Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade

Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade

Company type	Expansion pack
Industry	Video games
Predecessor	Heroes of Might and Magic III
Founded	1999 (1999)
Founder	New World Computing
Headquarters	United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Turn-based strategy video game expansion pack
Owner	The 3DO Company
Parent	New World Computing

Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade represents the initial expansion for the turn-based strategy title Heroes of Might and Magic III. Created by New World Computing and distributed by The 3DO Company in 1999, it was launched exclusively for Microsoft Windows.

Gameplay

The expansion introduces the Conflux town, an elemental-aligned faction, raising the total number of alignments in Heroes of Might and Magic III to nine. Alongside new elemental creatures, it also features returning neutral units like Peasants, Boars, and Halflings, as well as fresh neutral additions such as the formidable Azure Dragon.

Included are six new campaigns—one that extends the original storyline and five that explore different narratives within the same universe—plus more than 35 standalone scenarios. The pack adds eleven fresh campaign heroes and two significant artifacts: Armageddon's Blade and the Vial of Dragonblood. Additionally, new map elements like quest towers appear, which impose access restrictions based on hero attributes defined by map creators.

A random map generator allows players to produce maps with adjustable settings, while a separate campaign editor facilitates the creation of entirely new campaigns from individual scenarios.

Plot

Among the six campaigns introduced in Armageddon's Blade, only one continues the primary narrative from Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. In this storyline, players liberate Roland Ironfist from the Kreegan fortress Colony Zod after defeating their leader Xenofex. Following the Restoration Wars, Erathia faces an unexpected invasion from the Kreegans of Eeofol. Queen Catherine’s exhausted forces are overwhelmed by this assault.

After Xenofex’s demise, Lucifer Kreegan seizes control of Eeofol and endeavors to assemble the legendary weapon Armageddon's Blade to unleash destruction upon the world. His lieutenant Xeron embarks on a quest to gather its components. In response, armies from Erathia and AvLee launch an offensive against Eeofol, unexpectedly supported by elemental Conflux towns. Queen Catherine and King Roland—recently freed—are aided by Gelu, a half-elven warrior. Xeron acquires the Blade but is ultimately defeated by Gelu, who claims it and uses it to kill Lucifer Kreegan at Catherine’s command. The Ironfists return to Enroth, leaving Gelu in possession of the Blade before he vanishes into Erathia’s forests. This narrative thread continues in Heroes Chronicles: The Sword of Frost, setting the stage for a cataclysm that leads into Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

Within this campaign, players assume control of Queen Catherine Ironfist and King Roland Ironfist. New characters introduced include Gelu and Xeron. The other five standalone campaigns feature protagonists such as Dracon in "Dragon Slayer"; Kilgor in "Festival of Life," who later appears in Heroes of Might and Magic IV; Mutare and Adrienne in "Dragon's Blood" and "Playing with Fire," respectively; and Sir Christian in "Foolhardy Waywardness," who also features in Heroes of Might and Magic IV. The epilogue clarifies Sir Christian’s role as the initial hero in The Restoration of Erathia's opening campaign.

Development

Work on the expansion commenced early in 1999 with initial plans to introduce a futuristic faction known as the "Forge," intended to continue the "evil" ending from Might and Magic VII while emphasizing the series’ science fantasy aspects. Although this concept was near completion, strong negative reactions from fans regarding its sci-fi theme led New World Computing to abandon the Forge faction during development.

In place of Forge, developers implemented an elemental-themed faction called Conflux, which had originally been slated for a future expansion. Due to time limitations caused by scrapping Forge, some Conflux dwellings utilized elemental creatures already present in the base game, a fact noticeable through their graphical design.

Reception

Armageddon's Blade received generally positive feedback, achieving an average score of 88% on GameRankings. IGN commended enhancements to the map editor along with fresh content; GameSpot emphasized the addition of the Conflux faction and gameplay refinements; GameRevolution praised the campaign’s storyline despite noting some reuse of neutral creatures within Conflux. Reviewers observed minimal fundamental changes to core gameplay mechanics but agreed that major alterations were unnecessary.

The expansion earned Computer Games Strategy Plus’s 1999 "Add-on of the Year" award for enriching an already well-regarded title. It was also nominated as runner-up for "Best Expansion Pack" at GameSpot’s 1999 awards, finishing behind Half-Life: Opposing Force.