Difficulty and AI

1:25 Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has five AI difficulty levels for random maps and scenarios, in ascending order Easy, Normal, Moderate, Hard and Unfair, plus "a separate Multiplayer difficulty outside this scale" (Patch #6, May 13, 2026). The easiest is Easy, which Unfrozen made "very passive" two days after the Early Access launch. If the AI feels too hard, the fixes since then are dated below: Easy and Normal weakened on May 2, Moderate added on May 13 as a step between Normal and Hard, and a much smarter map AI on the public beta branch since Oct 15, 2026.

Quick facts

The difficulty levels

The setup screen shown with the Alliances update has a game difficulty (set to "Unfair (125%)" in Unfrozen's image) as well as a level for each AI player ("Moderate" there). Unfrozen's notes do not say what the percentage scales. The campaign has its own Easy and Normal balancing, which Patch #6 described as "ongoing", with changes to the missions "Never-ending Conflict", "Burning Hearts", "Deal with a Vampire" and "Alvar Diruil". The Advanced Random Map Generator of Sep 30, 2026 adds a separate "Overall map difficulty" setting for the map itself (Unfrozen). See Campaign and Random Map Generator.

How the AI plays

Unfrozen built the AI to copy how people play. It splits its heroes into "main(s)" who fight and "couriers" who collect troops and resources (Devlog #1, Sep 13, 2024), and it changes strategy as a game goes on: after taking "a certain percentage of value" in an area, it switches to "expand and capture next area" (FAQ: Part 2, Dec 6, 2024).

Every AI and difficulty change

The smarter AI in the beta

5:50 Unfrozen announced the work in its video of Sep 30, 2026: the developers were "deep into improving their AI opponents" so that they would "feature a wider range of strategies against human players in PvE games".

The public beta of Oct 15, 2026 promises "the much smarter AI opponent" that "should especially please PvE fans" (Unfrozen). On the adventure map:

• AI main heroes can flee from a battle they would struggle to win, then follow a special strategy to get back into the game.
• The AI learns high adventure-map spells at the Magic Observatory and uses the most useful map spells to move around.
• It spends resources better on towns and armies.
• Its heroes equip artifacts with sets, skills and army in mind, and pick only skills that suit their current role.

Unfrozen also "extensively tuned" its general decisions. The beta is on Steam's public-test-branch only; the main version gets it once testing ends, on a date "to be announced". See Balance Update Beta and Patch Notes.

What reviewers said

11:16 Most reviews of the Early Access launch were written before Patch #2. Gameliner (Apr 28, 2026) wrote that "the difficulty level is definitely an issue" and that newcomers face "a lot of trial and error"; IGN's 7/10 review the same day expected "plenty to be tweaked and rebalanced in the coming months" (both as quoted on Metacritic, read Oct 21, 2026). Unfrozen's first two patches answered the AI complaints within three days of launch.

Tips

• Start on Easy against one AI. It is the default, and since May 2 the AI there leaves you time to build. Move up to Normal, then Moderate, the step Unfrozen added for that purpose.
• Report odd behavior with F1. Unfrozen asks for in-game reports because they include a save file.
• Try the beta for a stronger opponent. The Oct 15 beta's map AI flees, uses map spells and equips artifacts; switch back to the default branch from Steam's "Game Versions & Betas" whenever you want.

5:17 Unfrozen's Early Access overview of May 1, 2026 asks players to report bugs with the F1 button in game or on the Unfrozen Discord, and promises they "will be regularly hot fixed".

15:23 Creators suggest fighting the AI with sturdy units it will attack first. In his Dungeon guide of May 7, 2026, Turin plays Typhona, who starts with Hydras: with one ranged unit you "bait the AI forward", send the Hydras in, and they are too tanky to lose many creatures.

The Beginner's Guide covers the first games.

Frequently asked questions

What difficulty levels does Olden Era have? Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has five AI levels since May 13, 2026: Easy, Normal, Moderate, Hard and Unfair, plus a separate setting for multiplayer.

What is the easiest difficulty in Olden Era? Easy. Since Patch #2 on May 2, 2026, the Olden Era AI on Easy "will now act very passively", and it has been the default in new lobbies since May 3.

Is the AI in Olden Era too hard? At launch many players said so, and Unfrozen weakened Easy and Normal on May 2, 2026, added Moderate between Normal and Hard on May 13 and fixed an AI that did not build in its towns on May 14.

Does the AI cheat in Olden Era? Unfrozen's patch notes do not describe resource or movement bonuses for the AI. The Oct 21, 2026 beta adjusts starting resources by difficulty without saying for whom.

Is the Olden Era AI getting better? Yes. The public beta of Oct 15, 2026 makes the adventure-map AI flee lost battles, learn and use map spells, equip artifacts sensibly and pick skills for its heroes' roles; it reaches the main version after the beta ends.

What is Moderate difficulty in Olden Era? A level added in Patch #6 on May 13, 2026, between Normal and Hard, to help players move up to tougher opponents.

Sources

• Devlog #1: Everything Everywhere All At Once: Game Modes, Unfrozen on Steam, Sep 13, 2024
• FAQ: Part 2, Unfrozen on Steam, Dec 6, 2024
• DEMO Update is available NOW!, Unfrozen on Steam, Oct 17, 2025
• Patch #2: Difficulty adjustments and Bug Fixes, Unfrozen on Steam, May 2, 2026
• Patch #3: Bug fixes and Network stability improvements, Unfrozen on Steam, May 3, 2026
• Patch #4: Network Crash Hotfix for 3+ Players, Unfrozen on Steam, May 5, 2026
• Patch #5: Gameplay Optimizations and UI Fixes, Unfrozen on Steam, May 8, 2026
• Patch #6: Network Stability, Balance Tweaks & Campaign Fixes, Unfrozen on Steam, May 13, 2026
• AI Building Construction HotFix, Unfrozen on Steam, May 14, 2026
• Community Feedback #5: Upcoming PVE Content and Events!, Unfrozen on Steam, Jul 28, 2026
• Patch #13: The Mysterious Island, Unfrozen on Steam, Aug 20, 2026
• Hotfix: Save Fixes, Unfrozen on Steam, Aug 25, 2026
• Patch #14: More PvE Content and Plans for the Future!, Unfrozen on Steam, Sep 3, 2026
• Alliances & Updated Random Map Generator, Unfrozen on Steam, Sep 30, 2026
• BETA Patch: Balance Update - New Damage Formula, Smarter AI & New Creatures, Unfrozen on Steam, Oct 15, 2026
• BETA Patch: Balance Tweaks - Spells, Heroes & a New Artifact, Unfrozen on Steam, Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era critic reviews, Metacritic, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era Early Access Review, IGN, Apr 28, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Early Access Overview!, Unfrozen Official, May 1, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - Dungeon Faction Beginners Guide, Turin, May 7, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era | Q3 Roadmap Patch: Introducing Alliances!, Unfrozen Official, Sep 30, 2026 (video)