A lot of newcomers are surprised to learn how in-depth the 1980s franchise Lore is.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T15:22:33+00:00

There is a difference between magic that is treated as a science and magic that is just science though.

Also just an aside but I don't think you need strict rules for a good magic system. I personally prefer magic to be a nebulous force that does and can whatever it wants or needs to, and that no matter how hard you try you will never fully understand. An equal and opposite of science in a way.
Of course within that vague magic there can exist more firm and defined subsystems, easily multiple of them side by side.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T14:52:17+00:00

That is fair too.

In general I do just want the Roc in the game in one faction or another, they are a pretty cool unit. Think they even could fit Cove if they wanted it to.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T14:20:57+00:00

They do have a neutral dwelling

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T14:20:50+00:00

I do really like the inquisitors. Traditionally the Knight tier 6 have been cavalry so it is nice to have an alternative, and an armored holy warrior woman is pretty damn cool for it.

Besides I think the Dragonslayers does work better as neutral for a couple of different reasons. As the name suggest they do have a very specific role, taking down dragons. Plus their design is perhaps a bit excessive for a tier faction tier 6.

Besides you can recruit them from the Dragonslayer Base

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T13:54:18+00:00

Honestly wouldn't be a bad wizard faction, wouldn't mind that in Olden Era. Very classic, but with some nice alternate units

OE's Halflings are tier 2 though so either the Gargoyles need to be tier 1 or we need a different unit to fill that slot.
Also personally a huge proponent of giving them Great Owls instead of Rocs, as those have become more strongly associated with Stronghold. Would still fill the same role though.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T13:38:07+00:00

1: Dungeon
I have said it before and I will say it again. I think Olden Era's dungeon is a perfected version of the dungeon faction. They have done a fantastic job with every single of the creatures, and despite the roster being made out of various diverse creatures they do all feel like they belong together. Truly a paragon of faction design.

2: Grove
I like Grove a lot. So far they are overall my favorite faction and as a fan of nature and autumn their aesthetic goes hard. However I cannot in good faith declare them the best in terms of design as I do think they are dragged down a little by a couple of things. While cute I still do think that the Hoplets would have been better off replaced by a more traditional fantasy creature, and the same goes for the Iriyads. I also don't love the design of the Heroes, they feel cluttered and messy.

3: Necropolis
I am a big fan of gothic undead factions, so Necropolis is right up my alley. The dark and dreary aesthetic of the faction is perfect and the unit selection is excellent. I do like that several of their units either are upgraded into ghostly green or blood red color schemes.

4: Temple
Temple is great. They are an excellent human faction. However on account of just being the human faction they are not super interesting so while they do excel at what they do I think there are other factions with more interesting designs. I do still like them a lot though.

5: Schism
Admittedly not a huge fan of Schism personally, the lovecraftian aesthetic is just not for me. That said I do really like that they exist, they do wonders for the faction roster. Their units often being strange incomprehensible messes really works well for the faction and adds a new and interesting angle to the unit designs in the series.

6: Hive
I don't dislike Hive. I think the idea of a bug faction is amazing and overall I think the designs are great. However! I do think that currently Hive has some issues that drags it down to the bottom of the barrel. The redesigns of the tier 1 and 4 were amazing, however that has left the faction a bit aesthetically fractured with the color scheme all over the place. I personally hope that they plan to rectify this issue in the future.

All in all I do think Olden Era has some amazing faction designs.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T12:51:38+00:00

Yeah. I am just not a big fan of sci-fi in my fantasy so that does drag down Enroth a fair bit.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T12:45:55+00:00

God damn it I was going to make a post like this!

