

In most games, only the creatures appear on the field in the combat phase, with the hero being able to cast one spell every turrn, when one of their creatures are able to act. In Heroes V, this has been replaced by a ATB (Active Time Bar) that reveals which creatures will act next, and allows fast creatures to perform more actions than slow ones. The combat phase is turn-based, with every creature performing one action per turn, and the creatures with the highest initiative or speed acting first. In Heroes III, creature banks are an exception, as the attackers begin in the center of the field, with the defenders around them. The attackers will begin the combat on the left side of the screen, with a field seperating them from the defenders on the right side.

When attacking a neutral or enemy city, siege combat begins. While moving around the adventure map, whenever a hero attacks a hostile hero or a neutral creature stack, the combat phase begins. The combat phase is a gameplay feature in the Heroes of Might and Magic series.
