Castle

1:19 The Castle is the human town of Heroes of Might and Magic 3: the town of Queen Catherine's Erathia, native to grass, led by Knights (heroes of might) and Clerics (heroes of magic), and recruiting Pikemen, Archers, Griffins, Swordsmen, Monks, Cavaliers and Angels, each of which upgrades (to Halberdiers, Marksmen, Royal Griffins, Crusaders, Zealots, Champions and Archangels). The official strategy guide calls it "one of the more balanced towns", says "increased damage attack ability is the defining feature of Castle armies", and names the Archangel "one of the best units in the game". It is one of the eight towns of the 1999 game, The Restoration of Erathia, and returns in the 3D Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake. The clip shows a Castle town screen in the 2015 HD Edition.

Quick facts

Sources for the table: the official guide's town chapter, pp.107-112, and its terrain table, pp.165-166.

Castle creatures

The numbers below are The Restoration of Erathia's, from the official strategy guide, pp.112 and 127-129: attack, defense, damage, health, speed in hexes, weekly growth of the basic dwelling, and cost. Growth rises by 50% with a Citadel and 100% with a Castle (p.106). The Shadow of Death changed only the Angels' costs, adding gems (The Shadow of Death manual, p.25).

7:37 Pikemen and Halberdiers are the town's sturdy level 1 infantry; the clip, from the HD Edition, recruits Pikemen and then Griffins in a Castle with a Citadel. The guide's plan for an early Castle army is "protecting your Archers with your Pikemen", and later to keep "a mass of Halberdiers" beside the shooters "to stick anyone who gets close" (p.130).

Archers and Marksmen carry 12 and 24 shots. The upgrade fires twice per attack, so, in the guide's words, "Marksmen deal twice as much damage"; it advises upgrading them "as soon as you can" (p.130).

Griffins fly and strike back twice a round instead of once; Royal Griffins strike back without limit, which makes them hard to gang up on. The guide uses them as "free-roving troubleshooters" (pp.128, 130). The Griffin Bastion adds 3 Griffins a week to the Griffin Tower (p.112).

Crusaders strike twice per attack, and Zealots, the upgraded Monks, shoot with no penalty in hand-to-hand fighting (p.129).

Cavaliers and Champions charge: they get a 5-point damage bonus for every hex they travel to their target before striking (p.129).

Angels and Archangels do 150% damage to Devils, the Inferno's level 7 creatures, and the Devils return the favor (Inferno). An Archangel can, instead of attacking, cast Resurrection at Power 3 on an allied stack (p.129); The Shadow of Death manual adds that it does so "once per combat" (SoD manual, p.25). The guide calls the Archangel "the perfect situational fixer", fast enough to fly the length of the battlefield in one turn (p.130). Every creature's full entry is on Creatures.

Castle heroes

The Castle's two classes, from the official guide (pp.36-37 and 46-47); every class has eight heroes in the 1999 game (Heroes):

The guide describes the Knight as "a balanced Hero of might" whose most offered skill is Leadership, followed by Navigation, Ballistics, Tactics and Offense, and advises building Knight armies "from only one or two town types" to profit from the morale bonus (p.46). Clerics are most often offered First Aid, then Diplomacy, Wisdom, Intelligence, Eagle Eye and Scholar (p.36).

• Knights: Christian (Ballista), Edric (Griffins), Lord Haart (+5% Estates per level), Orrin (Archery), Sorsha (Swordsmen and Crusaders), Sylvia (Navigation), Tyris (Cavaliers and Champions), Valeska (Archers and Marksmen). A creature specialist raises that creature's attack and defense as the hero gains levels (p.47).
• Clerics: Adela (Bless), Adelaide (Frost Ring), Caitlin (+350 gold a day), Cuthbert (Weakness), Ingham (Monks and Zealots), Loynis (Prayer), Rion (First Aid), Sanya (Eagle Eye) (p.37).
• Armageddon's Blade added Sir Mullich, a hero with Knight statistics and Advanced Leadership under whom "all creatures ... receive +2 speed", named after David Mullich, who led the Heroes 3 development team (Wikipedia), and campaign versions of Queen Catherine and King Roland Ironfist, Knights who boost Swordsmen and Crusaders (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.9, 23).

One page of the guide (p.112) says the Castle "is home to the Druid and Knight"; its own hero tables give the Cleric's town as Castle and the Druid's as Rampart (pp.36, 42), as the game does.

Buildings and the Grail

The Castle's own buildings, from the guide (p.112):

• Brotherhood of the Sword (500 gold and 5 wood, needs a Tavern): +2 morale for the garrison's creatures.
• Lighthouse: more movement for the player's boats. The Castle is one of three towns that can build a Shipyard in the 1999 game, with the Necropolis and the Fortress (p.111).
• Stables (2,000 gold and 10 wood): more movement for visiting heroes.
• Griffin Bastion (1,000 gold): +3 Griffins a week.
• Portal of Glory, the Angel dwelling: 20,000 gold plus 10 each of crystal, gems, mercury and sulfur, and the same again for the upgrade, per The Shadow of Death manual, p.25.

