Patch Notes

The live version of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is v0.81.04, a hotfix released on Oct 2, 2026 (Unfrozen), and the next update is already playable on Steam's public beta branch: v0.82.02 opened on Oct 15, 2026 and was updated to v0.82.03 on Oct 21 (Unfrozen). That beta is the Balance Update Beta, Unfrozen's "biggest balance update since Early Access", with a new damage formula, a smarter adventure map AI and two new neutral creatures; its release to everyone has no date yet. Since Early Access began on Apr 30, 2026, Unfrozen has released 14 numbered patches, the Roadmap Patch and seven hotfixes, every one free, and it posts each as a Steam announcement with the full changelog.

Quick facts

0:28 Versions are written as Unfrozen writes them. Numbered patches carry the larger changes; hotfixes between them fix a few bugs and sometimes carry no version at all. The plan behind the bigger patches is the Early Access Roadmap of May 28, 2026.

October 2026

Oct 21: v0.82.03 beta

A second beta build on the public test branch, not yet on the main game (notes). Starting resources now depend on difficulty; Single Hero mode loses its 20% discount on the Astrology Points and Law Points needed to level up; the reworked Temple prayers become single-use but can be stored on several stacks at once; Lord Edgar and every creature and experience specialist are weakened; a new artifact, "Orb of Poison", stops both heroes from using hero abilities in the first round (an effect taken from "Orb of Inhibition"); Shadowflight, Gate of Light and Pocket Dimension move to tiers 1, 2 and 3 of High Neutral Magic, learnable at hero levels 4, 8 and 12; Pandora's Boxes with a choice can no longer be postponed; and a bug that granted a huge number of Law Points for capturing external dwellings is fixed.

Oct 15: v0.82.02 beta, the balance update

0:05 The Balance Update Beta opened on Steam's public test branch (notes). It replaces the Attack and Defense damage formula, makes the adventure map AI flee lost battles, learn and cast map spells, equip artifacts and pick skills that fit its role, adds the neutral Mummy (tier 5) and Kitsune (tier 7), rebuilds the Temple faction skill around three prayers, adds the First Aid skill for every hero, reworks Battle Magic, Battlecraft and alternative creature upgrades in all six factions, adds 15 artifacts, protects against long streaks of good or bad Morale and Luck, lets players mark 3 "Favorite Spells", reworks every Pandora's Box into a choice, enlarges Jebus Cross to 176 by 176 and adds the Jebus Arena template. Unfrozen expects the test to last "several weeks".

Oct 2: v0.81.04 hotfix (live)

The current live version (notes). It fixes tournament battles that failed to load when the first one fell on day one (that day can no longer be chosen) or did not start when scheduled back to back, adds an indicator for heroes and objects that cannot be interacted with, adds 4 new emojis and the missing Hungarian localization, fixes the Alliance count shown on templates, and fixes games failing to start from an online lobby on slow connections.

September 2026

Sep 30: v0.81.02, the Roadmap Patch

1:31 The first big roadmap update, which Unfrozen says completed its Q3 goals (notes). It added Alliances (co-op and team play against the AI or other players, with always-simultaneous turns, resource trading and requests, shared vision and a shared victory) with 5 new Alliance templates; the fully random "Advanced Random Map Generator" in single-player Quick Start (Random Map Generator); a new save and load screen with Single Player and Multiplayer tabs, filters and bulk deletion; tags, sorting and descriptions for templates in Quick Start; an emoji wheel that also works in combat and towns; and a matchmaking update with automatic cheater detection, a low-priority queue, a starting rating of 1000 for everyone and a ranked reset (Multiplayer). The Temple law "Sacred Lands" became "Sacred Protection".

Sep 3: Patch #14, v0.80.49

0:49 More PvE content (notes): the classic map "Broken Alliance", made by Papyjama and the first new custom map playable in custom lobbies and hotseat (not Quick Start), and the scenario "Prisoners", in which new heroes come only from freeing them from prisons (The Mysterious Island). The post also previewed the Roadmap Patch and the beta balance patch.

August 2026

Aug 27: hotfix

One fix, with no version given: restarting a multiplayer game could desynchronize the players (notes).

Aug 25: v0.80.47 hotfix

Saves that would not load after Patch #13, hero selection before tournament battles, AI heroes choosing the wrong guards to break through, faction-only laws applying to every hero, and a freeze from combining "Refract and Reflect" with "Blasphemous Adoration" (notes).

Aug 20: Patch #13, v0.80.45, The Mysterious Island

0:33 The first giant hand-crafted single-player map, The Mysterious Island, Papyjama's official remake of his Heroes 3 map, with all 6 factions playable (notes). The patch also overhauled the Arena (hero starting bonuses, 4 reroll points for the drafts, guaranteed creatures of a creature specialist's tier), brought back Shift+U to hide the interface, started the rework of AI heroes on the map, gave every Temple law that upgrades creatures an extra tier, cut Hive Parasites and Waurms while strengthening Scorpions, added the Dungeon law "Arcane Knowledge" (15 more maximum mana for all heroes), and shrank Galaxy from 128 by 128 to 112 by 112.

