9
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Magic and resources
Starting situation
The hero has Expert Life Magic and the town can build a higher guild tier. You want to rely on a new spell.
Decision sequence
- Expert Life Magic permits tier-1–3 Life spells. Higher tiers require the corresponding Master or Grandmaster development, not merely a higher building.
- Compare when the hero can gain the required school mastery and prerequisites with the next battle’s deadline.
- Compare guild construction with spells already usable and alternative recruitment. Do not fund a plan whose caster is not ready.
How to choose
Magic development combines town availability with the particular hero’s abilities. Both conditions must be met in time.
When to reassess
A universal Wisdom skill from another game does not replace the relevant school proficiency in Heroes IV.
Opening and composition
Starting situation
Your hero supplies decisive magic but is physically on the battlefield and can be defeated quickly.
Decision sequence
- During deployment, check fast and flying enemies’ reach to the hero. Front-line creatures do not automatically cover every approach.
- Plan the first defensive action before planning maximum damage. A spell the hero cannot cast after dying is not part of a usable combination.
- Compare hero survival with a small screening loss. A living caster may change the rest of the battle.
How to choose
Heroes IV requires planning the hero’s own availability. The hero is not an untouchable commander outside the battlefield as in Heroes III.
When to reassess
Combat development and equipment affect whether the hero should be exposed to contact at all.
Neutral fights
Starting situation
Your strong melee stack can inflict heavy damage. Heroes III habits would suggest a small response from the survivors.
Decision sequence
- Account for simultaneous retaliation in normal melee. Do not estimate losses as if all newly killed enemy creatures were removed before responding.
- If possible, weaken the target before contact or use an appropriate ability affecting its response.
- Check both sides’ special rules, especially no-retaliation attacks and First Strike.
How to choose
Assess first contact by the result for both armies. High damage dealt does not guarantee low losses.
When to reassess
A one-creature bait stack and safe follow-up do not automatically work under Heroes III conditions.
Neutral fights
Starting situation
Both sides have ranged stacks. You want to remove the main enemy shooter with focused fire.
Decision sequence
- Check ranged retaliation and responses already used. Do not treat shooting as automatically unanswered damage.
- Inspect line of sight and cover. The intended firing position must actually allow the planned shot.
- Before committing your most valuable shot, consider limiting the response, using cover or changing target order.
How to choose
Deployment affects both shooting access and safety. The shooter with the largest number may not have the best opening trade.
When to reassess
Creature and item exceptions change penalties. One generic percentage does not describe every shooter.
Construction and recruitment
Starting situation
You are waiting for reinforcements and considering several idle days beside the town.
Decision sequence
- Check today’s pool, daily growth and the cost of what you will actually recruit.
- Compare a short return for usable reinforcements with waiting for a large pool you cannot afford yet.
- Include a caravan or independent troop movement where an actual safe connection exists.
How to choose
Waiting for the same weekly boundary used in other games can unnecessarily delay an available Heroes IV army.
When to reassess
Independently travelling creatures have their own movement. Do not assume unlimited travel through a chain of hero transfers.
Construction and recruitment
Starting situation
A higher town tier offers two alternative creature lines. An immediate fight encourages a quick decision.
Decision sequence
- First identify the missing role: shooting, fast contact, control or durability.
- Check which alternative the choice excludes and which later objectives that alternative would handle better.
- Compare available support magic and other towns. An isolated creature statistic does not describe the entire army.
How to choose
The decision shapes the town’s long-term army. Value the immediate gain after accounting for the lost alternative.
When to reassess
Do not plan to recruit both excluded lines from the same town afterward. Another town or external source is a separate requirement.
Opening and composition
Starting situation
A second hero could add spellcasting or support but also occupies a place in the combat army.
Decision sequence
- Assign each a distinct role and needed action timing. Two weak versions of the same plan do not automatically double strength.
- Consider experience sharing and protection for both. One fast-developing key specialist can be worth more than two delayed heroes.
- Compare the second hero with the creature stack that would otherwise occupy that army slot.
How to choose
Multiple heroes are valuable when their actions complement each other and the army keeps them alive.
When to reassess
Access to more magic schools does not mean every spell can be cast in time. Hero availability is part of sequencing.
Adventure movement
Starting situation
New recruits are far from the main army. A caravan offers convenient transport.
Decision sequence
- Verify the connection, destination town and arrival time. Plan reinforcements around the actual arrival day.
- The destination must remain usable after expected enemy movement. Do not base the decisive battle on reinforcements requiring an already lost town.
- Meanwhile, give the main hero a task that permits returning in time to collect the troops.
How to choose
Transport is useful when it connects production with the place of use. Dispatching creatures does not yet make them available at the front.
When to reassess
Recalculate after ownership or town connections change. Do not rely solely on the original estimate.
Sieges
Starting situation
A caster can weaken the defenders, but advancing behind the troops may expose the hero to shooting or flyers.
Decision sequence
- Before moving, check the new sight lines and enemy reach. A safe initial position may become unsafe when the line opens.
- Connect spell timing with troop advance so the effect helps before dangerous contact.
- Retain a way to protect the caster if the first attack fails to remove its intended target.
How to choose
A winning siege plan must preserve the hero executing it, not only deal large opening damage.
When to reassess
Ranged responses and simultaneous retaliation still matter around fortifications. Normal combat rules do not disappear at a castle.
Edition and scope
Heroes IV with official expansions, six towns. Recruitment grows daily; tier 2–4 alternatives are mutually exclusive.
These editorial plans are based on the cited rules. They are not reports of personal playtesting or one army for every map.
Rule references
