How many factions are there?

by the way, the Paokaai weren't taken from any of the first three games or any other source; that annoying little dragon was blatantly copied from Dark Messiah.
But never mind. Let's not waste words on Hydras and the Fortress. The Fortress had the best defense (both for the castle itself and for its creatures), a moat of 2 squares, and a cool style. I never thought about why in Heroes 3, an expert attack gives +30%, but defense only +15%. Here's the answer: because +30% defense would be completely overpowered. Defense was the Fortress's main skill, and that's why they were so cool. High defense = minimal losses. Yes, there was a problem with archers; there was only one type, and it was terrible. But there are many other, equally great units. We've already talked about Wyverns and Gorgons: annoying flies that fly all over the screen, inflicting Weakness, and are generally quite good; excellent paralyzing Basilisks; and, of course, the uber Hydra. Try playing on Impossible difficulty on a small map against several allied computer opponents. You'll appreciate it right away. It wipes out entire armies.
That's what I'm talking about. Well, that's obvious, it's off-topic.

Regarding the topic - the last option, but, of course, only if everything is done well, without any "quick and dirty" solutions.