Best Faction

There is no official best faction in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era and no official tier list: Unfrozen balances the six Factions patch by patch from its match statistics, and its notes say plainly which ones were above or below its targets in each mode. By those notes, the Hive did well in Arena and Classic but struggled in Single Hero until Patch #9 (Jun 2, 2026), Schism was "dominant in Single Hero Mode" but weak in Classic (Patch #11, Jul 6, 2026), the Grove "fell significantly in power" after Patch #8, and Temple "underperforms in the late game" (Patch #13, Aug 20, 2026). The order is about to move again: the Oct 15, 2026 beta reworks every faction's alternative upgrades and changes the damage formula, and is not on the main branch as of Oct 21, 2026 (Unfrozen). Pick the faction whose plan you enjoy; this page sets out each one's plan, what the patches did to it, and who says what.

Quick facts

The six factions compared

Each faction's plan is Unfrozen's own description; the last column is what the live patches and the beta did to it.

Sources for the table: Patch #9, Patch #11, Patch #13, the beta notes, Devlog #7, Devlog #8, the Grove teaser and Devlog #13.

Best faction for beginners

Unfrozen has not named a beginner faction, but its notes point to the familiar three. Temple, Dungeon and Necropolis are the factions series veterans already know, and they are three of the four Unfrozen chose for the free demo of Oct 9, 2025, alongside Schism (Unfrozen). The Hive asks the most of a new player by Unfrozen's own account: its battles are "demanding" and "require significant time investment to minimize losses" (Patch #9), and the Grove's early game was "risky", "when losing even a single unit could lead to extremely negative consequences" (beta notes). Unfrozen's advice on modes is clearer than on factions: it called Single Hero mode "particularly suitable for first-timers" because one hero is easier to manage (Devlog #2). See the Beginner's Guide.

What creators say

Creators' faction guides are opinions, made on the builds of their day; where a later patch changed the picture, it is said below.

0:12 Turin, a strategy creator who made a Beginners Guide for each faction in the weeks after launch, calls Temple "probably hands-down the best faction for beginners" (May 14, 2026): its strategies are straightforward, its units strong, and its early archers make clearing the map's guards easy. Temple's weakness came later in the game by Unfrozen's account, which led to its law overhaul in Patch #13.

0:12 At the other end he puts the Hive, "probably one of the hardest factions in the game to play" (Apr 19, 2026, before launch), because it has no effective early ranged unit to clear guards with and must rely on careful melee positioning; he still calls it "very rewarding" late in the game.

2:05 His Grove guide (May 2, 2026) gives the reason in general terms: ranged units are among the most important pieces for early success on the map, which is why the Hive is "much harder to play than other factions", while the Grove's Fauns let a hero clear nearby guards with ease from day one.

44:20 In the same video he calls the Grove "like an S-tier faction" and notes that players often ban it on ladder, while adding that it is too early for a tier list. A month later Unfrozen wrote that the Grove "fell significantly in power" after Patch #8 and buffed it again in Patch #11.

34:20 For the Necropolis (May 5, 2026), Turin singles out a building that converts captured creatures into Necropolis units: "other factions don't get to do that", he says, since they have to manage the morale problems of mixed armies.

41:30 He also shows a Necropolis opening he calls "very, very good for beginners": hire the Skeleton Archers at once and split them into several stacks, to gain Focus from each attack and surround enemy stacks. Necromancy itself has been reworked since, most recently in Patch #11 (Jul 6, 2026).

2:59 His Dungeon guide (May 7, 2026) adds advice that holds for every faction: heroes built on Combat and Heroic Strike make clearing the map "exponentially easier" for newer players, and even the Hive's best early hero, in his view, is such a hero.

25:43 Norovo's Beginners Guide (May 4, 2026) ends on the same advice as Unfrozen's notes: the most important thing is to find a play style you enjoy, without pressure to master the game straight away.