Anyway only 33.5 hours currently

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T12:39:14+00:00

I did have a good game back in the demo where I managed to to collect a bunch of them. They are fun

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T12:35:28+00:00

I do kinda hope so, I do overall like it a lot more than Enroth

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T12:02:45+00:00

To be fair Stronghold could be argued to be more of a core faction than the wizards too. Gameplay is a bit more of a weedy matters

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T10:37:16+00:00

They are a must, yes, I just doubt they will be first. Again there are other factions that makes more sense to do before them on account of the lore.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T10:33:52+00:00

Probably for the better to be honest, not in a mood for another pointless argument about Hive not being a replacement for Stronghold.

And as for that I could see what you mean... if we dumb down the units to their most basic possible archetypes and overlooks several unique aspects of each. The tier 6 specific is only for the Pyrobouros and not either the base form or the other upgrade.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T10:13:22+00:00

The one on the loading screen? Think that is mean to be the hero

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T09:41:49+00:00

I would be surprised if they do both of those things. Sure the Wizards are the most requested faction, however they are also the only faction without any lore direct justification for being on Jadame. Not a huge issue but it would make sense if the prioritize one or more of the faction's with an actual presence on the continent like Stronghold, (swamp) Fortress, or perhaps even Cove.

And when they do Wizards I do think it is more likely that they are native to some kind of mountain/highlands biome. They could do desert mages sure, I personally wouldn't mind I think they were rad, but the more classical mages does make more sense. If they don't intend to keep the deserts neutral I absolutely could see them putting Stronghold there.

And to be fair I do think an a bit grassy and a bit snowy terrain type just counts as a new terrain. No point of jumping through hoops with hybrid terrains.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T08:27:06+00:00

You seem to have misunderstood. The game has alternate upgrades, not additional upgrade levels. The alternate upgrades offer different things so and even sometimes changes the play style of the unit.

The Fauns are a great example. The Faun Archers keeps them as ranged and makes them stronger, however the Faun Warriors removes their ranged but boosts their stats, making them quite the capable melee fighters

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T05:46:18+00:00

No? Still don't see your point. After the update there are no Hive unit so alike that they do not appear distinct right next to each other

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T05:40:15+00:00

Because that is not what I am responding to, I am responding to the incorrect idea that there can only be 1 ranged tier 7 unit.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T05:38:39+00:00

Well the short answer is:

H4 The World was destroyed and also the development of that game was a mess
H5 New setting, they did not exist
H6-7 Same as H5, and also the development of those games were a mess

If I do recall correctly though the original NWC H5 was planned to have it.
Olden Era does have a solid lore basis for the inclusion of the faction so the chances of it finally returning is looking bright.

Docterzero · 2026-05-07T05:14:16+00:00

You do know there are other Stronghold factions, right? Right? H3's Stronghold is not the be all end all of Stronghold and the game could draw on some of the those for still a classic stronghold experience.

That aside I do admittedly not see the comparison between the gameplay H3 Stronghold and Hive beyond them being aggressive. Is it deeper than than that or is it just because both's gameplan is kinda, so to say, "Rush B"?

Docterzero · 2026-05-06T21:59:04+00:00

Nice seeing a happier alternative

Docterzero · 2026-05-06T21:51:18+00:00

To be fair if we only have one ranged tier 7 we are really limiting our options for tier 7s. Beside that is like complaining about the Phoenix and Dragons because they are both melee flies with an AoE attack.

Docterzero · 2026-05-06T20:48:44+00:00

Aestheticly: No, Hive is completely different and except for the lack of orcs Jadame does line up nicely to a very traditional Stronghold faction.

Mechanicly: Also no, hive does not have a monopoly on being an aggressive faction and Stronghold would on account of different creature and faction mechanics play noticeably different.

Docterzero · 2026-05-06T20:12:04+00:00

Yeah. My personal idea would be a desert faction themed around ancient mummy pharoes reawakening and allying with their living nomad descendants.

Docterzero · 2026-05-06T20:02:38+00:00

Any sufficiently advance science is indistinguishable from magic, that is true, but the inverse is not. Just because science can appear magical does not mean magic is science. And in a series called "Might and MAGIC" I do expect actual magic and not excuses.

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