NOTE: This Guide is intended for the PC Version of Might
`     Magic 3. Specifically, the version that appears on the
`     Might & Magic Trilogy CD-ROM. It hasn't been tested on
`     the original PC release nor the SNES version of the game.


|\   /| ----- ,--- |  | --- 3 3 3 |\,/|   |\ ,--- ----- ,---
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|  \| |   |   |  / |  |     3 3 3          | |  /   |   |
|  || | __/--  \/           3 3 3             \_|   |   |
|  \/                       3 3 3                 ----- |
|      III SSS L   EEE SSS  3 3 3  TTT EEE RRR RRR  A    \__
`       I  S   L   E   S            T  E   R R R R A A
`       I   S  L   EEE  S    OF     T  EEE RR  RR  AAA
`       I    S L   E     S          T  E   R R R R A A
`      III SSS LLL EEE SSS          T  EEE R R R R A A
__________________________________________________________
EEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT
E      EX  XX  XP      PL  LLLLLO      OI      IT      T
E  EEEEEXX X  XXP  PP  PL  LLLLLO  OO  OIII  IIITTT  TTT
E      EXXX  XXXP      PL  LLLLLO  OO  OIII  IIITTT  TTT
E  EEEEEXX  X XXP  PPPPPL  LLLLLO  OO  OIII  IIITTT  TTT
E      EX  XX  XP  PPPPPL      LO      OI      ITTT  TTT
EEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXPPPPPPPPLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIITTTTTTTT
GGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEE
GG       GGUU  UUU  UUII        IIDD      DDDEE       EE
G  GGGGGGGGUU  UUU  UUIIIII  IIIIIDD  DD   DDEE   EEEEEE
G  GG    GGUU  UUU  UUIIIII  IIIIIDD  DD   DDEE     EEEE
G  GGG  GGGUU  UUU  UUIIIII  IIIIIDD  DD   DDEE   EEEEEE
GG     GGGGUUU     UUUII        IIDD      DDDEE       EE
GGGGGGGGGGGUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEE
----------------------Version 1.0-----------------------

Might & Magic 3: Isles of Terra Exploit Guide written by:

`   |_|_
`   /0  \   
`  `~-_ o\    Aspie
`      \ o\     Giraffe
`       \o \____
`       | o o o \_/
`       |o_o_o_o|
`       | |    | \
`       \ \    \  \


Might & Magic III: Isles of Terra, is (c) 1991, New World Computing,
All Rights Reserved.

This guide is property of Aspie Giraffe, Copyright 11/9/10, all rights 
reserved. Any relation to guide books or other websites dedicated to
Might & Magic III are purely coincential, for this guide was put together 
by experience of playing the game, except where otherwise noted. Feel 
free to distribute this FAQ or link this FAQ to your website. Just be 
sure to give the proper credit where it's due.

Last Updated: 11/10/10

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   BEFORE I START    3 3 3

Before I do anything else, I need to give proper credit where it's
due. I contacted this guy but never received a reply, so if you get
my e-mail late and you see this Guide online, just want to say you gave
me the inspiration to write this Exploit Guide, so all the credit to
you! 

Stephen S. Lee wrote a Game Guide that lists tips, tricks, and spoilers 
for Might & Magic III. Several of his tricks have been refined and 
rewritten for use in this Exploit Guide. I would have to completely
rewrite this guide to make a proper reference list, so instead, I will
reiterate that I give you LOTS of credit for the inspiration and
creation of this guide. If you see this guide and would like to get in
touch, let me know what you think. I'll even give co-author credit
in the next update if infringement is an issue.