Best faction by mode

Unfrozen's patch notes are the only published statistics, and they are about modes as much as factions:

• Single Hero: Schism was "dominant" by Unfrozen's Jul 6, 2026 reading, because its Communion bonus lands on one hero who fights every day; the Hive "struggles" there, which is why Patch #9 buffed it (Patch #11, Patch #9).
• Classic: the Hive "performs well"; Schism "performs under expectations" (Patch #9, Patch #11). Temple was weak late in the game until its Patch #13 law overhaul.
• Arena: the Hive did well and Dungeon was "underperforming" until Patch #9 gave it bigger armies; Patch #13 then overhauled the whole mode. See Arena.

Strongest faction after the latest patch

The latest live balance patch is Patch #13 of Aug 20, 2026, and Unfrozen has published no statistics since. The next update is the Oct 15, 2026 public beta, "the biggest balance update since the game entered Early Access", with a new damage formula, reworked alternative upgrades for every faction, a new Temple faction skill and a new First Aid skill meant to help the Hive and Dungeon, which lose many units (beta notes, Patch #14). Any ranking made before it reaches the main branch will age quickly, and as of Oct 21, 2026 it has no release date.

Faction guides

Each faction has a strategy guide on Vi.ki: Temple Guide, Necropolis Guide, Dungeon Guide, Hive Guide, Grove Guide and Schism Guide. How the faction-specific tech trees work is on Faction Laws.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best faction in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era? There is no official best faction or tier list; Unfrozen rebalances the six factions in its patches. Its notes as of Aug 2026 had Schism strong in Single Hero mode, the Hive strong in Classic and Arena, and Temple weak in the late game.

What is the best faction for beginners in Olden Era? Unfrozen has not named one, but Temple, Dungeon and Necropolis are the familiar factions it put in the free demo, while it describes the Hive and the early Grove as risky. Unfrozen calls Single Hero mode "particularly suitable for first-timers"; among creators, Turin calls Temple "probably hands-down the best faction for beginners" and the Hive one of the hardest.

What is the best faction for PvP in Olden Era? It depends on the mode: by Unfrozen's patch notes, Schism led Single Hero, the Hive did well in Classic and Arena, and Dungeon was weak in Arena until Patch #9. The Oct 15, 2026 beta will reshuffle all of it.

What is the strongest faction after the latest patch? Unfrozen has published no faction statistics since Patch #13 (Aug 20, 2026). The Oct 15, 2026 balance beta, not yet on the main branch, reworks every faction's upgrades and the damage formula.

Is there an official Olden Era tier list? No. Unfrozen publishes balance changes and its reasons in each patch note, not a ranking.

Sources

• Devlog #2: Game Modes pt.1: Classic and Single-Hero, Unfrozen, Sep 27, 2024
• Devlog #7: Every Story Needs a Villain - Hive Overview, Unfrozen, Feb 11, 2025
• Devlog #8: On Triumvirate's Strength and the Alvar Pact, Unfrozen, Mar 13, 2025
• Grove Faction - Teaser trailer, Unfrozen, Apr 11, 2025
• Devlog #13: On Schism and Their Eldritch Powers, Unfrozen, Aug 29, 2025
• Demo is LIVE NOW!, Unfrozen, Oct 9, 2025
• Devlog #14: Gameplay Mechanics pt. 3: Faction Laws, Unfrozen, Dec 5, 2025
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Released!, Unfrozen, Apr 30, 2026
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Hive Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, Apr 19, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Grove Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, May 2, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Beginners Guide! Tips You Need to Know, Norovo, May 4, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Necropolis Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, May 5, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Dungeon Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, May 7, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Temple Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, May 14, 2026 (video)
• Patch #8: Skills Rework, Balance Pass & Exploit Fixes, Unfrozen, Jun 1, 2026
• Patch #9: Hotfix & Balance Adjustments, Unfrozen, Jun 2, 2026
• Patch #11: Necromancy Update, UI Tweaks and Balance Changes, Unfrozen, Jul 6, 2026
• Patch #13: The Mysterious Island, Unfrozen, Aug 20, 2026
• Patch #14: More PvE Content and Plans for the Future!, Unfrozen, Sep 3, 2026
• BETA Patch: Balance Update - New Damage Formula, Smarter AI & New Creatures, Unfrozen, Oct 15, 2026