Early access for Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is finally here, and with it comes six fully playable factions. After spending time across all of them, you can already see a clear pecking order forming. Some factions spike early, some scale slowly, and some just feel strong no matter what stage of the game you’re in.
This breakdown sticks to what’s actually in the early access version right now, focusing on how each faction performs in real matches.
Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era Tier List – All Factions
S Tier
- Dungeon
A Tier
- Necropolis
- Grove
B Tier
- Temple
- Hive
C Tier
- Schism
Schism – Eldritch Horrors That Need Time
Schism sits at the bottom, and honestly, it feels intentional. This faction is built around scaling through combat wins, which sounds good on paper but makes your early game rough.
The whole identity revolves around Communion level, which increases when you win fights and drops over time. At the start of combat, your army gets extra units based on that level. The catch is those extra units only exist during the fight and can’t be reused or transferred.
So you’re constantly juggling momentum. If you fall behind early, it’s hard to stabilize.
Their roster leans heavily into that creepy, otherworldly theme. Cultists, twisted creatures, and abyssal units. On snow terrain, they gain initiative, which helps, but it doesn’t fix the early-game pressure.
Hive – All-In Aggression
Hive is very straightforward. You rush, you swarm, and you try to overwhelm before the opponent stabilizes.
This faction is basically melee-heavy from top to bottom. Ranged options are extremely limited. You only really get it from Tier 1 Gnats and one upgrade later on.
The real mechanic here is Hivemind. The more different Hive units you run in your army, the stronger certain units become at the start of combat.
That means you’re encouraged to mix your army instead of stacking one unit type.
If you like aggressive play and don’t mind taking losses, Hive works. But if you prefer controlled fights or ranged setups, it feels restrictive.
Grove – Safe, Reliable, and Beginner-Friendly
Grove is one of the easiest factions to get comfortable with. You get access to ranged units across multiple tiers, which makes early fights much cleaner.
The whole idea here is simple. Let your ranged units do the work while your melee units protect them.
They also have a unique mechanic with a mushroom teleporter network that connects your towns. That adds a lot of mobility across the map once you set it up.
The Phoenix at Tier 7 stands out as one of the strongest late-game units right now, and overall the faction feels consistent from start to finish.
Temple – Balanced but Not Explosive
Temple is your classic human faction. It does everything decently but doesn’t dominate in any one area.
You get ranged units, cavalry, flying units, and solid spell synergy. Griffins are especially useful with their unlimited retaliation, and Angels anchor your late game.
The issue is that Temple builds up more slowly compared to others. It also generates Focus Points at a slower rate, which affects how often you can use abilities.
It’s a flexible faction, but not the strongest when compared directly to top-tier picks.
Necropolis – Slow Start, Strong Finish
Necropolis is all about sustainability. You don’t win by rushing. You win by outlasting.
Your early game can feel awkward since you don’t have strong ranged options right away, except for the Skeleton Archer upgrade. But once you get going, things change fast.
The key mechanic is Necromancy, letting you raise units after battles. On top of that, Vampires sustain themselves by draining life during combat.
Once you reach mid to late game with Liches and Vampires online, the faction becomes very hard to deal with.
Dungeon – The Best Faction Right Now
Dungeon is easily the strongest faction in early access. It just has too many advantages.
Every unit can switch between two attack types, which gives you flexibility no other faction has.
But the real star is the Onyx Dancer at Tier 3. This unit defines the early game. If you stack them early and upgrade into Aureate Dancers, their initiative becomes so high that you often act before your opponent even gets a proper turn.
Pair that with Medusae for ranged control and Dragons for late-game power, and the faction becomes extremely hard to stop.
Black Dragons, in particular, stand out because they’re immune to spells, which removes a lot of counterplay.
Right now, the gap between factions is noticeable. Dungeon clearly leads, Necropolis and Grove follow closely, and the rest depend heavily on how well you execute your strategy.
That said, this is still early access. Balance will change. New factions and adjustments are already planned, so this list reflects how things feel right now, not how they’ll stay forever.
If you’re looking for the safest strong pick, go Dungeon. If you want consistency, Grove works. And if you’re willing to play the long game, Necropolis can carry you through.