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I don't know, guys, but I think the AI is really strong in the 5th installment. Of course, it depends on how each player plays. If you play like a computer, like a robot, i.e., build a bunch of heroes, recruit a random number of troops for each, and rush everyone, immediately go to conquer Castles, then maybe the AI will seem weaker. But personally, I like to enjoy the game, the process itself, the strategic essence of the game. That is, I only level up one hero, accumulate a decent army, first capture all the neutrals, and only then go for the Castles. Or, if there is a strong need for money, you can capture one Castle earlier. That is, I strive to fully experience the gameplay by leveling up one hero, gathering a significant army (and, by the way, only from one Faction, because many like to recruit the best from different Castles... but for some reason, it seems less interesting to me, or maybe I just have that kind of mindset), defending my borders, and literally conquering the entire map. And not just the enemy Castles. And playing this way, even the Veteran difficulty seems very strong. Although I've been playing Heroes for a very long time, and I've already completed maps on the maximum difficulty in the 3rd installment. And here: Warrior is easy, but Veteran is difficult.
I think that, without any embellishments (because we all basically play Heroes in a similar way), we need to create some intermediate difficulty between Warrior and Veteran.