I am a very proud Elite who joined during Sanctum.
As some of you may know, When I started, I joined Madlum, which would become involved in one of the most historic and influential wars in Herocraft. I regret nothing and towns were FAR more secure which made it all the more interesting. When NATO blockaded Madlum, it was strategic, cutting off our only reliable method of travel and thus successfully preventing us from having trade, which was important back then. We were obviously forced into a position where we had to fight the structure head on. A sorry band without proper provisions against a prepared army with the defense of a well built wall. One day we finally overcame them and tore down that wall(which before was apparently LWC'd, which was soon removed by a lovely admin), but as we rejoiced in our efforts, NATO built a new wall, made of Obsidian and Lava that our poor citizens had no chance of breaking through. NATO had won their money war. This all started because TOP and KoE, the kingdoms behind NATO, wanted to get back at MaikkyWin, the mayor of Madlum, who was starting an economic trend that would solidify itself later in Sanctum. MaikkyWin bought gold at better prices, since TOP and KoE agreed on a price that benefited their bankers. If you thought about their plan, it was quite obvious that it wouldn't last. Someone would eventually be willing to buy it for more and they would be forced to adapt to remain competitive. The war never truly solved their problem, and left many new players without a home and with much resent for TOP and KoE, which most assuredly helped spark the creation of new towns and kingdoms, like Ultima and Newerth. The Madlum War was the first true and inspired war on Herocraft and it's aftermath lead to a sort of revolution within the game, whether they realised it or not. I'd say the only thing with more of an impact were the rule changes with succeeding maps and the start of organized evil with MoB and TC in Zeal, which while it had its fun is now leaving a rather poor aftertaste. Heroes definitely changed the game, but probably more for Evil than it did for Good.