holy shit an absolute bonkers HotA update dropped for new years just a few hours ago>First Aid fixed, possibly OP>Learning fixed>significant boost to Artillery, Ballistics, Sorcery, Mysticism and Luck>host of buffs to hero spell/creature specialties>even Pathfinding and Eagle Eye got some love>an entire new campaign>new scenarios>shitload of other QoL, bugfixes and upgrades in general2025 is starting to look mighty fine fellow hommos
woah, first aid will be so broken for doomstack armies
>Expert Eagle Eye gives 60% chance to learn every enemy spell (presumably a 60% roll for each individual spell) before battle.Bruh
>>1926129You forgot this OPhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uM--UyP-Kg
>>1926234what in the nine hells
First aid unironically needs to be needed, it's just armorer, but better (works on magic damage) and heals
>>1926492Except it requires a First Aid Tent and becomes dead weight without it. Armorer is omnipresent
>>1926507yeah, but the rule now is that if you specialize in a war machine skill, it also protects said war machine from taking more than 40% HP in a single hit. I think it will create an interesting tactical dynamic where you need to choose between focus firing the tent and letting your opponent take a few potshots at your units, or soldier through enemies HP boost. Definitely a big buff for First Aid overall and might even make the skill indispensable now. Also FA specialists just became S-tier heroes, like the ones specializing in Armorer, Logistics or Offense. It's kinda insane ngl
>>1926234>Olden Era new town will be eldritch frozen shit>Vori Palace town in DoR is also frozen shit>Bulwark is the meme dorf Christmas town aka frozen shitwhat did they mean by this
>>1926234DoR also showcased some of their new towns recentlyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiz6Rsv2ZcoForge town screen looks neat, and I like some of the Palace hero portraits. But the rest, especially most of the unit designs and animations looks garbo tier. I don't know what are they going for with these weird lightings on the adventure map or if that's something specific to the teaser vide
>>1926129HOLY PISSThese are insane changes. Please HoTA I don't want to sink thousands more hours into HoMM3 spare me
>>1926184Resistance was broken and had to be removed
>>1927558yes
>>1926129i want the meme dorf christmas town to come out NOW
>>1927689Artillery should be be buffed and Cove should be buffed even moreHotA you're doing even worse without Picolan
>>1927794Boy anon, do I have good news for you - just check the changelog in the OP. Artillery skill got a big buff this patch along with other war machines, and Cannon and Ballista got price reduction and a damage buff even for the latter. Cove is fine, range of good heroes and offense oriented units with cool specials; the skill/spell specialization updates will work in their favor too, so good times ahead.
>>1927558it's not that it was broken but that it was making for very frustrating gameplay experience if you were on the receiving end, totally unrelated to your skill as a player or tactical decisions that you were making. Taking away player agency is not good game design desu. Plus it was random and inconsistent af even for the player that took the skill. It's ok for a few creatures to have it as a special, but to have the power to grant such special to your entire lineup is just ridiculous.
>>1927818It was sarcasm
One ring away from elixer of life on gem in my 7v1 outcast game, hp is already fairly beefed.
>>1929360I just realised I cn't get rid of artifacts on this shitty template so there goes that. No sign of any junk trader on the map.
>>1929425That's a shame. Maybe try looking for a castle with an artifact trader?
More info about Bulwark, including full lineup revealed. It must be much further in development than Factory was at the time of its reveal, I wouldn't be surprised if it drops next yearhttp://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=39830&PID=1584146#focus
>>1926129Fuck HoTA. Fuck your pirate mod shit i will never play it.
>>1930367>next yearanon, I'm not going to wait a full fucking year from january 7th for them
>>1930615nobody asked
>>1930367I dont like Bulwark units artstyle
>>1930367Its a literal fucking goat, not a fantastic creature
>>1930841*blocks your black dragon stack*How do you respond without sounding mad?
>>1930841it's a ram, and an IRL one would fuck up half of homm's unit roster IRL
>>1930367How about adding a Resistance/normal Diplomacy/original game skill toggle instead if I don't want to play with unfun Jebus Cross rules?
