Author: Liso1 September 25, 2023 1 Comment

Heroes 4 Ultimate Edition v8 release comes with a lots of improvements and also adds new content. Copy inside the MAIN folder and paste over your existing H4 folder. You may want to archive your previous “maps” as there is a new classification that works best with a clean map folder. See below for full notes and changelog.

Biggest Changes:

• Remastered campaigns are incorporated into the normal start campaign dialogue. You now use ultimate campaigns by default
• Many new Fan-made campaigns (26+!!) has been added, together with hundreds (200+) quailty maps and translated into english
• Added one new, Ultimate Exclusive Map made by Szacsi23, using the Ultimate Editor and even more objects! You can find it in ⁠ult-themed-maps
• New and fixed animations for creatures, heroes and more! (such as Bloody Vampires)
• Tons of rebalances across magic quilds, spells, and abilities
• Added new interesting ability called Magic Vulnerability, you can find what it does in-game
• Several bug fixes, new objects to the Editor and soo much more…

Heroes 4 Ultimate Edition v8 changelog:

BUILDINGS
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* Town Hall will cost 500 gold less
* City Hall will cost 500 gold more

* Levels of Mage Guilds have different costs.
level 1 – 1000 gold, 2 wood, 2 ore – for every faction
level 2 – 1250 gold, 1 faction special resource
level 3 – 1500 gold, 1 faction special resource
level 4 – 1750 gold, 1 wood, 1 ore, 2 faction special resource
level 5 – 2000 gold, 1 wood, 1 ore, 2 faction special resource, 1 of each other special resource

* On the other hand, library costs have been lowered to:
1750 gold, 1 wood, 1 ore, 2 auxiliary faction special resource

* Might (Stronghold) building costs have been wood/ore reconfigured
* Life (Haven) building costs have been wood/ore reconfigured

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CREATURES
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Champion:
NY** Graphics fixed.

Dark Champion:
* Description updated.

Frenzied Gnasher:
* Ability description updated.

Frostwights:
* Abilities changed: They now teleport and are Skeletal, with a melee cold attack, besides being undead.
** Graphics improved and fixed.
** New original animated map dwelling.

Gargantuan:
* Ability description updated.

Imps:
* Now are always vulnerable to Magic.

Megadragon:
* XP from 1550 to 2333 (aprox.), so it is roughly equivalent to four powerful max level creatures.

Magi:
** Graphics fixed and updated.

Nomads:
* Now are always vulnerable to Magic.
* Portrait ring updated.

Ogre Magi:
* Footprint radius is smaller. (4 from 5)

Peasants:
* Now are always vulnerable to Magic.

Pirates:
* Now are always vulnerable to Magic.
* Description updated.

Succubi:
** Graphics fixed and updated.

Troglodytes:
* Changed to be dark purple instead of reddish. This is so they fit with Beholders.
* Portrait updated.

Vampires:
* Now are always vulnerable to Magic.
* Description updated.
* Ability description updated.
* Necromancy skill will raise them again, instead of Succubi.
** Has a new sprite recolor.

Zombie:
* Description updated.

SPELLS
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Wild Mana Surge was an unpredictable spell and possibly too unbalancing. It has been switched for Mass Pain Mirror.
Immortal Coil was confusing for some people, it now no longer scales to provide more lives to creatures.

Lv.? Fiery Blades (Life?):
* Description updated

Lv.5 Immortal Coil (Death):
* Immortal coil can only give a single life, and is no longer Healing. Some people found the up to two lives confusing, since the spell persists across combats.
* Besides, this can be cast on all stacks and lasts until next combat even in creatures.
* No longer works on Mechanical creatures.
* Description updated.

Lv.3 Pain Mirror (Chaos):
* Changed for Mirror Gallery (Mass Magic Mirror).

Lv.5 Wild Mana Surge (Chaos):
* Changed for Infinite Mana in Chaos.

Lv.3 Mirror Gallery (Order):
* Changed for Pain Mirror.

Lv.5 Infinite Mana (Order):
* Changed for Mass Pain Mirror.

