Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East

Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East
70
Metacritic
92
Steam
83.029
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$9.99
Release date
10 October 2008
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
92 (2 334 votes)
Recent
88 (35 votes)

For the first time, play as the Orc faction and recruit heroes, build armies and manage cities as you explore and conquer legendary lands. Use tactics, skills and magic to outsmart fantasy armies while developing your heroes and unveiling the dark plot that threatens to tear the world of Ashan apart.

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Heroes of Might & Magic V: Tribes of the East system requirements

Minimum:

  • Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista only
  • Processor: 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon
  • Memory: 1 GB
  • Graphics: 128 MB DirectX 9.0c-compliant video card
  • DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c or higher
  • Sound: Direct X 9.0c compliant
  • Hard Drive: 3 GB free hard disk space
  • Multiplayer: 128 Kbps upstream broadband
  • *Supported Video Cards at Time of Release: NVIDIA GeForce 4 Ti/FX/6/7/8 series (GeForce4 MX is NOT supported), ATI RADEON 8500/9/X series, Intel 915/945/965/3100
  • Laptop versions of these chipsets may work but are not supported. These chipsets are currently the only ones that will run this game.
Updated
App type
Steam APP ID
15370
Platforms
Windows PC
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Specter-9K
Specter-9K

This is a good game its a turn based game with 8 races that you can play with each race having 8 hero's there are a hand full of campains that you can play too. you can even generate your on map. each race has its specal teck tree with 7 units and a bunch of buildings. each unit has a base unit and 2 upgrade options that you may choose from after you ungrade the building they come from. i would say this game is a 8/10 and it is more than worth the price that it asks for iv also played a lot more than what steam is saying i have the origanal game and iv played this on other steam acounts

Denisto
Denisto

IMO the best game of the HOMM franchise. Buy this one if you want the complete game (Dwarves and Orcs factions included), and for the previous campaigns you can install them manually. Or buy the base game + the expansions, either way is worth it! :D

Pamucu
Pamucu

An old game that was very dear to me. Does not possed the best graphics and is surely time consuming with all the opponent wait time. However, nostalgia, surely makes me come back and play a match. On heroic, of course.

d.marie.gr
d.marie.gr

It's a pretty cool, I suppose mainstream(ish) game with Indy vibes. It is exactly what the title tells you it is - It's a might and magic game focused on some Tribal peoples. Follow the story of a Mage, a Vampire and a Tribe of Orcs, if you're into turn based story games with traditional magic and fantasy creatures it's a fun play through with a twist on factions.
P.S - I don't think I got this game for free, but I've had it for years and I can't remember so clicking the box for CYA.

gotmulez
gotmulez

I used to play the base version of this game all the time when I was younger. I love the added choice of 2nd level creatures as well as the new factions. 10/10

Salem
Salem

Still an excellent game.

Obviously Heroes 3 is the OG, but this one does a great job unlike Ubisofts other attempts.

Artemistifying
Artemistifying

I know people say this is the best HOMM along with 3 but I just can’t vibe with it. This is coming from a normie who grew up with & loved 4 tho

Ryksa
Ryksa

Played HoMMV the most of all the episodes. The best next to HoMMIII. Great strategy game with a lot of customization. Deep tactical gameplay, as everything in the game has impact on the scenario. From the ingame weeks to the unique creatures having several passive and active abilities. For 2.49€ I bought, it is a must have. Buy this, if you would like to play the complete version of the game. You need to install the 5.5 mod to play the original campaigns and experience the HoMMV world to the fullest.

Dissonurus
Dissonurus

In my opinion this is the last great HoMM to be produced. If you are new to the might and magic series I would recommend you this (V) if graphics has somewhat of an importance to your enjoyment. If its the gameplay itself of turn based strategy games that you seek I will whole heartly point you to no. III. Preferably the remastered version. However, if you are looking for a turn based multiplayer be advised. You may want to read about the setups if recent games to make sure that you your money is well spent.

There are 3 Homm 5 whereas this is the last one. Story apart the big difference being 2 new factions (dwarves and ogres) and a logistical system for dwellings so that grinding in this regard is minimised when compared to the original V. All three versions do have a decent amount of singleplayer campaigns.

