- Haven players will be able to upgrade low-level troops (e.g. Peasants) to high-level troops (e.g. Knights). However, it costs a fortune.
- Sylvan players will be able to select a few most hated enemy units, and their troops will fight better against them.
- There will be difficulty levels, and possibly more than five.
- Artifacts are stronger, but are encountered less frequently than in previous Heroes games. There will be no Heroes III-style artifact flood.
- Most of the combat AI has been ready for more than a year, but it is still in development - they still have to teach it using tricks like the Griffin special attack. However, it has shown itself a worthy opponent and is praised by virtually everyone having access to the game. The global AI is still under development.
- Cavaliers will retain their Charge ability.
- There is a multiplayer mode in which players make their turns simultaneously until the first "conflict of interests" - for example, if a hero is within a movement range of another hero, which includes spells like Dimension Door.