Olden Era Build Order — Week 1 Opening Guide
Week 1 decides whether a Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era run snowballs or stalls. There is no single perfect build order for all six factions, but there is a shared logic: every building should win the next fight, unlock the next bottleneck, or pay off before the weekly creature growth refresh. A town that looks strong on day 7 but cannot clear the map has already lost tempo to a town that spent each day on the exact next step.
The routes below treat week 1 as a sequence of decisions, not a fixed script. Use the day-by-day examples as a baseline, then adjust the moment the map gives you extra towns, rare mines, or a pass guard that changes your timing.
The Week 1 Decision Filter
Before committing to a building, run it through this filter. The strongest early players are not following one universal order; they are reading the map and answering three questions: what makes the next fight safer, what unlocks the next building, and what pays value before the week ends.
| Priority | Build | Pick It When | Skip It When |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immediate army upgrade or key dwelling | The unit, upgrade, or weekly growth makes your next fights noticeably safer. | The unit does not change your next fights, or you cannot afford to recruit it. |
| 2 | Compounding economy building | The building pays gold, resources, Law Points, or Astrology Points across several days. | You need combat power right now and the economy building does not help you clear. |
| 3 | Mage Guild | Spells immediately improve clearing, mobility, buffs, damage, or survival. | You lack mana or spell scaling, or a more urgent building is blocked. |
| 4 | Marketplace | Trading unlocks the exact next building, spell, upgrade, or recruitment timing. | You are building it only because it is cheap and no real bottleneck exists. |
| 5 | Fortifications | Enemy pressure is close, or fortifications are a prerequisite for a dwelling. | You are safe and still need economy, dwellings, or a Mage Guild. |
Day-by-Day Week 1 Routes by Faction
These are safe Hard-difficulty openings aimed at unlocking creature dwellings up to tier 6 by the end of week 1. A slash marks a genuinely flexible day where the map, resource situation, or hero needs should decide.
| Faction | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | Griffin Rookery | Solar Temple II | Solar Temple III | Sundrop Chapel | Marketplace | Threshold Basilica | Hippodrome |
| Necropolis | Kennel | Eternal Visage II | Eternal Visage III | Bone Exchange | Timeless Mansion | Fortifications | Tomb of Warriors |
| Grove | Menhir Circle | Grove Palace II | Marketplace | Mage Guild | Blooming Pond | Shroomwood Shack | Thunder Lair |
| Dungeon | Amphitheatre | Byzantine Palace II | Byzantine Palace III | Labyrinth | Bank / Marketplace / Mage Guild | Stilled Voices | Chthonic Home |
| Hive | Paper Nest | Apiary Heart II | Apiary Heart III | Marketplace | Chitinous Ziggurat | Apex | Burning Soul Burrows |
| Schism | Aga'Shoth Stables | Abyssal Remnant II | Abyssal Remnant III | Mage Guild | Disturbing Summoning Rite | House of Chains | Bloated Mansion |
What a Week 1 Route Costs
Gold load and the rare resource that most often blocks the route vary sharply by faction. The cheap-looking Grove route hides a heavy Crystal demand, while Schism carries the highest gold pressure of the six.
| Faction | Building Route Gold | Day 1 Recruitment Gold | Rare-Resource Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temple | 24,750 | 4,785 | Gems |
| Necropolis | 27,750 | 4,290 | Mercury |
| Grove | 19,250 | 3,900 | Crystals |
| Dungeon | 21,250 | 4,125 | Gems |
| Hive | 23,550 | 4,950 | Crystals |
| Schism | 28,000 | 5,100 | Mercury and gold pressure |
Unit Dwelling vs Town Upgrade
The hardest early call is choosing between a creature dwelling and a town hall or economy upgrade. The answer is almost always: build the dwelling if it changes your next fights, and build the upgrade if your army can already clear safely. A unit that unlocks a safer ranged or tank stack is immediate combat power; an economy upgrade only pays back if you survive enough turns to compound it.
The weekly refresh turns this into a timing decision too. A dwelling finished before the week rolls over can preserve a full week of growth, while the same dwelling built the next day misses that window. When the refresh is near, growth buildings rise in priority.
One Main Hero vs Multiple Heroes
Focus army power and experience on one main hero. Extra heroes are useful only as cheap staff: a scout to reveal fog, a ferry to move reinforcements and pickups toward the front, and sometimes a defender for a threatened town. Trying to build several full armies is expensive, spreads experience, and slows the main hero's leveling.
A second hero bought on day 1 or 2 pays for itself when it saves the main hero two turns each week. A second hero left idle does not. Treat every hire as a movement-tempo purchase, not as a second army in waiting.
FAQ
Is there one best week 1 build order for every faction?
No. Each faction and hero changes the answer, and the map can override any fixed plan. The reliable rule is the same everywhere: build the thing that wins the next fight, unlocks the next bottleneck, or captures value before the weekly growth refresh.
Should I build the Marketplace during week 1?
Yes when a rare resource is blocking the route. Grove and Hive both need Crystals for their tier 6 dwelling, Temple and Dungeon need Gems, and Necropolis needs Mercury. If those resources are short, a Marketplace is worth more than a comfort building. If nothing is blocked, skip it.
Why do some routes build Fortifications in week 1?
Because fortifications can be a prerequisite for a higher-tier creature dwelling. The Necropolis route builds Fortifications on day 6 mainly to unlock Tomb of Warriors, not for town defense. Treat it as a gated tech step, not a defensive luxury.
Should I take Gold or Law Points on town hall upgrades?
Gold is the safer default because it recruits units, upgrades stacks, and keeps buildings flowing. Law Points are better when you already know which faction law you are chasing and that law directly supports your route.
When should I recruit my first units?
Recruit the day 1 units right after the first dwelling finishes, then avoid extra recruitment until week 2 in resource-tight routes. Every extra purchase in week 1 competes with the buildings that unlock your week 2 creature pool.
Last updated: August 12, 2026