DISCUSSIONS on “Rules for online games in HoMM3 and formulas for calculating player rating.”

The "Bezpredel" tournament series quite clearly demonstrated which elements are gameplay-defining, i.e., overpowered, and which are not.

Overpowered elements that seriously distort gameplay:

1) Necropolis hero > all

2) Diplomacy skill > all except for point 1

3) Free Scroll of Death Dealer/Fly - a reason to play a difficult map

4) Cartographer skill - a reason to win a moderately difficult map

That's basically it; the influence of all other banned elements on the outcome of the game does not exceed the typical unevenness of the map.

Various Solmyra-Dimers are mainly needed in the first week to quickly defeat tough guards or fight unpleasant archers. I don't remember anyone building a strategy around them, and I've read a lot of reports...