Completely disappeared without a trace. And deserters, who should have been brought back from previous installments of Heroes.

Why change anything? Everything happens for a reason, and everything eventually turns out for the best. You get used to everything. Besides, the creators (developers) are constantly adding something new to Heroes 5. To be honest, you don't even need to get used to Heroes 5. It's perfect (in my opinion). And soon, the Barbarians will appear – it will be even better (for fans).