Olden Era Patch 0.82.06 — New Damage Formula, First Aid, Mummy and Kitsune, and Every Balance Change

Patch 0.82.06 for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era went live on 29 October 2026 (Steam build 26297049), after two weeks on the public beta branch. Unfrozen call it "the biggest balance update since the game has entered Early Access", and the files agree: 144 of the game's 149 creatures changed in some way, every faction's law table was re-costed, 15 artifacts were added, a skill was added, and the formula that turns Attack and Defense into damage was replaced.

The game database on this site was rebuilt from the new files the same evening, so every unit, hero, spell, artifact, skill, law and template page already shows the 0.82.06 numbers, with the build id printed under them. This article is the tour: what changed, why Unfrozen say they changed it, and what it means for the ladder.

Update, 6 November 2026: two hotfixes have since changed some of what follows. 0.82.07 (30 October) halved the Medusa Queen's Hail of Arrows, grew five creature banks' guards again, set the artifact-guard cut at 20% instead of 40%, put Jebus Cross's hold back to six days and brought Scouting back to Sprint; 0.82.08 (4 November) returned every faction's Resource Riches laws to 1/2/3 Seals and retuned six templates. The numbers below are the 0.82.06 ones; what the 0.82.07 and 0.82.08 hotfixes changed has the current ones.

The new damage formula

The headline change is invisible on any unit page and affects every fight. Until now, the damage multiplier between two creatures was a ratio:

Multiplier = (20 + ATK) / (20 + DEF)

with the hero's Attack and Defense added to both sides. Unfrozen's own example shows the problem: a Troglodyte (Attack 2) hitting a Waurms (Defense 20) gained +4.5% damage from one extra point of Attack at the start of a game, and +0.98% from the same point once both heroes had 80 Attack and Defense. Stats got cheaper the longer the game ran, high-tier creatures lost ground to swarms of low-tier ones, and stat artifacts barely mattered by week three.

The new formula uses the difference between the attacker's Attack and the defender's Defense:

• Each point of difference adds a little less than the one before it — the first point is worth +4.00%, the second +3.96%, the third +3.92%, and so on down by 0.04% a point. At a difference of 100 the bonus stops growing.
• If Attack is higher, damage is multiplied by (1 + the coefficient); if Defense is higher, it is divided by it.
• Because the hero's bonus is added equally to both sides, the hero's stats cancel out: a 17-point gap is worth the same +62.6% on day 1 and on day 60.

Unfrozen's summary: one stat point is worth the same all game, the damage ratio between two stacks no longer drifts as heroes level, artifacts and stat laws feel the same at the start and the end, and low-tier creatures are slightly stronger early but no longer outgrow the big ones late. Expect week-3 fights to be decided by what is on the board rather than by how many Peasants it is.

Two smaller combat changes ship with it: a streak-protection mechanism for Morale and Luck ("situations where your stacks with 5 Morale do not perform a single bonus action, while an enemy with 1 Morale triggers this effect almost every turn, will become practically impossible"), and a reworked combat interface with the faction skill on its own panel and up to three Favorite Spells you can cast from the bar.

Two new neutral creatures

The Mummy is a tier‑5 walker — 80 HP, 12 Attack, 16 Defense, 15–20 damage, Initiative 7, Speed 5, 800 gold — built around damage over time. Pestilence "curses all enemy creatures. Once per round, Cursed creatures take [ 12 + 4 × amount of units ] Pure Damage at the start of their turn. This effect is stackable", for three rounds. Impatience of Demise makes its attacks "trigger all Over Time effects applied on the target, instantly using their full remaining duration". And Twisted Blessing "dispels all positive effects from this creature, restoring 150 HP for each" — which can revive, and can create temporary units beyond the stack's starting size. A stack of Mummies in a creature bank is a reason to think twice about casting Blessing on the thing standing next to them.

The Kitsune is a tier‑7 walker with the stat line to match — 275 HP, 45 Attack, 50 Defense, 45–60 damage, Initiative 8, Speed 8, 4,500 gold — and one ability. Grow a Tail: "Untill the end of the battle, this creature can act +1 additional time(s) after its turn. This effect is stackable." Every three rounds it gains another action per turn, permanently, which makes it the first neutral that gets worse to fight the longer you let it live.