With that said, here's a link to his Game Guide, and the reason why
this Exploit Guide was made possible:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/564551-might-and-magic-iii-isles-of-
terra/faqs/36599

In addition, I would also like to give credit to the official strategy
guide to Might & Magic III. If not for Stephen's Game Guide, and the
official strategy guide, this Exploit Guide wouldn't have been possible.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   WHAT IS AN EXPLOIT GUIDE?   3 3 3

Think of an exploit as a mistake. A mistake that may or may not have been
intended by the programmers which players can take advantage of to tip
the balance of power to their favor. Exploits come in many forms, rather it 
be the famous 'Great-As' of Master of Monsters, or the Alchemy system of 
Morrowind. Once you discover it, you can remove practically all the 
challenge in a game.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   MIGHT & MAGIC III   3 3 3
 
This exploit guide, is based on an old DOS game from the early 90s. Might 
& Magic III's strengths lie in the freedom of exploration, so you can do 
practially anything you want. It's in this power that also grants you the 
ability to make the game as easy or as challenging as you so desire. In 
the case of this guide, it's to make things easy...REAL easy...but also 
to include alternate options to keep the exploits from taking away 
everything that makes the game fun.


3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   QUOTE THE RAVEN...HIRE MEEEEEEEEE!    3 3 3

Before you do anything else, trade your Knight in for a Ranger. You 
will need a source for Walk On Water. You may also want to create a 
few 'dummy' characters. You will use them to temporarily hold on to 
equipment you find during your exploiting. Use the race portraits 
you don't intend to use for your future party.

Go to the Mirror, and type 'DOE MEISTER,' collect the golds, and
use Mr. Wizard to escape.

Next, go to the Mirror, and type 'REDHOT' ...You're now in Blistering 
Heights...Normally suicide with a Level 1 Party...step backwards, and 
you're now in the Restless Knight Inn. Spend the night...

...See the two Hirelings? The Raven, and Lord Bruno. Hire them. Yes, 
their prices are steeper than you can handle. But...

EXPLOIT...For so long as you dismiss your Hirelings before 5AM the next 
day, they don't cost you a penny!

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   TOWN PEST REMOVAL SERVICE   3 3 3

With your newfound power, clean out Blistering Heights. Yeah, that easy. 
Your party will be slaughtered, yes. But your two hirelings, however, 
will not be slaughtered...their eyelashes may be charred at-best, but 
they won't be slaughtered. Since they live, you won't get a Game Over. 
:-D  Make short work of the monster folk.

After the monsters are dead, type 'seadog' at the Town Portal...clean 
out the monsters. Type 'freeman' at the next portal, and do it again. 
Type 'Doomed' at the next portal and mop up one last time, but don't 
fight the Ghost.

And you don't even have to use Raven's spells! Both hirelings are 
powerful enough to sweep the towns without them!

Now look at your dead character's stats...

EXPLOIT...Even though your party is six feet under, they've acquired 
all the exp points earned during your hirelings travels!!!! 

Full death experience...gotta love it.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   IT'S MY MONEY AND I NEED IT NOW!!!    3 3 3

One more stop to make in our first day of work...

---1.) At the portal, type 'DOE MEISTER' once again. You're back
`      to where you collected the golds the first time.
---2.) From X7, Y11, facing East, Teleport 5, then Teleport 6.
---3.) Collect the Golds.
---4.) From X19, Y11, facing North, Teleport 6.
---5.) Face east, Teleport 5, Teleport 5.
---6.) Collect the golds. 
---7.) Use Mr. Wizard to escape. (your exp loss doesn't matter. this is a 
`      temp party.)

And now...The Hangover.
---1.) Go to the Temple and revive your party members.
---2.) Dismiss the hirelings.
---3.) Place all the gold in the vault to earn hard interest during your
       exploit questing...Keep 1 Million for your own use. Use it to
       purchase food and to train your temp party.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   ERRANDS...THE NEXT DAY    3 3 3

You will still need Lord Bruno and The Raven for a couple more things. 
Go to the Fountain Head Inn just after 5:01 AM. (I don't know why they 
return there and not their original Inn, but they'll be waiting for
you there.) Rehire said-mentioned hirelings. 

Our next stop: The Ancient Temple of Moo. The purpose: To clear a path
to the Statue of Mane and become a Crusader. 

