This guide was written by snap on 1 Mar 2001. You can contact him at
pastures@hotmail.com. Thanks to all people/creatures who went into making
both M&M games.
I will probably not be making a revision since this game has been out a
while and there doesn't seem to be much interest in it. Let me know if you
need more help though. Sorry, but i don't play multiplayer, so if that's
what you wanted to find, you won't find it here, though my general
strategies should help you quite a bit.
Single Player Guide Ver 1.1
Due to limited time, this guide will contain minimal information to help you
through. Moreover, I am by no means the M&M whizz kid who knows every little
secret, though i must admit that i got almost all items in the game and got
all experience. However, my score at the end of the game was zero. I do not
know why this is so and have no inclination to find out. If you have
anything to contribute, just send me an email to pastures@hotmail.com. By
the way, this is my first game guide. I spent a lot of time changing all my
Tab spacing to regular spacing bcos gamefaqs wants it that way. I wrote this
guide cos i got pissed that gamefaqs had nothing on it. So this should be
the first. I have not seen any faq/guide about this game so there is
definitely NO plagiarism.
About the game:
This game is the sequel to the most excellent Magic & Mayhem. I am sad to
say that a lot of the fun factor of the original has been lost in the
sequel. Maybe it's the fact that the map doesn't loop back on itself. Maybe
it's the slow 3-D animation (I'm using a GeForce2 MX400).
The spell system is still basically the same as the original. You have spell
items which you can slot into spell talismans. There are 3 kinds of
talismans: Law, Chaos and Neutral. The spell you get depends on which
talisman you put your spell item into. eg. the spell item Deadly Nightshade
can be put into either Chaos, Law or Neutral talismans. If put into Chaos,
you get the spell Skeleton, into Law you get the spell Bury and into Neutral
talisman you get Fireball. You will only have one of each spell item, so you
will always have to choose which spell you want and forsake the other two
ie. you will only be using one-third of your total spell arsenal. You can
access your Portmanteu (your spell screen) at the start of each level. There
are not many, if any, puzzles in the game as in the original. Basically,
this is a kill-the-enemy-wizard game.
Quick tips:
1. Plan your spell repertoire properly. If you have friendly wizards that
already have these spells then do not waste the slot by having those same
spells. Ideally, you should have these spell types:
a) cheap, mass-castable creature to surround an enemy. These have the
advantage of quickly reducing the enemy's Health since there are many
creatures hitting it while it can only target one creature at a time. If you
play RTS games you should know what i mean.
b) powerful creature to guard a Place (of Power, usually).
c) creature enhancement eg. Excalibur, Stygian Bow, Invisibility, Haste.
d) attacking spell eg. Fireball, Lightning, Dragon's Breath
e) Cure spell, if possible.
f) Bury spell if there are lots of undead creatures in that level.
g) Totem of Resurrection spell when you get it.
h) Pestilence spell to weaken those hard to kill creatures and fast-moving
enemies (esp. wizards)
2. Ranged attacks are better than melee attacks. Elves, Stygian Bow,
Mountain Giants and Dragons are all very good spells. An Elvish Horde is
almost always better than a horde of zombies. Especially since they can
target creatures from far away and get that extra shot in. Sometimes, a weak
creature with a longer attack range than the enemy creature's sight can kill
off the enemy since the enemy creature will not even budge to find out what
is attacking it, especially if it is guarding a place.
3. Centaurs are excellent creatures. They are fast, have "hands" (ie. they
can pick up items) and have good attacking power. However, the only food
item that has noticeable effect on them is apples. All other food items are
useless. Guess this proves centaurs are vegetarian.
4. Fire spreads. For example, if you are suddenly swarmed by a group of
Dryads, use Fireball on them. If you hit them enough times, they will catch
fire and start to burn. You will actually see the health going down pretty
fast. If they are standing in a group, they will slowly all catch fire. All
you need to do is run around if you're short of mana and watch them
BUURRNN!!
5. Explore everywhere. You never know what you might find. Items that cast
spells are especially useful in the last few stages and in stages where
there is no mana readily available. Save them all if possible except where
you're facing the big bosses like the Necromagus.
6. Certain levels have areas which trigger enemy wizards to attack you.
Explore and find out where the "hot zones" are, then just fortify all Places
of Power (POPs) until you've maxed out your Control. After getting your army
together, then go find the enemy wizard(s). The most notable level with a
"hot zone" is the Palace of Azoria.
Experience Points:
*The events are displayed in alphabetical order and do not reflect in-game
sequential order.
