AN RPG/STRATEGY GAME FOR THE IBM PC
Email: PDTari@hotmail.com
The latest version of this guide can be found at www.gamefaqs.com
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WELCOME
========
Welcome to my guide for Magic & Mayhem (known as "Duel - The Mage Wars" in
US) I've played this game and have really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd
write a guide for it! So why, you might ask, I decided to write a guide
for the game that was released two years ago (about 40 in game-years)? Few
reasons... Firstly and foremost it is a great game that is fun to play.
Secondly it is freely available for download from freeloader.com site
(first 14 episodes last time I checked - could be more by the time you're
reading this). Thirdly if you are keep getting beaten in all those
multi-player RTS games (or just need to polish your RTS skills) Magic &
Mayhem will be the perfect tutor for you since it has some elements of RTS
(but you can pause it any time). And finally, a full 3D sequel called "Art
of Magic: Magic & Mayhem 2" comes out soon so we better get ready.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Have fun!
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GUIDE HISTORY
==============
Version 0.1
Began the guide.
Version 0.2
Continued walkthrough.
Edited most of the sections
(see My Thoughts section)
Started Spells list
Version 0.3
Completed the first island.
Updated most of the sections.
Added Creatures section.
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WHAT'S IN THIS GUIDE?
======================
This guide was not designed to restate Grimoire (which worth reading) or
the manual but rather provide you with useful information about the game.
The game has four levels of difficulty: Initiate, Apprentice, Adept and
Wizard. The main differences are the number of hostile creatures you meet
and extend of enemy wizards using AI.
If you played recently released "Sacrifice" you should feel pretty
comfortable playing this game (in one of the missions you even get to
sacrifice one of your creatures). The main differences between those two
are:
1. Might & Magic uses overhead view (Diablo style) so it is easier to get
into (no camera rotating required) and more fun to play.
2. You don't need souls to summon creatures so you can have as many as
your Control Limit allows (which can be increased between the mission).
3. You can change your set of spells any time between the mission by
rearranging the ingredients in your talismans.
4. You get to summon familiar creatures (like Zombie, Faun, Elf and so
on).
5. If your wizard killed you fail the level.
A thing to note about creatures in the game is that they get an experience
and can gain status of Lord - denoted by the silver halo over the creature
head or King denoted by the golden crown. Lords gain 50% increase in all
their stats and Kings gain 100% increase and can subvert enemy creatures
of the same type by attacking them. The amount of experience a creature
gets depends on the creature it is attacking. The highest experience is
received when attacking enemy wizard.
Mana Sprites are randomly generated starting from the third mission.
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WALKTHROUGH
============
FIRST ISLAND
Forest of Pain
Achievement Experience Points
Talked to Camulos. 10
Defeated Camulos. 40
Total Experience Points Gained: 50 / 50
Notes: If you play this level on Initiate Hermes The Crow will give you
mini-tutorial. Follow the brown-brick-road to the Place of Power and
occupy it (by any means necessary). Cross the bridge (with a few Zombies /
Brownies to keep you company), continue to follow the road, find the
wizard and send him into the next level. Here's the tricky part - it is so
easy to just send your creatures to deal with the enemy wizard, but this
way you'd lose 10 point. You have to talk to him first by getting your
character close enough to him. Finally enter the portal and be on your
way.
The Plains of Greenhenge
Achievement Experience Points
Talked to Regus. 10
Killed Camulos. 60
Found Tincal. 40
Total Experience Points Gained: 110 / 110
As the mission starts grab the Mana Sprite and follow the road the Hermes
showed you as fast as you can. Talk to the unicorn (I am serious) and when
you get to the enclosure with two huts and Place of Power in the middle
summon as many creatures as you can. Send them to clear the place. You can
use the huts to hide from the Storm (at least until the roof holds). When
done - put one of your creatures on the Place of Power and couple to guard
it. And don't forget to pick up any goodies you find inside the huts.
Near the entrance to the enclosure you'll see a sign - follow it and you
should arrive to the Stonehedge. Capture the Place of Power in the middle
of it. Camulos (never say "die") should be nearby - finish him and pick up
the Tincal he drops. When you enter the portal the level will end.
Fiddler's Green
Achievement Experience Points
Received the Syrinx Pipes. 10
Stole the Clover. 30
Killed Yeoric. 60
Total Experience Points Gained: 100 / 100
In this mission your mage seems to be unusually evil (correct me if I'm
wrong). Here's a rundown... You meet Yeoric who runs a tavern - a kind of
safe-heaven where all creatures big and small can live in peace.
