Hereos Online : The game is now available.

[Aemaeth]

After some years on the beta test, Ubisoft and Blue Byte's team launch Might & Magic Heroes Online. All players can discover a new adventure in Ashan's world. Using a web browser, this video game reveals a huge graphic potential.



Because of the newss MMO aspects, we cannot realy compare this game to the others Heroes games, but PvP, cooperation and news fights mechanics are really interesting and allow you to test your strategic skills.



Become a new Hero and fight for your destiny on <a href="/http://clb.heroes-online.com/en-US/home">Heroes Online official website</a>.



<p align="center"> <i><strong>MIGHT & MAGIC® HEROES® ONLINE IS NOW AVAILABLE</strong>



Become a Legendary Hero in the First MMORPG From the Heroes Series



CITY, COUNTRY – September 30, 2014 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Might & Magic® Heroes® Online has officially launched in French & English speaking territories. Players will now have access to the fully localized free-to-play online role-playing game developed by Blue Byte by signing up at www.heroes-online.com.



During the limited beta earlier this year, Might & Magic Heroes Online introduced a multitude of new features including siege battles, forgotten site quests and the player versus player arena. Listening to player feedback and incorporating community ideas has helped the Blue Byte team make Heroes Online the most accessible game of the series while still offering challenges for both veterans and new players.



Might & Magic Heroes Online is a full-scale adaption of the world famous Might & Magic Heroes franchise into a visually stunning game, combining classic gameplay elements of the Heroes games with online features such as guilds, friends and coop gameplay. Users can pick up their Heroes amongst the Haven or Necropolis factions, recruit fantastic creatures to build up their army and collect magical artefacts to prevail in combat.



Players can join Might & Magic Heroes Online by signing up on the game’s official website for free: www.heroes-online.com.

If you would like to take a look at the original page visit this link:
https://www.celestialheavens.com/1412102775

[Variol]

I gave it a little try. It was okay. The fonts are far too small and it wasn't long before I was asked for money.

[Panda Tar]

...and it wasn't long before I was asked for money.

Typical.

[Variol]

I never got into online gaming.

[Avonu]

It was not so bad game at first, but after latest "updates" game lost much of its fun. Resources cap (buy slots for more), creatures cap (buy slots for more), inventory cap (buy slots for more), not enough mana to cast spells after 1st round (buy mana potions and spell scrolls), etc.
You can pick up only 3 daily quests now (earlier you could piack up max 20 quests, no matter if they were daily or main) and having daily quests in all areas for your current level. Instead you have now have daily quests with max level cap in regions (ex. daily quests are for max 10 lvl hero in first area, while earlier you could pick up 30 lvl quests).
Oh, and you can buy boxes with random item drop - so if you are lucky, you can have relic/legendary items (the best ones) only by spending your money. Of course, as in all games with such mechanism, your chanses to win something worthly are nearly non-existing.

Sure, if you want to spend money (a lot of it), you can play it but if you only want play from time to time, there is no point to do it now.

[Kalah]

I feel the same way. In-app purchases are the devil's work.

[Wizard of Soz]

Oh dear! I thought you like most Free to Play using money was just a way to speed up the process of advancing. Personally I prefer not paying and having more of a challenge! So does that mean to use an extra character I would have to pay rather than just get points (or seals)?

[VMmage]

I played the game yesterday and today, reached level 6. I'm sticking with "Free To Play", and the limitations of playing this way show up almost immediately. I expect I'll give it a few more days so that I can get a better feel for the game, but I don't expect to stick with it over the long haul. The cooperative mode for battles looks interesting, but I'm just playing solo for now.

[Roald]

A comment to the question from Wizard of Soz: It is possible to play the game without paying anything. At least in theory. The claim is that the hero seals that you can buy, can also be won during free gameplay. That claim is in principle true, but the amount of hero seals that you can win is very, very small compared to what an average player will feel that he/she might need. So, as the game stands today, the "free to play" is not much more than a lure. It is really "pay to win".

[Kalah]

I prefer it the DOTA way; you can pay for ornaments and special equipment for your heroes, but it's all visual. It can enhance the gaming experience, sure, but you can also choose not to buy anything and still have all the chances other players have.

