Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Single Player

Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Single Player

227 ratings
What should I know before playing Dark Messiah of M&Ms?
By Xander77
Just stuff that might improve your experience if you know it before your first playthrough. More than a tutorial, less than a walkthrough.
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What you should know.
* Get the Unlimited Edition mod - it really improves the game (New Game+ is great):
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=739039320

* Don't play on Hard - it buffs enemy health and damage without making the game the least bit more interesting.

* The simplest thing you can do to dispatch an enemy on the rare occasion when you can't kick them directly off a cliff, into some spikes, into a fire, into a spikey fire that leads off a cliff... throw / kick a physics object at them or kick them off something to make them fall down and go into ragdoll mode. Now do a power strike with a bladed weapon to impale them. Impale is (mostly) a one hit kill, and the reason why bladed weapons are superior to everything else.

Edit - a number of commenters claim that blunt weapons can also impale. I'll have to check when I next re-install the game.

* If you got to an enemy a bit too late for the impale animation, just kick them again. It's a lot easier to keep a prone enemy ragdolling than to ragdoll a standing enemy.

* Once ragdolled, enemies can be kicked wherever you want them to go, or even picked up with telekinesis and thrown around.

* Drop a shield into your hotbar. That's the only way to get the game to remember you were using a shield when you switch away from and back to your melee weapon.

* Most magic spells are fairly boring, doing straight up damage without taking advantage of the physics engine. The only ones that are really recommended are the healing spell (a very minor investment for a huge return, so HEAVILY recommended), the freeze spell (enemies slipping off cliffs and stairs will never not be funny) telekinesis (handy for grabbing secrets) and charm (great for clearing rooms filled with enemies).

* Stealth is kinda bad, until you get stealth 3. At which point enemies will only notice you if you jump around under a bright light.

* In general, a good first playthrough build is a basic warrior with minor magic investment. Stamina, Melee 1-2, Telekinesis, Heal, Alertness, Endurance, Archery, Strength. Not written in stone, but a handy guide. (You can experiment when you hit New Game+ or when you have an overt abundance of skill points)

* Conversely, don't pick Burglary. None of the really good secrets are behind locked doors / chests, much less doors / chests that require Burglary to open.

* The game has a lot of secrets. Explore out of the way spots as often as possible, and you'll generally be rewarded with some neat items. On that note:

* Once you get the rope bow, use it constantly. If there's vertical space with a wooden surface above you, there's a fair chance it's hiding a secret accessible with the rope.

Let me know if I this guide helped you - or conversely, if I missed anything terribly important.
34 Comments
Simon 20 Sep, 2024 @ 10:52am 
@Subwindow - the OP doesn’t mention the story changing. They say the game doesn’t get more interesting on hard. The purpose of harder difficulties is generally to force you into using different strategies and finding new ways to play.
By just jacking up the enemies’ health, without changes to abilities or AI, all it does it slow things down
Subwindow 22 Jul, 2024 @ 3:48am 
Playing on hard just makes the game harder without changing the story? That's different.
SOFA_KING 19 May, 2024 @ 10:47am 
Very insightful. I will use this data. Kick off cliff, rag-doll, impale, rag-doll, warrior, light magic... etc. Guuuuuuuuuuuuud :FFexcalibur::ratkingTF:
dONUT 19 May, 2024 @ 9:32am 
... Don't try to kill the undead Cyclops in the opening of the chapter. Really. 1 hour lost on this task. There's a special way to do it. Just run. (0•0) The two ghouls are killable though.:CrossedBlades:
((((Semyon The Great)))) 26 Mar, 2022 @ 7:22am 
old games fix on win7: run regedit

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\GameUX\ServiceLocation
-> "Games" value link to 127.0.0.1, run in compatibility with win xp service pack 3

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/old_games_not_launching_and_eating_100_of_the_cpu_on_windows_7/page1
Lucah 25 Dec, 2021 @ 2:28am 
oli+fire = ista kill

No seriously, the basic fire missile is the most powerful offensive spell. It also build up adrenaline really fast
Argon 21 Jul, 2021 @ 3:10pm 
Hardcore mod is the best way to play the games, as it forces you to improvise more.
Guy_In_GasMask 4 Jan, 2021 @ 11:23pm 
how would i know if i got the mod installed right? im new to this game
Clevername3000 2 Jan, 2021 @ 8:10am 
is hardcore mode as bad as hard mode?
FORASAGO 20 Nov, 2020 @ 6:18am 
Deleted my previous comment because apparently you can't EDIT these, and I've changed my mind on some things.
Good guide. I only disagree with one point: Don't waste 3 precious points on the Heal spell. Telekinesis and Charm are the only spells you want from that side of the magic tree. You will never run out of health potions.

"EDIT:" Previously I recommended not using mods because I believed it degrades the stability of this already unstable game. This may still be true for some more elaborate mods! But for most I've found it makes no difference. The typical mod where you just put some replacement asset in the "custom" folder and it automatically replaces the default asset - those ones imo are completely safe. I only worry about stability with the "Unlimited" mod so I don't use that any more.