The directions are easy. Turn west at the first fork, east at the second,
then south at the third. You'll have to break a few walls down, but the
hirelings will be strong enough. 

This will clear out the Undead on the way to the Crusader statue for your 
temp and future party.

Go back to Fountain Head. Revive your party again. Dismiss the 
hirelings, rest and/or move around until your time is 5:01 AM the next 
day. Go back to the Inn and rehire the hirelings.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   ERRANDS...THE DAY AFTER....   3 3 3

Type 'Seadog' at the Town Portal. Find the Mountaineering and PathFinding
characters and train your party.

Go back to Fountain Head by typing 'Home' at the Town Portal.

Go to the Fountain Head cavern and clear a path to the statue that trains
you how to swim. Exit the cavern.

Exit Fountain Head and head due-East. Fight the monsters if they get 
in the way.

You'll come to a Fountain. The first one should boost Might. Do so, and
go back to Fountain Head. 

Use the town portal and type 'Doomed' And go to the caverns in Swamp Town.

Your goal here is to clear the paths to the Endurance and Might crystals.
A couple doses of Raven's Power Shield will let you get by the electrical 
fields. It might be good if your party is killed beforehand and you have 
only the hirelings alive again. Because you will encounter Phantoms, who 
can age your characters. The hirelings alone can defeat the 1 and 2-packs, 
but The Raven will have to drop a Lightning Bolt on the Phantom 3-Packs if 
you want to avoid possible aging.

Once the Swamp Town cavern is cleaned out, your temp and future party now 
have access to the two crystals that boost Might and Endurance respectively.
Beef them up. 

Exit the cavern afterwards. Go back to Fountain Head via Town Portal and
revive your party via the Temple if needbe. Then dismiss the hirelings. 

Town Portal 'RedHot' to Blistering Heights, get the Eagle's Guild 
membership, and learn some spells. 

SPELLS TO LEARN

Since this is a temp party, you won't need to spend all your money on
spells. You will need the following:
RANGER -- Walk on Water. That's it.
CLERIC -- Cure Poison, Cure Disease, Create Food, Town Portal (you may 
`         not be high enough level for Town Portal yet. I will cure that 
`         problem in the next exploit. Though you may not need Cure 
`         Poison or Cure Disease, I always buy them in case.
SORCERER -- Lloyd's Beacon, Teleport, Levitate, Jump

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   THE BLOODREIGN EXPLOIT    3 3 3

----
Use fountains at A1 and B1 to become stronger. (B1, X4, Y9 for Might,
B1, X9, Y9 for Speed, B1, X8, Y9 for Levels, A1, X11, Y3 for HP.) 
Go back to Fountain Head.
----
REMEMBER TO DO THIS BEFORE YOU START A NEW DAY! Land on the Might
Fountain just as the day turns past 5:00 AM, so that you can go
a full day with beefed stats.

Use the Town Portal, and FREEMAN to Wildebar.

Swim to Castle Bloodreign. (B4, X4, Y11)

Here's where the bulk of your exploiting will take effect. Bloodreign
Castle is the only castle where tripping the alarms on chests will 
respawn enemies unlimited times! This will be your source for early 
exp, gold, and gems.

The chests closest to the King in particular, spawn Sorcerers. This is
why you needed the fountains; because they pack a punch against lower-
level parties. 

Here are step-by-step directions to defeating the Sorcerers without 
taking a hit.
---1.) While facing West, trip the chest alarm at X10, Y9 by using NORTIC 
`      as your password, but DON'T OPEN THE CHEST. Press ESC to leave it 
`      untouched.
---2.) Take two steps backwards, kill the Sorcerer. Two more steps 
`      backwards, kill another.
---3.) Take one step forward, face South, move backwards three steps. You 
'      should now be one step away from the throne.
---4.) Face west, then face East. Turn north, one step backwards, one step
'      forwards, and kill the Sorcerers.
---5.) Take one step backwards, shoot once, take one step forwards, and 
`      kill the Sorcerers.

