In Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, Necropolis is a faction that grows stronger through stacking advantages. Necromancy turns enemy deaths into reinforcements after each battle, while the Undead Transformer converts neutrals or recruited allies gained through Diplomacy into faction units. The hero you choose impacts which of these systems activates first, how quickly they improve, and how safely you can get through the early, risky parts of the game before the faction’s momentum becomes self-sustaining.
The faction features 18 heroes divided into two classes—Death Knight (Might) and Necromancer (Magic). All heroes start with Necromancy as a skill; choosing a different second skill is the main way heroes differ.
Note: Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is currently in Early Access, so details may change with future updates.
How the Tier List Works
The rankings consider three main factors: the effect of the hero’s second starting skill on Necropolis’s core mechanics (like Necromancy scaling, army pace, spell control, or economic growth); the hero’s strategic value across the entire game, not just at the start; and access to subclass paths, since heroes with prerequisites can have an advantage in a system with random skill rolls.
A hero who speeds up Necromancy’s snowball or shores up the faction’s early weaknesses ranks higher than one whose benefits only kick in later or depend on conditions.
Tier Definitions:
- S Tier: Heroes with initial skills that directly boost Necropolis’s main engines or provide early combat options the faction needs.
- A Tier: Heroes who identify strong, reliable strategies suited to specific playstyles or goals.
- B Tier: Heroes with clear roles and viable paths, but without the immediate, game-changing advantages of higher tiers.
- C Tier: Heroes with situational or secondary strengths, often less effective as primary choices.
S-Tier Heroes
| Hero | Class | Starting Skill | Why They’re Top Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Funerella | Necromancer | Advanced Necromancy | Starts with her Necromancy at a higher tier from Day 1, rapidly accelerating her ability to raise armies and snowball her strength. Her main weakness is early fights, where her advantage isn’t yet realized. |
| Kel’Ghul | Death Knight | Tactics | Begins with Dread Knights in his army, units usually impossible to get early without weeks of effort. This allows him to start expanding immediately and handle fights that other heroes can’t. |
| Artorius Veritas | Death Knight | Resistance | Has a starting spell, Masterful Berserk, which neutralizes high-initiative enemies early on, giving his melee army a fighting chance against threats that normally would be dangerous for early skeleton squads. |
Funerella is the default choice for most Necropolis builds focused on Necromancy. Her early advantage in reaching higher Necromancy tiers speeds up army growth, giving her a decisive edge as the game progresses. Her vulnerability is early combat, but once the snowball is rolling, she’s very powerful.
Kel’Ghul’s immediate access to Dread Knights makes him unique. Typically a late-game unit, getting them from Day 1 transforms his early game. His ability to handle early fights well and gain momentum sets him apart.
Artorius Veritas addresses a critical problem: weak early combat due to lack of ranged units. His starting spell, Masterful Berserk, allows him to neutralize threats efficiently, making his army safer in the initial battles.
A-Tier Heroes
| Hero | Class | Starting Skill | Why They’re Valuable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mag | Necromancer | Arcane Magic | Turns Necropolis into a spellcasting faction, adding levels to all Arcane spells from the start and locking out opponents from that magic school. |
| King-of-Kings | Death Knight | Diplomacy | Focuses on converting neutral units into undead via Diplomacy, creating a high-output economic engine that can surpass Necromancy growth if map conditions are right. |
| Marl | Death Knight | Logistics | Uses Web to slow enemies from the start, while Logistics improves map efficiency every day. She’s versatile and reliable for broad strategies. |
While S-tier heroes have early-game dominance, A-tier heroes lead different strategic paths—whether spellcasting, diplomacy-based economy, or map control. The choice of hero often depends on playstyle rather than raw power.
B-Tier Heroes
| Hero | Class | Starting Skill | Why They’re Useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethric | Necromancer | Wisdom | Starts as a lich specialist with Liches in his opening army — addresses early weakness with ranged AoE. |
| Lord Rufus | Necromancer | Thaumaturgy | His Rewind Life skill revives units beyond their original size, fostering late-game stack growth. |
| Bulwark | Death Knight | Defense | Has passive damage reduction across his army, making him a durable frontline hero early on. |
| Onkos | Death Knight | Offense | Supports Necropolis’s primary scaling unit, Skeletons, directly supporting early army growth. |
| Tarius | Death Knight | Advanced Necromancy | Similar Necromancy start as Funerella but with a Might focus, providing a good early boost, just with a lower ceiling. |
B-tier heroes have specific strengths but don’t drastically alter early game or become game-changers on their own.
C-Tier Heroes
| Hero | Class | Starting Skill | Why They’re Less Impactful |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadespinner Oona | Necromancer | Nightshade Magic | Useful against certain tough opponents with sleep control, but limited in broad application. |
| Milossa the Golden | Necromancer | Battle Magic | Boosts crits and subclass paths, but less influential overall. |
| Laura | Necromancer | Sorcery | A DoT-focused hero whose power is situational, not game-changing. |
| Adahn | Necromancer | Recruitment | Helps with town growth but doesn’t significantly impact early combat strength. |
| Zam | Death Knight | Battlecraft | Provides resource management but minimal combat benefit. |
| Guildmaster Klastor | Death Knight | Luck | Aiming for early-unit boosts but limited overall potential. |
| Natalida | Death Knight | Scouting | Useful for reconnaissance but less relevant as a primary hero. |
C-tier heroes are helpful in niche situations or secondary roles but don’t offer the direct, game-changing advantages of higher tiers. They may serve well in specific strategies but are typically not primary picks.
Summary:
Heroes like Funerella, Kel’Ghul, and Artorius Veritas stand out for their powerful early-game advantages or addressing core faction weaknesses, making them top choices. Other heroes excel in distinct strategic directions or support roles but lack the immediate impact to challenge them at the top.