Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld

Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld (2000) is the second official chapter in New World Computing’s standalone, story-driven spin-off series. Utilizing the exact engine and mechanical framework of Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death, it presents an 8-mission narrative gauntlet that pivots sharply away from the aggressive barbarian tribes of its predecessor, Warlords of the Wasteland.

Instead, it forces the franchise’s immortal anti-hero, Tarnum, into a scenario defined by immense psychological irony and structural asymmetry.

The Ultimate Irony: Rescuing Your Murderer

The narrative setup is a brilliant piece of dark fantasy storytelling. Following his tyrannical descent and subsequent death in the previous chapter, Tarnum’s soul is rejected by Paradise. The Barbarian Ancestors return his spirit to the mortal realm as an immortal protector to work off his horrific karma.

His second cosmic assignment? He must aid Queen Allison Gryphonheart on a literal crusade into Hell (the Underworld) to rescue the soul of her father, King Rion Gryphonheart, which has been violently abducted from the heavens by the demonic forces of the Inferno.

The twist: King Rion Gryphonheart is the exact man who slew Tarnum in battle centuries ago, ending his bloody barbarian empire. Tarnum detests the Gryphonheart dynasty and suspects the Ancestors are playing a cruel joke on him, yet he must swallow his pride, masquerade as a noble Knight, and dive into the abyss.

Gameplay Architecture: From Savage to Sovereign

To emphasize Tarnum’s forced assimilation into civilized society, the faction mechanics undergo a complete inversion from the first game:

• The Shield of Erathia: Players shed the brute-force, magic-hating Stronghold units. Instead, you exclusively command the Castle faction. Your tactical progression relies on high-morale human armies, utilizing cost-effective Pikemen, Marksmen, Cavaliers, and the ultimate tier-7 powerhouses, Archangels.
• The Terrors of the Deep: The 8-mission track takes place entirely within claustrophobic, dark subterranean map layers. Your primary adversaries are the asymmetric horrors of the deep: Inferno (demons and Kreegans), Necropolis (vampires and endless skeletal swarms), and Dungeon (warlocks, minotaurs, and dragons).
• High-Value Magic: While Tarnum begins with the attributes of a physical Might hero, the map layouts actively encourage you to build him into a hybrid spellcaster. Mastering Earth Magic allows him to utilize game-breaking utility spells like Town Portal, which is vital for defending far-flung underground fortresses.

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt: Assembling the Angelic Alliance

Just like other entries in the Chronicles anthology, Tarnum’s earned levels, secondary skills, and spellbooks persistently carry over from map to map. However, Conquest of the Underworld leans heavily into artifact progression.

Throughout the campaign, hidden across dangerous neutral monster grids, are the individual pieces of the legendary Angelic Alliance combination artifact (including the Sword of Hellfire, Shield of the Damned, and Helm of Heavenly Enlightenment). Tracking down and assembling these six relics onto Tarnum fuses them into the ultimate super-weapon, which completely eliminates morale penalties when mixing different “good” troop types and automatically casts an expert-level Prayer spell over your entire army at the start of every combat phase.

Summary & Modern Lifecycle

Conquest of the Underworld is highly regarded by HoMM purists for its exceptional map designs, high level-to-level continuity, and its fascinating lore. It marks the exact point in the canon where the Inferno faction is treated as a literal spiritual underworld rather than a sci-fi alien invasion, and it bridges the ancient barbarian history of Antagarich with the modern era of the Gryphonheart kingdom.

Availability

• PC Release: 2000 (Originally shipped as a budget-friendly standalone retail CD-ROM).
• Digital Restoration: The expansion is currently native to the Heroes Chronicles: All Chapters bundle hosted on GOG. When integrated with the community’s essential widescreen wrappers and HD mod configurations, it runs flawlessly on modern hardware, giving strategy fans an incredibly polished, story-heavy legacy experience.