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HEROES
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(Chaos)
(*) Chaos portraits have “nobility” style to show that they are or pretend to be nobles, and to fit with their skills.
[Icons to revert/replace: Xyron, Madmarik]
(*) Updated descriptions of Impostors tend to show they aren’t simple street urchins.

* Impostors can now become Stunning and Brave [Impostors start with Diplomacy instead of Nobility, and Estates instead of Scouting. This allows them to become Guildmasters which can stun on attack, and other classes.]

(Order)
* Did you know how many Nobles are Dwarves and how Noble Dwarves are? [Nobles start with Mining instead of Nobility itself.]
** Probability of base Nobility when leveling up increased.
* Lords start with Charm instead of Diplomacy, since that is now for Impostors.

* Mages start with Wizardry instead of Charm.

(Nature)
* Outlaw: Increased chance of getting offered Scouting, since they don’t start with the base one.

(Life)
** Male Fighter: Sprite updated.
** Male Archer: Sprite updated.

(Might)
* Abegga now uses the Ogre Magi combat sprite, instead of green troglodyte. Suits her portrait better.

(Misc.)
* Skill probability adjustments in several classes.

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ARTIFACTS
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Thunder Hammer:
* Rarity downshifted to Major, since it’s a large slot investment (both hands) for something only useful to a single combat hero. Also the scaling is not that high as say, Sword of the Gods.
* Price lowered.

Spear of the Centaur:
* Description updated.

Dwarven Hammer:
* Rarity downshifted from Treasure to Item. Now it’s the best Item you can randomly get (but not yet buy in stores).
* Price +100, to 1500.

Cloak of Distraction:
* Rarity downshifted from Minor to Treasure.
* Description updated.
* Price lowered since it only increases combat movement in a few situations and uses the valuable Cloak slot (may be shifted to Misc in the future, but will need graphics changes to be “Token of Distraction”).

Barbarian Throwing Club:
* Moved from Right Hand to Left Hand.
* Price to 3000 from 2500 to reflect power of ranged stunning.

Throwing Spear:
* Moved from Bow to Right Hand.
* Price 1800 from 1600.

Nomad Blackbow, Emerald Longbow, Horned Bow:
* Added History text (seems unused ingame).

SIEGE
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• Map Garrisons get a Tower for archers, so they make more sense to defend with ranged units and in general.
• Order citadel tower rearranged.

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ABILITIES
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• Updated Cold Attack icon
• Updated Berserker icon as to not reuse the three-headed attack dog (plus, Cerberi aren’t berserkers, not even in this mod).
• Updated description of Magic Vulnerability to explain how it works.
• Updated icon of Ignores Areas of Control.
• Updated description of Ignores Areas of Control.
• Updated several other ability descriptions to make them more accurate and informative.

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MAP OBJECTS
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• Creature Banks which normally didn’t give artifacts now have a chance to give them.
• Some creature bank resources slighly changed.

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MAP EDITOR
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• Bridges are added to Movement Modifiers adventure objects, since they uh, modify movement on the map.
• Variants tab added on the resource pack section. These are edits of H4 default objects (including adding anims or changing function).
• New objects in the ULTIMATE map editor section.
• New tab with a “best from object pack” selection.
• New object brushes.

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MAPS
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• Many new maps and campaigns have been added
• Including some using ULTIMATE objects
• Magia Magica testing map improved
• Improvements in army testing and a new map variation, less top-heavy
• New testing maps
• A classification for improved VS maps
• Maps rearranged.

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CAMPAIGNS
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(+) REMASTERED CAMPAIGNS ARE INCORPORATED INTO THE NORMAL START CAMPAIGN DIALOGUE.
** You now use ultimate campaigns by default.
*** You can still load the unedited campaigns in “new game” mode from map folders.

Death campaign (Gauldoth Half-Dead) improved:
* Automatic custom triggers removed as they were generating game crashes.
* Landscape improvement.
* Monster improvement.
* Time scaling for AI: Hero levels and more monsters for boss battles.

Winds of War – Erutan Revol (Nature) campaign:
(+) New prequel scenario (hero level 1-5)

Defense of Channon – Might:
* Significant improvements to this custom campaign.
** Mongo will not need to be “carryover”.
** Mongo has full level upgrades.
** Enemy has better economy and recruiting.

Source: http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=47868