15 June 2007
By: Alexandru Stanescu, Editor, Gaming Reviews (Consoles)
Might and Magic IX Exploit (PC)
Get a head start in this great RPG
Might and Magic IX is a computer role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows by New World Computing. It was the first installment of the Might and Magic series to feature a significant game engine overhaul since 1998's Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven. Powered by the Lithtech 1.5 engine, it was also the first game in the series to feature fully three-dimensional graphics. During production, it was known by the working title of Might and Magic IX: Writ of Fate. The game's story takes place following the destruction of the world of Enroth and [admark=1]Erathia, the location of Might and Magic VI through Might and Magic VIII, as depicted in Heroes of Might and Magic IV.Might and Magic IX features a party of four player characters, each of whom is selected at the start of the game. Each character has six statistical attributes: might, magic, endurance, accuracy, speed, and luck, and the number of points assigned to each attribute is based upon the race of the character: three of the four available races have both a strong attribute, which reduces the cost of advancement in that area by half and a weak attribute, which doubles the cost of advancement in that area. Exploit - Starter's ChestWhen you are at the first area when you need to find a way off the island, you can exploit the game to get infinite items. There is a chest in the room where you touch a book to escape the Island. Before you touch that book, take all items, spells, skill books etc. in the treasure chest and go in to the dungeon ruins. Leave the ruins and go back to the chest. It should have respawned the items inside. You can repeat this as many times as you desire to get a slight head start early in the game.
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Might and Magic VIII

Soloing

Acknowledgement

I want to thank lvglenn for her help in correcting and commenting this document, and also Sil for his remarkable performances in Mastering the soloing with all classes and providing me information about the Dragon solo.

Introduction

Do not use this document if you are playing your first game of Might and Magic VIII. It requires a good deal of knowledge about the game and its interface. Soloing isn't an easy task if you are an inexperienced player, and dexterity, careful strategy, persistence and quick thinking are necessary. This document will introduce you to the rules and conditions of soloing in this game. Soloing is not easy, but offers many rewards and gives playing the game a whole new dimension. Remember that you will be all alone, with no allies to help you in battle or support you in any way.
To start with, here are some rules you need to consider if you want your solo game to be 'pure'. These rules are not absolute, and you should let your conscience be your guide, but a good player does not cheat 1. Soloing means to be alone, so no one can accompany you. Not even a dead or eradicated corpse can. Some would say that it is convenient to have the backpacks of dead companions in which to carry and store necessities and loot. True, but a solo is a solo, and if you had to drag a corpse around in real life, you would lose no time in disposing of it. In a solo game, all the experience points gained should be yours. Not having a companion (even one who is dead, eradicated or stoned) means not having to share! (For more information, please see the documents relating to the scoring in MM8 [Scoring.pdf]) Hirelings can be used only when required and then immediately dismissed. All other cannot stay in your party. You are allowed to fill the Adventures Inn if you whish, but the Hirelings cannot be used in anyway. This means that you cannot use the backpack of the Inn NPCs as store place. You are never allowed to take any of the hirelings' equipment or possessions, with the sole exception of Fredrick Talimere's Power Stone. Technically, you don't need the Power Stone from Fredrick Talimere either, as you always end up with an extra stone anyway, but you DO need to go see him to satisfy the quest the Clan Leader gives you at the beginning of the game. During the game two hirelings are needed to complete quests necessary to the game's advancement. They can accompany you to complete their special tasks, but you should engage in no battles while they are in your service. Specifically: ! Overdune Snapfinger is the witness that you must take to Bastian Loudrin in Alvar. Dismiss him as soon as he gives his testimony. ! Dyson Leland is necessary to one of the alliance quests, but he needs only to press the button in the Temple of the Sun or to open the central door in the Necromancers' Guild and then destroy the Skeleton Transformer. Dispose of his services as soon as he has completed the task of your choice. Again, he should not be permitted to participate in any fights or assist you in any other manner. Last, but not least, the use of any save game editor, in-memory editor or trainer is strictly forbidden! But you knew that. :)

If you abide by these guidelines, you will find added interest, challenge and replayability in Might and Magic VIII.

