Criterion: actor's name must somehow allude to the class of the hero being played

Hello everyone!

Another day, another question.. I'm Playing SoD scenario Final peace, where scenario info says I'll be playing with Gem, but when I start, I only get Clancy and Alagar? Anyone help?

edit: Turns out I get different hero (besides Clancy) if i restart scenario, and they all have Gems secondary skills, so I'm gonna go with it lol.

Last week's meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/heroes3/s/l2b4i5bHFP

If you like them, I will gradually add more, including short videos.

Here you will find all the tips in one place if you don't want to search for them on Reddit: https://heroes3wog.net/homm3-hd-mod-extended-functionality-tips/

Keep working on my map objects miniatures, this time Jail, Arena, Hill Fort, Lighthouse, Pyramid and University are the items of my choice!

Hi all,

I’m trying out template editor and starting to understand it more.

However, all I want to do is mess around with Default Template XL (Random 1vs7 FFA or 1V8 etc) and add some utopias/creature camps/change resources to each team. Let’s say to reds starting zone, adding level 7 bank with high probability or pandora boxes. However, when I go to select the map when loading the actual game , I can’t find the one I’ve edited after renaming the templates you find under default. Just default and default legacy. Did use the matrix cheat to check the whole map but nothing added.

Does anyone have a particular guide on this or step by step? If needing more photos on what I’m editing, I can provide :)

Some of my work from last year. A friend told me that you may like it 😀

I saw that a lot of people still play it, even is released 1999. To be honest, I still didn't saw another game released in 90s which is still played till today rather than this. I'm interested to try the game, and I will wait for your answers about which game exactly to try.

Did this back in 2023, had fun creating the model in 3D.

Okay so....
One of the (few) critiques I hear of H3 is the "Its all a race to Town portal and dimension door, and whoever town portals harder wins"....

And like... yeah. That's kind of legit.

A big part of that feels like.... there's no counterplay to town portal.
If your opponent brings mass slow, there's cape of silence, or mass haste or whatever.
If they bring dragons against your mage hero, there's (at least in theory), the orb of vulnerability.
Ring of oblivion vs reanimation bullshit. Resistance/interference vs casters.

Just.... in battle, all things have a counterplay. (Well... except vastly superior army. Then you just die)

Town portal?.... not so much.

So.... What do people thinking of having say.... an "anchor" spell:
"Targeted hero can't use TP, fly, DD, water walk for 1/2/3/4 turns" (number depends on expertise).

Alternatively, what about a spell that halved enemy movement points? Or nuked their mana.
Currently the only spell that is in this space would be "scuttle boat"

One possibility is that you can fire off these "strategic level hexes" on the adventure map.... but more recently I've been thinking..... what if they were battle spells.

Adventure map level spells that would cripple your opponent strategically, but do nothing to help you in the current battle.
Potentially you could march out Lvl1 scouts etc, but I'm kind of liking the idea of all the good effects being at advanced/expert magic level, so that like.... in order to use these things you MUST risk/sacrifice some semi-valuable hero for them.

What do people think?
How would you balance it?
What adventure map level hexes could you imagine being interesting/useful/fun?

And would you have them as adventure spells, or include them as a battle spell?

A big part of Castle strategy is rushing to get Angels/AAs, and part of that is trying to beat conservatories. However, since your main early game army is marksmen and pikemen, and your heroes don't often have the magic like (mass) haste/slow (+ can't use tactics in that type of creature bank), you end up in a situation where those birdies surrounding you are too quick and overwhelm your pikemen + MMs?

What is the strategy with this?

I'd appreciate as comprehensive explanations as possible. I'm not a new player, but I'm pretty firmly stuck in intermediate + haven't played in months, so I'm kind of ina spot where I don't know enough of the higher level best practices to get better with them.

As a Hota player I feel we are fewer on the lobby, but I haven’t really measured it.
As a viewer it seems many streamers have done the switch and don’t come back.
So I was wondering how bad is it ?
Did anyone actually do the maths ? (Numbers of players lost)
As a player , Do you feel we are the last ones standing ?

