Creatures

3:13 Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era launched into Early Access with 127 faction creatures and 18 neutral creatures, by Unfrozen's own count in Devlog #15 (Apr 24, 2026), "over 140 creatures, each with multiple animations". Each of the six Factions has seven tiers, and each tier is a base unit with two alternative upgrades, so 21 creatures per faction; the Hive's summoned Fire Larva makes the 127th. The Neutral Creatures guard the map and range from the tier 1 Pixie to the tier 8 Lich Dragon. Creatures fight on a hexagonal grid with "a lot of active unit abilities" (Unfrozen, Aug 29, 2024), and the Balance Update Beta of Oct 15, 2026 is reworking the alternative upgrades of every faction.

Quick facts

How alternative upgrades work

3:48 Every faction creature exists in three forms: a base unit and two upgrades with different abilities and stats. Unfrozen's patch notes list the three names of each tier together without saying which upgrade is the "first" one. Pandora's Boxes that give creatures let you "choose any upgrade version" (beta, Oct 15, 2026), and a Hive law lets that faction hire upgraded units straight from its dwellings (Devlog #14, Dec 5, 2025). Many Faction Laws are "Elite" laws that strengthen one creature line, such as "Elite Griffins" or "Elite Dread Knights".

The roadmap of May 28, 2026 put an "Alternative Creature Upgrades rebalance" in Stage 2 (Q4 2026). It arrived on the public beta on Oct 15, 2026: "Our goal is to make sure that every creature in the game can find its place and differs from its alternative upgrades" (Unfrozen). The Grove "has undergone the biggest adjustments", because "the gameplay of many upgraded stacks was practically the same"; Dungeon stacks were similar too and had "few ways to spend Focus". The beta is on a separate branch, none of it final, with its release date to be announced.

Temple

3:17 The Steam store describes griffins that "counterattack multiple times", knights with "devastating charges" and the healing Hierophant. In the beta, all three tier 1 units gain "Shields Up" against ranged damage, the Noble Cavalry "Inspiring", the Sunspear Cavalry "Strike and Return" and the Mother Superior "Malleus Maleficarum", which reduces magic damage to nearby allies. The Angels were redesigned before launch (Devlog #15). See Temple.

Necropolis

2:26 The Graverobber summons Skeletons (Steam store). The beta moves "Howl of the Banshee" from the Wraith to the Phantasm and gives the Wraith "Gates of Afterlife", which summons Wights; the Dread Knight was remodeled before launch to look closer to Heroes 3 and 4. See Necropolis and Necromancy.

Dungeon

2:04 Dungeon units have "fighting styles" that change the basic attack at a cost: Troglodytes can fire a Long Reach attack at a 50% damage penalty, and Medusae can turn their ranged attack into an area attack (Devlog #8, Mar 13, 2025). In the beta the Guile Infiltrator loses "Shadowstrike" and gains "Liquidation", which kills an enemy stack left below a certain size. See Dungeon.

Hive

The Hive grows stronger the more different Hive unit types it fields; Locusts and Waurms (spelled "Waurmos" in Devlog #7) devour corpses to heal and grow (Devlog #7, Feb 11, 2025). The Gnats and Mantes of early footage were replaced by Parasites and Scorpions before launch. In the beta the Fire Larva gains "Castes", more damage with Might heroes and bigger explosions with Magic heroes, and the Ravager Parasite's "Topple the Strong!" deals +6% damage per tier of difference. See Hive.

1:41 The Hive's reveal of Feb 14, 2025 shows that early roster creature by creature, with stats: the Gnat, Warden Gnat and Ravager Gnat, then the Locusts, and later the Mantis, Vermilion Mantis and Royal Mantis.

Grove

Grove's elemental units have "awakenings" that boost stats and unlock abilities: an awakened Thunder Qilin can trade all its defense for attack or use Ball Lightning. The Phoenix has Rebirth, leaving ashes to destroy or regenerating, depending on the upgrade (Devlog #9, Apr 11, 2025). The Naiads replaced the Aqualotls before launch. In the beta the Vernal Naiad gains "Whirlpool" and the Brumal Naiad "Hypothermia". See Grove.

2:08 The faction's reveal of Apr 30, 2025, still under the name Sylvan, shows the Aqualotl and the Polar Aqualotl in that place.

Schism

2:00 The Arbitrator can teleport a powerful ally forward (Steam store). In the beta all three tier 5 units gain "Seduction", so they always take minimum damage, and the Votary and the Aga'Shoth Mat'ha speed up the faction's Shoth line. See Schism.

Rosters: beta, Oct 15, 2026, with names also in Patch #8, Patch #9 and Patch #11.

Frequently asked questions

How many creatures are in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era? Olden Era launched with 127 faction creatures and 18 neutral creatures, over 140 in all (Devlog #15); the Mummy and the Kitsune joined on the public beta on Oct 15, 2026.

What are alternative upgrades in Olden Era? In Olden Era each creature tier has a base unit and two different upgrades with their own abilities, such as the Archangel and the Apotheosis for Temple's Angel; you choose which of the two forms to field.

What is the strongest tier 7 creature in Olden Era? Unfrozen does not rank them, and the Balance Update Beta changes many tier 7 stats; the only creature above tier 7 is the neutral tier 8 Lich Dragon, whose magic resistance cuts magic damage by 85% since Patch #8.

Does Olden Era have tier 8 creatures? Only one so far: the neutral Lich Dragon. More neutral tier 8 creatures are planned in Stage 3 of Olden Era's roadmap ("Lich Dragons will get some company!").

Can you mix creatures from different factions in Olden Era? Yes, but mixing factions costs morale, a penalty a Necropolis law removes (Devlog #14); dwellings on the map let you recruit creatures of other factions.

Sources

• Designing a Heroes Game, Unfrozen, Aug 29, 2024
• FAQ: Part 2, Unfrozen, Dec 6, 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
• Devlog #9: The Binding Roots of Murmurwoods, Unfrozen, Apr 11, 2025
• Devlog #14: Gameplay Mechanics pt. 3: Faction Laws, Unfrozen, Dec 5, 2025
• Devlog #15: How and Why We Chose the Artstyle of Olden Era, Unfrozen, Apr 24, 2026
• Building the Future - HoMM: Olden Era's Early Access Roadmap is here!, Unfrozen, May 28, 2026
• 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
• BETA Patch: Balance Update - New Damage Formula, Smarter AI & New Creatures, Unfrozen, Oct 15, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, Steam store, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Necropolis Faction full reveal (Happy Halloween!), Unfrozen Official, Oct 31, 2024 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Dungeon Faction full reveal (Happy Holidays!), Unfrozen Official, Dec 13, 2024 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Hive Faction full reveal (Happy Valentine's Day!), Unfrozen Official, Feb 14, 2025 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Grove Faction Official Full Reveal, Unfrozen Official, Apr 30, 2025 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Schism Faction Official Full Reveal, Unfrozen Official, Aug 29, 2025 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Early Access Review, IGN, Apr 28, 2026 (video)
• A Beginners Guide To Combat In Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era, Vilestride, May 10, 2026 (video)