Ultimate MM8 party

[hatsforclowns]

Just started playing MM8.

After playing MM7 only for so many years, MM8 looks a bit odd - hiring people along the way is strange to me. It's like I cannot get fond of them, dunno.

Anyway, what I wanted to ask if is there any hard dungeon in the beginning as we had in MM7 (Emerald Island), to test our survival abilities, or must I suffer the normal levels for long?

Once you get off of Daggerwound Island, the entire game is pretty much open to you. You actually get to come back to DWI, unlike Emerald Island However, the temple isn't that difficult. After that, there's plenty of difficult stuff! (Depending on how you want to play)

The hireling system was one thing that I truly loved about MM8! Although I would have preferred the hirelings to be randomised.

[Panda Tar]

Actually I died several times, sometimes I died so suddenly I couldn't even grasp what the heck happened, before seeing those things falling from the skies in front of me.

I died mostly because I forgot that I had only 1 person in my team, while trying to fight 10 pirates all about me. Oh, well.

I'm trying to find a hero with Item ID at Grandmaster, because I hate when I get items I cannot identify. In MM7 we had scholars, if we wanted. I don't think we can hire NPCs here?

[hatsforclowns]

Actually I died several times, sometimes I died so suddenly I couldn't even grasp what the heck happened, before seeing those things falling from the skies in front of me.

I died mostly because I forgot that I had only 1 person in my team, while trying to fight 10 pirates all about me. Oh, well.

I'm trying to find a hero with Item ID at Grandmaster, because I hate when I get items I cannot identify. In MM7 we had scholars, if we wanted. I don't think we can hire NPCs here?

No. The hireling system and the extra PC is supposed to offset that.

Those unsuspected meteor showers did kill me a few times the first time I played MM8 After that it was because I wanted the meteor fragments XD

EDIT:

All the PCs won't join you immediately. I don't know if it's level or fame required, but some simply won't join such an "inexperienced" bunch of hoodlums. Others can't join due to wars (clerics/necromancers, dragons/dragon hunters), and so on. So I don't think you'll be able to find a GM ID Item right at the beginning of the game.

EDIT:

I think Duroth The Eternal (dragon) is the PC with the highest ID Item, Master level 10. So there isn't even a PC with GM ID Item.

[Panda Tar]

Actually, I don't know which race/class can become GM in ID item. I don't mind having to learn the skill from 1, but my team right now is a Minotaur, Vampire and Cleric. The three of them cannot pass through Expert level in ID item. Only dragons make it to GM or is there another PC that can? Like Necromancer or Troll (:lol:)?

[hatsforclowns]

(I don't know if this forum supports tables :/)

Might & Magic 8
Skills quick reference

N = Necromancer (Lich)
C = Cleric (Priest Of Light)
K = Knight (Champion)
T = Troll (War Troll)
M = Minotaur (Minotaur Lord)
E = Dark elf (Patriarch)
V = Vampire (Nosferatu)
D = Dragon (Great Wyrm)

+ = Skill level available after promotion

N = Normal
E = Expert
M = Master
G = Grandmaster

Code: Select all

Magic skills

                N + C + K + T + M + E + V + D +

Fire            M G · · · · · · · · E M · · · ·
Air             M G · · · · · · · · E M · · · ·
Water           M G · · · · · · · · E M · · · ·
Earth           M G · · · · · · · · E M · · · ·
Spirit          · · M G · · · · N E · · E M · ·
Mind            · · M G · · · · N E · · E M · ·
Body            · · M G · · · · N E · · E M · ·
Light           · · M G · · · · · · · · · · · ·
Dark            M G · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·
Vampire         · · · · · · · · · · · · M G · ·
Dark elf        · · · · · · · · · · M G · · · ·
Dragon          · · · · · · · · · · · · · · M G