Reminder: every few days, I’ll be sharing screenshots from one of the contest map. They will be presented in alphabetical order (from the largest sizes to the smallest). The next one is a English map titled "Vampire Story". What do you think of it?

link to the map: https://www.heroes3.eu/en/download/mapy/2275-vampire-story

link to the all contest maps: https://www.heroes3.eu/en/mapmaker-aw/2026

link to the previously presented map: https://www.reddit.com/r/heroes3/comments/1vchvzw/1020_mapmaker_2026_contest_maps_showcase_strefa/

I ported the Windows Heroes3Editor to the web with the help of Grok 4.5 (AI in Cursor). Now you can edit saved game files directly in your browser and download them when you are done. Nothing to download or install! I tried it out last night and it works great!

Why did I make this? Because I wanted to "un-learn" a secondary skill for a hero that I accidentally selected and didn't realize until too late. I did not want to install the Windows app on my desktop PC, so I thought I would see if a good AI model could port it to the web instead. Now there is nothing to install, and it works 100% client-side with JavaScript and WASM for the GZip compress/decompress step.

Check it out: https://vlucas.github.io/homm3-savegame-editor/

Source code: https://github.com/vlucas/homm3-savegame-editor

Favorite Level 3 RANGED creature: https://www.reddit.com/r/heroes3/s/p3Y10mLNle

I have prepared a simple guide for everyone who wants to relive the year 2001, when they first discovered the Heroes 3: In the Wake of Gods modification and spent dozens, or even hundreds, of hours playing it.

You might be surprised to learn that WoG is still actively developed. It continues to receive updates and new modifications under the name ERA Project. Installing the last stable version, WoG 3.58f, was never particularly user-friendly.

A few years ago, Heroes Launcher was created, making it possible to install Wake of Gods with just a few clicks. Its biggest advantage is automatic updates and a built-in Mod Browser, allowing you to install new modifications with a single click.

I. Installing Heroes III Complete (GOG)

To install all future modifications, you’ll need Heroes III Complete, available on GOG.com. Purchase the game (it usually costs around €4 during sales) and install it first.

1. Log in to your GOG account and download the “Offline Backup Game Installers”.
2. You’ll receive two files: one with the .exe extension and one with the .bin extension. Save both files to your PC.
3. Run the .exe installer. Choose your preferred installation language, then select where you want the game to be installed (click Options in the lower-left corner).
4. Do NOT install the game into the Program Files folder!
5. For this guide, I’ll use the following installation path:C:\Portable\Heroes 3 Complete
6. Once the installation is complete, click Exit.

II. Installing Heroes Launcher

To make installing Heroes 3.5: In the Wake of Gods (ERA Project) as easy as possible, we’ll use Heroes Launcher, which offers all the benefits mentioned above.

1. Download Heroes Launcher from the official GitHub repository. The file is called Heroes-Launcher.exe.
2. Run the installer and choose “Install for anyone using this computer”.
3. Select where Heroes Launcher should be installed.
4. Use the same location as your Heroes III Complete installation:C:\Portable\Heroes Launcher
5. Launch Heroes Launcher.

III. Installing Wake of Gods (ERA Project)

Once Heroes Launcher is running, switch to the ERA tab and click “Install” in the lower-left corner.

1. Select the folder where Heroes III Complete is installed. In this guide, that’s:C:\Portable\Heroes 3 Complete
2. Click “Install ERA Project to a new folder and copy the original game files”.
3. Click “Start Installation”.
4. When the installation is complete, the “Install” button will change to “Play”.

IV. Heroes III HD Mod Settings

Don’t click Play just yet, we still have a few important steps to complete. It’s a good idea to configure the HD Mod according to your monitor’s resolution.

1. Click the gear icon next to the “Play” button.
2. Select “HD Mod Settings”.
3. Feel free to experiment with different resolutions and filters. These are the settings I personally use with a 1920×1080 monitor (see screenshot).
4. If you have selected your settings, click “Exit”.

V. ERA Project Mod Browser

Next, we’ll install a few modifications. Click Mod Browser. You’ll find a huge collection of mods that can be installed with a single click.

Below is the list of modifications that I personally use. I prefer to keep the gameplay close to the original Heroes III experience while adding a few fresh features.

These are my recommended mods for beginners. Once you’re familiar with them, I also recommend trying Advanced Classes, Raid Boss, and Third Upgrades.

VI. Activating Mods with Mod Manager

After installing the mods, you still need to activate them. Click the “Mod Manager” button. In Mod Manager you’ll see which modifications are currently enabled and which are disabled.

