The Heroes of Might and Magic IV
Heroes of Might and Magic IV features nine Starting Hero Classes. Each hero has two special starting skills, and more skills can be learned as he or she gains experience. Once the hero develops a second, specialized set of skills, he or she can become one of almost forty Advanced Hero Classes.
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Barbarian:
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These rugged tribal warriors may be primitive when compared to other societies, but the Barbarian’s skills in battle cannot be denied. Add to that the ability to build up a resistance to the effects of magic, and you get a hero that can’t be beat. |
Death Knight:
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The cruel and merciless Death Knight dedicates his considerable skills as a leader to the eradication of his enemy. It is a dangerous profession since few have the wickedness to survive as the commander of legions of demons and undead. |
Knight:
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Knights are the selfless men and women who swear their lives to the preservation of life, justice, and honor. Whether they are leading an army or tracking down a vicious dragon, they are often the last line of defense against the world’s evils. |
Lord:
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Lords are masters of politics and economics thanks to a lifetime of managing their family territories. They manipulate production and trade routes with ease, and intrigue is their greatest weapon.
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Mage:
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Long years of study and experimentation give the Mage the power to manipulate the enchanting powers of Order Magic. They are seekers of knowledge, true magicians who gain power from their vast wisdom.
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Necromancer:
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A Necromancer embraces the dark powers of Death Magic in an attempt to gain the immortality of the undead. Not only can their horrifying spells be a blight on any army foolish enough to face them, but how do you fight an opponent who doesn’t fear death? |
Priest:
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The holy Priest taps into the protective powers of Life Magic to heal the diseased and injured, and to battle evil. They watch over those that cannot help themselves, endlessly seeking an end to war and suffering.
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Sorcerer:
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The Sorcerer wields the awesome destructive force of Chaos Magic to obliterate his or her enemy. Whether it’s a well-placed Fire Bolt or an indiscriminate Armageddon spell, the Sorcerer is a deadly opponent.
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Thief:
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For a Thief, laws are made to be broken. Why fight a guard to claim his treasure when you can sneak by while he’s dozing? No one likes this dishonorable bunch, that is, until they need one of them.
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Skills
Hero Skills:
Each hero can learn up to twenty skills from nine different skill sets. Once a hero gains two or more skills from a set, they are said to have specialized in that skill, and it affects their hero class.
Chaos Magic:
Chaos Magic allows the hero to cast Chaos Spells. Additional skills include Conjuration, Pyromancy, and Sorcery.
Combat:
Combat increases the hero’s melee and ranged defense. Additional skills include Melee, Archery, and Magic Resistance.
Death Magic:
Death Magic allows the hero to cast Death Spells. Additional skills include Occultism, Demonology, and Necromancy.
Life Magic:
Life Magic allows the hero to cast Life Spells. Additional skills include Healing, Spirituality, and Resurection.
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Nature Magic:
Nature Magic allows the hero to cast Nature Spells. Additional skills include Herbalism, Meditation, and Summoning.
Nobility:
Nobility allows a hero to become governor of a town, which helps increase the production of creatures. Additional skills include Estates, Mining, and Diplomacy.
Order Magic:
Order Magic allows a hero to cast Order Spells. Additional skills include Enchantment, Wizardry, and Charm.
Scouting:
Scouting increases the hero’s scouting radius. Additional skills include Pathfinding, Seamanship, and Stealth.
Tactics:
Tactics increase the speed and movement of friendly creatures. Additional skills include Offense, Defense, and Leadership.
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Cheat Codes
Need a hand getting through a scenario? Hit the Tab key at any point in the game, type one of the following cheat codes, and press Return.
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Code
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Result
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NwcAmbrosia
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Get free materials
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nwcValhalla
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Automatically win scenario
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nwcPrometheus
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Reveal the entire map
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nwcAthena
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Your hero gains skill
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nwcThoth
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Your hero increases in level
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NwcIsis
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Your hero learns spells
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NwcSacrificeToTheGods
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Your hero gains maximum luck
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NwcPan
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Your hero gains maximum morale
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Thanks to Prima Games, we have a few tips and tricks straight from their official strategy guide for Heroes of Might and Magic IV, by Steve Honeywell and Greg Kramer. Pick up your copy for walk-throughs of all the scenarios and campaigns in the game, as well as complete information about all the artifacts, spells, structures, creatures, and characters.
Combat
Combat, against both neutral and enemy armies, is the meat of the game. Battle makes or breaks a competitor. If you excel at combat, you can let other aspects of your empire slide a bit. Conversely, poor combat skills make even the most finely tuned kingdom vulnerable to invasion and decline.
Fighting Easy Battles
Even battles against weaker opponents warrant attention to strategy. Attacking carelessly or incautiously can cost you troops. You can nickel and dime your army to ineffectiveness. Attack wisely, so you walk out of these battles with your forces intact.
Keep fragile units and important ones (heroes included) in the rear of the formations. Making tight formations around weak units saves lives.
Ranged Attacks
To keep your armies strong, concentrate your ranged attacks on any enemy ranged units. Reduce the enemy’s power to strike at your units from range, and you can reduce troop losses. Attack ranged units with spells, because casting a spell on enemy units does not invite retaliation.
Melee Combat
Much of what works in ranged combat also holds true in melee combat. The difference is that your troops are at more risk in melee combat, because they are moving within range of enemy missile troops and are open to attack by multiple enemies.
Other Ideas
Purchase troops on a regular basis. Purchasing your troops daily takes time, but has a significant benefit.
When you take a town, you can buy any of its unpurchased troops. By buying your troops every day, you prevent any enemy who takes your town from building up a large army and using it against you.
Any town with a City Hall pays for itself until it produces level 4 troops, and any town with a City Hall augmented by a Gold Mine generates enough Gold to buy every unit the town can build in a week. You can use surplus Gold generated by the town and found in treasure chests, as well as resources you found on the map, to build up your town. Even though building your town is important, your army takes precedence.
It is costly to garrison troops in each building to protect your towns and other holdings. It’s more economical to use your environment to tactical advantage. For example, if your kingdom is spread over a large area but is accessible by only one path and one inbound Portal, station troops at those points.
Such forces need to be large and you must consistently replenish them to be effective, but the strategy is easier than maintaining Garrisons all over a map. Look for good chokepoints for these armies and expand your empire with these environmental-tactical considerations in mind.
Stationing troops at chokepoints and Portals pays off. A small force can act as an alarm system, alerting you to entering enemy troops before they attack your buildings. An alarm force needs only a few troops to do its job.
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 Mac OS X version 10.1 or Mac OS 9 or higher
350MHz PowerPC G3 processor or higher
192MB of RAM
Video card capable of 800x600 resolution (thousands of colors)
750MB of free hard disk space
Internet connection required for network play
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