The objective list I’m left with after my last Might and Magic Book Two session is a bit rigid, so I went through my old notes and added a few more objectives from that. This should give me more things to do.
Too many things!
The thing is, all of this made my objective list a bit long. Until it gets shorter, I won’t be listing it here for the sake of my own sanity. Instead, I’ll just list individual objectives as I succeed or fail at them.
Objective: Decipher the green messages.
Green Interleave: One letter after another 2-1-3-4.
I actually did this ages ago, but I don’t think I wrote about it. As with Secret of the Inner Sanctum, Might and Magic Book Two has (at least) two sets of messages – green and yellow. I believe I’ve collected all of them, but I didn’t get the yellow cypher key yet, so I can’t decipher it. As for the green one, I have it.
The decoding is done by ordering the messages in the provided order one below the other and then reading top to bottom, instead of left to right. The solution to the green messages is:
For each individual to become true, see the jury which resides at Mount Farview. Travel in groups of appropriate class. A Robber can aid all others with their task.
I have no idea where Mount Farview is, but the message is obviously related to the class quests I’ve been seeing hints about throughout the game.
In any case, the green message is decoded, so that objective is completed. Of course, this gives me a new objective – Succeed at the class quests.
Objective: Obtain Frenzy
Frenzy is clerical spell 5-3. Here’s what the manual says about it:
Sends one party member into a frenzy, allowing him/her to attack all the monsters on the screen. Drained from the experience, the character loses 1 point of endurance and is then rendered unconscious.
It sounds like an OK last resort type of spell, but not something I’d be using often, unless it’s easy to boost endurance. In any case, there’s a message about the spell in my notes:
A group of natives who reside in Native’s Cove at 8,1 oftentimes go into a Frenzy.
The only thing that would fit the name of Native’s Cove is an island in the south, with plenty of native encounters, so I wen’t there, even though I already was there previously.
Fighting natives really isn’t an issue anymore.
The coordinates contained an encounter with a slightly larger group of crazed natives and they did do that frenzy attack where they hit the entire party and then die. After the fight was one, Alana and Priscilla knew the spell. There was probably a message about me learning it, but I missed it by pushing key to quickly. In any case, objective complete!
Objective: Reunite Corak’s body and soul
Corak’s body is hidden in the cave in Corak’s Woods and Corak’s Soul is at 10-15 in the Lost Soul’s Woods.
Find Corak’s soul in area C1-10-15. Clerics should reunite it with his heavily guarded body.
With being able to cast Holy Word, I figured I should finally be able to complete this class quest for clerics. The thing is, I accidentaly sold the Admit 8 Pass last time, so I had to go pick it up, once again.
I took Rax, since I can apparently take a robber, Alana, Friar Fly and Holey Moley with me to the cave.
For a moment, I was extremely scared, because part of the caves had anti-magic fields. Luckily, the tiles where Corak’s body was did not, so a single Holy Word won me that battle in the first turn. Corak appeared, thanked me and told me to go to Mount Farview for my reward, wherever that is.
I thought Corak’s quest would be more important to the main story.
He also gave me a hint about the four encasement spells, but I already figured it out on my own.
Objective complete!
Objective: Do Stuff
At this point, I had a lot of objectives, but none of them seemed like something I could do, so I guess my plan to follow the rumors and messages wasn’t working out.
Then I remembered I can now climb mountains and go through dense forests. I went back to the old areas and started mapping them out fully. Most of it was just random encounters, but I did find some semi-interesting things here and there.
Stranger things have happened.
In the swamp, I got a basic message-like encounter with a tonguless toad magicallly (I guess) telling me that „The Jurors are on Mt. Fairview.“ A few questions arise here. First of all, why would a toad tell me something like that. Secondly, how would a toad tell me something like that? Thirdly, how the hell do I know the toad is tongueless? Lastly, where the heck is Mount Fairview.
In any case, Mt. Fairview is loking like an important location nore and more. Also, I hate all the sinkholes in the Mist Bog.
In C4, there was also Brutal Bruno, the objective of the Barbarian class quest, as well as a special encounter with a Portal to Hell and the option to open it. Opening it causes a fight with a Cat from Hell and a bunch of Cat Corpses. In the first turn, the Cat from Hell did 2000 damage to each of my first seven characters. Somehow, Aeriel managed to survive and use Time Distortion to get the hell away from that. I’m not sure what the point of that fight is, but there’s either a trick to it, or I’ll have to train for a very long time to beat it. Maybe I could do it with higher speed.
Never has a monster name been more fitting.
In any case, barely surviving this was reminder enough to fly back to Middlegate and save the game.
Accidental Objective: Find the Mist Warrior and learn Dancing Sword
While doing all of this exploration, I also went through the mountains in A2. Apparently, this is where Mist Haven is, because I found the Mist Warrior and managed to defeat him. He used Dancing Sword on me and basically was able to knockout three of my guys per turn, but I was lucky for long enough to cast Moon Ray and keep myself alive. He died in a few turns and this time, I caught the message about learning the Dancing Sword spell. Objective complete!
