Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era features a flexible and strategic unit upgrade system that differs from previous entries. Understanding how to upgrade creatures is key to building a powerful army tailored to your playstyle and faction.
Key Features of Unit Upgrades in Olden Era
In Olden Era, each of the seven creature tiers per faction has:
- One base unit
- Two alternative upgrade paths
This gives players meaningful choices for every tier, allowing specialization (e.g., tanky vs. aggressive, ranged vs. melee focus). Upgrades provide better stats, new abilities, and sometimes changed roles.
How to Unlock and Apply Unit Upgrades
- Build the Base Dwelling
Construct the creature dwelling in your town to recruit the base unit. - Upgrade the Dwelling
Upgrade the dwelling to unlock the two alternative versions.
- Upgraded dwellings require Alchemical Dust (a rare resource used for spells and buildings).
- This makes upgrading a strategic decision rather than automatic.
- Recruit Upgraded Units
Once the upgraded dwelling is built, you can recruit the chosen upgraded creature directly (costs Gold + other resources). - Switch Freely Between Upgrades
You can switch between the two upgrade options in your town at no extra cost. This flexibility lets you adapt your army mid-campaign.
Upgrading Existing Units
- Bring base units to a town with the upgraded dwelling to convert them (usually for a Gold fee).
- Use spells like Relocation to upgrade units remotely if you control the right town buildings.
- External dwellings on the adventure map can also provide upgraded creatures under certain conditions.
Why Upgrades Matter in Olden Era
- Statistical Boosts: Higher Attack, Defense, Health, Damage, Speed, and Initiative.
- New Abilities: Special attacks, auras, double strikes, summoning, status effects, and more.
- Strategic Depth: Choose upgrades based on map conditions, enemy factions, or your hero’s skills.
- Resource Management: Alchemical Dust scarcity means you prioritize key tiers instead of upgrading everything.
Pro Tip: Higher-tier units often benefit most from upgrades, but some lower-tier upgrades (like certain Tier 1 or 2) offer excellent value early game.
Best Practices for Unit Upgrades
- Prioritize upgrading dwellings for your core army stacks first.
- Experiment with both upgrade paths — test them in battles since switching is easy.
- Combine with hero skills, artifacts, and town buildings for maximum synergy.
- Balance upgrades with economy: sometimes keeping base units is more cost-efficient for certain tiers.
Mastering unit upgrades in Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era gives you a huge tactical advantage in both single-player campaigns and multiplayer. Whether you prefer aggressive damage dealers or durable tanks, the dual-upgrade system lets you customize every faction creatively.
Check our other Olden Era guides for faction-specific upgrade recommendations, best early buildings, and spell strategies!
Happy conquering in Olden Era!
