HoMM: Olden Era Campaign Walkthrough — All Missions

The HoMM: Olden Era campaign follows Gunnar, a Minotaur hero of the Dungeon faction, on a quest through the shattered lands of the underworld. Released in parts during Early Access, the campaign currently spans two missions with branching choices that affect your army composition and the path forward. This walkthrough covers every objective, achievement, secret, and optimal strategy so you can complete each mission with maximum rewards.

Mission 1 — Garner Hills (Tutorial)

Objective: Leave the Minotaur Tribe's cavern, explore the Garner Hills, and repair the bridge to the surface.

Garner Hills serves as the game's tutorial, introducing you to Gunnar's unique Stance mechanic. Once per round, Gunnar can switch between three stances — Attack (bonus damage), Defense (extra protection), or Spell Power (boosted magic). Each stance changes how you approach combat, so experiment early to find what works best for your playstyle.

Repairing the Bridge

The central objective of Mission 1 is to repair the collapsed bridge leading out of the starting area. You'll need to gather 30 units of wood by exploring the surrounding hills, defeating wandering monster stacks, and looting resource caches. Clear the path methodically — don't rush past neutral units, as the experience and resources they provide are essential for the next mission.

Achievement: Ariadne's Mercy

To unlock the Ariadne's Mercy achievement, you must complete Garner Hills with at least 1 Minotaur alive at the end of the mission. This is straightforward if you avoid sacrificing your Minotaurs in risky attacks. Keep them in the back ranks during difficult fights and let weaker units absorb damage.

Secret: Last Coin Artifact

There is an optional fight area off the main path that rewards the Last Coin artifact. This artifact provides a meaningful economic bonus that carries into Mission 2. The fight is tougher than surrounding encounters, so save before attempting it. The extra gold generation makes a noticeable difference in the early stages of Into the Woods.

Critical Choice: The End of Mission 1

At the conclusion of Garner Hills, you'll face a branching choice that determines which path you follow into the next mission:

• "Into the Woods" — Leads to Mission 2 with a focus on exploration and diplomacy with surface factions.
• "Never-Ending Conflict" — A more combat-oriented path that prioritizes battles over negotiation.

Save before making this choice. While Into the Woods is the currently available mission path during Early Access, future updates may unlock Never-Ending Conflict as an alternative route. Your choice here may also influence later campaign developments.

Mission 2 — Into the Woods

Objective: Claim your first castle, defeat the Grove hero, and destroy three guarded root nodes to break the forest's hold.

Into the Woods opens with Gunnar reaching the surface and capturing his first proper castle. However, all buildings are locked — you'll need to progress through the map to unlock new unit tiers and upgrades. This mission is significantly more open-ended than Garner Hills, with multiple objectives, secret areas, and recruitable neutral units.

Destroying the Root Nodes

The primary goal is to destroy three root nodes scattered across the map, each guarded by a powerful Grove hero and their army. These nodes are the source of the forest's resistance. Approach them in order of difficulty — the closest node to your starting position is the easiest, while the furthest requires a fully developed army.

Achievement: Whimsical Entourage

To unlock Whimsical Entourage, you must recruit all available Kittenhorn squads on the map. Kittenhorn are special neutral units scattered across the forest in 5 different locations. They're not particularly powerful, but collecting them all is a fun side objective that rewards exploration. Look for them near the edges of the map and behind destructible obstacles.

Achievement: Lernaean Solutions

The Lernaean Solutions achievement requires recruiting Infernal Hydras — a powerful Tier 6 unit that attacks all adjacent enemies simultaneously with no counterattack. Here's how to unlock them:

1. Explore the eastern portion of the map to find a cluster of red crystals.
2. Interact with the crystals to activate a portal to a hidden area.
3. Inside the hidden area, you'll find the Infernal Hydra recruitment structure.
4. Recruit at least one Hydra to unlock the achievement.

The Infernal Hydras are well worth the detour. Their no-counterattack mechanic makes them devastating against the Grove hero's armies, especially when protecting your ranged units. They hit multiple adjacent enemies per turn, making short work of the elven squads you'll face.

Optimal Route Through the Forest

Follow this route for the smoothest progression through Into the Woods:

1. Secure your castle — clear nearby enemies and start building your economy. Prioritize the Tavern to recruit a secondary hero for scouting.
2. Head east — collect the red crystals and portal to the Hydra area. Recruit Infernal Hydras as a priority.
3. Scout for Kittenhorn — use your secondary hero to sweep the map's perimeter for the 5 Kittenhorn squads while your main army builds strength.
4. Take the first root node — the easiest Grove defender is to the southwest. Use Hydras to absorb counterattacks while your ranged units deal damage.
5. Clear the remaining nodes — tackle the northeastern and then the central node last. By now your army should be at full strength with Tier 5-6 units.

End-of-Mission Choice: Burning Hearts

Completing Into the Woods presents another branching choice with long-term implications:

• Burning Hearts (Temple path) — Aligns you with the Temple faction, unlocking access to human-aligned units and structures.
• Burning Hearts (Grove path) — Aligns you with the Grove faction, opening elven units and the Mycelium network.

Your choice determines which faction's units and buildings become available in future campaign missions. Consider which faction synergizes best with your Dungeon core army before deciding.

Pro Tips for New Players

Whether you're new to HoMM or a veteran adjusting to Olden Era's systems, these tips will help you avoid common pitfalls and dominate the campaign:

• Build fortifications early. Fortifications provide +50% population growth (upgraded to +100%) and make your castle much harder to siege. Place them early in every mission for a snowballing economic advantage.
• Use secondary heroes for scouting. Your main hero should focus on combat and progression. Recruit a secondary hero as soon as possible to explore, collect resources, and pick up loose units scattered across the map.
• Watch your morale. Mixed armies incur a -1 morale penalty per non-native unit type. A Dungeon army with a few Grove units will fight less effectively. Try to stick to your faction's native units for the best performance, or build around heroes with leadership bonuses.
• Split single units to bait counterattacks. Hold CTRL and click to split a single unit off a stack. Use that lone unit to trigger enemy counterattacks, saving your main stacks from retaliation damage. This is especially effective against high-damage enemy units.
• Capture cities with the crown icon. These settlements provide territory bonuses — increased income, resource generation, and strategic chokepoints. Always prioritize capturing them over razing.
• Dismantle equipment before losing a scout. If a secondary hero is about to die in combat, unequip their artifacts first. This gives you Alchemical Dust that can be used to craft or upgrade gear for your main hero.
• Stay aggressive. Turtling is the number one beginner mistake in Olden Era. The AI expands aggressively and will outscale you if given time. Push outward from your castle, claim resources, and keep the pressure on enemy heroes.

Frequently Asked Questions