Combat skills

                N + C + K + T + M + E + V + D +

Sword           · · · · M G M · E · M · M · · ·
Axe             · · · · M · M · M G · · E · · ·
Staff           M · E · E · M G M · · · · · · ·
Spear           · · · · M G E · M · · · · · · ·
Dagger          E · · · E · E · E · M · M G · ·
Bow             N · N · E · N · E · M G N · · ·
Mace            · · M · M · M G M · N · E · · ·
Leather         E · E · E · M G E · M · M · · ·
Chain           · · E · M · E · M · M G E · · ·
Plate           · · · · M G · · M · · · · · · ·
Shield          · · M · M G · · · · E · M · · ·

Miscellaneous skills

                N + C + K + T + M + E + V + D +

Disarm trap     N · · · E · N · M · M G E · · ·
Perception      N · E · E · N · M G M · E · M G
Merchant        E · M · E · N · E · M G E · E ·
Learning        M G E · N · N · N · E · N · M G
Meditation      M G M · · · · · · · E · · · M ·
Bodybuilding    · · N · M · M G M · · · · · M ·
ID Item         M · · · · · · · · · M · E · M G
Repair item     · · E · M G M · · · E · · · · ·
ID monster      M · · · N · E · · · · · M G M ·
Armsmaster      · · N · M G M · M · E · N · · ·
Alchemy         M G E · · · · · N · E · M · M ·
Regeneration    · · · · · · M G · · · · E M E ·

[Panda Tar]

Thanks, hats-kun.

Now I think a necromancer and a dark elf are in my book then. I don't know if a minotaur, cleric, vampire, necromancer and dark elf would compose a ultimate team of sorts, but I think they got the tools to manage some wide different tasks.

I also thought that we got many quests at this single town at first. Got a bit worried, until I started bumping into quest items and the cleric I found without looking for him.

[tolich]

If is there any hard dungeon in the beginning as we had in MM7 (Emerald Island), to test our survival abilities, or must I suffer the normal levels for long?

Yes, there's a library and entrance to Earth Dimension Place. I think they both are hard enough even on later stages.

Actually I died several times, sometimes I died so suddenly I couldn't even grasp what the heck happened, before seeing those things falling from the skies in front of me.

Use Wizard's Eye. It shows where Meteors fall.

I'm trying to find a hero with Item ID at Grandmaster, because I hate when I get items I cannot identify. In MM7 we had scholars, if we wanted. I don't think we can hire NPCs here?

You have no need in Grandmaster in this game, a Master is high enough.

[GreatEmerald]

Use Wizard's Eye. It shows where Meteors fall.

Scorched ground is also a dead giveaway.

[tolich]

You're to enter this ground if you want to collect meteor fragments. Multiple red dots around your position on the Wizard Eye must give the clue: "Run like hell from here."

[Panda Tar]

Ah, yeah, right. I didn't have wizard's eye for a while, given that I got my dark elf later. I ended up with a dragon as well. Got screwed when I hit those dragon pets by accident (yes, accident), after I lured the lot of nagas on my way (dark elf almost got incinerated by those blade spells). Well, my first adventure in this game is becoming downright tremendously catastrophic. Got my ass beat at the Wasp's Hive (one of the most WTFing moments in the game after I realized the wasp was using a sword to attack me) and I saved the game accidentally (here again...) after exploding my team in a trap I thought my dark elf would handle, just after picking the dragon (which went straight down to his tomb as a welcome gift). Only my loyal minotaur (starting character) survived due his perception of not getting killed. Alas! Luckily, there's the autosave.

The funny thing of this is that I must learn all the game again, many creatures I didn't know. When I saw all those nagas, I felt elated. But my elation exploded after I heard those pistol bangs heading my way all of a sudden. And it's just me or we can't see the dragon pet's attack? It just attacks and then...tomb here. Tomb there.

[hatsforclowns]

Ah, yeah, right. I didn't have wizard's eye for a while, given that I got my dark elf later. I ended up with a dragon as well. Got screwed when I hit those dragon pets by accident (yes, accident), after I lured the lot of nagas on my way (dark elf almost got incinerated by those blade spells). Well, my first adventure in this game is becoming downright tremendously catastrophic. Got my ass beat at the Wasp's Hive (one of the most WTFing moments in the game after I realized the wasp was using a sword to attack me) and I saved the game accidentally (here again...) after exploding my team in a trap I thought my dark elf would handle, just after picking the dragon (which went straight down to his tomb as a welcome gift). Only my loyal minotaur (starting character) survived due his perception of not getting killed. Alas! Luckily, there's the autosave.

