Which Olden Era Faction Should You Play? All Six Factions Compared
By OldenEra.gg Staff
Six playable factions, and the question every new ranked player asks first. This guide does not hand you a ranking — the tier list does that, from the ladder's own games, and it changes with every update. What it does is explain what each faction is for, in the game's own words, show you its full creature line from the game data, and tell you what to look at before you commit.
Every faction in the current build fields seven creature lines, each with a base creature and alternative upgrades, and 18 heroes — nine might and nine magic. The names below are the base creatures, tier 1 to tier 7, straight from the game database.
Temple
"The Church of the Sun strives to forge the best version of oneself. Its well-rounded troops gain extra benefits from buffs."
Creatures: Swordsman · Crossbowman · Griffin · Lightweaver · Cavalry · Inquisitor · Angel.
The game's own word is well-rounded: Temple does nothing strange and everything competently, and its troops get more out of buffs than other factions' do. That makes it the most forgiving faction to learn the game with, and the most popular pick on the Classic ladder in the first weeks of the season. Popularity is not strength, though — check Temple's row on the Classic faction stats before you assume the crowd is right.
Temple units, heroes and laws →
Necropolis
"Ruled by Necromancers and Vampires, Shadowspire's undead rise after each battle and often sap strength from their foes with every strike."
Creatures: Skeleton · Wight · Undead Pet · Graverobber · Lich · Dread Knight · Vampire.
Two mechanics define it: the dead rise after each battle, so an aggressive clearing pace grows the army rather than spending it, and many strikes sap strength from the enemy. It rewards players who take many fights and plan the whole map as one campaign of attrition. In the season's opening weeks Necropolis posted the best Single Hero win rate of any faction despite being among the least picked — see the Single Hero faction stats for where it stands now.
Necropolis units, heroes and laws →
Dungeon
"Formerly underground, currently backstage rulers of Jadame, the faction whose capital is Alvar focuses on subterfuge and versatility. Each of their units has two types of attack."
Creatures: Troglodyte · Infiltrator · Onyx Dancer · Minotaur · Medusa · Hydra · Cave Dragon.
Each of their units has two types of attack — the whole faction is a set of decisions, every creature able to switch its attack to the situation. That is a lot of power and a lot to think about each turn. Dungeon has been the most-picked faction on the Single Hero ladder and the second most-picked in Classic; it suits players who enjoy micro and are willing to learn two attack modes for seven creatures.
Dungeon units, heroes and laws →
Grove
"Each of the Murmurwoods' elemental spirits is a unique powerhouse, supported by equally strong — and expensive — rangers and druids."
Creatures: Faun · Hoplet · Vine Iriyad · Naiad · Herbomancer · Qilin · Phoenix.
The key word is expensive: Grove's units are individually strong and cost accordingly, so the faction lives or dies on its economy and on choosing fights it can win without losses. Players who like a few elite stacks over a wide army, and who manage resources carefully, will feel at home.
Grove units, heroes and laws →
Hive
"Bent on conquering Jadame, Beelzebub's Order of the Fly is a faction driven by swift and aggressive tactics. Their strength lies in the single-minded determination of their ranks, exploiting the diversity of their opponents to strike with precision and speed."
Creatures: Parasite · Locust · Hornet · Fire Larva · Scorpion · Reaver · Waurms · Hive Queen.
Swift and aggressive, and the one faction whose roster runs to eight base creature lines rather than seven. Hive wants tempo: get on the map, take the fights early, make the opponent react. It opened the season with the best Classic win rate of any faction while sitting only fifth in picks — the classic signature of a faction that strong players pick on purpose. Check where it stands today →
Schism
"A splinter faction of Alvar, this group has delved into the Depths of Water using ancient Vori rites. They possess the power to deny their opponents' abilities and magic while summoning ever-growing hordes of monstrous creatures to overwhelm their foes."
Creatures: Ra'Shoth · Cultist · Aga'Shoth Rider · Grand Shoth · Concubus · Arbitrator · Abyssal Envoy.
Two ideas: deny their opponents' abilities and magic, and ever-growing hordes. Schism is the control faction — it takes the opponent's tools away while its own numbers swell. It is the rarest pick on both faction ladders, which means its numbers take longest to become reliable; its win rate will be greyed out on the stats pages until it has enough games. A faction for players who like to win by removing options.
Schism units, heroes and laws →
How to actually choose
- Start from the description, not the tier. The paragraphs above are what the designers built each faction to do. Pick the one whose idea you find fun; you will play more games with it, and games are rating.
- Then check the ladder. The tier list places every faction by its current win rate, for all players and for the top 10%. A faction that is high for everyone but low for the top 10% is being carried by its matchups against newer players; one that is low overall but high for the top 10% rewards practice.
- Check the matchup grid. On the faction stats, the row is your faction and the column is the opponent's. Your faction's worst matchup is the one you will have to learn to play around — or ban, in the pick and ban phase.
- Check the template. The same page breaks each faction down by map template. Factions are not equally good everywhere, and the Meta tab tells you which templates you will actually be playing.
- Pick a hero. Each faction's 18 heroes are on its page with starting army, specialisation and stats; the heroes browser compares them side by side.
Whatever you pick, look yourself up on the ladder after a few games: your profile shows your own record with each faction and against each faction, which is the only tier list that is truly about you.