare the value of a daily income increase with the immediate benefit of a combat, scouting or movement skill. If a hero must spend several turns reaching a distant resource, the nominal value of that resource is less useful than income you can collect safely now.
11. Recheck assumptions after every Early Access update
Steam explicitly says the game may change, and Ubisoft’s roadmap labels future features as planned rather than shipped. After an update, inspect faction bonuses, unit abilities, Focus rules, morale effects, movement costs and Laws descriptions in the current build. A guide written for an earlier patch can still explain the decision, but its exact numbers may be obsolete.
Keep a short pre-battle and pre-movement checklist:
- Is the route using a road where the 33% wild-travel saving is worth the detour?
- Is the terrain native to the hero, and does a desert crossing impose a severe cost?
- Have you pressed ALT to reveal overlooked objects?
- Does the hero’s specialization match the job?
- Will adding a foreign faction stack reduce morale?
- Can a split stack draw the enemy’s one available counterattack?
- Which hero or unit is closest to a useful Focus ability?
- What spell, mage-guild option or Faction Law bonus supports the next objective?
These checks do not prescribe a winning opening. They prevent the most expensive beginner errors: spending movement inefficiently, assigning a hero to the wrong role, weakening an army through unexamined morale penalties, and entering combat without understanding the resources that drive abilities.
How to turn the tips into a first session
- Start a single-player campaign act or scenario that lets you pause and inspect the interface.
- Before moving, identify roads, native terrain, deserts and nearby visitable objects.
- Read your starting hero’s specialization and assign the first map job accordingly.
- Recruit a coherent core army; add foreign troops only when their role justifies a morale check.
- Enter an early fight with the spellbook open, Focus thresholds noted and a counterattack plan ready.
- After the battle, review Law Points, Seals, gold income and hero experience before choosing the next destination.
- Repeat the same route or scenario once, changing one decision at a time so you can see its effect.
Olden Era rewards learning the information shown on its map, army and progression screens. Roads, terrain, specialization, morale, counterattacks, Focus, magic and Faction Laws are connected decisions rather than isolated tips. Master that loop first; optimize faction-specific openings only after a patch and your own play style give you a reason to do so.
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