Apparently your uncle passed this tavern and gave Yeoric a Clover as a
present. You ask him to give the Clover to you, but receive Syrinx Pipes
instead. :( So what do you do? You steal the Clover and kill everyone in
the tavern (and the area for that matter) including Yeoric. Poor Yeoric...
You start this mission with a bunch of Redcaps attacking you. Summon some
fighters to dispatch the attackers and pick up the goodies in the huts.
Next go to the tavern as Hermes showed you and talk to Yeoric. After he
gives you Syrinx Pipes leave the tavern (don't attempt to occupy his Place
of Power or he will attack you) go around the back and summon a creature
with hands inside the storage area to pick up the goodies. Next stop - the
big bridge. As you pass two parallel bridges you can send some of your
creatures to occupy an undiscovered Place of Power. Fight your way through
the bridge open both chest and occupy the Place of Power. Now it is
Yeoric-killing-time - I recommend a bunch of bats because they are fast
and flying.
The Village of Joseph of Arimathea
Achievement Experience Points
Summoned grail knights. 10
Allied with Twigkindle. 10
Found campaniform bell. 10
Killed Urfang. 10
Defeated Lutheron. 40
Total Experience Points Gained: 80 / 80
I recommend bringing a Unicorn summon for this mission - simply because
they work so well against undead. As the mission starts you find yourself
in the Zombie village - leave it by any means necessary.
Next you can go to the Brownie village and ally yourself with their king
Twigkindle (which is done automatically as you enter the village), occupy
his place of power and get the bell from the chest in one of the huts - as
the game intended. At this point Hermes will inform you about an old
church with a Place of Power and a scroll go there to get your grail
knights.
Alternatively you can summon grail knights first since Urfang - the evil
hellhound lord will be released not long after your alliance.
A word on grail knights (who basically a really tough Skeletons with a bad
attitude). To summon them cast one of your creatures on the altar next to
the scroll and kill it. And don't use the bell since it will paralyze your
grail knights or Zombies too.
By now you should be all set for an Urfang hunting trip (don't forget to
leave some bodyguards for Twigkindle - if he dies you fail the mission).
When the hellhound done for - seek and destroy Lutheron.
As the level starts you find yourself in a trap. Get close to the fence
and summon creature outside it. Tell it to stand on the trigger - this
should remove the inner fence. If you approach the door you will be told
that it can only be opened from outside. Go to the window and summon some
creatures on the outside (preferably with the hand so they can pick up the
goodies) and send them to free Percival by standing on a trigger near his
hut - Hermes will show you were it is.
Occupy the Place of Power, pick up the goodies in the nearby huts and wait
for Percival to get a grasp on his sanity and free you. The rest of the
mission comes down to finding and destroying Lutheron, capturing Places of
Power as you go and keeping Percival alive. And don't forget to leave some
Mana Spirits and food for Percival - he has some useful spells of his own.
Also Brownies in this area are your allies so use it to your advantage.
When Lutheron done for have a little chat with Percival and enter the portal.
The Misty Marshes
Achievement Experience Points
Freed Twigkindle. 10
Received Seven League Boots. 10
Found Grail. 30
Killed Dagda. 50
Found Hemlock. 30
Total Experience Points Gained: 130 / 130
Grab a Mana Sprite, summon some creatures and follow Percival. Collect
fish and attack anyone who gets in your way as you go. Once you get to the
island with a Place of Power occupy it, while fighting off enemies nearby.
When Twigkindle asks you to free him walk to the switch and stand on it
yourself. He will give you Seven League Boots as a reward - you can use
them three times and you'll need one use for the Levitate trap, but you
better save other two for later missions.
Leave some of the creatures to guard Twigkindle (you won't be able to take
them trough Levitate trap anyway) and follow Percival to the big
bridge-system. Percival will show you where the first trap is (by getting
in it himself) and then he'll return to the Place of Power to guard it and
Twigkindle that comes with it. Fighting creatures on the bridge is a waist
of time and mana so just get to the trap as fast as you can. Stop not too
far away from it, activate Seven League Boots and run through. Summon few
undead creatures (since they are immune to Pestilence) right before the
second trap and send them to occupy the Place of Power nearby. Continue
running until you reach two chests. You are likely to be infected by
Pestilence totems you passed by (indicated by flies around an infected
creature), so just cast Cure on yourself. Open the right chest to get the
Grail (DO NOT OPEN THE LEFT CHEST!).
