Conflux

The Conflux is the ninth town of Heroes of Might and Magic 3, added by the first expansion, Armageddon's Blade, on Sep 29, 1999: home of the Planeswalker (might) and the Elementalist (magic), it recruits Pixies, Air, Water, Fire and Earth Elementals, Psychic Elementals and Firebirds, each with an upgrade, up to the Phoenix, which rises again from its own ashes. The expansion's manual calls it "the mysterious elemental Conflux" and says what sets it apart is "their emphasis on creatures of mid-range power", adding that "Generals continue to debate if this is the strategic strength or weakness of the town" (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.4, 13). It is one of the nine Towns, and the only one not in the 1999 base game.

Quick facts

The Armageddon's Blade manual's text, the source for this page, does not give the Conflux's native terrain, its Grail building or how high its Mage Guild goes, and the official strategy guide predates the town, so this page does not state them.

Conflux creatures

Each cell gives the base creature, then its upgrade. Speed is in hexes a round; growth is per week from the base dwelling (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.13-17; The Shadow of Death manual, pp.18-22; base elementals also in Prima's Official Strategy Guide, p.157).

5:16 The Remake's gameplay overview suggests splitting "stacks of sprites to bait enemies, absorb retaliations, or shield high value units", over footage of Sprites on a desert battlefield. Pixies and Sprites fly and come in large numbers; Sprites "strike so quickly, they prevent their enemies from counterstriking". The four upgraded elementals each cast a protection spell of their own element: Storm Elementals Protection from Air, Ice Elementals Protection from Water, Energy Elementals Protection from Fire, Magma Elementals Protection from Earth. Storm Elementals fire lightning and Ice Elementals throw "deadly ice tridents" as ranged attacks (24 shots each), and Energy Elementals fly (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.14-16; The Shadow of Death manual, pp.18-20).

Each elemental has its element's strengths and weaknesses. In the official guide's words, Air Elementals are immune to Blind and Meteor Shower and take double damage from Armageddon, Lightning Bolt and Chain Lightning; Earth Elementals take no damage from Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning and Armageddon but double from Meteor Shower; Fire Elementals are immune to all Fire spells but take double damage from Ice Bolt and Frost Ring; Water Elementals are immune to Ice Bolt and Frost Ring but take double damage from Fire Wall, Fireball, Inferno and Fire Shield (Prima, p.157).

Psychic Elementals, "the fifth element: thought", are immune to mind spells, and their attacks hit everyone around them; "Enemies enduring such an attack rarely are capable of a retaliatory strike." Magic Elementals, "the sixth element: magic", are "immune to all forms of magic". Firebirds are "as quick as fire itself" and immune to fire spells, and Phoenixes "can resurrect some of their numbers from the ashes of their own demise" (The Shadow of Death manual, p.22). At speed 21 ("Blazing Fast"), the Phoenix is the fastest creature in the official guide's and the expansion manuals' tables. Every town's line-up is side by side on Creatures.

3:51 Quick Save's 2018 ranking of the nine towns, an opinion piece, notes the Conflux is "often said" to be the best and most broken town, citing cheap Pixies, Storm Elementals' ranged attacks and the Phoenix's growth and rebirth, but puts it sixth because the creator never enjoyed its elemental line-up.

Heroes

The Planeswalkers are elementals themselves: each one's race is an elemental, and each leads one pair of elementals better (Armageddon's Blade manual, p.21). The Elementalists start with Power and Knowledge of 3 each, and nearly all with Basic Wisdom and a magic school (p.22).

No Planeswalker in the manual specializes in Air or Storm Elementals. Armageddon's Blade added the two classes with these 16 heroes, plus 11 campaign heroes (p.4). All classes are compared on Heroes.

Buildings

The Conflux has its own dwellings, from the Magic Lantern to the Pyre, and these special buildings (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.13-17):

The dwellings branch: the Magic Lantern (Pixies) leads to the Altars of Air and Water; the Altar of Air leads to the Altar of Fire and the Altar of Water to the Altar of Earth; the Altar of Thought (Psychic Elementals) needs both of those; and the Pyre (Firebirds) needs the Altar of Thought. The Pyre costs 10,000 gold, 10 wood, 10 ore and 10 mercury, and its upgrade 15,000 gold, 10 wood, 10 ore and 20 mercury, so the Conflux, like the Inferno, runs on mercury (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.14-17). The Pyre is the only level 7 dwelling of the nine towns that grows two creatures a week. The four schools the Magic University teaches are explained on Spells and Magic.

