How do you get hero mode?

Do i need to make a new game and complete the game without buying generic recruits? or do I just play the game using my heroes in all the missions without using the generic recruits that I already bought?

You need to start an entirely new game to get the "Hero Mode" achievements. Once you recruit someone in either "New Game" or "New Game +", you won't be able to achieve any Hero Mode achievement, and any Hero Mode achievement you've already completed will be invalidated (greyed-out and set at 0%, although it will still count in your universal achievement score out of 30). So if you want to get the "Hero Mode ++" achievement, you need to wait until you've gotten 180 gold stars before recruiting someone.

Thanks

FYI, Hero Mode is super hard. It's not intended for an original playthrough - it was originally created as a self-imposed challenge by our forum regulars, and we later made an achievement to recognize it .

So if you haven't beaten the game yet, don't hold out for Hero mode - save it for a second run through :)

Agreed.

I didn't realize it was created on your forums. That's funny. It makes sense though, since the game really doesn't seem to be accommodating of Hero Mode at the core design level of several of the maps, and I'm 99% certain that it's impossible to get more than 198 gold stars in true Hero Mode. I've stopped at 197, and of the 4 remaining New Game+ maps (all Extreme difficulty), "The Face of Madness" is the only one that I can imagine might be possible to complete, though it would probably take hours of dedicated tedium to do so. The other 3 ("The Way Out", "Zelemir's Army", and the final map) all seem impossible to even finish in Hero Mode, and I'd bet that NG+'s "Challenge 3" and "Challenge 5" likewise cannot be completed.

(post updated with latest numbers)

When attempting hero mode, it goes without saying you should use the 3x money and experience modes in the accessibility menu. In part because you will be constantly respeccing your heroes for mission specific needs (especially in new game +)

A beginner's tip for hero's mode on levels where you have to split your forces in 2:

The Knight and the Dragon are roughly analogous as heavy-hitting front line tanks.

The healer and the ranger (specced for bleed w/ optimize) are roughly analogous as support characters.

The Ice Mage and Berserker are roughly analogous as area effect units for finishing off swarms of weak/fast enemies.

So for Endless Mission 1, on the left side I had the Dragon in the front and the Bezerker in the rear with the healer in the middle supporting them both. On the right side I had the knight in the front, the ranger positioned to bleed every enemy as it came close to the knight, and the ice mage in back mopping up.

Also, you WILL need to cast spells constantly in Hero mode!

Hope this helps!