Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake The Queen's Departure — Tutorial Walkthrough
The three-mission prologue that Ubisoft added to teach you Erathia before you meet the original campaign.
The Queen’s Departure is the brand-new three-mission prologue that Ubisoft built for the Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake. It is not in the 1999 original, the HD Edition, or any prior release. It exists because a 2027 audience needs an on-ramp that the 1999 boxed set did not provide. This page is a walkthrough that explains what each mission teaches, what traps await a new commander, and how the prologue feeds into Restoration of Erathia.
What the prologue is for
Geek Culture and Dualshockers both sat through portions of the tutorial during Gamescom 2026 hands-on sessions. The description that emerges is a condensed version of the core loop: you command Queen Catherine Ironfist as she leaves Erathia’s capital after her father is assassinated, fights bandits on the coast, and then confronts a demonic incursion that mirrors the larger Restoration narrative.
The teaching sequence follows the order of the beginner guide and how to play. By the end of the third mission, you have hired a hero, recruited creatures, visited a town, used a Mage Guild, fought a hex battle, and encountered fog of war. The 3D camera and the Plan Mode town queue are introduced here so that when you reach the real first mission of Restoration, the interface is no longer a mystery.
Do not skip the prologue. It is not a cutscene you can mash through. Rock Paper Shotgun’s preview noted that the tutorial is the first playable act, not a video. If you skip the mechanics on mission one, you will fight the camera during mission two.
Mission 1 — The Queen’s Departure (exact title from Ubisoft’s demo)
Catherine starts in a Castle town with a modest army: some Footmen, a few Archers, and a starting hero. The map is small, closed, and entirely教会. You are shown how to click the adventure map, how movement points work, and how to flag a mine.
Teaching goals:
- What a hero does on the adventure map
- How to read the resource panel
- Why a second hero matters even on a tutorial map
- How to recruit from a town building
The enemy at this stage is bandits — low-threat neutrals that do not require expert tactics. The point is to make a mistake and see what happens, rather than being tested. If you lose a stack to a bad approach, the game is still winnable. That is the lesson: retreat and reroll are always available.
Mission 2 — The Bandit Road
The second map opens up. You keep Catherine or a carry-over hero from mission one, plus whatever army survived the first encounter. Bandits are still the primary opposition, but a secondary threat appears: demonic forces that foreshadow the real Restoration conflict.
Teaching goals:
- How spell casting works in combat (Magic Arrow is the likely first spell)
- What the Mage Guild offers and how auto-learn behaves
- How to interpret creature stats when two stacks look similar
- The basics of terrain: forest, hills, and how they affect movement
IGN’s Imran Khan described watching this mission teach spells through a demon ambush. The lesson is not “spam Magic Arrow.” The lesson is “a hero who can cast is different from a hero who cannot, and the guild is how you get there.”
Mission 3 — The Coastal Assault
The third map is the largest of the tutorial. You board ships, cross water, and encounter the demonic surprise that sets up the Restoration of Erathia plot. The tutorial adds a layer of complexity: multiple towns, a second hero you are encouraged to use as a scout, and a siege that is no longer a gated teaching moment.
Teaching goals:
- How shipyards and water movement work
- When to split your army versus when to keep it together
- The experience of a real siege — walls, towers, and the Catapult
- Fog of war as a strategic tool: using a cheap hero to watch an enemy approach
By the end of this map, you have seen the full beginner loop. The how to play page will make sense. The controls page will confirm what you already tried. You are ready for Restoration of Erathia, and the remake is done teaching you.
What happens after
The prologue ends and Restoration of Erathia begins. Ubisoft has described the transition as seamless — one continuous save file rather than a menu of campaigns. The campaign walkthrough covers the full saga; this page only gets you to the starting line.
If you played the original 1999 Restoration, the prologue will feel familiar in structure but new in presentation. If this is your first Heroes III experience of any kind, finish the Queen’s Departure, then read the beginner guide before touching a random map. The three hours you spend in the tutorial are the three hours that keep you from feeding a Behemoth to a stack of pikemen on day one of the real game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for new commanders and returning veterans.
Is The Queen's Departure in the original 1999 game?
No. It was built for the 2027 remake to serve as a modern tutorial for a 1999 game loop.
Can I skip the prologue and go straight to Restoration of Erathia?
The tutorial is the first three missions of the campaign menu. You cannot skip it without bypassing the campaign entirely.
What faction does the prologue use?
Castle, Catherine Ironfist's canonical faction. She is a Knight with strong Attack and Defence bias.
Does the prologue give you a second hero?
Yes. Mission three specifically encourages you to use a second hero as a scout; the tutorial surfaces the mechanic rather than burying it.