Might and Magic The Might and Magic Discussion Thread

[unseeingeye]

Sorry, for some reason the link keeps messing up after a few minutes each time I edit the post, and I can't change it now. Hopefully this works.

 

[Broseph]

I went to a local game store recently (coincidentally, the same place I picked up Lionheart and Descent to Undermountain ) and found a copy of Might & Magic VII for $10. Naturally I had to buy it even though I already own the game on GOG.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I had recently finished a replay MM7 and then I went back and replayed MM6 and finished it for the first time, and probably the last. I was never really that keen on MM6 and vastly preferred 7 & 8, but now I was able to appreciate MM6 a fair bit more. Still, toward the end the game started to drag on a lot due to enemy spam of rather tough badguys. My party was CSSS with an emphasis on Elemental and Light magic for damage. Light was resisted pretty universally by the time you learn it and there was something weird going on with the damage calculations for spells like Implosion and Incinerate so clearing enemies was not so fast or easy as I had hoped. Still, I'm glad I was able to finish it once. I'm sure I'll replay it again, just maybe skip the ending sequence unless I'm confident that it doesn't become such a drag. The game has plenty of dungeons and all of them are well designed and complex. The devs really went all out here.

 

[Broseph]

I love M&M6 and it’s my favorite in the series, but I can’t deny that 7 and 8 are far easier to pick up and replay start to finish. The key to mowing down trash mobs quickly in the endgame is equipping everyone with blaster rifles and casting Haste, then play in real time mode and play it like an FPS.

Think I’m going to install this OG copy of 7 and play it all the way through again. Arcomage certainly helps.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I love M&M6 and it’s my favorite in the series, but I can’t deny that 7 and 8 are far easier to pick up and replay start to finish. The key to mowing down trash mobs quickly in the endgame is equipping everyone with blaster rifles and casting Haste, then play in real time mode and play it like an FPS.

Think I’m going to install this OG copy of 7 and play it all the way through again. Arcomage certainly helps.

I finished MM6 with blasters, but you only have access to them for the Hive. Not sure if it's even possible to beat the Kreegan in the end without them, there's just so many of them and holding down the attack button with blasters equiped is really strong at mowing them all down. Maybe if you used better spells than I did? There's just so many of them in open spaces and they can drain you of your mana with a single attack if they get close. Nasty enemies.

While I do think that the overall snappier pace of MM7 & 8 are more to my liking, and I like what they did with the skill system in them (you can't just (grand)master everything you can learn), the big thing for me is how the setting resembles the Erathia setting as seen in HoMM3 closer than it did in MM6. Seeing familiar unit sprites from HoMM3 in MM7 & 8 was nice, whereas MM6 felt more disconnected. I'm sure it being released a year before HoMM3 has much to do with it, but I think NWC should've done more to streamline the art aspects of MM and HoMM and make them more visually consistent between the two series.

 

[jackofshadows]

Maybe if you used better spells than I did?

Yes, just develop dark magic and use shrapmetal next time (plus optional dragon breath). Mana drain is still a potential problem though but you can always lloyd (just set it beforehand and have at least some mana potions if you have just one caster). Shrapmetal isn't as powerful as it is in MM7-8 but it does phys damage so only a few mobs are immune to it.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I wanted to try something different since I was going from MM7 > 6 back-to-back and I slapped MM7 with Shrapmetal spam. Hence why I was limiting myself to Elemental magic. It's doable, but I'm not sure I recommend it. Dark magic isn't really a side-grade from Elemental magic, it's more of an upgrade.

 

[unseeingeye]

I went to a local game store recently (coincidentally, the same place I picked up Lionheart and Descent to Undermountain ) and found a copy of Might & Magic VII for $10. Naturally I had to buy it even though I already own the game on GOG.

Nice! How fortunate to find a copy these days and with the guide, too.

Also that you found a copy of Lionheart at the same place, I don't think I've even ever seen a physical copy of that one before. I just recently got Descent to Undermountain running on my laptop, I've always been curious about that one since playing Fallout 2. Still playing through World of Xeen though, I'd taken a break since I last posted and just got back into it last night. Also been playing Might and Magic 6 here and there, as Hobo Elf mentioned the dungeons in that game are really something else, truly remarkable. They feel at time like Daggerfall when at its best, before the delving becomes rote and the altered patterns redundant.

 

[jackofshadows]

I wanted to try something different since I was going from MM7 > 6 back-to-back and I slapped MM7 with Shrapmetal spam. Hence why I was limiting myself to Elemental magic. It's doable, but I'm not sure I recommend it. Dark magic isn't really a side-grade from Elemental magic, it's more of an upgrade.

