Heroes of Might and Magic IV is a turn-based strategy game created by Gus Smedstad through New World Computing. It was published by the 3DO Company and released for Windows computers in 2002. Later, a version for Macintosh computers was made by Contraband Entertainment and also published by 3DO Company. This game is the fourth part of the Heroes of Might and Magic series, following Heroes of Might and Magic III. It was the final game in the series developed by New World Computing.

Gameplay

Heroes of Might and Magic IV brought several important changes to the game series. There are six types of towns, and each has a specific belief or value: Life (Haven), Nature (Preserve), Chaos (Asylum), Death (Necropolis), Order (Academy), and Might (Stronghold). Except for Might, which is neutral, each town type is friendly with two others and opposed to two others.

In earlier games, heroes had limited roles in battles. Now, heroes are active on the battlefield with their troops. They can attack and be attacked. If a hero is killed in battle, they must be taken to a friendly town to be revived. Armies can include more than one hero or no heroes at all. However, armies without a hero cannot perform certain tasks, such as capturing enemy towns or structures.

The skill system was changed significantly. All heroes of the same class start with the same skills. Players now have more control over how a hero’s skills develop compared to earlier games. Heroes can grow into over 40 specialized classes. A hero can choose up to five of the nine main skills, and each main skill unlocks three secondary skills. Each of these 36 skills has five levels of progression, instead of the three levels in previous games.

Both the adventure map and combat map were changed to use a fixed-view isometric 3D display. The traditional hexagon-shaped battle grid was replaced with a higher-resolution square-based grid, making it easier to show units of different sizes. Non-hero spellcasting units now have proper spell choices. Units can now fight back during an attack, and ranged units can retaliate against other ranged attacks. Projectile attacks and spells now require a clear path to the target.

Each troop unit has its own movement allowance on the adventure map. Units can split off from the main army independently. However, troops can no longer be moved quickly from one hero to another to travel long distances in a single turn. Travel spells were limited or removed to restrict logistics. This change was partly balanced by not requiring players to revisit resource-producing structures weekly and by introducing caravans, which can safely transport heroes and recruit troops from distant locations.

A few skills from earlier games are still present, and some new skills can greatly influence strategy (for example, a hero with Grandmaster Stealth is invisible to non-allied units). Troop units can no longer be upgraded, and there are now four ranks of recruitable units in towns, down from seven. Each rank has two buildings that can be constructed, but after the first rank, building one prevents the other from being built. Creature dwellings now gain new creatures every day, instead of at the start of each week. Unlike previous games, even units that only appear on the adventure map are still linked to one of the six faction alignments.

Story

After the events of Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost, Gelu, the leader of Erathia's Forest Guard and the wielder of Armageddon's Blade, attacks Kilgor, the Barbarian King of Krewlod, to take and destroy the Sword of Frost. As predicted by a prophecy, when Armageddon's Blade and the Sword of Frost fight, a huge explosion called the Reckoning happens. This explosion destroys the world of Enroth. However, many people on Enroth escape through strange portals that appear during the Reckoning. These portals lead to a new world called Axeoth, which is also the setting for Might and Magic IX. Among the people who escape are heroes from earlier games in the series. Many of them return to their old roles after arriving in Axeoth.

The story of Heroes of Might and Magic IV is told through six campaigns in the game. Each campaign explains how the major kingdoms of one of Axeoth's continents were created after the Reckoning and the arrival of Enrothian refugees. Each campaign focuses on a leader and tells how they became important. Unlike Heroes of Might and Magic III, all six campaigns are available from the start, and each is a separate story.

• In the Haven campaign, The True Blade, Lysander, a knight who once served Queen Catherine Ironfist, rules the newly formed kingdom of Palaedra. This kingdom is mainly made up of people who fled the kingdom of Erathia. However, Lysander's rule is challenged by Sir Worton, who claims to be the only surviving heir to the Gryphonheart dynasty. Many of Lysander's generals support Worton, forcing Lysander to prove that Worton is not the real heir or risk losing control of his kingdom.

• The Stronghold campaign, Glory of Days Past, begins with Waerjak, a barbarian chieftain, who is sad about the changes in his people’s lives. After Kilgor’s death, the barbarians have been fighting among themselves and are in danger of destroying their own community. Waerjak wants to bring peace back to the barbarian kingdom, as it was before Kilgor’s time. He works to prove his strength and defeat his rivals, with help from his mentor, Tarnum, who was the main character in the Heroes Chronicles series.

• The Academy campaign, The Price of Peace, follows Emilia Nighthaven, the daughter of an Enrothian glassblower. On Axeoth, she takes charge of a group of frightened refugees and helps them build the kingdom of Great Arcan. However, her success draws the attention of Gavin Magnus, the Immortal King of Bracada from Heroes of Might and Magic III and Might and Magic VII, and his genie servant, Solmyr. They try to stop Axeoth from suffering the same fate as Enroth by using magic to take away everyone’s freedom to choose.

• In the Preserve campaign, Elwin and Shaera, Elwin, an elf from the Elven kingdom of Aranorn (mostly made up of survivors from AvLee), is in love with Shaera. Their relationship is threatened by Lord Harke, a powerful rival for Shaera’s affection. Elwin’s efforts to win Shaera’s love cause a war between groups in the same area. The winner of this war will gain Shaera’s love and the throne of Aranorn.

• The Necropolis campaign, Half-Dead, tells the story of Gauldoth Half-Dead, a half-human, half-lich who became this way after a spell he cast to save his life backfired. Tired of stealing food from villagers, Gauldoth unites surviving necromancers and demonic Kreegans from the old kingdoms of Deyja and Eeofol to form a powerful kingdom called Nekross. He must protect both the living and the dead when a powerful being from another dimension arrives to end all life in the universe.

• The Asylum campaign, A Pirate’s Daughter, introduces Tawni Balfour, the daughter of a famous pirate. After her father’s death, Tawni inherits his ship and crew. She sails along the coasts of the Gold Sea, fighting pirates, sea monsters, and mermaids. Her goal is to become the most feared pirate captain in Axeoth while dealing with secrets from her past.

Expansion packs

Two expansion packs were released for Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm (2002) and Winds of War (2003). Both were designed for Microsoft Windows only.

The Gathering Storm includes six campaigns, more than 20 maps, 16 new artifacts, four additional creatures, and a multiplayer update. The first five campaigns each feature a unique hero. This expansion also includes an improved editor, which allows users to access new heroes, adventure objects, artifacts, and creatures. A new soundtrack is also included.

Winds of War adds three new creatures and six campaigns that tell the story of the invasion of the kingdom of Channon by the leaders of its five neighboring kingdoms. Winds of War was the final game in the Heroes of Might and Magic series created by New World Computing. Afterward, the bankruptcy of the 3DO Company led to the sale of the Might and Magic franchise to Ubisoft for $1.3 million.

Reception

The original Heroes IV received positive reviews from Metacritic. GameSpot stated that Heroes IV is a good follow-up to the series and was worth the wait. The review praised New World Computing for adding new features while keeping the important parts that made earlier games successful.

In Germany, the game ranked fifth on Media Control's computer game sales chart in April 2002. It rose to fourth place in its second month, then fell to 12th in June and 19th in July.

The game was considered for The Electric Playground's 2002 "Best Strategy Game for PC" award but did not win. It lost to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.

The Gathering Storm received mixed reviews, which were less positive than those for Heroes IV, according to Metacritic.

Winds of War received even more mixed reviews than The Gathering Storm and the original Heroes IV, as reported by Metacritic.