The funny thing of this is that I must learn all the game again, many creatures I didn't know. When I saw all those nagas, I felt elated. But my elation exploded after I heard those pistol bangs heading my way all of a sudden. And it's just me or we can't see the dragon pet's attack? It just attacks and then...tomb here. Tomb there.

The dragon PC? IIRC the dragon attack has a blast effect, so if the enemy is too close, your party is going to get blasted by the powerful Dragon Breath.

[Panda Tar]

I was pretty far. I couldn't see the attack coming. I see the attack animation, but the projectile, blast, breath or whatever is invisible, so I don't know the right timing to try and dodge (it feels like the attack comes at the very beginning of the animation, because when I waited a bit more - ). Only one character got killed each time the thing attacked, so it wasn't due the blast I gather.

Speaking of dragons, my own dragon couldn't hit those...hum...big rat-like beasts. Beastmaster? Shapeshifter, I don't remember their name. It would just spit fire over/through them.

[hatsforclowns]

I was pretty far. I couldn't see the attack coming. I see the attack animation, but the projectile, blast, breath or whatever is invisible, so I don't know the right timing to try and dodge (it feels like the attack comes at the very beginning of the animation, because when I waited a bit more - ). Only one character got killed each time the thing attacked, so it wasn't due the blast I gather.

Speaking of dragons, my own dragon couldn't hit those...hum...big rat-like beasts. Beastmaster? Shapeshifter, I don't remember their name. It would just spit fire over/through them.

Ah! The hostile NPC dragons ... if you can't see their "projectile" (looks like a fire bolt) then that must be a bug. Are you using GreyFace's patches?

[Panda Tar]

Nope. I was thinking on giving it a try without the patch and then I'd go with the patch. Or should I try it from the very start?

[hatsforclowns]

Nope. I was thinking on giving it a try without the patch and then I'd go with the patch. Or should I try it from the very start?

I played through all 3 games (MM6-8) without anything but official patches several times before I found GF's patches. I never experienced that many bugs, so for me it wasn't that essential.

However, it does fix a lot of small bugs (and bigger ones), and the MP3 feature is for me invaluable! To be able to turn off the mouse-look is also pretty good.

However, I would suggest using the patches from the very start. Oh, and your moo-cow is going to be pretty useless without the patches, skill bugs prevent even a Minotaur Lord from having the skills that s/he should, especially the axe skill is bugged.

[GreatEmerald]

Not to mention that it allows you to use the graphics acceleration without palette swapping bugs. Are you already using acceleration, or are you still in the oldschool software rendering mode?

[Panda Tar]

Using acceleration already.

I'll download the patch then. Thank you.

[GreatEmerald]

Hmm, then it's odd that you don't see the emitters as is. But the patch will definitely improve your model rendering, so that enemies are palette swapped and not just tinted.

[Panda Tar]

This colour differences I could notice while battling nagas in close up. When they were not looking at me (but trying to hit a crusader that was in the tent...on the other side of the wall) they were all blurry. But whenever I hit them or when they became aware of my existance, their outlines and definition became much more vivid and detailed all of a sudden.

[BoardGuest808888]

All the PCs won't join you immediately. I don't know if it's level or fame required, but some simply won't join such an "inexperienced" bunch of hoodlums. Others can't join due to wars (clerics/necromancers, dragons/dragon hunters), and so on. So I don't think you'll be able to find a GM ID Item right at the beginning of the game.

Potential Spoiler :

Well, with few exception NPCs u can hire right off the bat or through quests, most others would join u after u completed certain parts of the main quest.

Lvl 15 NPCs would join after u find witness of elemental disaster.
Lvl 30 NPCs would join after u completed rounding up alliance to save Jadame (some only if u join their side of the alliance).
Lvl 50 NPCs would join after u destroyed Regnan fleet & got commissioned to retrieve elemental gems.