In the campaigns

Armageddon's Blade's story puts the Confluxes on the map: as Queen Catherine invades Eeofol to dethrone Lucifer Kreegan, "there have been reports of the emergence of mysterious elemental Confluxes the size of cities" near the Eeofol-Erathia border; they "don't appear to be hostile", but no one knows what they want (Armageddon's Blade manual, p.9). The manual frames the town as having "emerged as either a harbinger of Erathia's victory, or an omen of world destruction" (p.4). The expansion was first planned around a science-fantasy "Forge" town, which was dropped midway for the Conflux (Wikipedia). The campaigns are on Campaigns.

Which versions have the Conflux

The Conflux comes with Armageddon's Blade, so it is in the Complete edition of 2000 and in today's Complete editions on GOG and on Steam, where Ubisoft released the original game with both expansions on Aug 25, 2026 for $9.99; see Complete Edition. It is not in the 2015 HD Edition, which Steam's page says is "based on the original 1999 game: The Restoration of Erathia" (Steam). The stand-alone Shadow of Death manual lists the ten new Conflux creatures among 23 new neutral creatures "not associated with any particular town type" (The Shadow of Death manual, p.18).

In the Remake

3:53 The Remake, whose gameplay overview promises "nine unique faction towns", will include "the entire continent of the original game as well as its two expansions, Armageddon's Blade and The Shadow of Death" (Ubisoft, Aug 25, 2026), and Ubisoft says "From day one, players will have access to all factions" (Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026). Ubisoft has not shown the Conflux itself, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Conflux units in Heroes 3? The Conflux in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 recruits Pixies, Air Elementals, Water Elementals, Fire Elementals, Earth Elementals, Psychic Elementals and Firebirds, which upgrade to Sprites, Storm, Ice, Energy, Magma and Magic Elementals, and Phoenixes.

Which expansion added the Conflux? The Conflux came to Heroes of Might and Magic 3 with the Armageddon's Blade expansion on Sep 29, 1999; it is in the Complete editions but not in the 2015 HD Edition.

How strong is the Phoenix in Heroes 3? The Phoenix in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 has 21 Attack, 18 Defense, 30-40 damage, 200 health and speed 21, is immune to fire spells and can rise from its own ashes, per the Armageddon's Blade and Shadow of Death manuals. It costs 2,000 gold and 1 mercury, and the upgraded Pyre grows two a week.

What does the Magic University do? The Magic University is a Conflux building in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 that lets visiting heroes learn any or all of the four schools of magic: Air, Earth, Fire and Water.

Who are the Conflux heroes? The Conflux's heroes in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 are the Planeswalkers (Erdamon, Fiur, Ignissa, Kalt, Lacus, Monere, Pasis, Thunar), each an elemental who boosts one pair of elementals, and the Elementalists (Aenain, Brissa, Ciele, Gelare, Grindan, Inteus, Labetha, Luna).

What is the Conflux's Grail building? The Armageddon's Blade manual, the official source read for this page, does not name the Conflux's Grail building in Heroes of Might and Magic 3, nor its native terrain.

Sources

• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade manual, The 3DO Company, 1999, pp.4, 9, 13-17, 21-22
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death user manual, The 3DO Company, 2000, pp.18-22
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Tom Ono, Prima Publishing, 1999, p.157
• 3DO Expands Heroes of Might and Magic III ... Hits Stores Today, The 3DO Company, Sep 29, 1999
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade, Wikipedia, revision of Oct 4, 2026
• Heroes Of Might And Magic III, Steam store page, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition, Steam store page, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake: Return to Erathia in 2027, Ubisoft, Aug 25, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake news: "Welcome Back to Erathia", Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake - Gameplay Overview Trailer, Ubisoft, Aug 26, 2026 (video)
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Ranking the Town Factions, Quick Save, Jun 7, 2018 (video)