This procedure will net a party of six 50,000 EXP, 12,000 Gold, and 600 
Gems without getting attacked once! USE THIS UNLIMITED TIMES!!!

However, WATCH THE TIME! Head back to Wildebar via the river before 
1:00 AM. The Magic Mantis' will eat your group for dinner if you don't
make it back by morning when the fountains' effects wear off.

You can use this trick for your future party as well, but use this one
to build the exp of your temp group as well (and also the Druid hireling 
from Fountain Head if you don't intend to use Druid or Ranger in your 
future party. You'll need a source for Walk On Water.) Repeat this 
process until your Sorcerer can learn Teleport, and your Cleric can 
learn Town Portal.

FINAL NOTE: Grab the treasure chests at X10, Y10, and X4, Y10. Each 
contain 2 million gold. Leave the other two for alarm tripping. Place
the gold in The Vault of Fountain Head.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   OPTIONAL: CASTLE WHITESHIELD    3 3 3

You may consider stealing the two chests from Castle Whiteshield nearest
the King (Password is SMELLO) for additional gold to place in the vault.
But be warned that even with Fountain power, the Black Knights are tough
to kill. Consider bringing your Hireling friends.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   THE CASTLES GREYWIND AND BLACKWIND    3 3 3

Go to all the fountains bright and early. Land on the Might Fountain
as the time hits 5:00 AM ish (detecting a pattern?) Go back to a town 
mirror and FREEMAN to Wildebar. Exit the town, cast Walk On Water, and
swim to Greywind Island due east.

With your Fountain powers (and possibly your Hireling Friends,) dispose
of the island folk. Do the same for Blackwind Island.

The goal for these castles will be to clear out a path to the thrones.
The ones in Greywind work on Day 50, and the ones in Blackwind work on
Day 60.

There are 3 Thrones of interest in Greywind. X0, Y0 is the Throne of
Power, which boosts all stats +10 to one character. You won't need this
one until you're on your future party.

The one at X0, Y10 is the Throne of Possession. This is the one we want,
as it nets Obsideon-quality items. To get there from the entrance, go
west until you're blocked by fire (kill any monsters along the way. 
Teleport 8 spaces west. Turn south, and Teleport 2 spaces.

On the way, you'll pass by the Throne of Riches at X0, Y12. Sitting on
this throne will net you 1 million gold and 10,000 Gems. When you've had
your fill of high-quality items, you can use the Throne of Riches instead
(Into The Vault they will go!)

When you're done, reverse direction (Turn north, Teleport 2, Turn east,
Teleport 8, bee-line to the exit.)

Getting to the Blackwind Thrones takes many more Teleport spells. It may
be a good idea to rest to recover spell points before entering. The
Hirelings can handle the monsters even without Fountain power.

From the starting point, turn south, move forward 2 spaces, face west, 
move forward 1 more space. Kill any monsters that spot you.

Face south, Teleport 8, and then Teleport 2 more.

This Throne will net you 6 Precious Pearls of Youth & Beauty. These will
earn you 100,000 EXP each when you present them to the Pirate Queen. That
said, you don't need these yet.

From this Throne, face East, and Teleport 4, Teleport 7, and Teleport 4.
This is the Throne you want, which will net you Obsideon-quality items
on Day 60. Dismiss your Hirelings, Rest until Day 60, save your game, 
and reload until you get the equipment you want.

And we're still in the first year! Sickening, yes? 

Town Portal back to Fountain Head and dismiss your hirelings.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3 3 3   SERENITY COMES IN THE FORM OF A SHELL   3 3 3

You won't need the Hirelings for this. Just a Walk On Water spell.

-- Perform 'Odd Jobs' until your days are listed in the 90s. 
-- Town Mirror 'FREEMAN' to Wildebar, and exit the town.
`  Cast 'Walk On Water' and head due-east. You should pass by a 1x1
`  square island southeast of Blackwind Island. Set a Lloyd's Beacon
`  spell here.
-- Rest until Day 98, and swim around the island until it's Midnight
`  of Day 99. Step on the island, and you'll get yourself a Seashell
`  of Serenity, and the Day will reset to 0 of next year.

