Rampart

The Rampart is the forest town of the elves of AvLee in Heroes of Might and Magic 3: native to grass, led by Rangers (heroes of might) and Druids (heroes of magic), and recruiting Centaurs, Dwarves, Wood Elves, Pegasi, Dendroid Guards, Unicorns and Green Dragons, which upgrade to Centaur Captains, Battle Dwarves, Grand Elves, Silver Pegasi, Dendroid Soldiers, War Unicorns and Gold Dragons. It is known for the Gold Dragon, immune to every spell, for the double-shooting Grand Elves, and, in the words of the official strategy guide, for being "stunningly dependent on a ready supply of Crystal". It is one of the eight towns of the 1999 game, The Restoration of Erathia.

Quick facts

Sources for the table: the official guide's town chapter, pp.107-111 and 117, and its terrain table, pp.165-166.

Rampart creatures

The numbers below are The Restoration of Erathia's, from the official strategy guide, pp.117 and 146-148: attack, defense, damage, health, speed in hexes, weekly growth of the basic dwelling, and cost. The Shadow of Death manual lists no changes to Rampart creatures (SoD manual, pp.24-25).

Centaurs have a good attack and speed for their level, which in the guide's words makes them "some of the best level 1 creatures" (p.148).

Dwarves resist magic: a 20% chance to shrug off a spell, 40% for Battle Dwarves. They are slow, and the Miners' Guild adds 4 Dwarves a week (pp.117, 146).

Wood Elves are the Rampart's only shooters, with 24 shots; Grand Elves shoot twice per attack (p.146).

Pegasi carry a "Magic Damper": enemy spells cost 2 more spell points while they are on the field (p.147).

Dendroids Bind the creatures they hit; the Dendroid Soldier is the slowest upgraded creature in the game, the guide notes (pp.147, 149).

Unicorns have a 20% chance to cast Blind at Power 3 with each attack and 20% magic resistance (p.148).

Green Dragons are immune to spells below level 4; Gold Dragons are immune to all spells (p.148). Every creature's full entry is on Creatures.

Rampart heroes

The Rampart's two classes, from the official guide (pp.42-43 and 52-53); each has eight heroes in the 1999 game (Heroes):

Rangers are "combat oriented, with an emphasis on defense": the guide says their high starting defense makes them "excellent garrison commanders", and calls them "the best leaders of ranged combat troops" when backed by Resistance, Tactics, Archery and Armorer (p.52). Druids are most likely to be offered Luck, then Wisdom, Scholar, First Aid, Eagle Eye and Intelligence, and have "a low chance of advancing their spell school skills" for a magic class (p.42).

• Rangers: Clancy (Unicorns), Ivor (Elves), Jenova (+350 gold a day), Kyrre (Logistics), Mephala (Armorer), Ryland (Dendroids), Thorgrim (Resistance), Ufretin (Dwarves) (p.53).

• Druids: Aeris (Pegasi), Alagar (Ice Bolt), Coronius (Slayer), Elleshar (Intelligence), Gem (First Aid), Malcom (Eagle Eye), Melodia (Fortune), Uland (Cure) (p.43). 1:22 Ivor is the usual starting hero in online play, according to Alex_The_Magician's Rampart guide, which plays with today's online balance rather than the 1999 rules: he starts with two stacks of Elves and his specialty strengthens them as he levels. The official guide's table agrees on the troops: Ivor starts with Centaurs and two stacks of Wood Elves (p.53).

• Gelu, a Ranger added in Armageddon's Blade, "can upgrade Archers, Marksmen, Wood Elves and Grand Elves to Sharpshooters", a neutral shooter of the expansions (AB manual, pp.9-10).

Buildings and the Grail

The Rampart's own buildings, from the guide (p.117):

• Mystic Pond (2,000 gold and 2 of each resource): 1 to 4 random resources on day 1 of each week. The guide reckons it takes "six weeks to recoup your investment", so build it when resources are not short.
• Fountains of Fortune (1,500 gold and 10 crystal, needs the Mystic Pond): +2 luck for the garrison hero in a siege.
• Treasury: 10% interest on the player's gold each week.
• Miners' Guild (1,000 gold): +4 Dwarves a week.
• Dendroid Saplings (2,000 gold): +2 Dendroids a week.
• Dragon Cliffs: 10,000 gold, 30 ore and 20 crystal, after Mage Guild II and the Unicorn Glade; the upgrade for Gold Dragons costs 20,000 gold, 30 ore and 20 crystal and needs Mage Guild III.