The guide's advice on building: the town "doesn't rely heavily" on any one resource, but the Barracks is "a prerequisite choke point" for the Griffin Tower, Monastery and Training Grounds, so "build the Barracks early to increase your expansion options" (p.112). The Mage Guild stops at level IV, so a Castle never offers level 5 spells (p.107). The Castle's Grail building, the Colossus, gives +2 morale to all of the player's heroes, besides the +50% creature growth and 5,000 gold a day every Grail building gives (p.111). The general order of building is on Town Build Order.

How the Castle plays

The guide sums up a full Castle army as "two ranged-attack units (Marksman and Zealot), a unit to defend them (Halberdier), and three highly mobile attackers (Champion, Royal Griffin, and Archangel)". Its plan: hang the shooters back with Halberdiers beside them, use Champions and Royal Griffins for gang attacks while Marksmen and Zealots fire, and send the Archangels wherever they are needed: to "lend a hand on gang attacks, pick off straggling enemy stacks, defend your shooters, heal crippled stacks" (p.130).

Morale matters to a Castle. Troops from one town get +1 morale, and each further town in the army costs a point (p.13); Knights start with Leadership, and the Brotherhood of the Sword and the Colossus add more. The guide's tactics for every army are on Combat and Strategy Guide.

7:25 Quick Save's town ranking puts the Castle second of nine, calling it "very good in both its unit strengths and abilities", singling out the double-striking Marksmen and Crusaders and the Archangel, which it judges "pretty much" the best level 7 creature; its one complaint is that no Castle creature is immune to anything. That ranking is Quick Save's opinion, not the official guide's.

The Castle in the campaigns

0:02 The Castle is the town of Erathia and of Catherine Ironfist, whose three good campaigns in The Restoration of Erathia are Long Live the Queen, Liberation and Song for the Father (p.287). The first scenario, Homecoming, asks the player to capture the town of Terraneus with heroes capped at level 6, and the Knight Christian is a starting hero; Liberation opens with Steadwick's Liberation, and the last scenario, For King and Country, is lost if Queen Catherine or Lord Haart falls (pp.288-339). In Armageddon's Blade, Catherine and Roland lead the title campaign against the Inferno's Lucifer Kreegan, and the expert campaign, Foolhardy Waywardness, follows the young Sir Christian (AB manual, pp.6, 9-11). The full stories are on Campaigns. The Remake's reveal trailer opens on the same war: "The great king of Erathia is dead. And the enemies of the kingdom are scrambling to feed on its remains."

The Castle in the Remake

7:33 Ubisoft has shown the Castle in the Remake's store screenshots: a valley town of half-timbered houses below hilltop castles, and a warrior in gilded armor raising his arm against a winged dragon before a castle wall. Ubisoft says "from day one, players will have access to all factions", and on Oct 7, 2026 said it had "begun refining several creature models" after feedback on the units' designs (Ubisoft on Steam). It has not listed changes to the Castle's creatures or buildings, as of Oct 21, 2026. Its gameplay overview says the three original sagas are "woven into a single continuous experience" with new cinematics, and invites players to "witness the rise of Queen Catherine Ironfist".

Frequently asked questions

What are the Castle units in Heroes 3? In Heroes of Might and Magic 3 the Castle recruits Pikemen, Archers, Griffins, Swordsmen, Monks, Cavaliers and Angels, which upgrade to Halberdiers, Marksmen, Royal Griffins, Crusaders, Zealots, Champions and Archangels.

How good is the Archangel in Heroes 3? The official Heroes 3 strategy guide calls the Archangel "one of the best units in the game": in The Restoration of Erathia it has 30 attack, 30 defense, 250 health and speed 18, does 150% damage to Devils, and can resurrect an allied stack.

What heroes belong to the Castle in Heroes 3? The Castle's heroes in Heroes 3 are Knights, the might class, and Clerics, the magic class, eight of each in the 1999 game, such as the Knight Christian and the Cleric Adela.

Why do Angels and Devils hate each other in Heroes 3? In Heroes 3, Angels and Archangels do 150% damage to Devils and Arch Devils, and Devils and Arch Devils do 150% damage to Angels, per the official strategy guide.

What is the Castle's Grail building in Heroes 3? The Castle's Grail building in Heroes 3 is the Colossus, which gives +2 morale to all of the player's heroes on top of +50% creature growth and 5,000 gold a day.

Can the Castle build a level 5 Mage Guild in Heroes 3? No: in Heroes 3 the Castle's Mage Guild stops at level IV, so it never teaches level 5 spells.

Sources

• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Publishing, 1999, pp.13, 36-37, 46-47, 106-112, 127-130, 165-166, 287-339
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death user manual, The 3DO Company, 2000, p.25
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade manual, The 3DO Company, 1999, pp.6, 9-11, 23
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake news, Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026 and Oct 7, 2026
• David Mullich, Wikipedia, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake - Gameplay Overview Trailer, Ubisoft, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake - Reveal Trailer, Ubisoft, Aug 25, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic 3 HD Edition - 4K GAMEPLAY, SergiuHellDragoonHQ, Apr 20, 2017 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Ranking the Town Factions, Quick Save, Jun 7, 2018 (video)