When presented to the Siren at A4, X0, Y0, you will net 250,000 EXP
and 250,000 Golds per shell, and your Male characters fall in love.
(You need love to free Princess Trubury, but your temp party won't
be doing this, no.) Save your seashells for the future party. :-)
Town Portal back to Fountain Head. 

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   THE FINAL YEARS OF YOUR TEMP PARTY    3 3 3

So now you've done everything you need to do to make Might & Magic 3 your
whipping post. You will now spend the next 20 to 40 years of your temp 
parties' lives ruining the challenge and the exploration for your future
party. Here's your setup:

1.) Go to 'Odd Jobs' in Fountain Head and labor. (This forwards the time 
`   by 10 days per use. If your Day is 0, 5 uses gets you to Day 50.
`   Labor for him you will!)
3.) Town Portal 'FREEMAN' to Wildebar. 
5.) Leave town, Cast Walk on Water and go to Castle Greywind.
6.) Use the directions to get to the Throne of Possession. Save your game.
`   Keep sitting and reloading until you get the gear you want.
7A.) (OPTIONAL) Pick on the Sorcerers of Bloodreign until Day 60. I usually
`    do this during the Day 51 to 60 span until I've hit 500,000 Gems (You
`    probably guessed they're going into the Vault. Save 10,000 for the
`    temp party.) If your party is equipped with Obsideon weapons and/or 
`    Velocity items, you won't need to power up at the Fountains.
7B.) Swim to Castle Blackwind, and Sleep until Day 59 or 60.
8.) Enter the Castle, and work your way to the other Throne of Possession.
`   Again, save on Day 60 before sitting. Keep reloading until you get the
`   gear you want.
9.) Exit the castle, and return to Fountain Head (Use Town Portal if you
`   built your temp Cleric high enough level to buy it from Eagle's Guild.)
10.) Perform more 'Odd Jobs' until your days are in the 90's.
11.) Return to the Island via the 'Lloyd's Beacon' you set before. Rest 
`    until Day 99, and you'll get another Seashell of Serenity.
11.) Town Portal back to Fountain Head.
12B.) CHECK OCCASSIONALLY: Be sure to keep track of your Food supply, and
`     restock as necessary. If you mess up and your party starts starving,
`     you can't recover Spell points. This is why I recommended you pick
`     up the Create Food spell, specifically for this emergency. 

And that does it. When your party reaches the Age of 40 to 60. (and thus 
repeated this process many many times.) you will acquire:
1.) 20 to 40 Seashells of Serenity to transfer to your next party, each of 
`   which give you a whopping 250,000 EXP and 250,000 gold each when you 
`   return them to the Siren at X0, Y0 in Area A4. So right off, your new 
`   party will have between 5 and 10 Million+ Exp when you get there. (That 
`   will make up for any exp you wasted on the temp party while clearing 
`   monsters....They'll also get the equivilent in Gold. (Men...Women...To 
`   the Vault!)
2.) All the sa-weet equipment you picked up at the thrones.
3.) All the gems you got from the Sorcerers in Bloodreign (and your new 
`   party can also go back and continue the stockpiling when they're 
`   powerful enough.)
4.) All the towns liberated from the monsters, allowing access to all their
`   facilities!
5.) Any interest accumulated at The Vault (It'll measure in the tens of
`   millions if you raided the hidden areas of Dragon Cavern. By the time 
`   you clear out all of Might & Magic 3 with your next party, you will have 
`   more than enough gold to build those harder-to-afford level-ups near 
`   end-game.)

To put it simply, that will pretty much end all the challenge in the game, 
aside from the riddles themselves. Your new party is gonna own the Isles 
of Terra.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   OK, MAYBE I EXPLOITED A LITTLE TOO FAR...   3 3 3

Trust me when I say this: When I performed these exploits, the fun of 
exploration and item finding was almost completely destroyed. I only got 
the joy of mowing down weaker monsters, (quite a sight when 3 sets of 3 
goblins all disappear from a single volley of Obsideon Bows. Heh Heh Heh.) 
...But that got old after awhile.