>>1930872
>>1930841Mald about it
>>1931588How many years have HotA devs been running and hiding from Resistance instead of devising counterstrategies to it?
>>1932717I have no idea, I only learned about HotA around 2018 or something.
>>1926129Can I play the vanilla campaigns with HotA changes?
>>1932968Yes but only a bit counterintuitively as a custom campaign Have the hota team ever explained why?
>>1933005you wouldn't be smart enough to understand
So after playing a bit on the latest patch, I can say the following skills are definitely S tier now:>First Aid - HP boost is absurdly good and First Aid specialists are having a field day. Plus it stacks with Elixir of Life for max tankiness. It's a top tier pick now alongside Armorer, if not better, because it effectively tanks the spell damage you take, not just normal damage from enemy stacks.>Pathfinding - pretty much as valuable as Logistics atmFollowing skills are really good but not a must have, so A tier I guess:>Ballistics - having the ability to hit what you want with precision on Expert is pretty insane. Want to blow open that gate on the first turn? By all means. Eradicate that one pesky citadel tower? You got it senpai. Surprisingly brutal in most sieges.>Learning - you're no longer taking an L with this skill, the XP boost is massive and worth it. The free level ups are really good and make the skill ok even in the late game if it so happens that Learning is your last or 2nd to last pick. Again, specialists get an even bigger advantage.>Luck - guaranteed double damage when Luck procs is fucking sweet, Dread Knights should sue for copyright infringement.>Mysticism - even a better portable magic well than it was before since it's a % increase per turn instead of a flat amount.
>>1933714(cont.)These feel like B tier, still a significant upgrade from prior irrelevance:>Artillery - surprisingly good in the early game, specifically with specialists, lets you clear mobs and farm banks with next to zero army. Still marginally relevant in the late game, the 40% hp dmg cap will let you keep it for three turns of damage at the very minimum. Welcomed, but in no way a deciding factor.>Eagle Eye - what a strange beast this skill is now. It's like using Scholar on the enemy hero, with specialists having 100% chance to learn all spells before combat even prior to hitting lvl. 15. Ability to peek into the opponent's spellbook and thus anticipate his casts while they are not certain what spells you have (apart from their own) is superb. On support heroes it'll work like a portable mage guild, on mains it can be a game winner. Potentially even A tier now.>Sorcery - haven't had a chance to play around with it yet but although the buff is significant and specialists are definitely going to get a fuckton of mileage out of it, I still think it falls off in the late game due to the Interference shenanigans/protection spells. Dmg spell specialists like Deemer and Solmyr will probably get the most out of it.so, in conclusion, all this translates to FUN. Some dogshit heroes are now getting the spotlight and the game feels fresh and new again, especially with how the specializations have been buffed. Big hype and big recc
How in the hell do I get HotA's QoL and UI improvements without the balance changes and new towns. I specifically just want to be able to see the required movement points of a given destination by ALT+hovering on the tile. Some ppl say it's supposed to be included in the HD mod, yet there is no such feature
>+2 Attack -> +12 to Attackthat sounds dumb
>>1934306>he's afraid of le fishe nowas you should be
>>1934273it should work with just the HD mod; try reinstalling maybe?
>>1932717When will they bite the bullet and add another tier of units to each town? Not talking about some uber-powerful creatures, but something mid-tier.
>>1934853hopefully not. Vanilla towns don't need new content
With the Vori Elves being added, what's next for a new possible faction? I haven't played the RPG series or the other spinoffs much so I don't know about lore.For terrains, I think a Savannah would look gorgeous and add some yellow to the map. Jungle or Tundra terrain could look good too
>>1934920Vore Elves. They eat me forever
>>1934920Cannibals of Bootleg Bay from MM6.
>Ubisoft recognized HOTA as official part of the HOMM universeNot bad.
>Heroes of Love and Sex 3: Horny AbyssWho picked this name!?
