Last update: June 2026

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At the current moment, the map editor is at a very early stage of development. Its interface, functionality, convenience and stability will be significantly reworked and improved in the future. As the editor is updated, the contents of this guide will also be supplemented and kept up to date.

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1. Editor introduction and mapmaking basics

2. Scripting and triggers

3. Story text and dialogues

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• KNOWN CRITICAL ISSUES </aside>

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• GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS </aside>

Blanks and supporting materials

Lists of technical values (for reward tuning / scripting)

Artefacts. List of IDs

Heroes. List of IDs

Spells. List of IDs

Skills. List of IDs

Resources. List of IDs

Units. List of IDs

Units. Table of creature values

Scripting-related lists

Conditions and their parameters. Full list

Actions and their parameters. Full list

Dialog conditions. Full list

Templates and blanks

Template — script file: map_name.json

Blank — script file: map_name.json

Template — Neutral squad file

Template — Dialog file

Where files are located

• Created maps AND quest-files are stored in the folder:

  [Local Disk with the game]:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era\HeroesOldenEra_Data\StreamingAssets\maps
  

• Neutral squads files are stored in the folder:

  [Local Disk with the game]:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era\HeroesOldenEra_Data\StreamingAssets\Core.zip\DB\squads
  

• Dialogue files are stored in the folder:

  [Local Disk with the game]:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Heroes of Might and Magic Olden Era\HeroesOldenEra_Data\StreamingAssets\Core.zip\DB\dialogs
  

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Any changes made within the Core.zip archive are automatically deleted whenever a new patch for the game is released.

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In order to preserve your auxiliary files during patches you have to do one of two things:

• Create your own unique archive **map_name**.zip in the \HeroesOldenEra_Data\StreamingAssets\ folder (in the same location where Core.zip is stored). And add all created files inside it. This archive must satisfy ALL of the following requirements:

  1. Have an internal folder structure completely identical to that of Core.zip. The folders themselves do not need to contain all the same files. However, any new files must be located at a path analogous to the one in the Core.zip archive. Otherwise they will not be read by the game.

     That is, all added files must be placed at the following paths:

     • Squads — *map_name*.zip\DB\squads\
     • Dialogues — *map_name*.zip\DB\dialogs\dialogs\

  2. Have a compression level of 0%.

  💡 This archive and all data inside it will not be overwritten when updates for the base game are released.

• Create local backups of all files added inside Core.zip and manually transfer them there when a new update is released. </aside>

Glossary

General Game Terms

• Player — one of the factions on the map. Has its own individual color, controlled heroes, and castles. Does NOT necessarily refer to a human playing the game.
• Lobby — the interface from which the game is launched. Allows selecting a map, number of players, their factions, starting hero, various game settings, etc.
• Game session — one continuous period of time during which a person logs in and plays the game.
• Match — the entire gameplay process from the moment the first game session is initialized (selecting a player, starting conditions, and map settings in the lobby) to the final victory of one of the players. Can be played in a single session or across an unlimited number of them.
• Win condition — the conditions for victory. By default, only a few of the most basic types are available to choose from (defeat all opponents, capture a castle, …). However, any of them can be customized in an almost unlimited way through scripting.