[hellegennes]

I think Ubisoft went insane with this one. There's a "buy now - speed up your game" in every corner, from the minute you start the game. I hope it still possible to play and have fun in the long term but it sure doesn't look very promising now.

[Kalah]

Anybody wanna review the game for us, and point out the good AND the bad?

[Karmakeld]

make one mistake, like losing 4 Ghouls and you'll have to wait half an hours.. sigh.. So the prison riot is led by a Half Ghoul.. Hmm Dothgaul Half-Ghoul maybe? I think it had the potention to be quite okay. Seems very simliar to games like Sacred and Diablo, but the time counter can be a drag..

[Panda Tar]

...and it'll soon drag your money out from your pocket, so watch out!

[Karmakeld]

Panda Tar, that's not gonna be an issue, as i'm not allowed to carry my own money.. strict order from my gf ;-)

[hellegennes]

I think that in order to review it you need to have access to a larger portion of the game and its overall gameplay features, which can be a really long process for anyone playing it for free.

[Kalah]

Heh, yeah, that can be an issue. Of course, a review could have the perspective of a non-payer as well.

[Karmakeld]

So far I've played till I reached lvl 7, without paying anything. My first mistake cost me some hours offline. After that I haven't had issues where I'd have to wait for countdown to build structure, gather resources or generate troops. Now this ofcourse, may depend on how many troops you lose and how you spend your resources (e.g. buying lots of artifacts).



The adventure map is, as mentioned earlier, very similar to games like Sacred and Diablo. Your hero run around in real time, collecting recources and completing quests (both story and optional).

Battles are turn-based as regular heroes games. Some battles has special requirements, like kill certain stack(s) or defeat enemy in x turns. Some battles has special set up, like creatures are placed in special arrangement or special obstacles are on the battle field. You can invite another player into combat (got invited, but due to server issues, I haven't yet tried a teamed-up battle).

Before each battle, you get an overview of your army power vs. enemy army power (troops + hero stats combined). You can choose difficulty before most battles. the higher the challenge, the higher xp and chance for better artifacts.

As your hero advance in levels, you'll get achivement points to spend on skills/spells. (Random?) stats will increase aswell. You also get to carry more troops in each slot - yes there's a max. Reaching certain levels, open up new slots, meaning you can now have more stacks.

Town building seems very connected to your Progress. Completing certain quests, requires you to go back and purchase new Buildings or upgrade others. Building require certificates, which is earned along the way.

Your town will generate troops/resources in time-intervals like every 5 hour. There's a max stocking to both resources and troops (can be increased). Troops can also be 'parked' in your Garrison.

Artifacst and potions can be bought/sold just like in Sacred/Diablo.



So far I actually like the game. It Works fine the way it's designed and it seems fairly balanced. Now atm. there's less tactical use than in other heroes games, as with 2 slots and 2 creature types there ain't much tactics in your placement/arrangement of your troops. This will have to be carried out during the battle. Archers needs to be within their firing range (Means they have to move closer to their opponent, to shot their 3-4 ranged distance.) This is where obstacles come in handy. Flanking and backstabbing are also new ways of increasing your damage/or making yourself more vulnerable.

Now with only 2 creature types to choose from and opponents seems to be the same for quite some time, there is a bit of repetition and the playing style becomes somewhat repetetive. The cooldown of certain spells is a good way to prevent player from resurrecting all losses, and add a bit to your planning.

Buttomline, it is indeed playable without paying, atleast so far, and I can recommand it.

[Panda Tar]

Still sounds better and more fun than H6.

[Wizard of Soz]

Thanks Roald! It's starting to feel more like 'pay to avoid a long and torturous experience'. It's the resource of time that is the issue with these free to play games! You spend ages waiting for new units (5 or so ghouls an hour), and resources to appear. And the answer is to pay to speed things up. And though that is the free to play model, and they have to make their money somehow, but if you make the experience such a chore then it kills off much of the fun and reason to keep playing it. And that's a shame because this game is actually quite good.