Heroes III: Horn of the Abyss – 15 Tips & Secrets to Get Better at the Game

by Fernando Diaz / Game Guides, General Guides / 02 Apr 2022

Horn of the Abyss (HotA) reigns as an exceptional, community-created expansion for Heroes of Might & Magic III. As a comprehensive modification, it injects fresh content, game mechanics, features, and enhancements into the base game. This encompasses new creatures, artifacts, heroes, campaigns, towns and more. HotA outshines other mods, like Wake of Gods, to provide the most playable and accurate version, complete with bug fixes & balance tweaks. In this guide, we’ll dish out 15 primo tips to help you elevate your gameplay.

Max out hero movement

A hero’s mobility is dictated by their slowest creature’s speed. To crank up movement, stick to high-speed creatures (11 or more) in your army. You can temporarily shift slower units to another hero during a turn without messing with your main hero’s movement.

Minimize losses in sieges

During sieges, arrow towers go after units at the bottom of the field first. By slotting one-stacks of ranged units in the bottom slots, you can coax the arrow towers to target those smaller stacks instead of your main ranged group.

Be smart about resource collection

Gathering resources diagonally consumes more movement points than adjacent resources. Although it seems trivial it adds up over time. Prioritize resources that are close to your path and only collect diagonally when needed.

Identify upgraded creatures on the map

On the world map, upgraded creatures face left, while non-upgraded ones face right. This visual clue can help you strategize encounters and plan your battles more effectively.

Stay aware of ranged unit damage penalties

Ranged units only deal half damage to enemies more than 10 hexes away. Keep this in mind when positioning ranged units during fights… In some cases, it might be worth moving them within 10 hexes to maximize damage.

Take advantage of Stables for free upgrades & resource savings

When visiting stables on the adventure map with cavaliers in your army, the stable master will offer to upgrade them to champions free of charge. This saves you 200 gold per unit and possibly the need to construct the upgraded training grounds, which costs 10 wood and 3,000 gold. However, in extensive & wealthier maps, you might still want to build the stables and dwelling upgrade in your castle town to avoid detours to those stables every week.

Manage resources like a boss

Resources are crucial for building towns and recruiting units. Seven main resources (wood, ore, mercury, sulfur, crystal, gems & gold) have their own importance based on your chosen faction. Keep tabs on your resources and prioritize their use according to your needs. Focus on getting the most critical resources for your faction via mines, trading, or treasure chests. Aim for balance when spending resources on town upgrades, recruiting units, and buying spells, items, or other upgrades.

Know the day of the week effects on Temples & Idols of Fortune

The bonus you receive from temples and idols of fortune depends on the day of the week. Temples usually grant +1 morale until your next battle, but on day seven, they give +2 morale. Idols of fortune award either +1 luck or morale, with even-numbered days bestowing +1 morale and odd-numbered days +1 luck. On day seven, they provide +1 to both luck and morale. Keep this in mind when interacting with these objects.

Utilize Spacebar Shortcut correctly

Hitting the spacebar lets you quickly backtrack through a two-way monolith, whirlpool, or subterranean gate without using extra movement points. This can be clutch if you’re unprepared for a confrontation on the other side.

Leverage Libraries of Enlightenment with diplomacy skill

Libraries of Enlightenment grant +2 to all four primary skills for heroes level 10 or higher. However, if your hero has the diplomacy skill, they’ll get the boost much earlier. At basic diplomacy, it’s accessible at level eight; at advanced, it’s level six; and at expert, it’s level four. This speeds up leveling & skill acquisition.

Master the art of one-stacks

One-stacks are single-unit stacks of creatures, usually low-level units, separated from a larger group. They can act as meat shields to guard your valuable ranged units or draw enemy retaliation. Furthermore, one-stacks can be used to strategically block or redirect enemy creatures. Mastering one-stack usage can significantly reduce your losses and provide an advantage in battles.

Keep an eye on morale and luck

Morale and luck are key factors that can influence battle outcomes. High morale can grant your units extra turns, while high luck can boost their damage output. Maintain good morale and luck by avoiding mixing too many different creature types in your army, using artifacts, and visiting map locations that offer morale or luck bonuses. Additionally, invest in Leadership and Luck skills to further enhance these attributes for your army.

Become a spell and magic whiz

Learning and employing a range of spells can be game-changing. Prioritize visiting mage guilds and mastering essential spells like Haste, Slow, Blind, and Town Portal. Adapt your strategy according to the spells available to your hero.

Scout & discover

Scouting is a vital aspect of the game, as it helps you collect intel about the map, gather resources, claim mines, and reveal hidden locations or opponents. Use secondary heroes to explore the map, as they can cover more ground without compromising your main hero’s mobility. Assign your secondary heroes to collect resources and flag mines, while your main hero focuses on critical battles and objectives. Additionally, invest in scouting-related skills like Logistics or Pathfinding to enhance the movement speed and efficiency of your heroes on various terrains. This will allow you to uncover more of the map, pinpoint key locations, and strategize accordingly.

Use rally flags to boost speed

Rally Flags grant a temporary speed bonus to your hero’s army, increasing the fastest unit’s speed by +1 for the day. Use this to your advantage when you need to cover more ground on the adventure map or when you’re prepping for an important battle that requires a swift approach.

Heroes Of Might & Magic III: Horn Of The Abyss Cheats

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
View all posts