Aug 13: v0.80.35 hotfix

The game froze when mice from certain makers were moved, after a network library update (notes).

July 2026

Jul 10: Patch #12, v0.80.34

Fixes after Patch #11 (notes): crashes on Jebus Tournament, with "Mirage" and when an Arena opponent left; the Heroic Strike hotkey; a match timer that kept running while simultaneous turns were stopped. Sorcery's magic damage bonus rose to 20/30/40%, Stables were blocked from Sprint "for good this time", and the Chinese term for Angels was restored.

Jul 6: v0.80.33 hotfix

Advanced Battle Magic behaving wrongly, saves that would not load, and descriptions of Summon Avatar and the Dungeon "Dungeon Masters" laws (notes).

Jul 6: Patch #11, v0.80.31, the Necromancy update

A large balance patch (notes). Necromancy was reworked again: Necromancers can raise enemies of any tier as undead, as base versions by default, with an energy pool of 3000/4000/5000 and new raising costs, a new interface, and the Chronomancer elite class refilling the pool every day. Schism's Abyssal Communion now works on units of every faction, Hive larvae turned toward explosions, Battle Magic went back to 15/20/25%, Summon Avatar was weakened with stronger subskills, and each point of Luck now gives an 8% chance of a lucky hit. New templates: Jebus Tournament, Outcast Tournament, Mix and Galaxy. The faction pick and ban order changed, and a Temple exploit that gave endless resources was fixed.

June 2026

Jun 18: Patch #10, v0.80.24

The formation chosen in the tactics phase is now saved for each hero for ordinary battles against neutral creatures, and tactics movement got new visuals and sound (notes). A confirmation now guards the Exit button after a lost connection, tournament template bugs with last-second moves were fixed, and the Avatar's damage was set to 12 per point of Spell Power at every level as "a temporary fix".

Jun 4: v0.80.20 hotfix

Another game exit exploit, generation crashes on Jebus Outcast and All Around, and Law and Astrology points not growing on the first day of each week (notes).

Jun 2: Patch #9, v0.80.19

A next-day follow-up (notes) that reverted part of Patch #8's Schism changes, which had hit Single Hero mode too hard; brought forward planned Hive buffs (more growth and damage, new starting skills, law tiers moved); trimmed Summon Avatar; and raised Dungeon army sizes in the Arena.

Jun 1: Patch #8, v0.80.18

The first big balance pass (notes). Summon Avatar became a magic skill whose Avatar survives 2, 3 or 4 hits; Murmuring's expert subskills were reworked; Offense and Defense dropped to 10/15/20%; spell specialists got stronger; every Schism hero gained a starting spell; underperforming creature upgrades were buffed; and the Lich Dragon's magic resistance rose to 85%. Jebus Cross, Harmony (now 112 by 112), Sprint and Exodus were reworked, the ranked pools gained Sand Clover and Blitz, Alt+F4 now counts as a loss, and players who knowingly used exploits were sanctioned.

May 2026

May 21: Patch #7, v0.80.16

An alternative starting camera for combat, exploit fixes (Pocket Dimension doubling armies, doubled siege garrisons), many Campaign script fixes such as the blockers in "Saving the Knight", and Necromancy switched on by default for Necromancers (notes).

May 14: v0.80.15 hotfix

The AI was not building anything in its towns (notes).

May 13: Patch #6, v0.80.14

A new "Moderate" AI difficulty between Normal and Hard, making the list Easy, Normal, Moderate, Hard and Unfair (notes); a stronger AI on Hard and Unfair; easier Easy and Normal campaign missions; desync and matchmaking fixes; 5 extra seconds on the timer after each stack's turn; and redesigned building windows (Difficulty and AI).

May 8: Patch #5, v0.80.13

Diplomacy and Mentors bugs, multiplayer interface fixes, a turn timer exploit, and a map editor crash from the custom University object (notes).

May 5: Patch #4, v0.80.12

A crash in matches with 3 or more players when unit abilities were used in player-versus-player combat (notes).

May 3: Patch #3, v0.80.11

Campaign blockers in "Into the Woods", better lobby entry and reconnection, a version check on invites, an experimental option for controllers and other devices, Easy as the default AI in lobbies, a cheaper Diplomacy (+50% instead of +100% for joining creatures) and Battle Magic at 15/25/35% (notes).

May 2: Patch #2, v0.80.10

The AI was "significantly weakened" on Easy and weakened on Normal after launch-week complaints, cloud saves were fixed, and scenario maps were removed from the online lobby because they caused desyncs (notes).

May 1: Patch #1, v0.80.09

The day after launch: hotkeys that would not save, leaderboard loading, gamepads and other devices temporarily ignored, and fixes and reward changes on the Zookeeper, Symmetry, Arcade and Sprint templates (notes).

