Combat

Combat is a general term for hostile encounters of a hero while wandering on adventure map. Combat takes place typically when a hero attacks wandering creatures, enemy heroes, enemy towns or certain adventure map locations (e.g. creature banks). A hero may also face combat if trying to pick up guarded artifacts or resources. Occasionally an event can trigger combat.

The purpose of the combat is to vanquish all enemy creatures, and the combat ends when either one of the armies are entirely destroyed, or when one of the heroes retreats or surrenders. Only heroes may retreat or surrender - wandering creatures, creatures guarding something or creatures in events cannot retreat or surrender. Wandering creatures may try to flee before the battle, but never during combat. Surrendering may occur only in a battle between heroes, but a hero defending a town cannot surrender (or flee). However, Stronghold has a unique building called Escape Tunnel, which allows defending hero to retreat (but not surrender).

Combat takes place on the battlefield, that is 11 rows of 15 hexagonal frames (hexes). Because size of most the creatures is one hex, a creature with speed of 13 can traverse across the battlefield to attack another creature stack directly opposite to that creature. Additionally, a creature with a speed of 19 can traverse diagonally from one corner to its opposite corner.

Tactics Phase

The Tactics Phase occurs just before combat starts. The phase occurs only if a hero has Tactics, unless both heroes possess the same level of Tactics, in which case the phase is skipped as the skill levels cancel each other out. The hero with the highest level of Tactics may arrange their troops before combat begins however they want (in accordance with their proficiency in Tactics). During this arranging, the hero cannot cast spells, but may retreat or surrender.

Order in Combat

Combat proceeds in rounds. Each hero can cast one spell each round. Each round is divided into three phases:

1. Initial & Defend
2. Morale & Wait
3. Wait

These three phases occur every round in this chronological order. In the initial phase, all creatures move in order determined by their speed. The creature with the highest speed value moves first. If two or more creatures on different sides of engaging armies have the same speed value, the creature on the army which did not have the latest chance to act will act first. And if it is the beginning of the battle, the attacker will have the initiative.

A creature may wait during the initial phase, in which case the creature moves instead during the wait phase. However, due high morale a creature may receive another chance to move right after the initial move. In this case, if the creature waits it will move again during the morale & wait phase (before the wait phase). In contrast to the initial phase, creatures in the morale & wait and wait phases move in reverse order, slowest speed value first.

A creature may defend during the initial phase, their extra morale phase, or their wait phase. Doing so grants them a 20% bonus to their defense rating (after bonuses and spell effects) and skips the rest of their turn. A creature cannot gain a morale phase after defending in their initial phase.

If two or more creatures on different sides of engaging armies have the same speed value, the creature on the army which did not have the latest chance to act will act first. This rule will apply in the same way throughout all three phases. However, there are two exceptions to this rule.

1. In the first round of combat, the attacker will have the initiative.
2. During a siege (town with at least Fort) the attacker will always moves first at the beginning of the round if the fastest creatures are tied.

Note that this rule in the morale-wait/wait phases leads to a situation, where the player that acted last "wins" the tie in a way, because during the wait phase, one usually wants to move later in the phase, not earlier.

If two or more creatures on the same side have the same speed value, the creature that started in the leftmost slot, will always move first. Or in other words, the unit that started nearest to the top of the screen (before tactics phase), will move first.

Ballista and First Aid Tent follow these rules as well (their speed is 0). On the other hand, Arrow Towers and Catapult attack at the start of the round.

Formation

Formation is the starting position of your army in a fight/battle. Units are spread as evenly as possible from top to bottom, with the topmost position being filled by the leftmost creature in the hero's army (and vice versa). For example: having units in slots 1/2/3 is the same as having them in slots 2/6/7.

The 2 options for army formation can be toggled on the hero screen. This changes how the units are grouped on your side of the battle. If you have 1, 6, or 7 stacks in your army, toggling between formations makes no difference as to how the units are placed on the battlefield.

• Loose spreads the units out evenly from top to bottom
• Tight clusters the units together in the center of the player's side of the battlefield

Loose has the advantage of spacing your units apart, making "splash" attacks from those dragons with breath attack or lich and their death cloud attack, and spells like fireball less likely to hit multiple units.