In terms of modding the notorious Homm 5.5 has been created. Certainly worthwhile if you want even more content, specs, factions etc. Likewise the games has a skillwheel hidden and a map creator. Escpecially the skill wheel will become a useful tool when building your heros skills and further studying the abilities available of the different factions.

As a conclusion this game is worth every cent of its price. Due to its "lacking" popularity there's tendency for the price to drop down to 2.50 euros which is a steal compared to the amount of replayability.
We are talking about a gem that still shines after 15 years.

whlindsa
whlindsa

Despite a new system of play, it still builds well and successfully on the formula created by the first three games. A good buy.

Żymła z bakłażanem
Żymła z bakłażanem

The Academy was something I kept in mind for over 10 years, since I saw it at 6 yo for the first time. Pretty nice alternative for HoMM 3 kept in 3D:

Whowling Wholf
Whowling Wholf

Probably best game of the series except the balancing is a bit scuffed and fast paced one-shoting just because you got luck at 10%. Still very nice tho lol

XxhubiaxelxX
XxhubiaxelxX

One of the best Might and Magic games. I've been playing this game since I was a kid. I do not regret any second spent in this game. One of the best experiences I've ever had. Since I'm already here, I'll share some of my thoughts about the whole ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' franchise. It is obvious that the best part is ''Heroes III'', and it cannot be doubted. The previous 2 parts were also very good. Now let's consider the IVth part. Without a doubt it is worse than previous one, but is it that bad? We mustn't forget that it was the main reason, 3DO went bancrupt (I think). But besides that, it is a pretty well done game. The thing that made it fail, was too much new mechanics such as: independence of the army from the hero, forbiddance of shooting thru enemies, instant counterstrike, mobile enemies on the map etc. All of this made the old players learn these new, weird mechanics and a lot of them didn't like it. ''Heroes V'' however, is a masterpiece. Especially in comparison to ''Heroes IV''. The return of old mechanics and addition of 3D made this game fantastic. Yes, the 3D made the map a little bit empty, but it is only a small disadvantage in the sea of benefits. Then we have ''Heroes VI'' and it is definitely worse than the Vth part. But I still like it a lot. Just like ''heroes IV'' it was introduced a lot of new mechanics, for example: the skill tree, blood and tears path, independence of the hero from the army (it doesn't work the other way), different division of units etc. But I like the thought that you can develop your hero the way you want, and even the units, and the graphics and textures that are amazing. So it isn't a bad game for me. ''Heroes VII'' however is a bit more garbage than other parts. The wooden movement of the units and their attacks make me nauseous. The sound effects that do not fit the attacks and other things make me cry. there are also some advantages, such as the skill tree, but just like the ''Heroes V'' had it's sea of benefits, the ''Heroes VII'' has its sea of drawbacks. So to sum everything up:
''Heroes III'' > ''Heroes V'' > ''Heroes VI'' = ''Heroes IV'' > ''Heroes VII''

lisyonok85
lisyonok85

Amazing game.... would be. If it didn't crash on every load, with most of save files getting corrupted. Don't waste your money on this product, it's not worth even a buck.

nwah85
nwah85

I have had this game and regularly played it for years. It's old school, nostalgic, and super fun. Be prepared for it to occupy a lot of your time in a very fun way.

zbeanie
zbeanie

I have always loved the game play of building my armies and of the different factions. Better than others that are similar.

Romes_Finest
Romes_Finest

There are a few concepts not fully optimised in game, a few bugs remaining, but overall it's a good game worth the money and time.

Reveria
Reveria

A great classic, a timeless gem. Anybody who loves fantasy and turn-based games has to play this at some point.

roflcat
roflcat

it is the last campaign that make me raged so hard. Why the actual fk developer thinking not given the player chances to prepare each hero before big battle. The only way to prepare is by restarting campaign of each hero and build everything well in the end which took fkng long time to finished each. Fk this sht.

TonyShape
TonyShape

This game is a peak of HoMM. Nothing was ever done better, and i afraid nothing will. Aternative unit upgraids, skill wheel system, schools of magic, cities, units, campaign. And the place where you can rebuild your hero ofc. Everything so balanced, everything has its place (Except Dark magic. It overpowered as f**k lmao). The only pint this game loses to HoMM 3 is dynamic. The game is much slower and it is difficult to play hot seat. But anyway. It is a pearl in the world of step-by-step strategy.

