u/Cezaros

Hey everyone! After 6 months of hard work and 2.5 years of ongoing development, the first major update to the Pumpkin Patch mod in half a year is finally here!

For anyone unfamiliar, Pumpkin Patch is a gameplay and visual variety sub-mod for Horn of the Abyss (HotA).

Here is what’s new in version 1.6.2, along with a refresher on what the mod brings to the table:

🚀 v1.6.2 Update Highlights

⛵ Reduced Embarking Cost: Entering a boat now costs only 500 movement points, instead of wasting your entire turn!

🦅 Eagle Eye Specialist Rework: All Eagle Eye specialists (except Geon) have been completely overhauled with brand-new specialties and actually useful starting spells.

🧠 Smarter AI: Significant improvements to enemy AI spell-casting, especially for Faerie Dragons, Unicorns, and Zealots.

👑 Olden Era Portraits: Added new hero skins based on the upcoming Olden Era portraits. The launcher now features over 100 different optional skins, including one which changes Castle's colour palette!

💎 New Artifacts: Added the Staff of the Magi (hand, +6 power) and the Elder Tree Wand (hand, +3 power).

🗺️ Map & Template Improvements: Better random map templates, improved water object generation, and brand-new random map objects to discover.

🪦 Churchyard Rework: New versions of churchyards where you will now fight Wights instead of Zombies!

🎵 New Music: The launcher now includes brand-new tracks created by Jakub "NJtheMusic" Niewęgłowski, AmiDaDeer, and the legendary Paul Anthony Romero!

🔮 Core Features of the Pumpkin Patch Mod

If you are new to the project, here is what else the mod changes to keep the classic HoMM3 gameplay fresh and balanced:

💻 HexSwapper Launcher: Our custom external tool that lets you toggle specific gameplay features on/off and manage over 100 optional cosmetic skins for heroes, creatures, and towns on the fly.

🏦 New Creature Banks: Battle through Harpy Caves (rewards Manticores) and Underground Factories (rewards Dreadnoughts).

🧙 New Heroes: Build your army with Gwenneth (Scholar specialist), Zenith (Mummy specialist), Archibald (Tactics specialist), and more.

📜 Spell School Rebalance: Fire and Water Magic have been rebalanced so they finally feel just as viable and impactful as Air and Earth.

♜ AI Overhaul & Hardcore Mode: The AI is tuned to hire more heroes and pose a genuine strategic challenge. If you want a brutal test of skill, you can turn on Hardcore Mode to crank the difficulty up to 11.

🔗 Links & Feedback: Want to check out the details or try it out?

👉 Read the full documentation and guide on the Wiki

https://heroes.thelazy.net//index.php/Pumpkin_Patch

Download link: https://www.mediafire.com/file/x0f010q9nk9pomc/Pumpkin_Patch.zip/file

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new changes, especially the embarking buff and the Eagle Eye reworks. Drop your feedback and suggestions for the next build in the comments below!

Located in Ginosa, Puglia, Italy, the "Thinking Olive Tree" (L'Ulivo Pensieroso) is a remarkable living monument whose twisted trunk naturally resembles the face of a deep-thinking old man. Its unique shape creates the illusion of eyes, a nose, and a beard, making it look almost like a sculpture carved by nature itself.

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