Tight has an advantage of grouping units tightly, and can help protect archers and ranged attackers.

When fighting creature banks, the hero's army will be arranged in a special way, forming a hexagon (or part of one) in the center of the battlefield, while the defenders of the bank will be arranged around the outside. Tight/loose and tactics have no impact on the formation of your army when fighting a creature bank.

Siege

Siege combat is a special type of combat in Heroes III where the defending player has some significant advantages including Arrow towers, a Moat, and Siege walls.

A Town must have at least a Fort structure built in order to use siege combat, and the defenses are substantially improved upon construction of the Citadel and Castle. If there is no fortification built in the town, there is a usual battlefield instead, as if the combat were outside a town.

• Attacking creatures will get stuck in a moat for at least 1 combat round. This can be bypassed with the Teleport spell or by breaking or "trapping" the drawbridge.
• Arrow towers can be incredibly effective in all stages of the game, due to their ability to bypass all ranged penalty and ignoring the defense stat of creatures.
• Catapults will damage the walls once per turn (can be augmented by the ballistics skill.) Walls can also be damaged by Earthquake, Cannon  and by the special ability of the Cyclops.
• Flying creatures can fly over walls, but they will usually become high priority targets for defending melee creatures as well as the arrow towers.
• The center arrow tower does the highest damage, and usually will not be destroyed until the main walls have been significantly damaged.
• Several towns have enhanced moats. Most notably, the Fortress has a high-damage moat that is 2 hexes wide. The Tower has land mines in place of a moat, which can occasionally detonate several times as creatures walk over them, but are generally considered weaker than standard moats, because they do not hinder movement and are destroyed upon activation.
• A glitch can cause a player's army to attack itself. It requires having the hero placed at the entrance of an enemy town but without triggering an attack by moving here. This can be obtained by flying over the town (with Fly or Angel Wings) and stopping the movement right at the moment the hero is above the town entrance. Then triggering the siege of the town by using the space bar or the "revisit" button. The hero will count as both the attacker and the defender, with the player controlling both sides of the siege. This glitch is fixed in Horn of the Abyss.

A large siege playing out against a Stronghold town.

Surrender

In hero-on-hero combat exclusively, a player may pay an enemy player gold to surrender, effectively vanquishing the player's hero as they retreat to their Tavern to be hired again. The surrendered hero retains their surviving army and all of their artifacts upon recruiting them again. A player may only surrender if they have enough gold to do so. The amount of gold required to surrender is equal to half the recruitment cost of the remaining creatures in the hero's army, with any resources other than gold being excluded in the calculation. If the player does not have enough gold to surrender, then surrendering is impossible. The enemy may refuse a surrender, which continues the combat.

• Surrendering is possible at any point during battle, even before combat during the surrendering player's Tactics Phase.
• Surrendering is impossible when defending a siege or if either hero wields the Shackles of War.
• The gold cost of surrendering can be decreased with Diplomacy and the Ambassador's Sash, Diplomat's Ring, Statesman's Medal, and Diplomat's Cloak ., and Statesman's Medal.
• If a hero surrenders on the 7th day of the week after their turn has passed, one of the player's Taverns slots will be filled with the surrendered hero instead of a new hire.

Retreat

A player may retreat from any combat involving their hero, including before combat during their Tactics Phase. A player cannot retreat if the hero is defending in a siege unless they are defending a Stronghold town with an Escape Tunnel or if either hero wields the Shackles of War. The retreated hero retains their all of their artifacts, but loses their army. They will be immediately available to hire again in the player's Tavern. If a player retreats from combat, the retreated hero receives no experience from the battle.

Hit & Run Ban

Only applicable when Horn of the Abyss  is installed and in hero-on-hero combat.

• The attacker is forbidden to retreat or surrender in the first round of combat after casting a spell.
• The Diplomat's Cloak allows a hero to ignore this ban when surrendering only.

User Commentary

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Retreating (or surrendering) is a good idea:

• When defeat is imminent.
• As a means to travel to a distant town, to be re-recruited there.
• To preserve artifacts which will otherwise fall into an enemy hero's hands.
• To preserve a powerful hero with strong stats, spells, or high level.