Stage 1
Exp 0/0
Stage 2
discovered summon goblin statue 15
gained 2 neutral talismans 100
gained Deadly Nightshade 25
gained staff 25
gained Valerian 25
killed all goblins 15
spoke with Nadia 15
warded off goblins 15
Total 235
Stage 3
gained lawful talisman 50
rescued villagers 15
talked with Boden 10
talked with Eamus 10
talked with Graymore 10
talked with Jeddon 30
talked with Magtor 10
Total 125
Stage 4
befriended Gaion 20
defeated all chaos troops 15
gained Psillosibin 25
talked to Milesius 20
Total 80
Stage 5
defeated all chaos forces 80
Total 80
Stage 6 Mountains of Cader Idris
entered village unnoticed 15
evaded the clutches of Orgon 15
gained Fly Agarric 25
gained neutral talisman 50
gained the Brim Stone 25
Total 130
Stage 7 Village of Cissbury
defeated the Goblin King 25
obtained the Cloak of Invisibility 15
protected Urien 25
spoke to Urien 15
Total 80
Stage 8 Abandoned Gold Mine
defeated the Chaos Wizard 25
killed the Chaos Wizard 25
killed the Goblin King 50
obtained the Chaos talisman 50
obtained the Goblin King Head 15
obtained the Iron Pyrite 25
Total 190
Stage 9 Village of Cissbury
gained neutral talisman 50
Total 50
Stage 10 Forest of Gorias
defeated Thrall the Dark Witch 50
gained a lawful talisman 50
gained Moon Stone 25
protected Totem of Healing 10
protected Totem of Healing 10
protected Totem of Healing 10
protected Totem of Healing 10
Total 165
Stage 11 Village of Lutetia
gained Chaos talisman 50
gained Spindle Tree 25
overpowered Milesius 25
protected the Cauldron of Plenty 50
Total 150
Stage 29 Corsic Plains
defeated Carbonek 50
released Gaion 25
Total 75
Stage 30 Chaos Tower
killed the Vampire Lord 50
gained chaos talisman 60
obtained Blood Stone 25
reached the Inner Sanctum 15
Total 150
Stage 31 The Village of Nuoro
defeated Gatekeeper 50
gained chaos key 25
Total 75
Stage 32 Nuoro Palace
defeated Milesius 50
gained chaos orb of power 50
overpowered the Necromagus 25
Total 125
Stage 33 Hell Pits of Sassari
defeated chaos priests 30
gained chaos talisman 50
gained the Brim Stone 25
gained Phosphorus 25
Total 130
Stage 34 Castle of Medos
gained Diamond 50
rescued Nadia 25
warded off the Necromagus 25
Total 100
Stage 35 Castle of Medos
defeated the Necromagus 50
gained chaos orb of power 50
gained lawful orb of power 50
Total 150
Stage 36 Karnac
Exp 0/0
Stage 37 Karnac Prison
defeated Glut 50
escaped 50
gained neutral talisman 50
released Krish 15
released Nadia 15
released Vex 15
Total 195
Stage 38 Karnac
end
Total experience in whole game: 3455
My favourite spells:
Zombie (cast a horde around enemy wizard and watch him crumple under their
assault. This is my most used spell in the whole game. I rather use this
than Fireball. With this, you can trap the enemies, whereas using Fireball
allows the enemies to run away.)
Pestilence (to use when wizards run away too fast or when you meet a strong
enemy)
Stygian Bow (if possible, cast on all creatures. Immediately ups attack
power. If Vex is around, do not waste slot on this spell)
Centaur (fast, has hands, good attack power)
Elf (cheap to cast and has range attack. Effective against dragons! Mix
these with zombies to guard a Place of Power. Add a Totem of Resurrection
and the POP will be yours forever.)
Dryad (I think I've seen them cast Cure on friendly units but I can't
confirm this. I usually cast one on a POP and just leave it there alone.)
Cure or Bury (depends on stage)
Totem of Resurrection (easily the most useful spell in the game. Just cast
one of these near a Place of Power and you can raise a HUMONGOUS army-- one
that even exceeds your Control Limit)
Vampire (can suck blood and regain health from enemy units. I don't know if
the vampire can resurrect dead units. In my experience, that seems to be the
case. But this game is weird and may have more than a few bugs in it. Its
like the Dryad, i can't confirm if they heal friendly units.)
Other spells would be to your own preference. It's interesting to note that
some of the key spells i used in the original M&M, i do not use at all in
AoM.
Game Hints:
There isn't enough experience points to max out all stats, so use them
wisely. (You need 5000. They only give you 3455) I recommend maxing Mana and
getting your Control to as high as you are comfortable with. Health is not
really important if you are a "summoning" wizard as your creatures will take
the hits for you. Just don't wander too close to an enemy wizard who has
powerful attack spells.
In the Mountains of Cader Idris, just make sure you go slow. You might have
to go through this stage a few times just to get the general layout.
Another tough stage is the Azorian Mountains. It's possible to do it the
easy way and the hard way. Remember your key objectives (forgive the pun).
Get the keys and get out. Killing everyone is not an objective. In fact, the
storm giants and centaurs respawn constantly. However, if you opt for the
easy way, you'll miss a lot of good items. I did it the hard way first time
round ie. I fortified all POPs. VERY TOUGH. But it was worth it, in my
opinion.
If you're wondering how to open that last chest in the Initiates Training
Chamber, my hint is to make sure you explore EVERY SINGLE BIT OF AREA. Get
rid of every single bit of fog. If you still can't get it, just ask me. By
the way, it's not worth your while to actually open the chest. You'll only
get a feeling of satisfaction and annoyance at the whole thing.
Using the strategies i've given you, you should be able to ace the game. In
fact, you should be able to complete the game without any help. HA! That's
probably why no FAQ has been written. :)
Acknowledgments:
Thanks again to all who made this game possible.
Thanks to gamefaqs.
Thanks to you, the reader of this FAQ for actually bothering about this game
and reading my FAQ.
Any comments or qns, pls mail snap at pastures@hotmail.com.