Now just finish Dagda, occupy his two Places of Power and pick up Hemlock
he drops (either yourself or send a creature with hands to pick it up for
you). As soon as Dagda done for, a timed portal will open - hurry to it
before the clock runs out.
The Forest of Woodman's Hall
Achievement Experience Points
Killed Blaise. 50
Killed Elidor. 20
Found Glasses Of Vision. 10
Found Alectorius. 20
Total Experience Points Gained: 100 / 100
Note: Don't use Elves on this level - Elidor, King of the Elves, can
easily subvert them.
The Forest is the perfect place to improve your undead creatures handling
skills. Undead creatures (preferably infected with pestilence) are your
best bet here. It is good idea to put a Pestilence totem next to a Place
of Power (either before or after capturing it) as it works wonders against
all those pesky Elves and their king Elidor. Just don't get infected
yourself.
In the Forest you will come across rigged chest with Glasses of Vision
inside. Send a creature into nearby building to stand on the trigger that
disarms the trap.
Once your forces are rotten enough hunt down Blaise and Elidor and
permanently remove them from the game.
When you ready to finish the level go to the big building with the timed
portal. You, probably won't have time for fights because the timer runs
out pretty fast - so just cast Iron Skin on yourself and spread your
creatures evenly through out the building to trigger switches as they
open. But whatever you do DON'T LEAVE without Alectorius.
Joyous Garde
Achievement Experience Points
Killed Bertilak. 50
Confronted the Overlord. 20
Took the Laurel. 30
Freed Lucan. 40
Total Experience Points Gained: 140 / 140
In this level we are going to invade Joyous Garde Castle
(walk-through-the-front-door-and-kill-everything-inside kind of "invade").
However, your main mission is baby-sitting Percival as he tends to wander
off in random directions and get himself killed. Try to stay close and
heal him when needed since the mission is over if Percival dies. The same
goes for Lucan.
When you start pick up Mana Sprites and leave some for Percival if you
feel like it. Enter the Castle and try to finish Trolls as fast as
possible. Take the left corridor (only one Fireball trap) opening chests
as you go. Kill another Troll and go around the corner. Hermes the Crow
will show you Place of Power. Secure that Place of Power by placing
Fountain of Life next to it and few creatures - Hellhound recommended.
Also he will show you the prison - a place where you can find all sorts of
things - food, Mana Sprites, enemy creatures, and last but not least - you
uncle Lucan. But you might want to free him a little later - after you
talk with Overlord (just don't leave without him or it will count as a
defeat).
Almost all Places of Power in the Castle are trapped. First won't be
triggered if you use a light creature to occupy it, in second you have to
follow the paved pathway leading to the Place of Power, and in the third
you have to step on the triggers to deactivate the trap.
Finish the Bertilak when opportunity arises and talk to impressed
Overlord. Don't try to fight - you are no match for him, as evidence by
his Judgement spells (each costing 100 points to cast).
When all said and done - leave through the portal.
SECOND ISLAND
Coming soon.
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SHORTCUTS
==========
Here are some of the useful shortcuts from the manual.
Note: For the right mouse button command the creature you want to give the
command to has to be already selected with left mouse button.
"SHIFT" + Left mouse button = Toggle selection (add a creature to the
group or remove it from the selection).
Mini-map + Left mouse button = Center on the selected location.
"CTRL" + Right mouse button = Force attack.
"ALT" + Right mouse button = Guard and follow.
"SHIFT" + Right mouse button = Add waypoint (double right click for flying
waypoint).
"CTRL" + 0 to 9 = Create a team from currently selected creatures.
0 to 9 = Select pre-created team.
"ALT" + 0 to 9 = Select team and center on it.
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BATTLE TACTICS
===============
Almost in every mission there is something that can give you "almost an
unfair advantage" - try to find that "something" (or just read my
walkthrough section).
Unless stated otherwise try to go for "easy" Places of Power first.
Some door require you wizard to stand directly in front of them to open.
Try to save "transferable" items for future missions whenever possible.
Where possible try to attack enemy wizard rather than his/her creatures.
Try not to get your mage in the middle of hand-to hand battle - keep him
at the distance just close enough to cast spells or summon creatures.
First time you get into the new area - scout it with bats. When you know
where all the things are - reload the game and play for real.