Character

Your solo character must be a 'Jack of all trades', so choosing your character's class is very important and impacts greatly on the game play. If you always lean towards Might, for example, many adjustments will be necessary. Remember, you are alone, so your HP are limited, and if you become stoned, paralyzed, dead, etc., it's GAME OVER! :-( Patience and careful strategy is necessary, but it is still possible to kill everything. Consider: ! Develop the class best skill. Each class should focus on their strength. ! Avoid group fights, except for very weak opponents. Try to lure one or two monsters away from their pals to even up the odds a bit. ! Develop an effective ranged attack (bows and/or spells). This way, you can weaken your opponents from a safe distance before moving in for the kill. If the class is not skilled in range attacks (Grand Master) chose one main offensive attack, either melee or spell, and develop it. Dont try to develop all the skills, a specialist will be more efficient here then a weak 'Jack of all trades'. ! Mass destruction Magic is much more powerful than Might. ! Maximize your hit points as much as possible, but do not forget the AC (Armor Class). Without a good AC you will be hit more often. By experience, I can say that the easiest class to play solo is the necromancer, due to his magical expertise, and Magic is by far the most damage-dealing 'weapon' in the Might and Magic games. He has lots of mass destruction spells (most of the best ones being ranged attacks), not to mention Fly, Invisibility, Town Portal and Lloyd's Beacon. His only weakness is his lack of hit points, but special equipment and increased endurance can help. Creative use of the Dark Magic spell Vampiric Weapon early in the game (and Souldrinker later on) will also help keep hit points up. Conversely, the pure Might classes seem to be more difficult. However, the Knight is such a fine natural fighter (and develops into such a powerhouse) that he is not as difficult as you Might think. Still, the lack of transportation and healing Magic presents some difficulties. Vampires and Minotaurs, even though possessing some Magic, are mediocre overall, and therefore difficult to play. Perhaps the Oscar for 'Most Difficult' goes to the Troll. He has no Magic ability, and is not really skilled in weapons and armors. His only strength is his natural toughness (ability to regenerate and phenomenally high number of hit points). To sum up from easiest to hardest: 1. Necromancer 2. Dark Elf 3. Dragon 4. Knight 5. Cleric 6. Vampire 7. Minotaur 8. Troll This list is, of course, subjective. You may feel differently. If you want to make a level 150 War Troll it will be piece of cake, so to make a good balanced game try to stay below level 50. Personally I do only train if I have to develop a particular skill. I think that with a level 30, whatever class you take, should be sufficient. If you want to know the best way to create your character for each class, you can have a look in the NPC file, but I warn you that this file is written in French. In this list you will see the Dragon Class appear. Yes, it is possible to do a true solo game with a Dragon as your starting character, but to do so it is necessary to edit. Since it is not possible to create a Dragon as a start character in a regular game, I provide two save games on my Web site with Dragon(s) as start characters. They are free to download and play.

Morcarack They are waiting for you to take them adventuring!

Wromthrax

Conclusion
Try a solo game once, and you may never return to a full party. You will see that the game is much more interesting like this, and you will make better use of your BRAIN, since you cannot jump like a berserk Knight into a group of monsters, hacking and slashing! It is not impossible to do, as several people have done it many times. Enjoy your solo game, Master the game and have fun! Sil's comment (Community member): I second that. A solo game is IMHO more challenging and more fun than an 'ordinary' game:) I have soloed with all the seven available starting classes myself, and had Great fun :) Lvglenn's comment (Community member): "What I like best about soloing is the sense of complete freedom it gives you. You have only yourself to be responsible for, and only yourself to depend upon. IMO, it is the most PERSONAL way to experience Might and Magic VIII!"