Yeah, elemental magic lacks one good reliable in-door aoe spell such as shrapmetal. Otherwise it's great: you have incinirate for any strong enemies and outdoors you have starburst/meteor shower. So since top enemies in mm6 are demons it would probably a good idea to heavily rely on air magic/explosion use? It does phys damage, too even if much less that a good old close-up shrapmetal of course. For in-doors aoe perhaps limited use of rock blast (unrelieble as fuck, I know) or even prismatic light since we use light? I did a run of CCCC once in mm7 by the way with extensive use of all their peculiar magic.

 

[lukaszek]

Yeah, elemental magic lacks one good reliable in-door aoe spell such as shrapmetal.

sparks? poison spray? Unlike dark magic you can spam it and not abuse teleportation

 

[jackofshadows]

Yeah, elemental magic lacks one good reliable in-door aoe spell such as shrapmetal.

sparks? poison spray? Unlike dark magic you can spam it and not abuse teleportation

In late game, which I implied as a context it hardly can called abusing (mm6 has no limit on use in combat iirc though which is a shame). Sparks/Poison spray OTOH has their limited use, I agree - like in mm6s early dungeons with their crazy amount of mobs but hardly wider than that because in case of using such weak spells in mid game (even having specialize in specific schools) your ass will be wooped in no time.

 

[Storyfag]

Yeah, elemental magic lacks one good reliable in-door aoe spell such as shrapmetal.

sparks? poison spray? Unlike dark magic you can spam it and not abuse teleportation

In late game, which I implied as a context it hardly can called abusing (mm6 has no limit on use in combat iirc though which is a shame). Sparks/Poison spray OTOH has their limited use, I agree - like in mm6s early dungeons with their crazy amount of mobs but hardly wider than that because in case of using such weak spells in mid game (even having specialize in specific schools) your ass will be wooped in no time.

They scale surprisingly nicely, but in the end the enemy dmg output is too bothersome, so Shrapmetal it is.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

While I do think that the overall snappier pace of MM7 & 8 are more to my liking, and I like what they did with the skill system in them (you can't just (grand)master everything you can learn)

I was in a similar boat to you, actually playthrough MM6 after years of liking MM7 & 8 loads more, and I actually found the skill system in 6 to be more interesting to use. Whenever I'm in MM7, my party is usually based around having a knight, a thief, a priest and a sorcerer, so I can soak up all those sweet, sweet grandmasteries, and in 8 my composition is usually similar. Whereas in 6 I feel like there's an actual reason to use the paladin and archer class, since they're not going to hold you back in later, whereas in 7 the ability to cast bless or firebolt isn't really worth having meatshields that die much quicker.

 

[Broseph]

While I do think that the overall snappier pace of MM7 & 8 are more to my liking, and I like what they did with the skill system in them (you can't just (grand)master everything you can learn)

I was in a similar boat to you, actually playthrough MM6 after years of liking MM7 & 8 loads more, and I actually found the skill system in 6 to be more interesting to use. Whenever I'm in MM7, my party is usually based around having a knight, a thief, a priest and a sorcerer, so I can soak up all those sweet, sweet grandmasteries, and in 8 my composition is usually similar. Whereas in 6 I feel like there's an actual reason to use the paladin and archer class, since they're not going to hold you back in later, whereas in 7 the ability to cast bless or firebolt isn't really worth having meatshields that die much quicker.

Taking a Paladin instead of a Knight in MM6 is pretty important. On my first playthrough I made the mistake of using a Knight and ended up regretting it, because the extra HP really isn’t worth the lack of mana IMO. There’s lots of viable party combinations in 6, like two druids/cleric/sorcerer for example. Knight is the only class I avoid entirely.

 

[madrigal]

Yeah, elemental magic lacks one good reliable in-door aoe spell such as shrapmetal.

Rock blast is awesome.

 

[jackofshadows]

I'm in MM7, my party is usually based around having a knight, a thief, a priest and a sorcerer, so I can soak up all those sweet, sweet grandmasteries, and in 8 my composition is usually similar.

I used to think this way long time ago but the more I experimented and the further I went away from this default composition, the more fun I was getting (except some prime spectre-oriented stuff like 4 rangers). Strong NPCs which allow you to fly and/or to teleport are there for a reason, so you don't really need to have anyone (especially thief, he's so useless). Hybrids are suck in general, sure but that what's making the game more hard and therefore interesting, at least for a while. My personal favorites though are all-in compositions like SSSS/KKKK.