If you want only a 'few' items just to give your next party a boost but 
without destroying the overall feel of the game, you can always use the 
Throne of Riches instead (It's two spaces north of the Throne of Possession 
in Castle Greywind.) This will net you 1,000,000 gold and 10,000 gems on 
Day 50 (into the vault they go!) You can use one castle for cash and the 
other for items, and only handicap yourself to the items you get by chance,
as opposed to reloading until you get the ones you want.

How much power you wish to corrupt your gameplay with is up to you. Even
if you limited yourself to 1 Obsideon weapon, 1 Photon item, and 1 Velocity 
item per character, you're still going to overpower the early monsters with 
your future party. It's up to you how you handicap your exploiting...the 
only thing you should keep at ALL times is your gold in the Vault. Trust me 
when I say you will NEED very bit of interest if you wish to max out your 
future party for end-game.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   CREATING YOUR TERRA-THRASHING PARTY   3 3 3

Here's my general setup for the new party, and why:
1.) KNIGHT or BARBARIAN: (S)he's your go-to character for delivering 
`   physical blows. With the right spell enhancers, (s)he'll be the only 
`   character capable of taking out Minotaurs, Hydras, Rocs, the Dragon 
`   Lord, and the other insanely powerful monsters you encounter near the 
`   end. The class chosen is dependent on the equipment you find on the 
`   Thrones during your exploiting. If you got Barbarian-friendly equipment, 
`   that should be your first choice. HP and extra Attacks are always 
`   useful, and the difference in damage is VERY noticeable as your 
`    Barbarian builds levels. 
`       RECOMMENDED RACE: Half-Orc (for the extra HP.)
2.) RANGER or ARCHER: Druid's spell arsenal is not impressive, but you'll
`   need Walk On Water. You can use a Ranger for that purpose. Or if you 
`   choose, you could take an Archer (for an extra Implosion spell later 
`   on) and either use an item that casts Walk on Water (these don't come 
`   easy,) or the Druid hireling for the same reason. It's up to you.
`       RECOMMENDED RACE: Your choice. I usually use Half-Orc for the 
`                         Ranger. You won't need his spells other than 
`                         for Walk on Water, so the penalty to SP won't be 
`                         noticed. Go for Hit Points. For an Archer, I 
`                         chose Elf, because you WILL need SP for Implosion 
`                         spells at end-game. Lack of HP can be offset by 
`                         extra boosts of Endurance.
3.) PALADIN or CLERIC: This is your Backup healer. Your preference is
`   specifically weither you want more physical support or spell support. 
`   I usually choose Paladin, because some monsters either hate one or the 
`   other, and if one gets KO'ed, the other can Raise Dead and save you a 
`   reload.
`      RECOMMENDED RACE: Gnome
4.) CLERIC: No choices here. You NEED the Cleric's support magic, 
`   especially when you take on the Dragon Lord, the Minotaurs, or the 
`   Terminators near the end. 4 of 'The Big 5' (Blessed, Holy Bonus, 
`   Protection from Elements, Heroism,) get MUCH bigger boosts when cast 
`   by a Cleric.
`      RECOMMENDED RACE: Gnome
5.) and 6.) 2 SORCERERS. Yes, you'll be short-handed HP-wise at the 
`   beginning, but that will be cured quickly enough once you turn in your
`   Seashells of Serenity. I found that 2 Sorcerers, when properly stat-
`   boosted, can single-handedly kill everything before melee combats can 
`   even begin. Their Lightning Bolts and Fireballs will make missile 
`   weapons almost obsolete. In addition, the other 1 of 'The Big 5' 
`   (Power Shield) reduces damage drastically when cast by high-powered 
`   Sorcerers. 
`      RECOMMENDED RACE: Elf, for extra SP of course!