Dancing Sword is mine!
There was another encounter nearby, with monsters sharing the Mist Warrior’s graphic, but not the difficulty. Three Cuisinarts, with insane dodge rate and each of them capable of doing 2000 damage to one of my guys attacked. I was only able to hit them with Moon Ray, and it only did minor damage, so the first chance I got, I cast Time Distortion and got the hell out of there.
Accidental Objective: Learn Air Transmutation
In a similar fashion, I’ve been exploring the mountains in A1 and found a ruined tower of the type I’ve already seen in some of the other elemental areas and learned Air Transmutation from a scroll. I can only assume there’s one in each area. Objective completed!
Of course, this means I should add a new objective – learn the elemental spells.
Objective: Learn the elemental spells
There are 8 elemental spells in total, four transmutation and four encasement. I already knew a few of them and I knew exactly where the others are located. In each of the four elemental areas – A1, A4, E1 and E4, there is a ruined tower located at 8-8, containing the scrolls witht he appropriate transmutation spell.
As for the encasement spells, they are located one tile diagonally from the portal in each of the foar areas.
I basically did a beeline for all 8 spells and, while I was at it, also explored the four elemental areas completely. Elementals are still dangerous enemies, but they always attack in groups of two and I can kill one of them before they can act, so all that needs to happen is for one of my two clerics to survive and cast Moon Ray.
Objective complete!
Accidental Objective: Get the Noble Sword
The fire area was the last one I explored, so I also explored the montains nearby. In D1, I found a special encounter where I was offered to ge the Sword of Nobility. I guess the Valor Sword which I already have wasn’t the only special sword.
In any case, I fought a bunch of priests and got the sword. Objective complete!
At this point, I was again getting uneasy because I haven’t saved in a while, so I flew to Middlegate.
Party progression
There has been plenty of progression since my last party report. First of all, I started gearing up the mercenaries and then I’ve given up on it. It takes far too much time and all I really need from mercenaries is some support with spells, nothing more. I may regret it eventually, but not yet. Secondly, I gained a bunch of levels. Thirdly, there have been some upgrades.
I’ve been having some thoughts, though. If there indeed is level scaling in Might and Magic II, it might be a good idea to stop leveling up at some point. It’s obvious that gears matters about as much as levels do, so I’d hate fo falll behind in gear, what with the high amounts of experience I’ve been getting. I won’t make any decisions yet, though.
To see where my party was at in my previous party report, visit the eleventh part of this play log.
Lorelei, Level 19 Dwarf Knight
- Helm +7
- Quiet Sling +2
- Sun Naginata +3
- Ivory Cameo
- Mgt Gauntlet +4
- G Plate Mail +5
Lorelei’s gear didn’t change at all, sadly. What did change are the three additional levels she got. Her health is now at 214.
Priscilla, Level 19 Human Paladin
- Helm +9
- Shaman Pipe +7
- Mgt Gauntlet +1
- Plate Armor +5
- Tri-Sickle +5
- Agate Grail
The same thing that happened with Lorelei is also true with Priscilla. No new gear, but three extra levels. Her health is at 199. She can also cast the seventh circle of spells, which includes Resurrection.
Rax, Level 19 Half-Orc Robber
- Pirate’s Crossbow +2
- Thief’s Pick +5
- Mighty Whip +14
- Silent Horn +3
- Bronze Shield +6
- S Chain Mail +4
Rax also gained three levels, but unlike Lorelei and Priscilla, Rax got some gear! She now has a Pirate’s Crossbow, which increases her luck, a better Thief’s pick, a Bronze Shield and a Mighty Whip to replace her Burning Axe.
Her health is at 169, her Might at 47, Luck at 30 and Thievery at 75. It’s amazing.
Alana, Level 19 Gnome Cleric
- Hero Medal +4
- Quick Flail +2
- Great Shield +4
- Helm +6
- B Splintmail +4
- Defense Ring +2
No upgrades for Alana, but she did reach level 19 and got to her ninth level spells, meaning the undead are a pushover from now on.
Robin, Level 19 Elf Archer
- Speedy Sword +4
- Hero Medal +3
- Ray Gun +1
- Chain Mail +4
- Defense Ring +2
- Great Bow +5
Robin also reached level 7 spells and got three levels. She also found a replacement Ray Gun to trade for the one she used up.
Aleen, Level 19 Elf Sorcerer
- Staff + 10
- Magic Charm +3
- Invisocloak +7
- Padded Armor +3
- Defense Ring +7
- Hero Medal +2
Three levels and the final spell circle are all that Aleen getßs this time, not that it isn’t more than enough.
Next time
I’ll keep exploring the forests and mountains, hoping to find more things to do. I also have go back to Hillstone for a Capitor, because I accidentally sold the one I have.
