This is not just a raw “which unit hits harder” list. Units don’t exist in isolation here. They depend on how early you can get them, how well they perform in Week 1 and 2, how easy they are to upgrade, and how much they actually carry fights.
So this Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era Unit Tier List is built around real gameplay value, not just stats on paper.
Heroes of Might & Magic Olden Era Unit Tier List (HoMM)
S Tier: Game-carrying units, strong early or completely dominant
A Tier: Very strong, reliable in most situations
B Tier: Good but needs setup or support
C Tier: Situational or weak early impact
S Tier Units
Arbitrator (Schism)
This is easily one of the most broken units in the game right now.
They hit insanely hard at long range and still deal strong damage in melee, which removes the usual weakness of ranged units. Once you get them online, most fights become trivial.
They don’t just scale well, they spike immediately. That’s why Schism feels so dominant early.
Onyx / Aureate Dancer (Dungeon)
This is the backbone of Dungeon.
Dancers give you early ranged pressure, but once upgraded into Aureate, they become ridiculous. High initiative means they act first, and in this game acting first often decides fights.
If you stack these properly, you’re deleting enemy units before they even move.
Minotaur Lord (Dungeon)
This is your early game carry if you’re not going Dancer first.
They are tanky, fast enough, and scale extremely well. With proper positioning or Tactics, they reach the backline quickly and shut down ranged threats.
They don’t fall off either. They remain relevant deep into the game.
Dread Knight (Necropolis)
This unit carries Necropolis through its weakest phase.
They hit hard, they are durable, and once you get enough of them, they can win fights even if the rest of your army collapses.
They are basically your anchor unit when everything else starts dying.
Phoenix (Grove)
One of the strongest Tier 7 units overall.
Fast, powerful, and impactful the moment it enters the battlefield. It doesn’t need much setup, and it fits perfectly into Grove’s ranged-heavy playstyle.
A Tier Units
Marksman (Temple)
Temple’s entire early game depends on this unit.
Once upgraded, they provide consistent ranged damage that the faction otherwise lacks. Without them, Temple struggles a lot more.
They are not broken, but they are absolutely necessary.
Medusa Queen (Dungeon)
Solid ranged control unit.
They complement Dancers perfectly and help stabilize mid-game fights. Not as explosive as Dancers, but very reliable.
Vampire Lord (Necropolis)
This is where Necropolis starts to feel unfair.
Life drain makes them incredibly hard to deal with in extended fights. Once they get going, they can sustain themselves through entire battles.
Lich (Necropolis)
Your main ranged damage source.
They help offset Necropolis’ weak early units and provide consistent pressure. Also useful for managing attrition-based fights.
Griffin (Temple)
Reliable, fast, and always useful.
They don’t dominate fights alone, but they give Temple much-needed tempo early and mid game.
Hive Queen (Hive)
Strong late-game presence.
Hive as a faction relies on numbers, but the Queen gives them a real power spike and makes their swarm strategy more threatening.
B Tier Units
Crossbowman (Temple)
Decent early ranged unit, but heavily overshadowed by Marksman upgrade.
Still useful, just not strong enough to carry fights on its own.
Cavalry (Temple)
Good mid-game pressure unit.
They hit hard and move fast, but they don’t scale as well as other factions’ core units.
Skeleton Archer (Necropolis)
Important for early Necro, but not impressive.
They help you get through the early phase, but they are more of a setup unit than a carry.
Faun Archer (Grove)
Solid early ranged option.
Helps Grove stabilize early fights, but later gets replaced by stronger units.
Qilin (Grove)
Strong melee presence, but not game-defining.
Works well as a frontline, but Grove usually prefers to win through ranged setups.
Hydra (Dungeon)
Tanky and strong, but slower impact.
Useful in longer fights, but doesn’t influence early tempo as much as other Dungeon units.
Reaver (Hive)
Fits the swarm playstyle.
Not individually strong, but works when combined with multiple unit types due to Hive mechanics.
C Tier Units
Swordsman (Temple)
Basic frontline unit.
They do their job, but they don’t bring anything special and fall off quickly.
Lightweaver (Temple)
Underwhelming compared to other ranged units.
Requires more investment and doesn’t deliver enough impact early.
Wight / Wraith (Necropolis)
Not terrible, but not impactful either.
They exist to fill the army, not to carry fights.
Undead Pet (Necropolis)
Very situational.
Doesn’t provide enough value compared to other Necro options.
Locust / Hornet (Hive)
Standard melee swarm units.
They rely heavily on synergy, but individually they don’t do much.
Troglodyte (Dungeon)
Early filler unit.
They are fine at the start, but quickly become irrelevant.
Cultist (Schism)
Weak compared to the rest of Schism’s roster.
They don’t contribute much once you reach mid-game power spikes.