Both turn up as Pandora's Box rewards. Neither has an upgrade.

First Aid: a new skill for every hero

First Aid is available to every class and faction. Its base effect is the one players have asked for since launch: "After winning a battle, surviving friendly stacks revive 20% of the units lost during that battle" — 30% at Advanced, 40% at Expert. The perks:

• Return to Service — revives a further 10% of the losses, doubled if the hero knows Recruitment.
• Healthy Decoctions — friendly creatures gain +2 HP.
• Antidotes — a new ability that dispels all negative effects from the target.
• Thrill of Battle — "Whenever a friendly creature kills an enemy, it fully restores its HP" (no revive).
• Adrenaline — a stack that takes damage and survives deals +10% and takes –10% damage until the end of the next round.
• Ammonia — a new ability, once per battle, that revives a fallen friendly stack, partially.

Three heroes now start with it instead of their old second skill: Temple's Julius, Hive's Leira (was Nightshade Magic) and Schism's The Iron Master. The notes say Julius and The Iron Master gave up Resistance; the files have them giving up Defense and Wisdom respectively, and the files are what the site shows. Two more had their starting skill swapped for other reasons — Old Pilgrim to Tactics and The Minstrel to Battle Magic (the notes also list Zam moving to Resistance, but the files still start him with Recruitment) — and all 108 hero pages carry the starting skills as the files have them.

Temple's Righteousness is now three Prayers

The Temple faction skill was rebuilt from scratch. The old Righteousness gave the hero +1 to all four stats every time a friendly stack killed or died; the new one is an active ability that reads one of three Prayers. A Prayer stays up until the battle ends or the hero reads a different one, and every friendly stack whose turn starts while it is up gains a single-use grace. Song of Wrath adds Pure Damage to the stack's next attack, Plea for Healing heals it the next time it is hit (and can revive), and Hymn of Power extends all the positive effects on it the next time it uses an ability. The numbers scale with hero level, and a stack can hold up to three different graces at once.

The six perks were replaced too: Fields of Serenity (+10%/–10% damage on native terrain), Secret of Mana, Piety, Requiem (+1 to all hero stats until the end of the round whenever any stack dies), Care for Others and Contemplation (Prayers cost no Focus Charges). The Temple guide has been rewritten around them, with the roster's new prices and the re-costed law table.

Battle Magic, Battlecraft and the other skill changes

• Battle Magic is now a trade, not a bonus: creatures gain 20/30/40% of the hero's Spell Power and Knowledge as Attack and Defense (was 15/20/25%) "but decrease by 20% of the hero's Attack and Defense" at the same ranks. Unfrozen's stated reason is that might heroes were taking a skill designed for magic heroes. Three perks were replaced — Piercing Spells (spells ignore 25% of magic resistance), Mana Return (+2 temporary mana per spell cast) and a reworked Aura of Wizardry (+1 Spell Power and Knowledge per cast).
• Battlecraft's wait/skip bonus was halved to 10/15/20%; Melee Mastery and Long Reach Mastery became At the ready (+1 Speed on wait) and Fortifying (+20% Defense on skip).
• Offense: Battle Frenzy +1 Attack per Morale point (was +2); Unstoppable Force –10% enemy Defense (was –15%). Defense mirrors it: +1 Defense per Luck point and –10% enemy Attack.
• Sorcery magic damage is 20/25/30% (was 20/30/40%); its tier-2 perk is now Magical Influence, +4 mana to enemy spells.
• Logistics lost Leaps and Bounds (5 Movement after a win) for a flat +5% Movement, and Careful Planning saves 30 points, not 50. Scouting picked Leaps and Bounds up.
• Recruitment is a Common skill now, not a class skill; Strenuous Training reduces creature ability cooldowns by one round, and Militia gives tier 1–3 stacks 5% temporary units at the start of battle.
• Thaumaturgy, Resistance, Nightshade Magic, Insight and Summon Avatar each had a perk swapped; every rank and perk is on the skills pages.