Before Early Access

The free demo of Oct 9, 2025 had two updates: on Oct 17, 2025 it gained the Crossroads and Jebus Outcast templates, larger creature icons and a less aggressive Easy AI (Unfrozen), and on Oct 24, 2025 the E hotkey to end the turn came back after being removed by accident (Unfrozen). The Development History covers the years before.

Frequently asked questions

What is the latest Olden Era patch? The live version of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is v0.81.04, a hotfix of Oct 2, 2026; the last big patch was the Roadmap Patch, v0.81.02, of Sep 30, 2026. A public beta of the next balance update, v0.82.03, has been on Steam since Oct 21, 2026.

How do I join the Olden Era beta? In your Steam library, right-click Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, choose Properties, then Game Versions & Betas, and select "public-test-branch". Beta saves are kept apart, cloud saves are off, and beta players only meet other beta players online.

When is the next Olden Era patch? Unfrozen has not dated it: the balance update now in beta will reach everyone after "several weeks" of testing, on a date to be announced. Unfrozen also said on Oct 15, 2026 that new story maps and single-player adventures are in progress.

What was Patch #13 in Olden Era? Patch #13 (v0.80.45, Aug 20, 2026) added The Mysterious Island, a giant hand-crafted single-player map by Papyjama, and overhauled Arena mode with hero starting bonuses and rerolls.

What was Patch #14 in Olden Era? Patch #14 (v0.80.49, Sep 3, 2026) added the classic map Broken Alliance for custom games and hotseat and the scenario Prisoners.

How many patches has Olden Era had? By Oct 21, 2026 Olden Era had 14 numbered patches, the unnumbered Roadmap Patch and seven hotfixes since its Early Access launch on Apr 30, 2026, plus two beta builds.

Sources

• BETA Patch: Balance Tweaks - Spells, Heroes & a New Artifact, Unfrozen, Oct 21, 2026
• BETA Patch: Balance Update - New Damage Formula, Smarter AI & New Creatures, Unfrozen, Oct 15, 2026
• Hotfix: Missing Emojis, Lobby & Stability, Unfrozen, Oct 2, 2026
• Alliances & Updated Random Map Generator, Unfrozen, Sep 30, 2026
• Patch #14: More PvE Content and Plans for the Future!, Unfrozen, Sep 3, 2026
• Hotfix: Desynchronization during Restarts, Unfrozen, Aug 27, 2026
• Hotfix: Save Fixes, Unfrozen, Aug 25, 2026
• Patch #13: The Mysterious Island, Unfrozen, Aug 20, 2026
• Hotfix: Mouse Freeze, Unfrozen, Aug 13, 2026
• Patch #12: Bug Fixes & Improvements, Unfrozen, Jul 10, 2026
• Hotfix: Battle Magic, Save Loading & Description Fixes, Unfrozen, Jul 6, 2026
• Patch #11: Necromancy Update, UI Tweaks and Balance Changes, Unfrozen, Jul 6, 2026
• Patch #10: Tactics Phase Formation Saving & Bug Fixes, Unfrozen, Jun 18, 2026
• Hotfix: Game Exit Exploit, Map Generation & Mondays, Unfrozen, Jun 4, 2026
• Patch #9: Hotfix & Balance Adjustments, Unfrozen, Jun 2, 2026
• Patch #8: Skills Rework, Balance Pass & Exploit Fixes, Unfrozen, Jun 1, 2026
• Patch #7: Removing Abuses and Improving Campaign, Unfrozen, May 21, 2026
• AI Building Construction HotFix, Unfrozen, May 14, 2026
• Patch #6: Network Stability, Balance Tweaks & Campaign Fixes, Unfrozen, May 13, 2026
• Patch #5: Gameplay Optimizations and UI Fixes, Unfrozen, May 8, 2026
• Patch #4: Network Crash Hotfix for 3+ Players, Unfrozen, May 5, 2026
• Patch #3: Bug fixes and Network stability improvements, Unfrozen, May 3, 2026
• Patch #2: Difficulty adjustments and Bug Fixes, Unfrozen, May 2, 2026
• Patch #1: Template Tweaks and Bug Fixes, Unfrozen, May 1, 2026
• Demo Update #2: End Turn Hotkey Fix, Unfrozen, Oct 24, 2025
• DEMO Update is available NOW!, Unfrozen, Oct 17, 2025
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era | Community Feedback #5: Upcoming PvE Content and Events!, Unfrozen Official, Jul 28, 2026 (video)
• HoMM: Olden Era - Kitsune & Mummy - new neutral creatures, Heroes 3.5: WoG Portal, Oct 17, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era | Q3 Roadmap Patch: Introducing Alliances!, Unfrozen Official, Sep 30, 2026 (video)
• Devlog #6: Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era - more PvE Content and Roadmap Patch Preview!, Unfrozen Official, Sep 3, 2026 (video)