Stronghold

The Stronghold is the barbarian town of Heroes of Might and Magic 3: home of the Barbarian (might) and the Battle Mage (magic), native to rough terrain, it recruits Goblins, Wolf Riders, Orcs, Ogres, Rocs, Cyclopes and Behemoths, each with an upgrade, up to the Ancient Behemoth, whose blows strip 80 percent of the target's Defense. The official strategy guide says it is "neck and neck with the Fortress for the best-buy award", "very good at supporting might-oriented Heroes and poor at supporting magic-oriented ones", and best suited to short games (Prima's Official Strategy Guide, p.118). It is one of the nine Towns, and its Barbarians carry the expansions' Krewlod campaigns.

Quick facts

All numbers on this page come from the official guide to The Restoration of Erathia (Prima's Official Strategy Guide, 1999); The Shadow of Death's 2000 stat update changed no Stronghold creature (The Shadow of Death manual, p.24).

Stronghold creatures

Each cell gives the base creature, then its upgrade. Speed is in hexes a round; growth is per week from the base dwelling, before a Citadel, Castle or Grail adds to it (Prima, pp.149-152).

Wolf Raiders attack twice a turn. Orcs are shooters (12 shots, 24 for the Chieftain). Ogre Magi can cast Bloodlust at Power 3 on an allied stack instead of moving or attacking. Rocs fly; the Thunderbird has a 20 percent chance to loose a Thunderbolt worth 10 damage per Thunderbird (Prima, pp.150-151).

Cyclopes throw rocks (16 shots, 24 for the King) and act as Catapults in a siege, at Basic Ballistics, and the Cyclops King at Advanced. Behemoths cut their target's Defense by 40 percent, the Ancient Behemoth by 80 percent, until the end of the battle (Prima, pp.151-152). Compare every town's line-up on Creatures.

How the Stronghold army plays

Early on, the guide's plan is "protect the shooter": Goblins guard the Orcs while Wolf Riders attack and react. It calls the Wolf Raider "the best low-level Stronghold creature upgrade" because its second attack doubles its damage. Stronghold creatures lack special attacks but have "a high average Attack rating", so the guide says to make the most of it with a Barbarian in command (Prima, p.152).

5:26 In the Remake's gameplay overview, a siege turns on "a retinue of boulder throwing Cyclops", and the 1999 guide says the same: Stronghold armies are "well suited for siege combat". Cyclopes knock down town walls and hit the creatures behind them, and the Roc and Orc can also reach behind the walls. Fully built, the guide's combination is to charge Ancient Behemoths from enemy to enemy to lower their Defense, then follow up with a Cyclops and a Bloodlusted Thunderbird "for a quick one-two-three gang attack" (Prima, p.152). Sieges and gang attacks are explained on Combat.

3:00 Quick Save's 2018 ranking of the nine towns, an opinion piece, puts the Stronghold seventh: not a fan of its "orcs and ogres" theme, it still rates the upgraded Behemoth "one of the strongest units in the game", the Cyclops for taking out siege walls from afar, and the town as one of the cheaper ones to upgrade at the lower levels.

Heroes

The Barbarian is "the purest of the might-oriented Heroes": the highest starting Attack of any class, rising fastest, with Offense the likeliest secondary skill, then Ballistics, Artillery, Scouting and Pathfinding. The guide advises Offense, Artillery (with a Ballista), Archery and Tactics, Resistance against late-game spellcasters, and no magic: "They'll never be that good at it" (Prima, p.30). It names the Barbarian the best low-level general (Prima, p.60).

The Battle Mage is "the least magic specialized of any of the spellcasters", because a Stronghold's Mage Guild "cannot be built past level 3". Weaker at low levels, Battle Mages are "very strong at higher levels" with balanced primary skills; the guide suggests Wisdom, Sorcery, Ballistics and Offense plus one or two magic schools (Prima, p.32) and names the Battle Mage the most balanced class (Prima, p.60).

Armageddon's Blade's campaign hero Kilgor, a Barbarian, gives Behemoths +5 Attack, +5 Defense and +10 damage (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.9-11). Every class is compared on Heroes.