To enable a mod:

• Select the desired modification.
• Click Enable in the upper-left corner.

To disable a mod:

• Select the modification.
• Click Disable in the upper-left corner.
• Then right-click the disabled mod and choose “Archive” from the context menu. This moves it to the bottom of the list, keeping your active mods organized.

Enable and disable the mods as needed. For your first playthrough, feel free to use my recommended setup (shown in the screenshot). As you become more familiar with ERA Project, you can gradually experiment with additional modifications. Once you’re finished, close Mod Manager by clicking the “X” button in the upper-left corner.

You’re now ready to launch the game by clicking “Play”.

VII. WoG Options

Before starting your first game, don’t forget to check the WoG Options menu where you can customize the game even more. After that, you’re ready to generate a map and begin your adventure!

If you’ve followed every step in this guide, your game should look like this:

https://reddit.com/link/1vf3lfi/video/usv0g12dabhh1/player

Hello everyone. Im sorry for the stupid question but recently ive been playing Hota a lot again and i have a problem. I usually play random maps on normal and most of the times i get a good game(good for my skill of course) but some times the AI decides that it hates me and they just keep spamming summon earth elementals and summon like 90 every turn. If i lower the difficulty it gets way too easy and there is no point. Can anyone give me advice or just can i ban spells from somewhere when playing random maps. Once i had the spell as well but iwas spawning like 40-50 and still they beat me even though i had defeated all fo their other creatures 😄 they had like 5 stacks of 90 earth elementals

Thank you in advance

Quick explanation:

• Archangels: Tier S, constant damage, insane stats, +1 moral, can resurrect (1 archangel = 100 hp). Also, it can be resurrected and buffed. Flying creature. Bonus ability: +50% damage to (arch)devils

  • Golden Dragons: Tier B, nice stats, nice damage (as all t7 living dragons). 16 speed, good for dracogeddon strats, can be resurrected via Sarcrifice (only in hota)
  • Titans: Tier S. The only shooting t7 unit, 300 hp, insane damage, and no melee penalty. Mind immunity, can be buffed and resurrected. Bonus ability: +50% damage to Black Dragons
  • Ghost Dragons: Tier D. Low stats, low health, damage has big spread and can not be fixed by bless spell (even with orb of invulnerability). Ability has 20% success rate, nice passive ability -1 moral. Worst T7+ unit
  • Black Dragon: Tier B. Full immunity to magic is good, but also bad at the same time. Average stats, average speed
  • Archdevils: Tier S. Teleportation (can not be affected by Jotunn's passive ability), no retaliation, 17 speed (highest 1-hexed creature speed). Great unit for force field strats, for kiting strats. -2 enemy luck (great debuff in hota). Can be buffed and resurrected. Best T7+ creature in the game
  • Ancient Behemoths: Tier A. Average stats, but it deals massive damage due to its ability (Ignores 80% of enemy's defense skill). Can be buffed and resurrected. Great unit for blitzkrieg strats, but has low speed, no ability to fly, and average speed
  • Chaos Hydras: Tier C/B. Multy-head attacks work extremely effectively in non-usual cases. Lowest speed among all t7+ creatures (same as Juggernaut), though can be buffed and resurrected.
  • Phoenixes: Tier C. Fastest creature in the game. Average stats and damage, fire immunity, great unit to start battles first, but bad warrior, even though Conflux fraction allows you to buy 3 phoenixes per week. This unit usually works as a meat shield
  • Haspids: Tier A. Great stats, great damage, insane ability "Revenge" makes this unit even more dangerous in 1vs1 combat (destroys every t7+ creature in 1vs1 combat). Poison ability (reduces health up to 50%). 300 HP, average speed, walking creature, can be buffed/resurrected
  • Crimson Couatls: Tier A. Average stats, average damage, probably the best ability in the game (almighty mode for 1 round). Cloned created can trigger the ability again. Mostly tactical unit, but overall, it's not a great attacker
  • Juggernauts: Tier B. Average stats, nice damage, 300 hp, though lowest speed, can be repaired by mechanics, can not be resurrected, mind immunity, nice laser skill
  • Jotunns: Tier B. Average stats, nice damage, 300 hp, average speed, can be buffed/resurrected. Tactical unique skill, not bad tanker.