Jabarkwas
Jabarkwas

This brings the mechanics of Homm 2 and 3 into a 3D landscape, while leveling out some of the imbalances in Homm3.

WhiteBuilding
WhiteBuilding

Great game! But in some places it has trouble with balance.
Dark magic is too strong. With a few spells, you can destroy half of the enemy army. For example: Frenzy or Puppet Master.
But it's still my favorite part of the series, without a doubt.
10/10

Rain11daSick
Rain11daSick

Literally the game that got me into gaming. Every gamer has a game that brings back nostalgia of their childhood days, HOMM5 is that game for me. I love this game with all my heart, and Ubisoft bring it to Steam is a pro-gamer move. Some say 3 is better, honestly I think they are both incredible but 5 will always hold that spot in my heart. Thanks dad and Ubisoft for making my childhood!

Witeg
Witeg

Would be the best HoMM for me, if not for getting huge army destroyed by few AI controlled ghosts with their BS ability that surprisingly never works when I am controlling them. Otherwise it's just prettier HoMM 3.

CaptainBubba
CaptainBubba

i love this series. this game is flawed and dated and if you've never played turn based strategy games it may not be for you. it is lots of fun if you are looking for an oldschool turn based and deliberate experience.

raphael
raphael

The best game of the series, and one of the best turn-based games ever made.

I still play it regularly to this day (ignore the recorded 23 hours, i usually play offline. probably have about 500 hours by now).

and to the devs:

PLEASE REMASTER THIS MASTERPIECE.
I WOULD BUY IT IN A HEARTBEAT!

Arch
Arch

TL; DR that Heroes of Might and Magic 5: Tribes of the East is the second of two expansions, this takes place after the events of Hammers of Fate. No campaigns or scenarios from the original or the first expansion are included here, therefore the others should be played first, unless you just want the custom games and multiplayer in which case this would be the most feature complete version.

This is my favourite version of Heroes 5 not only because it is the most complete one but also because of the quality and versatility of the content. It does most things better than previous titles, but it does introduce a few issues.

Finally, as this is an expansion, I will focus on what is new and exclusive, therefore I will not discuss the base-game factions or the gameplay.

Story & Campaigns

Skip this if you do not want spoilers for Heroes of Might and Magic 5, and the expansion Hammers of Fate.

The Empire infested as it is with demons and their worshippers continues to struggle in the civil war. To assist its master the Red Church is employing orcish slaves, which enrages the tribes. As a result, the first chapter, and the prologue campaign is about liberating the region.

This is followed by three other campaigns, and in total the four of them have fifteen chapters just as the previous expansion. All of these campaigns are great, they are undoubtedly my favourites from any version of Heroes 5, they completely lack repeat maps and are largely free from filler chapters.
They also contain my favourite Heroes of Might and Magic character, Arantir, a scholar, necromancer, and a servant of Asha. Arantir is not only fun to play as but he is also fun to watch since he is well spoken but very goal oriented, unfortunately if he was in every campaign, he would solo Biara, so he had to leave due to PLOT.

This leads into another point, as this game does not conclude all plot points introduced in Heroes of Might and Magic 5. It only finishes of the cliff-hanger of the original, and the main story of Hammers of Fate and it leaves the finale of the Dark Messiah arc to the eponymous game developed by Arkane Studios.
Yet what I said just now is not strictly true since Tribes of the East includes an unfinished scenario titled Dark Messiah within its documentation. Most character models are placeholders, and it is not particularly good in comparison to what it is adapting but it is still fine and might suit some people better than a first-person RPG.

However, there is one thing I really dislike about these chapters, sometimes while progressing, usually when finishing an objective, the characters will talk without triggering a cutscene. In premise this is fine, in execution it is not. You cannot hear them clearly as they get drowned out by the music or sometimes sound effects that are also triggered by completing that objective.
Had they written this out in the journal or if they had given you a dialogue box it would not be worth complaining about, but unfortunately here we are.

the Orcs, Stronghold

This is the most divergent faction of the Heroes 5 norm, and because of that they are quite fun. Unlike every other faction the Orcs do not get spells, at all, instead they use warcries the primary use of which is to buff and can be used to great effect.
However, as you know other factions get magic schools, and Orcs do not get magic so what happens there? Well, instead they get anti-magic which increases the mana cost, decreases spell power and can give immunity to certain spell effects from enemy Heroes. Obviously, this can be pretty powerful if you know which faction you are fighting against, though in other cases it is less useful than actual magic.

