Hero specialty
Hero specialty is a characteristic of every hero that typically improves their performance in combat. Specialties can be categorized into four primary types (i.e. secondary skills, spells, creatures, production) as well as a few unique specialties that do not fit nicely into these categories.
Secondary skill specialties
All secondary skill specialties increase the secondary skill by 5% per level. The formula for the calculation is as follows:
FORMULA: A x (0,05 x B + 1) = BONUS where A = Secondary skill's effect percentage B = Level of the hero EXAMPLE: A = 30% B = 20 30% x (0,05 x 20 + 1) = 30% x (1 + 1) = 60% |
From the example above we can see, that a level 20 hero who has 30% ability due their secondary skill (e.g. Crag Hack with expert Offense) would actually gain +60% in total.
List of Secondary skill specialty Heroes
Spell specialties
All heroes who specialize in a spell start with it.
Common spell specialty
The normal/common spell specialty increases the efficiency of the spell (after spell power and base spell effect is calculated) by 3% per level, divided by target creature's level. It can be visualised with the following formula: C*(1+0.03 * L / n) , where n is the creature's level, L is the hero's level and C is the base effect of the spell (including spell power and the appropriate magic skill's effects).
List of Common spell specialty Heroes
Unique spell specialty
The spell specialty of some heroes changes the base spell in a unique way.
List of Unique spell specialty Heroes
Hero | Spell | Effect |
Adela | Bless | In addition to the normal effect, the spell also increases damage of the target unit based on the following equation:
Example: At level 18 Adela will provide a 54% damage bonus to halberdiers, 27% to marksmen, |
Cyra Terek Brissa |
Haste | Regardless of hero level, increases the effect of the spell:
|
Loynis | Prayer | |
Zubin | Precision | |
Xsi Darkstorn Merist Labetha |
Stone Skin | |
Ash Inteus |
Bloodlust | |
Cuthbert Olema Mirlanda Eanswythe |
Weakness | |
Daremyth Melodia |
Fortune | Always give +3 luck, regardless of the Air Magic expertise or hero level. |
Ciele | Magic Arrow | Increases the damage of the spell by 50%, regardless of hero level. |
Luna | Fire Wall | Increases the damage of the spell by 100% (25% ), regardless of hero level. |
Aenain | Disrupting Ray | +2 points to the effect, regardless of hero level. |
Eovacius | Clone | The first time it is cast in a given battle, an extra clone appears. |
Coronius | Slayer | Regardless of hero level, increases the effect of the spell:
|
Zilare | Forgetfulness | Spell duration is doubled. |
Creature specialties
There are four types of creature specialties: Fixed stat creature specialties, creature upgrade specialties, Dragons specialty and standard creature specialties.
Heroes who specialize in level 1-2 creatures (as well as Gelu, Dracon, Tark and Frederick ) have their entire starting army consisting of 3 stacks of the creatures they specialize in.
Heroes who specialize in level 3 creatures (as well as Bron, Illor and Todd ) have their specialized creature stack in their starting army instead of 2nd level creatures.
Creature specialties apply to both upgraded and unupgraded units. The only exception to this is Catherine (in Shadow of Death ), who only specializes in Crusaders and not Swordsman (this was fixed in Horn of the Abyss ).
Fixed stat creature specialties
These specialties are only present in banned-by-default campaign heroes and Planeswalkers. Fixed stat creature specialties provide a fixed bonus to attack, defense, damage, and/or speed, regardless of hero level.
List of Fixed stat creature specialty Heroes
Hero | Creature | Attack | Defense | Damage | Speed |
Xeron | Devil and Arch Devil | +4 | +2 | +1 | |
Haart Lich | Black Knight and Dread Knight | +5 | +5 | +10 | |
Kilgor | Behemoth and Ancient Behemoth | +5 | +5 | +10 | |
Lacus Kalt |
Water Elemental and Ice Elemental | +2 | |||
Ignissa Fiur |
Fire Elemental and Energy Elemental | +1 | +2 | +2 | |
Thunar Erdamon |
Earth Elemental and Magma Elemental | +2 | +1 | +5 | |
Pasis Monere |
Psychic Elemental and Magic Elemental | +3 | +3 |
Creature-upgrade specialties
These specialties are only present in banned-by-default campaign heroes. Creature-upgrade specialties allow the hero to upgrade specific creatures into the creature they specialize in, as long as they are placed in their army. The cost is equal to the difference in costs between the owned creature and the "upgrade".
