Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition is DotEmu's 2015 remaster of the 1999 turn-based strategy classic, released on 29 January 2015. Read the contents before you buy, because this is the base game only. It carries the 7 Restoration of Erathia campaigns, around 50 skirmish maps, a map editor, local multiplayer and a Steamworks online lobby. It does not include Armageddon's Blade, it does not include Shadow of Death, and it has no random map generator, because the generator shipped with Armageddon's Blade rather than with the original release. That also means eight town factions rather than nine: there is no Conflux. Players who want the generator, the Conflux and the combination artifacts generally buy the Complete edition on GOG instead.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archangel | S | Attrition wars and campaign maps where you cannot afford to lose troops | Castle's upgraded tier seven, with the highest attack value of any base game creature and the ability to resurrect a friendly stack once per combat. |
| Gold Dragon | A | Fighting magic-heavy opponents such as Tower | Rampart's tier seven, immune to spells of levels one through four. |
| Titan | A | Sieges from behind walls, and any fight you can control the range of | Tower's tier seven and the only top-tier shooter in the base game. |
| Black Dragon | B | Breaking a caster-focused defence | Dungeon's tier seven, immune to every spell in the game, friendly ones included. |
| Ancient Behemoth | B | Killing heavily armoured stacks that shrug off ordinary attacks | Stronghold's tier seven, which ignores 80 percent of the target's defence. |
S-Tier: Archangel
Castle's upgraded tier seven, with the highest attack value of any base game creature and the ability to resurrect a friendly stack once per combat. That resurrection is why Castle wins long fights it should have lost.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Attrition wars and campaign maps where you cannot afford to lose troops |
| Key Mechanic | Adventure map movement and turns |
| Recommended Build | Castle |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Archangel: Pairs naturally with Castle thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Gold Dragon
Rampart's tier seven, immune to spells of levels one through four. Anything a rival caster wants to throw at it early simply does not land, which makes it a wall against Slow, Blind and Curse.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Fighting magic-heavy opponents such as Tower |
| Key Mechanic | Town building and creature growth |
| Recommended Build | Rampart |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Gold Dragon: Pairs naturally with Rampart thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Titan
Tower's tier seven and the only top-tier shooter in the base game. It hits from range at enormous damage but loses half of it in melee, so it needs a body in front of it.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Sieges from behind walls, and any fight you can control the range of |
| Key Mechanic | Hero skills and spellbooks |
| Recommended Build | Tower |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Titan: Pairs naturally with Tower thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Black Dragon
Dungeon's tier seven, immune to every spell in the game, friendly ones included. Nothing you cast helps it and nothing the enemy casts hurts it, so it is a pure statline that ignores the magic layer entirely.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Breaking a caster-focused defence |
| Key Mechanic | Tactical combat on a hex grid |
| Recommended Build | Necropolis |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Black Dragon: Pairs naturally with Necropolis thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Ancient Behemoth
Stronghold's tier seven, which ignores 80 percent of the target's defence. Against high-defence stacks such as dwarves or dragons it does far more damage than its raw numbers suggest.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Killing heavily armoured stacks that shrug off ordinary attacks |
| Key Mechanic | Resource management and mines |
| Recommended Build | Dungeon |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Ancient Behemoth: Pairs naturally with Dungeon thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Long Live the Queen
- Gold Dragon → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Titan → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Archangel → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- The HD Edition contains Restoration of Erathia only. No Armageddon's Blade, no Shadow of Death, no random map generator, and eight towns rather than nine because Conflux arrived with Armageddon's Blade.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Guides
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Overview
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Best Builds
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Tier List
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Walkthrough
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Beginner's Guide
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Tips & Tricks
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Combat Guide
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Boss Guide
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Maps & Locations
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Crafting Guide
- Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition, check out these related guides:
- Sid Meier's Civilization V Weapons Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Weapons Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
- RimWorld Weapons Guide: strategy game with similar mechanics