Taking a Paladin instead of a Knight in MM6 is pretty important. On my first playthrough I made the mistake of using a Knight and ended up regretting it, because the extra HP really isn’t worth the lack of mana IMO. There’s lots of viable party combinations in 6, like two druids/cleric/sorcerer for example. Knight is the only class I avoid entirely.

Yeah, knights are suck hard in mm6 because they lack sweet offence edge such is grand armsmaster. Unfortunately unlike in mm7 the difference between classes isn't strong in general.

Rock blast is awesome.

I agree but it's unreliable.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Taking a Paladin instead of a Knight in MM6 is pretty important. On my first playthrough I made the mistake of using a Knight and ended up regretting it, because the extra HP really isn’t worth the lack of mana IMO. There’s lots of viable party combinations in 6, like two druids/cleric/sorcerer for example. Knight is the only class I avoid entirely.

I never played without a knight.
As a result, you can avoid party wipes, which have little consequences if you bank your gold but i like it that way.

Also, while the paladin will put a lot of skill points in magic, the knight can focus on weapons, hit harder and more accurately.
Besides, i don't complete half my runs and the first half is where the knight shines the most.

Mostly, if you play on TB mode and don't run around with auto-fire on like a mad dog, the knight is worth his armor weight.

 

[Broseph]

Playing 7 again and I just killed the Emerald Isle dragon with my level 4 party, with the obvious tactic of running around the cave in real time mode and using wand/bows.

It’s cheesy, but saving right before looting the corpse is the way to go. Do that and you’re gonna be all decked out going into Harmondale. I remember my older brother telling me about this exploit years ago, and pulling it off is one of the most satisfying feelings in an RPG. Love this game.

Also, playing it in widescreen for the first time because the Grayface patch didn’t have that feature back in 2013 IIRC. Feels good man.

 

[Darth Roxor]

the big thing for me is how the setting resembles the Erathia setting as seen in HoMM3 closer than it did in MM6.

MM6 takes place in Enroth, aka HoMM2 land

 

[Karl Barx]

Taking a Paladin instead of a Knight in MM6 is pretty important. On my first playthrough I made the mistake of using a Knight and ended up regretting it, because the extra HP really isn’t worth the lack of magic

Sure, but the Paladin cannot get dual Sword wield (aka Grandmaster sword), which notably limits its badass factor.
Plus, you cannot get him to wear Zeus plate armor, which turns your big boy into a monosyllabic 10-IQ bull, because you'll miss this overrated Intelligence skill.

MM6/MM7 both take place in Enroth, most visible by the fact you can meet the twin brothers Roland/Archibald; not sure for MM8, but I heard it's decline anyways.

 

[Broseph]

Taking a Paladin instead of a Knight in MM6 is pretty important. On my first playthrough I made the mistake of using a Knight and ended up regretting it, because the extra HP really isn’t worth the lack of magic

Sure, but the Paladin cannot get dual Sword wield (aka Grandmaster sword), which notably limits its badass factor.
Plus, you cannot get him to wear Zeus plate armor, which turns your big boy into a monosyllabic 10-IQ bull, because you'll miss this overrated Intelligence skill.

MM6/MM7 both take place in Enroth, most visible by the fact you can meet the twin brothers Roland/Archibald; not sure for MM8, but I heard it's decline anyways.

MM8 is flawed and obviously suffered from a rushed development cycle but it’s still good and worth playing. Some of the dungeon designs are better than in 7, it’s still got Arcomage, and dragons aren’t as OP as some say. The major problem with it is that it’s too easy.

 

[Karl Barx]

Yeah, I had a friend which did the trio and loved it; the visual lack of polish and bad reviews just got in the way back then.
I'll remember to avoid dragons in my party, maybe hire vampires instead, if I ever do it!

 

[madrigal]

MM8 is flawed and obviously suffered from a rushed development cycle but it’s still good and worth playing. Some of the dungeon designs are better than in 7, it’s still got Arcomage, and dragons aren’t as OP as some say. The major problem with it is that it’s too easy.

You have convinced me to try it out since it is currently 75% off on GOG. Any patches/mods that should be used ?

 

[Broseph]

MM8 is flawed and obviously suffered from a rushed development cycle but it’s still good and worth playing. Some of the dungeon designs are better than in 7, it’s still got Arcomage, and dragons aren’t as OP as some say. The major problem with it is that it’s too easy.

You have convinced me to try it out since it is currently 75% off on GOG. Any patches/mods that should be used ?

Use the Grayface patch. There’s also a mod that combines 6/7/8 into one game, but I’ve never tried it.

 

[Storyfag]

There’s also a mod that combines 6/7/8 into one game, but I’ve never tried it.

The merge mod is exceptionally well done. It has some issues, but I can wholeheartedly recommend it.