Buildings and the Grail

The Stronghold's Mage Guild stops at level 3, and it has these buildings of its own (Prima, pp.108, 118):

The guide adds that the Stronghold "requires a lot of Ore and a fair amount of Crystal" but, if the crystal can be found (the Resource Silo helps), it needs "the least amount of raw materials to put together" of any town (Prima, p.118). The Behemoth Lair costs 10,000 gold, 10 wood, 10 ore and 10 crystal, its upgrade 15,000 gold, 10 wood, 10 ore and 20 crystal. The Escape Tunnel matters because a defending hero normally cannot retreat from a siege; a Stronghold with one is the exception (Prima, p.170). The order to build in is covered on Town Build Order.

The Stronghold's Grail building is the Warlords' Monument: like every Grail structure it adds 50 percent creature production in its town and 5,000 gold a day, and it gives the garrison hero +20 Attack during a siege (Prima, p.111). On rough terrain, Stronghold creatures get +1 Attack, Defense and Speed (Prima, pp.165-166).

In the campaigns

The Restoration of Erathia's neutral campaign Spoils of War is played with Stronghold and Fortress towns: in its Gold Rush map the player starts with two Strongholds and must hold 200,000 gold, and the guide's pick of starting bonus is an Ancient Behemoth (Prima, pp.308-309). Armageddon's Blade's Festival of Life is a Krewlod tradition: every thirty years its youth may challenge the clan leaders, and as Kilgor the player must defeat the Ancient Behemoth Razor Claw. The Shadow of Death opens with Hack and Slash for Crag Hack and Birth of a Barbarian for Yog, who joins Winston Boragus's Barbarian army (Armageddon's Blade manual, pp.9-11; The Shadow of Death manual, pp.13-14). The Shadow of Death manual heads Yog's card "Wizard" but gives him Barbarian skills and stats, and the official guide lists him as a Barbarian. All campaigns are on Campaigns.

In the Remake

3:53 In the Remake's gameplay overview, Ubisoft says each of the "nine unique faction towns" has its own buildings, powers and line-up of creatures, and says every faction will be playable from day one in the Remake (Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026), which rebuilds the original and both expansions in 3D for 2027. Ubisoft has not shown the Stronghold's town screen or detailed changes to its creatures, as of Oct 21, 2026. A snowy battle on the Remake's Steam page shows wolf riders on the hex grid (Steam), and the Oct 7, 2026 roadmap says the team has "begun refining several creature models" after feedback (Ubisoft on Steam).

Frequently asked questions

What are the Stronghold units in Heroes 3? The Stronghold in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 recruits Goblins, Wolf Riders, Orcs, Ogres, Rocs, Cyclopes and Behemoths, which upgrade to Hobgoblins, Wolf Raiders, Orc Chieftains, Ogre Magi, Thunderbirds, Cyclops Kings and Ancient Behemoths.

What does the Behemoth do in Heroes 3? The Behemoth in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 lowers its target's Defense by 40 percent for the rest of the battle, and the Ancient Behemoth by 80 percent. The Ancient Behemoth has 19 Attack, 19 Defense, 30-50 damage and 300 health and costs 3,000 gold and 1 crystal, per the official strategy guide.

Is the Barbarian good in Heroes 3? The official strategy guide for Heroes of Might and Magic 3 names the Barbarian the best low-level general, since it starts with the highest Attack of any class and raises it fastest; it advises taking combat skills and avoiding magic.

Why can't the Stronghold build Mage Guild 4 and 5? The Stronghold's Mage Guild in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 stops at level 3, as does the Fortress's, which is why the official guide calls it poor at supporting magic heroes.

What is the Stronghold's Grail building? The Stronghold's Grail building in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is the Warlords' Monument, which adds 50 percent creature production and 5,000 gold a day and gives the garrison hero +20 Attack during a siege.

What is the Escape Tunnel in Heroes 3? The Escape Tunnel is a Stronghold building in Heroes of Might and Magic 3 that lets the hero defending the town flee or surrender in a siege, which defending heroes otherwise cannot do.

Sources

• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Tom Ono, Prima Publishing, 1999, pp.30-33, 60, 108, 111, 118, 149-152, 165-166, 170, 308-309
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade manual, The 3DO Company, 1999, pp.9-11
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death user manual, The 3DO Company, 2000, pp.13-14, 24
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake, Steam store page, read Oct 21, 2026
• Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake news: "Welcome Back to Erathia" and "Community Roadmap, Playtest, and Events", Ubisoft on Steam, Aug 27, 2026 and Oct 7, 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)