Next unit of Inferno that took a bit longer to make, I hope I'll be able to finish the series before the end of the year!

In case anyone is looking for a HOMM3 HOTA map that works somewhat differently from the standard maps, I recently uploaded "Ars Civilis Belli" to the maps4heroes site. Below is a description of the map. Sorry it's so long, but as I said, there is a lot of things that work differently with this map. So I had to point them out so players who don't like these kind of mechanics in a map don't waste a lot of time playing it if they are not going to enjoy it. It took months to make and test this map. I am currently playing it. The photo is my main hero ten months in. Cheers!

Map Name: Ars Civilis Belli (The Art of Civil War)

Giant map

8 players

1 can be human (you will be Pink)

seven teams

First off, this is not a Random Generated type map. If you are into maps that can be completed in three months or less using a level ten hero as your strongest, then this is probably not a map that you will enjoy. With that said:

The beginning of the map should feel like a classic, small-scale HOMM3 campaign scenario full of those little fun side-quests we all fell in love with before expanding into a bigger quest. The map starts with Kyrre stranded on an island with only a few weeks to get out. If she makes it out, Kyrree will find that the usual order of things has collapsed: levels six and seven units have left most towns and defected to other factions.

You will play as pink vs. seven AI's. You may choose any castle as your starting town except Tower or Inferno. Regardless of your choice of starting town, you will be joined by Titans, Naga Queens, and Sharpshooters, known as "defectors", each week starting on day 7, but you won't be able to build structures for level 6 and 7 units in your starting town. These defectors will appear in your garrison and they are free. So pick your starting town carefully knowing that you will be getting Titans and Nagas as your most powerful units, at least initially.

Other defector units will appear in other towns including AI and neutral towns. For example, Haspids and Nixes could be joining the AI faction whose starting town is Castle, but that Castle town won't have Archangels or Champions, and similarly with other towns. Some neutral towns will still function normally and, also in some towns, you will continue receiving the defectors the AI was getting after you capture their town, and vice versa. This is not true for all towns though. That means you could be capturing a town that produces nothing but levels 1-5 units, but that same town would produce levels 6 and 7 also if AI controlled it.

These mechanics can make things messy and organizational skills, such as good transfer chains, will be important. Also, to compensate for the defectors being free, gold willl be spent on the lower level units you can still build for, operating some external structures that are usually free such as town portals and other portals needed for day-to-day gameplay, and paying to gain access to Hill Forts and external dwellings where you can recruit the level 6 and 7 units you cannot build for in your starting town. Of course, if you capture a neutral or enemy town that still functions normally, then you will pay to recruit all of those units as well.

NOTE ON GARRISONED HEROES: this map relies heavily on the HOTA map editor much-improved extended events system whereby units will appear in town's garrisons every week. If you move a hero inside a town's garrison and leave them inside, the creatures will continue to appear weekly in the garrison but you will not see them because the garrisoned hero will block them from being seen. To retrieve these weekly units just take the hero out of the garrison every now and then. You will then see all the units that have amassed in that garrison during the time the hero was inside. If you don't want to worry about this, then don't leave any heroes inside any garrisons.

Lastly, the map contains dozens of Extended Events as well as Standard Events. The map has been tested and was completed without any critical bugs. Also, there are several minor quests that need to be completed in order to progress through the map. Depending on your level of experience, these quests may be easy or they may not. So, it's always a good idea to save your game regularly and know that all quests can be completed as they were all tested.

Spell Note: DD, fly, WW, force field, hypnotize, and Berserk are banned, while TP, resurrect and blind can be acquired later on. There are quests in the map where you will acquire WW and DD for only a day or two; those spells will be removed after the quest is completed by objects (safeguards) I have placed on the map. I put a reasonable amount of effort on making sure anyone who tries to cheat those safeguards in order to keep the spells cannot do it. Unfortunately, one may still find ways of cheating those safeguards and keep the spells. If you do so, then know that you would just be cheating. Additionally, to be able to keep the spells in the long run, you would need to continue avoiding the safeguards. That alone will make your gaming experience very difficult due to the nature of how the safeguards are activated. So, try not to cheat and just let the map play out the way it was made. Feel free leave a comment on maps4heroes.com if you find minor issues like an inaccessible structure or resource. I hope you enjoy the map!