Have you downloaded a map for Heroes of Might and Magic 3, launched it in HotA, and at some point the path turned out to be blocked or the battle becomes impassable? It's not about the map or crooked hands: SoD and HotA are different engines with different rules, and some of the objects, spells and game mechanics behave differently in them. This article contains real examples of maps that cause this problem most often, and an explanation of how to understand in advance which version of the game the downloaded map was made for.

SoD and HotA are two different engines

SoD ("The Shadow of Death") — The official addition of the year 2000, the classic on which the entire Heroes 3 scene is based. This addition is also included in the version of the game "Heroes of Might and Magic III: Complete" (Complete Collection) is a collection that includes the original game and both of its major additions.

HotA ("Horn of the Abyss") is a fan addition on top of SoD: three new factions, new creatures and artifacts, its own campaign, fixed bugs and changed balance. HotA has been actively developing for years, SoD has not changed for decades.

A map made and tested under the rules of one engine does not have to behave the same way in another — even if it formally opens and starts without errors.

Where can I download the required version?

The complete collection can be bought in the GoG store, for citizens of the Russian Federation is not an easy task. The Steam version of the HD Edition will not work, there is a basic version without add-ons and there is no way to improve it to SoD.

The HotA version can be downloaded on the official website, where you can download both the add-on and the full version of the game separately.

If you have any problems finding the right version of the game, write to us in VK or Telegram — we will prompt you and help you figure it out.

How do I figure out which version of the game the map is for?

On our website, the version of the game for a specific card is always indicated, in the card and in the card description itself.
We can also understand in the game itself which version the map belongs to by the icons next to it in the map selection menu.

A shield with a sword is the Objection of Erafia (RoE).
Just a sword — Blade of Armageddon (AB).
The hooded skull is the Shadow of Death (SoD).
The horn is the Horn of the Abyss (HotA).

RoE and AB cards can be held in the SoD client.

What exactly is changing

Walking on water. In HotA, some of the objects have been changed and it is not possible to step on them by walking on water, which in SoD — the same stretch of coast can be passable in SoD and impassable in HotA. This is one of the most common reasons why the map " suddenly " comes to a dead end. A good example is Paragon 2.0: the map was made under SoD, and HotA players regularly get stuck for 2-3 months, unable to walk on the water to the fountain — then the map becomes impassable.

Logistics. The maximum bonus to movement from the "Logistics" skill at the expert level in SoD is 30%, in HotA — 20%. If the map is designed for the fact that the hero with the upgraded logistics manages to get to the right point in a certain number of moves, in HotA this stock of movement may not be enough — part of the logistical puzzles becomes impassable precisely because of this cut.

Custom portraits of heroes. They can break the very loading of the game. An example is "The Lord of the Rings " (4.0, Russian version): if you have placed custom portraits from additional files to the map, then the game will give an error at all and will not start on HotA. If you only have a map, then Aragorn does not appear in the tavern, and without him you cannot pass the map.

Well-known "bugs" and combat mechanics. Many map authors deliberately build battles based on the features of SoD — for example, danger zone, fear of burning, fear of AOE. In HotA, some of these bugs have been fixed or changed, and a fight designed by the author for a specific behavior may go completely wrong as intended. The behavior of AI in some situations in SoD and HotA is also different.

Random morality and good luck. In SoD, the triggering of morality / luck is tied to a specific frame of animation — in fact, to real time, and experienced players catch the right moment by ear. In HotA, the random is pseudo-random and is tied to the sequence of actions in battle: without changing the order of moves, the result will be repeated. These are two fundamentally different mechanisms — a detailed analysis with calculations of chances in a separate article: "Differences in random mechanics: SoD vs HotA".

Separately, it is worth mentioning about Chinese maps — among them there are a lot of cool story projects made before the advent of HotA, and now HotA is not as popular with Chinese cartographers as SoD. So if the card is in Chinese, it is almost certainly designed specifically for SoD.

How to understand what you have launched at all now

Even before you understand the objects and mechanics, it is useful to just make sure that you have launched the right client — SoD and HotA look different already on the very first screen after launch.

Classic SoD screen, this version is sold by GoG or most often you will find it on the Internet.
Also, the screensaver may differ, for example, in the build from the LC on the screensaver angel from the Rebirth of Erafia.

The HotA splash screen, please note that the HotA version is also indicated in the lower left corner, for example, version 1.8.1 is shown in the screenshot. To update the HotA, it is not enough to click update HD mod in the launcher, you just need to download the desired version from the official website and install it on top of the existing one.

Is it possible to switch between SoD and HotA in one HD Mod

In the HD Mod settings, there is a game version switch (EXE_VERSION), which can be used to change SoD/HotA on the fly in one installation. But you shouldn't do that: when switching versions, files/ data from the previous one remain (the same custom portraits of heroes from the example above) that may conflict with the new version. It is more reliable to keep two separate clients — one configured for SoD, the second for HotA — and run the card in the one it was made for.

The main differences between HotA and SoD

  • Three new factions — Berth, Factory and Kronverk

  • New Neutral Creatures and artifacts

  • Own story campaign

  • Revised balance: for example, expert Logistics gives 30% in SoD and only 20% in HotA

  • Another principle of random generation is morality and luck

  • A lot of fixed bugs and changed behavior of individual objects (including walking on water)

  • Active support and regular updates — unlike the unchanged classic SoD