As for their units, they are as a rule highly offensive, in fact they get penalized for defending or waiting in combat, yet the faction also has a number of more defensive options. This coupled with the Haste which their spellcaster units can use gives them a lot of versatility and together with warcries makes up for the lack of Hero spellcasting, at least to a certain degree.
In addition, they have a lot of utility such as chances to disrupt enemy spellcasting, midbattle mana recovery, advancing a friendly unit on the turn order and some poison for good measure. One of their most dangerous units is an upgrade for the cyclops, it can destroy walls of a castle, but it will also kill friendly units whenever it retaliates an enemy, only a master strategist will use them, such as myself.

I did not find their music or visuals to be particularly interesting, however, I do like that you can clearly see their demonic heritage on their upgraded units, which contrasts well with other factions, and makes it easy to tell different version of the same unit apart.

the New Scenarios

As the previous expansion, Tribes of the East, adds another five scenarios, not counting the beforementioned Dark Messiah. These are not only meant to expand the worldbuilding of Ashan but also to give you a better background on various characters.

Stronghold as the new faction gets two scenarios while Dungeon, Sylvan, and Inferno get one each, all of these are set years before the start of Heroes of Might and Magic 5 and explain everything from Agrael being sent to the Empire to Tieru committing genocide.
Besides Agrael’s Trial these scenarios are even better than Hammers of Fate’s and they also have fewer gimmicks. They are also a bit more difficult and often set you in difficult positions by surrounding you or depriving you of a town for several weeks.

Alternative Units

One of the major reasons for why I have loved Tribes of the East for years is the inclusion of Alternative Upgrades. Every single unit from every faction is given a new upgrade that is not strictly stronger but that fills its own niche and opens a slew of new tactical considerations.

If you played Hammers of Fate, congratulations you can now recruit the Red Church’s units whenever you play Haven. Unfortunately, all alternative units cannot look as good as those, and Necropolis in particular suffers from a lack of inspiration, but on the whole, they look great and, in many cases, better than the Upgraded variants.

arthasdeathknight.lp
arthasdeathknight.lp

The last great HoMM game. I'd even go as far as saying this game's on par with HoMM3. Nival really did a great job!

For the best and most modern HoMM experience, I suggest buying this version of the game, then install the Heroes 5.5 mod. Join the community!

The Islander
The Islander

Same old formula with some new additions to the series. The campaign is a bit on the challenging side but it is definitely fair. Addition of 3rd upgrades mainly feels like painted up versions of the original creatures. However, they also bring a few fresh strategies which I find quite useful. If you are already in love with the series, there are plenty of reasons to love this one as well. If you are new to the series, just go back, start from the first game and make your way through them all.

Stukeley
Stukeley

Heroes of Might and Magic 5, by many considered the “last good part of the HoMM series”, is a turn-based strategy game, and the first HoMM game released by Ubisoft after purchasing the rights to the Might and Magic franchise from 3DO in 2003. Did Ubisoft do a good job prolonging the game’s legacy and creating a good, playable game?

I am reviewing the Tribes of the East expansion, which is a stand-alone game containing all content from the base Heroes V game as well as the Hammer of Fate expansion. The only thing lacking is the vanilla campaigns – but they can be brought back with mods, so there is no need to buy any game version other than this one.

To start off – the gameplay is good. The combat is really enjoyable and visually clear. The hero progression systems (skills, talents, racial abilities, artifacts) are meaningful and give a lot of flexibility. The spell system is well done, with each spell school having a completely different playstyle and lots of meaningful spells to learn.

The creatures are more than just “stat sticks” – almost every unit has some unique abilities, whether it’s passives, active abilities, or even hero-like spells. On top of that, each creature has two upgrades to choose from, and most of the time they differ not only in their stats, but their abilities as well. This gives each army a lot of skill expression and a lot of opportunities to do more interesting stuff than just “attack”.

The skill wheel is an excellent system, which gives almost endless possibilities to build a hero. While on paper it might seem like an RNG-heavy system, a skilled player will almost always build a good hero, as its randomness is quite predictable. It gives so many meaningful options, which add up to the build diversity.

