Heroes of Might and Magic： Olden Era — of Beasts and Myths #4： Hydras across the Heroes series!

Welcome back to our series of beasts and myths from the Might and Magic franchise. All hail mighty Hydras. You've heard they can have many heads. But how many exactly? And how many legs do they have? Watch to find out. In the previous video we've discussed Medusa. Hydra is yet another creature that came to Might and Magic from Greek mythology. Hercules was tasked with killing the Hydras, one of his twelve labors. This monster was basically a swamp-dwelling, poison-fume-breathing beast that was challenging to kill. When you cut off one head, two more would grow back. Hercules got his nephew to help him out by cauterizing the Then, with Athena's golden sword, they finally managed to kill the immortal head. And then buried it. In Might and Magic, Hydras are a family of powerful, reptilian beasts found on many worlds. The exact number of heads varies from one species to the next, just like in many iterations of the myth. It's no fewer than three, but some have even sixteen. Although I've heard some rumors about a two-headed species. Hydras can be purely serpentine and crawl like huge snakes, have one pair of legs and move like lizards, or have two pairs of legs and walk like dinosaurs. In combat, they use their heads to attack multiple enemies at once. Their weakness is their speed, regardless of whether they have legs or not. They also aren't very intelligent or loyal, but they can be bred and trained if provided with the right living conditions. These are usually swamps. On the continent of Anoroth, Hydras are bred by warlocks. That's why we can find swamps in their towns. The Greek myths also establish them as their lair. Six-headed blue Hydras are extremely slow. They also don't have any legs. That's why warlocks should teleport them to their nearest enemies. They are also costly, so often it's smarter not to take them with your main army. It's impossible to retaliate against them, and they can attack all adjacent units. In Heroes 2, this breed of Hydras is five-headed with golden scales. Hydras are still the slowest units in the game, living in warlocks' castles on swamps. Their abilities are the same. And I'll tell you, it's better for them to stay home than to take them on trips. On Antagarich, the Hydras prefer to move to fortresses built entirely on swamps. The beast masters bred and raised them to become their strongest troops. This kind has four legs and three heads. When upgraded to Chaos Hydra, it grows two additional heads. It's faster than its breed on the continent of Vaniroth. It can become lethal if we cast Haste on it. This species hasn't learned any new tricks yet. On Axeoth live five-headed Hydras with one pair of legs, which move like lizards. This species also can strike at all surrounding units at the same time, and due to the rapidness of their attack, their enemies cannot retaliate. It's a decent top-tier unit, but when the alternative is black dragons, the choice is simple. The more treasury-friendly option, though. In Ashen, Hydras are another race of underground creatures, tamed and enslaved by the dark elves. Their origins are unknown, although they seem to be related to the dragons, despite their very limited intelligence and lack of magic power. Their design is similar to Heroes 3. The basic unit has three heads, which allows it to attack three units at the same time. It moves like a dinosaur on four legs and has no retaliation from the attackers. Additionally, it can get enraged. We can upgrade them to Deep Hydras, which are older than other Hydras. Now with six heads instead of three, they deal more damage to up to six enemies in front of them. They also gain regeneration ability, which can not only restore health, but even resurrect dead Hydras. It's a nod to how one version of the myth added the ability to regrow heads. In the expansion Tribes of the East, we got introduced an alternative upgrade, Foul Hydras. They no longer have their regeneration and have slightly worse stats, apart from initiative. They fed on giant acid spiders, which transform their blood. Even a small wound will cause it to boil and send a fountain of acid, damaging everyone around them. The more units we have, the greater the havoc they wreak and their usability. It also reminds me of one of the alternative versions of the myth. The monster also didn't have the regeneration and Hercules used its own venom to fight it. In Heroes 7, we got the design that goes back to the original. Six-headed, legless giant snakes, mutated by the raw magic unleashed during the Cave Hydras are again a top-tier unit. They can still attack all the units in front of them, although now they can suffer retaliation attacks. The upgrade, Dark Hydras, become attuned to the power of darkness and can regrow severed parts by draining the life force of their victims. They are also darker, more purple. In Olden Era, the design goes back again to Heroes 3. They have 4 legs, the basic Hydra has 3 heads, while both upgrades have 5. A spellbinding twist is that they have boots, which is characteristic for Cobras. They're native to underground rivers and Duskmire Swamps. They can attack 3 units in front of them or use the alternative Whirlwind Strike and attack every adjacent unit, dealing them 50% of normal damage. Additionally, this unit increases its attack each time it gets damaged. Chthonic Hydras, which hail from the caverns' depths, become far more resilient than their kin. With uncanny awareness of their surrounding, they have both regeneration and poisonous blood, which when spilled, causes enemies around them to deal 25% less damage this round. In one variant of the myth, Hercules dipped his arrows in Hydra's blood to make them deadly, so he must have been onto something. Infernal Hydras evolve differently. They have scarlet scales and crystalline barbs adorning their bodies. Their bite delivers a venom that saps strength, leaving the prey helpless. They don't have regeneration, but both their blood and teeth are stronger. What about heroes? Sadly, there aren't any yet. If you're a fan of Hydras, you should check Typhona. She gives a solid boost to their stats. If you missed it, I talked about her in detail in the previous video. That's it! Thanks for watching! Did you enjoy this series? Are there any creatures you'd like to know more about? Please let us know in the comments!