Creature specialists (Kestrel, Zenith, Lo, Adahn and the rest) now add +1 Attack and Defense to their creature every five hero levels instead of three, and Lord Edgar's True Lord grows every six levels instead of five.

Creatures: cheaper tiers 1–3, and upgrades that differ

Unfrozen's two stated goals were to stop creature stats "that grew too much in the late game" and to make each pair of upgrades play differently. Tier 1–3 creatures are cheaper in every town, and almost every line was touched; the full before-and-after is on each unit's page, and these are the changes that will decide drafts.

Temple. The whole Swordsman line has Shields Up (–30% Ranged Damage for two rounds). The Guardian Griffin dropped from 10 Defense to 6 and the Temple Griffin rose from 6 to 10. The Noble Cavalry has Heroic Presence (+2% extra-turn chance per Morale point for adjacent stacks); the Sunspear Cavalry has Strike and Return. The Mother Superior has Malleus Maleficarum (adjacent friendly stacks take –30% Magic Damage) and lost two Initiative for it. Angels have Speed 5.

Necropolis. The Wraith lost Howl of the Banshee and now summons Wights (Gates of Afterlife); the Phantasm got the Howl. The Barghest has Double Strike; the Armored Hound has Call the Pack. Graverobbers lost half their Attack and became support stacks — the Merchant of Death's Throwing a Bone and the Kennelmaster's Pack Leader give +1 Speed and Initiative to Skeletons and Undead Pets respectively. Liches cost 390 (was 320), the Pestilent Lich's Plague Aura extends enemy debuffs by a round, and every Vampire's Vampirism is 66.6% (was 50%).

Grove. The biggest rework. All Fauns have Outsider Eradication (+30% damage attack). The Naiad upgrades split: the Vernal Naiad (Attack 16) pulls enemies with Whirlpool, the Brumal Naiad (Defense 18) freezes with Ice Vise and lowers the enemy hero's stats with Hypothermia. The Sporemancer's Swarm of Bees became Bees Invasion, hitting everything around the target, and its mana discount is 3. The Qilin upgrades swapped passives — the Thunder Qilin now has Scintillating Scales, the Mist Qilin Cloud Nine plus Opportunity Attack and Forest Haze, and Mist Form caps incoming hits at 1 damage. Qilins cost 1,100 (was 1,200) with 120 HP (was 130). The Flaming Phoenix explodes on death (Flaming Agony, 55 × units Magic Damage). Hoplet and Faun growth went up by one.

Hive. The Fire Larva's explosions were halved but Castes gives +50% basic-attack damage under a might hero or +50% explosion damage under a magic hero. Scorpion Adaptations now buff every friendly stack at half strength. The Menacing Reaver traded Rapid Assault for the Swift Strike passive and hits for 20–40. The Pyroboros eats corpses for 6 mana instead of 100 HP (Mana Eater); the Devourer's kill threshold is 30% (was 40%). Hive Queens have 30 Attack and Defense and cost 2,300. Hornets deal 2–12 (was 4–9) and cost 220.

Schism. Every Concubus has Seduction — "this creature always takes minimum Damage" — and the Mistress of Chains taxes enemy spells +3 mana. The Votary's Rift Conductor and the Aga'Shoth Mat'ha's Raid give +1 Initiative and +1 Speed to all Ra'Shoth, Grand Shoth and Abyssal Envoys. Cultists cost 125 (was 165).

Dungeon. The Infiltrator upgrades split: the Guile Infiltrator lost Shadowstrike and gained Liquidation (executes a stack below a size threshold) and Swift Strike; the Bleak Infiltrator got a half-damage Shadowstrike and Ambush (untargetable until its turn each round). All Dancers have Blade Dance (strike twice until the end of the round) and cost 225, up from 165. All Minotaurs have Minotaur's Onslaught (push the target back). The Medusa Queen has Hail of Arrows — three targets at full damage, half to everything adjacent. Every dragon gained 25 HP.