List of Creature-upgrade specialty Heroes
Hero | Base Creature(s) | Upgrade Creature |
Gelu | Archer and Marksman Wood Elf and Grand Elf |
Sharpshooter |
Dracon | Monk and Zealot Mage and Arch Mage |
Enchanter |
Bidley | Pirate and Corsair | Sea Dog |
Dragons specialty
This specialty is only present in the banned-by-default campaign heroes: Mutare and Mutare Drake. It provides 5 Attack and 5 Defense to all Dragons, including both their upgraded and unupgraded forms.
Standard creature specialties
Standard creature specialties, regardless of hero level, provide +1 speed to the creatures they specialize in. This bonus applies outside of combat and can therefore increase hero's Movement. They also apply +5% Attack and +5% Defense bonuses every n levels obtained after nth level, where n is the level of the creature they specialize in. Thus heroes who specialize in level 1 creatures double their Attack and Defense at level 21; heroes who specialize in level 2 creature at level 42, those who specialize in level 3 creatures at level 63, etc.
List of Standard/Fixed stat creature specialty Heroes
NOTE: Orange cells mean the specialty is only available to banned-by-default heroes.
NOTE1: Hero is banned-by-default.
NOTE2: Hero is a fixed stat hero.
Town | Creature Level | ||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |
Castle | |||||||
(none) | Valeska | Edric | Sorsha Catherine1 Roland1 |
Ingham | Tyris | (none) | |
Rampart | |||||||
(none) | Ufretin | Ivor | Aeris | Ryland | Clancy | (none) | |
Tower | |||||||
(none) | Piquedram | Josephine | Theodorus | Iona Thane |
Fafner | (none) | |
Inferno | |||||||
Ignatius | Calh | Fiona | Marius | Nymus | Rashka | Xeron1,2 | |
Necropolis | |||||||
Galthran1 | Straker | Charna | Vokial | Moandor | Tamika Haart Lich1,2 |
(none) | |
Dungeon | |||||||
Shakti | Lorelei | Ajit | (none) | Dace | Synca | (none) | |
Stronghold | |||||||
Gretchin | Tyraxor | Jabarkas | Vey Krellion Boragus1 |
Shiva | Yog | Kilgor1,2 | |
Fortress | |||||||
Drakon | Wystan | Korbac | Bron | Alkin | Broghild | (none) | |
Conflux | |||||||
(none) | (none) | Lacus2 Kalt2 |
Ignissa2 Fiur2 |
Thunar2 Erdamon2 |
Pasis2 Monere2 |
(none) | |
Cove | |||||||
Cassiopeia | Derek | Anabel | Illor | Casmetra | Tark1 | (none) | |
Factory | | ||||||
Henrietta | Sam | Celestine | Todd | Agar | Tancred | (none) |
Production specialties
Some heroes' specialties increase a kingdom's daily income of gold or magical resources. No hero produces the resource needed to recruit the level 7 creature of their native town. These specialties do not improve with the hero's level, and thus their usefulness may decrease over the course of the game as the impact of other specialties becomes greater.
This effect remains in place even when the hero in question is garrisoned in a town and no longer counts towards the limit of 8 adventuring heroes. As hiring a hero only costs 2500 gold, this way of collecting magical resources may, depending on the situation, be preferable to building resource silos for the cost of 5000 gold and 5 ore.
List of Production specialty Heroes
Hero | Bonus |
Rissa | +1 |
Calid | +1 |
Sephinroth Andal |
+1 |
Saurug | +1 |
Aine Caitlin Clavius Damacon Gelare Grindan Jenova Nagash Octavia Bertram Leena |
+350 |
NOTE: For a comparison between Lord Haart's Estates specialty and the +350 specialty, see Lord Haart#Specialty.
Unique specialties
Sir Mullich (replaced by default by Lord Haart in Armageddon's Blade, Shadow of Death, and Horn of the Abyss) increases combat speed of all creatures under his command by 2.
Frederick increases the damage dealt by Automaton and Sentinel Automatons' Detonation at death ability by 5% per level.
Adrienne starts with Expert Fire Magic and Wisdom.
Ballista specialty: Increases the Attack and Defense skills of any Ballista by 5% for every 5 levels (rounded up).
Jeremy increases the Attack and Defense skills of any Cannon by 5% for every 6 levels (rounded up).
Melchior increases the effect of Diplomacy, but only when surrendering.