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Retaliation was allowed simultaneously with the attack, and ranged units were given the capability to retaliate against ranged attacks. Non-hero spellcasting units were given proper spell selections. The traditional hexagon-based battle grid was converted into a much higher-resolution square-based grid, making it easier to feature units of different sizes. Combat īoth the adventure and combat maps were converted to a fixed-view isometric 3D display.
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Heroes are now free to move about the battlefield. Each of these 36 skills have five levels of progression as opposed to the three levels in the previous games. A Hero can select up to five of the nine available primary skills, and each primary skill makes available three secondary skills.
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The player has significantly more control over the development of the Hero than in previous games in the series, and Heroes "evolve" into over 40 different specialized classes. The skill system also underwent a significant overhaul, and all Heroes of a given class start out with the same skills. It is possible to have armies with more than one hero, or with no heroes at all, although armies without a hero are incapable of performing certain tasks, such as capturing enemy towns or structures. If a hero is killed in combat he/she must be brought to a friendly town to be revived. Unlike previous games, where they had little active role in combat, heroes became present on the battlefield with their troops. Heroes of Might and Magic IV introduced a number of major changes to the series.
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