Try to occupy all the Places of Power you come across (unless stated
otherwise) and leaving at least one creature to guard it, since the
creature on the Place of Power will be too busy to fight.
There are many ways to clear Place of Power - you can either quickly run
to it, cast Earthbind on yourself and Tornado on the Place of Power; or
cast Storm on it from afar.
1 - Apply it when in need of mana or the creature is no longer useful.
2 - Can be used as your wizard's main weapon due to its low mana cost.
3 - Bounces off the walls and can hurt your creatures or your wizard.
4 - Use it to divide or block enemy forces.
5 - A "must have" spell for most of the missions.
6 - Use it to temporarily disable a strong enemy creature.
7 - Perfect against flying creatures.
8 - Impermanent increase in defense.
9 - Perfect for clearing open spaces and hurt everyone in the area.
10 - This spell is the cheapest enhancement for your creatures.
11 - Gives resurrected creature "undead" status.
12 - Stronger than Fireball but can only be used in open areas.
13 - Cast it next to a Place of Power and let nature take its course.
14 - This is great enhancement if you can afford it.
15 - Perfect for securing Places of Power.
16 - Effective but somewhat unpredictable.
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CREATURES
==========
This section's designed to compare the creatures of the first island and
their stats (feel free to contribute).
How many health points you get for each mana point used in summoning:
Q: What are the best creatures to use in the game?
A: Kai Hortmann gives an interesting answer in his mini-FAQ. Here's an
extract:
"At the start you can only summon weak creatures that cost little mana.
The spell components you find later allow you to summon stronger creatures
but of course cost more mana. You need creatures for different tasks:
- Hand-to-hand combat: In this category you have the widest choice. I like
Skeletons in the first world, but I recommend experimenting until you find
your personal favorite.
- Archers: In the first world there are only Redcaps and Elves. The Elves
are easier to kill but are better archers.
- Scouts: For this you better use fast, flying creatures. Bats are very
good and cheap, later you could try Phoenix. Note that you can (and
should) capture undefended Places of Power with a single Bat and get some
mana before the enemy finds it.
- Defenders: Once you capture a POP you will need to defend it against
counterattacks. Tough and slow monsters are good for that.
- Mage killers: When you kill the enemy mage the level is more or less
won.
Controlling more Places of Power than the enemy helps a lot, especially if
you want your mage to battle the enemy mage with spells at close range.
But you could also use the sneak attack approach. Large groups of weak but
fast monsters can take down a mage! I killed Bertilak, the mage of the
last level of the first world with a stack of 10 Bats before even entering
the castle (which then became rather easy). Other good mage killers are
Phoenix because they tend to "grill" the enemy and Basilisk because they
poison him."
Generally speaking, Unicorns have advantage over undead creatures and
undead creatures have advantage over living creatures (except Unicorns, of
course).
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FEEDBACK
=========
I would really like to know what you think of my guide, as well as what
you think of the game. If you would like to give me suggestions, comments,
battle tactics etc. or if you have found an error you can e-mail me at
PDTari@hotmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Well, I look forward to hearing from you!
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MY THOUGHTS
============
I though, since I have this section, I might as well make it useful. Here
are some unconfirmed rumors - contact me (or is it "contact I" as my
spellchecker suggests) if you can clarify any of those. Also if you have
any comments, corrections or suggestions - feel free to send them in.
+++
Creatures with Excalibur or the Bow can't become lords or kings.
a z says they can, but, I guess, since the enhancement is the one who
usually delivers the killing blow - it takes longer.
+++
You can only have one king of each creature type at a time.
+++
Creature's allegiance (Law, Neutral, Chaos) can give it advantage when
fighting with a creature of another allegiance.
Interesting Information:
Some creatures have very humorous animations, like for example Zombie, who
uses its left hand for attacking by ripping it out with the right hand and
sticking it back afterwards.
When you leave Faun alone for a while he starts drinking from never-ending
chalice.
See if you can find any more.
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THANKS
=======
Kai Hortmann - for his/her mini-FAQ
a z - for help with unconfirmed rumors
...to me.
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DISCLAIMER
===========
I have written this guide for your personal use only. You can copy and
distribute it online to your friends if you keep it AS IS. Do not use this
guide for profitable reasons (e.g. games magazine, a book or any other
publication) without my prior knowledge and consent.
This is the work of me and nobody else, so please don't steal ideas from
this guide, think of your own. If you see this guide on somebody else's
page please e-mail me the URL of that site, so I can create of list of the
availability of this guide.
