HoMM: Olden Era — Alliances and the Advanced Random Map Generator Are Finally Here

On September 30, 2026, Unfrozen released what it calls the “Roadmap Patch” (v0.81.02) of Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era. It brings Alliances, the long-requested team play, and an advanced random map generator designed for matches against the AI. Here is what those two additions contain, their current limits, and what has happened since.

Alliances: playing together without waiting for your ally

Alliances let you team up with friends or family, against the AI as well as against other players. Unfrozen says the feature required major changes to the interface and the core mechanics. One of the most visible choices is that simultaneous turns are always on, so everyone plays in parallel instead of waiting for the other player’s turn to end.

Teammates can trade resources and request them from each other, a first for the series according to the studio. They can also pass armies between heroes, and artifacts. These exchanges are also possible through “Remote Footholds” and the “Pocket Dimension” spell. If just one player meets the map’s victory conditions, the whole team wins.

How to start an Alliance game

To play with friends, whether co-op against the AI or a team-versus-team format such as 2v2, you create a lobby in the Multiplayer menu and invite them. To play with an AI ally against other AI opponents, Quick Start offers five new templates preconfigured for Alliances. Custom Game opens more options: any existing template, or the “Broken Alliance” map.

That map is not new. Taken from Heroes 2 and Heroes 6, it shipped on September 3 with Patch #14 (v0.80.49), alongside the “Prisoners” scenario. The September 30 patch lets you take it on as an Alliance. Unfrozen says more scenarios, maps and templates will support Alliances over time, and that some existing maps will get an option to play as allies.

A random map generator built for PvE

Since Early Access began, the game has offered more than 50 random map templates. The system delivers variety, but each template imposes predefined rules, so it brings some predictability. The studio explains that many casual PvE players asked for the opposite: unpredictable exploration, even at the expense of balance.

The new generator answers that request. The player chooses:

The victory conditions.
The map size.
Free-for-all or Alliances mode.
The richness of the map.
How many heroes are commanded at once.
A symmetrical or asymmetrical map.

Once the map is configured, the game moves on to faction and hero selection, then the map is generated without drawing on the existing template pool. The template system remains available for those who prefer more predictable, balanced generation, and for PvP. Each template now shows a description and detailed information.

The rest of the patch

The patch is not limited to these two features. Unfrozen also adds:

Rebuilt save menus, split between Single Player and Multiplayer, with one category per campaign, per scenario and for challenges.
An expanded emoji wheel, now usable in combat as well.
A revised matchmaking system, with fairer calibration and losses that weigh more at higher ranks.
A leaderboard reset.

The studio also says the third-quarter roadmap goals are complete and that work on the features planned for the end of the year has begun.

Since the patch: a hotfix and a balance beta

A hotfix (v0.81.04) followed on October 2: tournaments, multiplayer lobby, localization and network stability, with four new emojis. On October 15, Unfrozen opened a public beta branch for the big balance update announced in the September patch: a reworked damage calculation, new creatures and a stronger Global Map AI. A second beta version came out on October 21. None of these changes is final, and the date of the main release has not been set.

For the detail of the balance changes already delivered, including the Necromancy rework, see our Patch #11 analysis.

What to watch

The real issue is not whether the features exist but how far they go. Two limits are worth keeping in mind. First, the advanced generator is only available in Quick Start and focuses on PvE, so it changes nothing for competitive play. Second, the value of Alliances depends on the number of compatible maps and templates: five Quick Start templates and a few existing maps are enough to discover the mode, not necessarily to make it stick.

The thing to follow is the next content announcement. Unfrozen promises new solo adventures, and the early September patch had already paved the way with two new PvE maps. For players who want a shared campaign-style experience, that is what matters most. If the studio extends Alliances to its next scenarios, the mode will gain in interest.

Going further

Sources: official patch announcement on Steam · Gamespace · GameGrin