Neutrals. Halflings lost their range and melee penalties (the ability text now reads only "Can attack enemies at any range"); Pixies are down to 4 HP; Ghouls, Starchildren and Giant Toads lost Attack; Couatls gained 5 HP; the Red Dragon costs 4,500 (was 5,000).

Laws

Every faction's Resource Riches I/II/III costs 2/3/4 Law Seals (was 1/2/3). Beyond that:

• Temple: all Elite creature laws are two levels again; Execute Excellence was removed; Tax Collectors 3/3, Architect's Mastery 3, Encouragement 3/3; Elite Griffins, Elite Cavalry, Elite Inquisitors and Elite Angels were rewritten; Hero's Blessing has three levels (10/15/20%).
• Necropolis: Tax Collectors has a third level (750 gold); Bloodthirst 50% (was 60%); Free Death 4/3/3; Terra Mortis 6; Return to the Soil and Death's Presence are single-level laws costing 5.
• Grove: Veiled by the Trees 1/2/3 Attack and Defense (was 2/4/6); Elite Fauns gives a pre-emptive counterattack; Elite Mancers lets Herbomancers use abilities without ending their turn; Elite Qilins is +3/+6/+9 Attack and Defense; Forest Magic, Focus and Live roots are cheaper.
• Hive: Hive Integration and Hive Reception are two levels at 3/3 and affect Hive creatures only; Great Conquest 1/2/3 and back to all creatures; Hive Offsprings II larvae provoke only in the round they hatch; every Elite law was rewritten (Elite Hive Queens: +3/+6 Attack, Defense and Damage, +1 Speed and Initiative).
• Schism: Elite Concubi +6 Attack and Defense (was +4); Elite Cultists +5 HP; Elite Aga'Shoth Riders +2 Damage.
• Dungeon: Elite Infiltrators, Elite Dancers, Elite Minotaurs, Elite Medusae and Elite Hydras each trade one stat for another.

The laws page has every level's text and cost per faction.

Artifacts: 15 new, and no more duplicates

Twelve of the new artifacts are stat pieces that pair a might stat with a magic one — +1 on a common, +2 on a rare, +3 on an epic — across the sword, ring, belt, boots, armor, cloak, helmet and off-hand slots: Soldier's Sword, Alchemist's Signet-Ring, Kergar buckle, Commoner's Ward, Battle Mage's Belt, Greater Djinn's Bracers, Satchel, Ritual Shield, Boots of Dreams, Leather Armor, Enchanted Jackboots and Archmage's Hood. With the new damage formula, +3 Attack is +3 Attack in week four too.

The legendary Orb of Poison stops both heroes using active abilities in the first round; the Orb of Inhibition, now legendary, only blocks spellbooks. The Living Arrows set gained the Elven Blade (no melee penalty for friendly shooters) and the Ripe Apple (+10% Ranged Damage), with set bonuses at 3 and 5 pieces. The Tactical Guide now blocks pre-battle placement for both heroes; the Monster Head, Ring of Neutrality and Orb of Destruction are epic; the Crimson Resonance Controller is –10/15% Spell Power; the Seven-League Boots can be generated again. And two copies of the same artifact can no longer be worn at once.

The Ambassador's Word set is on hold: its Diplomatic Gifts and Ambassador's Sash no longer generate on random maps, pending the Diplomacy rework, and have left the files.

Spells

Small, mostly on the global map: Shorten Shadow and Enlarge Shadow are ±2 Attack and Defense (was 3); Optical Illusion is –45% ranged damage at levels 2–4 (was –60%); Second Wind costs 15/11 mana and restores 35/35/50/80 Movement, once a day at every level; Shadowflight flies at +40% cost and is learnable at hero level 4; Pocket Dimension costs 22/18 mana and needs level 12; Gate of Light costs 18/10 and needs level 8; Dimension Door reaches 12 squares at level 3. Every level's numbers are in the spell browser.

