MAGIC & MAYHEM The Art Of Magic Bethesda Softworks Inc. 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 12 Karnac Exp 0/0 Stage 13 Tavern befriended Daephus 15 defeated Brandon 25 defeated Culann 25 defeated Tiernon 25 Total 90 Stage 14 Karnac gained neutral talisman 50 gained Obsidian 25 Total 75 Stage 15 Port of Karnac Exp 0/0 Stage 16 The Thieves Guild befriended Vex 15 defeated Krish the thief lord 25 Total 40 Stage 17 Port of Karnac defeated Gunrock 25 evaded Krish 15 acquired passage to Azoria 50 Total 90 Stage 18 Journey to Azoria defeated Gorman Dax 50 gained lawful talisman 50 gained Quicksilver 25 Total 125 Stage 19 Azorian Mountains gained centaur key 50 gained stormgiant key 50 Total 100 Stage 20 The Village of Glaval befriended the people of Glaval 15 defeated Partholon 50 gained Tourmaline 25 Total 90 Stage 21 Chaos Encampment defeated Atreus 25 defeated Nemain 25 rescued elven child four 15 rescued elven child one 15 rescued elven child three 15 rescued elven child two 15 Total 110 Stage 22 The Village of Glaval gained Lapis Lazuli 25 gained lawful talisman 50 Total 75 Stage 23 Palace of Azoria Exp 0/0 Stage 24 Initiates Training Chamber defeated Moogos 25 evaded the clutches of Moogos 25 gained Diamond 50 Total 100 Stage 25 Palace of Azoria gained lawful orb of power 50 gained Sapphire 25 Total 75 Stage 26 Karnac Exp 0/0 Stage 27 Glanum Mountains defeated Pentheus 50 rescued dwarves 50 Total 100 Stage 28 Dwarf Mines gained chaos talisman 50 gained Silver 25 gained Zircon 25 Total 100 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.