8:31 Crystal is the Rampart's bottleneck: many buildings and both dragons cost it, so the guide says "you'll definitely want to build this town's Resource Silo early on", which gives 1 crystal a day (pp.109, 117). The Rampart's Grail building, the Spirit Guardian, gives +2 luck to all of the player's heroes, besides the +50% creature growth and 5,000 gold a day every Grail building gives (p.111). Luck +2 means an 8.3% chance of double damage on each attack (p.165). General building advice is on Town Build Order. The dragons are also slow to reach: Alex_The_Magician, in a Rampart guide aimed at online play, says that dragons in the first week mean committing to them on day 1 and skipping the Centaur and Elf upgrades, because the Dragon Cliffs need Mage Guild II, as the official guide's building table also shows.

How the Rampart plays

5:10 The guide's plan for a young Rampart is "a standoff ranged-attack tactic": put the Wood Elves (better, Grand Elves) in a corner of the battlefield guarded by the Dwarves, and let the Centaurs finish stacks the Elves have whittled down (p.148). A full Rampart army is "a mix of fast and slow": Battle Dwarves and Dendroid Soldiers on the slow side; Centaur Captains, War Unicorns, Silver Pegasi and Gold Dragons on the fast. The Dendroids' Bind and the Unicorns' Blind "divide your enemies and set them up for gang attacks", and for a fast force the guide suggests leaving the Dendroids, Dwarves "and maybe the Elves" at home in the garrison (p.149). More on fighting is on Combat. The Remake's gameplay overview, shown in the clip, gives elven shooters the same patient role: "Use Elven sharpshooters to wear down slow Undead with patience and precision."

6:28 Quick Save's town ranking puts the Rampart third of nine, for "a good balance of unit production and growth": it calls the Centaur the best level 1 creature and praises the Elves' double shot, but judges the Gold Dragon basically a weaker version of the Dungeon's Black Dragon. That is Quick Save's opinion; the official guide also calls Centaurs "some of the best level 1 creatures".

The Rampart in the campaigns

The Rampart is the town of AvLee, the elven kingdom that, with the wizards of Bracada, helps Queen Catherine retake Steadwick in The Restoration of Erathia (Wikipedia). Its heroes lead several campaigns: in the secret campaign, Seeds of Discontent, the Ranger Ryland must carry the Grail to the town of Welnin while Faruk Welnin tries to free the Contested Lands "from both Erathia and AvLee forever" (p.339); Gelu fights beside Catherine in Armageddon's Blade, and in The Shadow of Death he leads Elixir of Life and the Druid Gem leads New Beginning, working for Lord Fayette of AvLee (SoD manual, pp.13-14). The full stories are on Campaigns.

The Rampart in the Remake

Ubisoft says the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake will have "all factions" from day one and covers the original game and both expansions (Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026). Its store screenshots show a unicorn among the attackers in a siege, but Ubisoft has not shown the Rampart town itself or listed changes to it, as of Oct 21, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the Rampart units in Heroes 3? In Heroes of Might and Magic 3 the Rampart recruits Centaurs, Dwarves, Wood Elves, Pegasi, Dendroid Guards, Unicorns and Green Dragons, which upgrade to Centaur Captains, Battle Dwarves, Grand Elves, Silver Pegasi, Dendroid Soldiers, War Unicorns and Gold Dragons.

How strong is the Gold Dragon in Heroes 3? In The Restoration of Erathia the Gold Dragon has 27 attack, 27 defense, 250 health and speed 16, deals 40-50 damage and is immune to all spells; it costs 4,000 gold and 2 crystal.

What resource does the Rampart need in Heroes 3? The Rampart in Heroes 3 needs crystal above all: its buildings and dragons cost it, so the official guide advises building its Resource Silo, which gives 1 crystal a day, early.

What heroes belong to the Rampart in Heroes 3? The Rampart's heroes in Heroes 3 are Rangers, the might class, and Druids, the magic class, eight of each in the 1999 game, plus campaign heroes such as Gelu and Gem.

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

What is the Rampart's native terrain in Heroes 3? The Rampart's native terrain in Heroes 3 is grass, which it shares with the Castle; creatures fighting on their native terrain get +1 attack, defense and speed, per the official strategy guide.

Sources

• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Publishing, 1999, pp.42-43, 52-53, 107-111, 117, 146-149, 165-166, 339
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death user manual, The 3DO Company, 2000, pp.13-14, 24-25
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade manual, The 3DO Company, 1999, pp.9-10
• Heroes of Might and Magic III, Wikipedia, revision of Oct 19, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake news, 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)
• Heroes 3 rampart strategy || Basic overview || Heroes 3 rampart guide, Alex_The_Magician, Feb 12, 2021 (video)