Templates, Pandora's Boxes and creature banks

• Jebus Arena is new: the old-style 160×160 Jebus Cross with towns near the exits to the centre, no central town, and a Hell Light Arena object where you can register your hero and challenge the opponent to the deciding duel. Classic mode, two players, City Hold.
• Jebus Cross grew to 176×176. The secondary central towns are placed randomly rather than at the main exits, which now hold Remote Footholds; central dwellings dropped from double to single growth and side-area dwellings from triple to double; the side areas are joined by a portal; and the centre can now roll smaller or larger. The patch notes say the central-town hold drops from six days to five (the template's own description text still reads six).
• Sprint is 128×128 (was 112×112), with stronger guards on the way and in the final areas. Infinity is a best-of-three with simultaneous turns and a split centre. Sand Clover starts players with three heroes (max six). Exodus triples the Mountain Monastery guard and bans the Boots of Travel, Backpack and Seven-League Boots.
• Rotations. Classic: Jebus Cross, Jebus Tournament, Jebus Arena, Universe, Infinity, Sand Clover, Arcade. Single Hero: Exodus, Mix, Sprint, Outcast Tournament, Harmony, Blitz, Vendetta. Last Fortress and Helltide are out.
• Pandora's Boxes all offer a choice now: experience boxes offer experience, Law Points or Astrology Points (+25% value); gold boxes offer gold, resources or Alchemical Dust (+20%); stat boxes are split into combat (+4/6 Attack, +4/6 Defense or +2/3 both) and magic; spell boxes are one per tier, let you pick the school, or restore 20–100% of your mana instead.
• Creature banks have bigger guards: the Colosseum's stack sizes went from 7/14/20/25 to 11/19/25/30, the Carrion Pile's from 19/38/55/69 to 30/50/65/75, the Tomb of Vigilance's from 14/28/40/50 to 19/34/45/52, and the Point of Balance, Ritual Pyre, Boreal Call and Petrified Memorial all rose with them; the two weakest versions of each no longer contain upgraded stacks. Artifact guards are 40% weaker across the board. The battle sites pages have every roll.
• Siegecraft is no longer offered on level-up on Blitz, Exodus, Infinity, Jebus Arena, Jebus Tournament, Mix, Outcast Tournament, Symmetry and others; Sprint also drops Logistics and Scouting.

Matchmaking, timers and rating points

• You can now pre-select templates before queueing: keep only the ones you want, and the match is played on a random template both players kept. You can also queue for two or three modes at once.
• An Extended Timers option adds time at every stage (Classic: +120 seconds starting reserve, +60 daily bonus, +120 weekly bonus, +30 against neutrals, +10 against players; Single Hero roughly half that). Base timers now vary by league.
• Rating points: every loss costs 40. A win pays 40 in Iron, Bronze and Silver, 35 in Gold, 30 in Platinum, 25 in Diamond and 20 in Master. Iron and Bronze have no restarts; Master has two; everyone else has one.
• Single Hero mode lost its 20% discount on Astrology and Law Points, and capturing objects gives slightly fewer Law Points.

The AI on the global map was overhauled too — main heroes flee fights they cannot win and regroup, learn high-tier map spells, use movement spells, equip artifacts by set and army, and pick skills for their role — which matters for the ladder only in that every neutral hero you meet is now harder to farm.

What this means on the site

• Every page in the database was rebuilt on build 26297049 that evening, and is on the 0.82.08 hotfix build, 26428102, now. Two creature pages, 15 artifact pages, a skill page and a template page are new; two artifact pages are gone.
• The tier list and the faction stats are computed from ranked games, so the pre-patch meta will wash out of them over the coming days rather than overnight. The daily Meta Pulse tracks the shift.
• Every faction guide — Temple, Necropolis, Dungeon, Grove, Hive and Schism — and every template guide has been revised against the new files: prices, stats, ability texts, build orders and law tables, with the upgrade advice re-argued where the numbers moved. The full changelog, including the bug-fix list and the Arena Mode adjustments, is on the game's Steam news page under "New Damage Formula, Updated Matchmaking, Smarter AI Enemies & New Creatures".

Related: How the ranked ladder works · Which faction should you play? · Glossary