Due to the above, the game has almost infinite replayability. Enjoyable gameplay, a good random map generator, an excellent skill wheel system, unique creatures with two possible upgrades each, and just as importantly – a ton of mods, fixing some of the core issues. You will never get bored.

On top of that, the game is visually stunning, especially considering it is 16 years old at the time of writing this. Town screens being in 3D, changing their appearance as you create more buildings, with the camera flying around and showing everything off is still impressive to this day. The creature, hero, and spell animations are very well done. The artifact, skill, and talent icons are quite detailed and pretty. But more importantly – the music is insane. Each faction, on top of the town theme, has a total of FIVE unique pieces of soundtrack that you can hear while playing it, plus different music for all the terrains, and so on. It’s just beautiful, and there is so much of it, that it doesn't feel repetitive at all.

However, there are some quite serious problems with the game. Important gameplay systems – such as the aforementioned skill wheel, the specifics on how Morale and Luck work, or what’s ATB and how it relates to Initiative – are not explained anywhere inside the game, and you need to use third-party websites or the “official” (a.k.a. community-made, but officially approved by Ubisoft) Game Manual to even learn how such crucial systems work.

On top of that, the game feels very clunky to play. There are unnecessary delays almost everywhere, whether it’s pressing the “End Turn” button, moving the camera around, or picking up a resource on the map. This, combined with the inability to completely remove hero or creature animations (like in Heroes 3 for example), and the very long AI turns, make the game annoying at times.

Just as annoying is having to use third-party “virtual LAN” software to even play multiplayer at all. I get the game is long out of support, but still, it’s just not as convenient to play over GameRanger or Tunngle.

A lot of the above issues can be fixed with mods, but still, I think it’s atrocious that the absolute fundamentals aren’t in the game by default.

Either way, the game is excellent, and in my opinion, the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. If you're willing to accept clunkier gameplay compared to Heroes 3, and if you don't mind installing a few gameplay-related mods, you will have an enjoyable experience lasting many, many years.

You can read an extended review on my blog HERE

Shortround
Shortround

One of my favorite turn based strategy games of all time. I started with HOMM2 and never looked back. I just wish the series was still going. The campaigns are a lot of fun and offer lots of hours of playtime. Make sure you are ready to be hooked and want to keep clicking next turn.

icks dé
icks dé

Classic, probably last playable HoMM game, wish there was a workshop feature

Amaranthium
Amaranthium

Got into a bit of a nostalgia trip so might as well. HOMMV was my introduction to turn-based strategy and boy does it hold up to the test of time. A solid and rewarding game overall, with a good variety of units and choices to develop your heroes into powerhouses of their faction. If you only care about gameplay, then buy this instead of the original HOMMV + Hammers of Fate. Tribes of the East has alternate unit upgrades and two new factions (orcs + the dwarves from HoF), as well as some small quality of life improvements.

The UI is well-designed so you won't have a hard time navigating around. The story of the main campaign is decent at best, but there were some genuinely hilarious lines and fun characters like Zehir, Freyda, and Agrael. Graphics are all right for its time. It's like watching a cheesy old movie and still enjoying it for its sheer campiness. And honestly, that's more due to budget/technological constraints than anything; just look up the concept art for this game. The town screen animations are breathtaking. This came out in 2006! So sad they were cut out from later iterations of HOMM.

I mean, look at this. This is some galaxy-brained Islamic Golden Age stuff. And god, the irony of the NPCs of this game deriding wizards for being atheists, and their main hero Zehir being queer-coded. I love that. The Academy town theme is probably my favourite track, but that's not saying much considering how good the soundtrack is. Still hits hard to this day.

As you can imagine my view of this game is very much tinted by nostalgia so take this with a grain of salt.

Fedup
Fedup

In my opinion, if you use this with the Heroes 5.5 mod, this becomes easily the best Heroes game of all times. My playtime here is incorrect, I have clocked at least another 100 hours (so far) that doesn't show simply because I launch the game from a different launcher.

Tony Bamanaboni
Tony Bamanaboni

ORC GO YAH SKELETON GO BRRR MAGIC GO SHUSHH AND ENEMY STILL NOT DEAD CAUSE EVERY ATTACK IS A MISS!!11!! 10/10 HAVING SO MUCH FUN FOR REAL