Surrender may be a good tactical move so as to move a hero briefly to a town close to a major battle or something else important, or simply to a safe place, if you don't have Town Portal spell. It works on its best with Tactics skill or if you have a right of first turn, and only if your hero has a right to lose (i.e. it's useless in most campaigns as the head character should be invincible, otherwise the game is lost).

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Combat Grids

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  Screenshot from combat on swamp terrain. The hero has cast Quicksand
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  Base combat grid against a single opponent
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  Army organization with War Machines
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  Ship-to-Ship combat grid

Battlefields

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  Dirt

  Default dirt battlefield.

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  Dirt 

  Default dirt battlefield.

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  Dirt (Dead Trees)

  Available when fighting on dirt with dead trees within 3 tiles of the combat tile.

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  Dirt (Dead Trees) 

  Available when fighting on dirt with dead trees within 3 tiles of the combat tile.

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  Dirt (Mountains)

  Available when fighting on dirt with 2 dirt mountain tiles surrounding the combat tile.

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  Dirt (Mountains) 

  Available when fighting on dirt with 2 dirt mountain tiles surrounding the combat tile.

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  Sand

  Default sand battlefield.

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  Sand (Beach)

  Available when fighting on any terrain on a tile adjacent to water.

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  Sand (Underground) 

  Available when fighting on sand underground.

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  Grass

  Default grass battlefield.

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  Grass (Mountains)

  Available when fighting on grass with 2 grass mountain tiles surrounding the combat tile.

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  Snow

  Default snow battlefield.

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  Snow (Mountains)

  Available when fighting on snow with 2 snow mountain tiles surrounding the combat tile.

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  Swamp

  Default swamp battlefield.

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  Swamp (Dead Trees) 

  Available when fighting on dirt with dead trees within 3 tiles of the combat tile.

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  Swamp (Mountains) 

  Available when fighting on swamp with 2 swamp mountain tiles surrounding the combat tile.

• 
  Rough

  Default rough battlefield.

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  Subterranean

  Default subterranean battlefield.

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  Lava

  Default lava battlefield.

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  Lava 

  Default lava battlefield.

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  Lava (Underground) 

  Available when fighting on lava underground.

• 
  Highlands 

  Default highlands battlefield.

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  Wasteland 

  Default wasteland battlefield.

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  Boat

  Available when fighting an enemy hero while both heroes are in boats.

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  Boat (Deck)

  Available when fighting monsters or adventure map locations on a boat, or when fighting an enemy hero in a boat while the player is on land.

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  Cursed Ground 
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  Magic Plains 
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  Clover Field 
• 
  Evil Fog 
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  Holy Ground 
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  Holy Ground 
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  Fiery Fields 
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  Lucid Pools 
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  Magic Clouds 
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  Rockland 
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  Cracked Ice 
• 
  Dunes 
• 
  Fields of Glory 
• 
  Castle Siege 
• 
  Rampart Siege 
• 
  Tower Siege 
• 
  Inferno Siege 
• 
  Necropolis Siege 
• 
  Dungeon Siege 
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  Stronghold Siege 
• 
  Fortress Siege 
• 
  Conflux Siege 
• 
  Cove Siege 
• 
  Factory Siege 
• 
  Bulwark Siege 

Videos

• Combat Win
• Combat Loss
• Surrender
• Retreat
• Siege Win
• Siege Loss

Audio

Combat Themes		Win/Loss Themes
Media:Heroes 3 - Combat Theme 1.webm	Combat Theme 1	Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Won.webm	Combat Won Theme
Media:Heroes 3 - Combat Theme 2.webm	Combat Theme 2	Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Lost.webm	Combat Lost Theme
Media:Heroes 3 - Combat Theme 3.webm	Combat Theme 3	Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Retreated.webm	Retreated from Combat Theme
Media:Heroes 3 - Combat Theme 4.webm	Combat Theme 4	Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Surrendered.webm	Surrendered in Combat Theme
		Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Town defended.webm	Town Defended Theme
		Media:Heroes 3 - Combat - Town lost.webm	Town Lost Theme

See Also:

• Damage
• Cursors