So as you can see, I have no Robber/Ninja in this mix. You will eventually
learn all skills at the Halls of Insanity, (that includes Thievery.) So
you don't really need either one. A Ninja would be an ok alternative to
your Barbarian or Knight if you're a purist for opening chests with a
job-specific class. (S)he can fight like a Knight, but with a lot fewer HP. 
...I usually just wait for the Halls of Insanity...whichever character 
you designate for opening chests, be sure that character has one
or two 'Pirate' items acquired from the Throne exploits (Pirate items
boost Thievery, which will make your chosen chest opener better than a 
Ninja, but slightly less than a Robber.)

...You may also be tempted to give up the spellcasters and just use
Fighter-specific classes. But, the big factor at the end of the game
will be the Terminators, who are seemingly invincible to physical attacks.
Even a Level 200 Barbarain decked with Obsideon and 300+ Strength couldn't 
dent them! Heck, even energy/electric-specific weapons did only minimal 
damage. If you intend to skimp on spells for more physical power, be sure 
each of your characters has at least 1 or 2 items that cast Implosion.
Terminators REALLY aren't fond of this spell.

Here's a quick overview of building your party:

My Picks and recommended group choices 

Aspie's Terra-Thrashing Party (Primary Pick/Secondary Pick when applicable)
Barbarain/Knight
Ranger/Archer
Paladin/Cleric
Cleric
Sorcerer
Sorcerer
A well-balanced party. With two tanking characters and plenty of spells 
to wave around. You just won't be able to open chests until you visit the 
Halls of Insanity.


Combat-Heavy
Barbarain/Ninja/Knight/Paladin
Paladin/Archer/Ranger
Paladin/Archer
Paladin/Archer
Archer
Archer
(Remember to account for the Terminators. Bring spellcasting hirelings if
you don't have enough SP near the end-game. Save your money by purchasing
only the spells you need, for classes who aren't pure spellcasters get 
charged double for spells.)

Spell-Heavy
Paladin
Ranger/Archer
Cleric
Sorcerer
Sorcerer
Sorcerer
(You will be shorthanded HP-wise, and while the Paladin is sufficient, may 
still have difficulties dealing with the stronger monsters near the end. 
However, this party will have no problems with the Terminators. Implosion 
city yeah! Like with the Terra-thrashing party, you'll need to visit the 
Halls of Insanity to learn Thievery.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   STAT BOOSTS, AND STAT ROLLING   3 3 3

Normally, you don't know anything about stat boosts that can be found 
all around The Isles of Terra. But I will cure that. Here's some notes:

--- The Arachnoid Cavern pretty much gives you near-unlimited boosts 
in Accuracy, Luck, Intelligence, and Personality. Though they require 
5,000 Gems to recharge the crystals, you have more than enough from 
your exploiting (and you will always have the magicians in Bloodreign 
if the Vault's interest rates can't keep up with your desire for power.) 
So, these four stats have no relevence in character rolling. If you have 
the minimums to create your class of choice, that's all you'll need for 
now.

So four of your stats are pretty well set. That leaves only Might, 
Endurance, and Speed, all of which only finite boosts are available for 
each. 

--- Because Arachnoid Cavern can build your Accuracy, don't waste 
`   Quatloo Coins in Slithercult Stronghold on Accuracy. Likewise, Photon 
`   gear will make up for your shortcomings in Might. There is equipment 
`   that can boost HP, but not Endurance...higher Endurance boosts HP 
`   better than HP-boosting items. So with that said, save all Quatloo 
`   Coins for Endurance.

For Endurance, you want stats of 18 or better.
--- Reason: Clearing the Swamp Town caverns allows access to the crystals
`   that boost Endurance. It'll keep giving permanent boosts of 25 if you 
`   have less than 50. So therefore, starting with 18 or more Endurance 
`   will give all your characters 68 or more Endurance after 2 boosts. 
--- For Endurance boosts in the rest of the gaming world, split between 
`   your tanking character, and two of your designated spellcasters. 
`   The longer they live, the longer they can dish out damage. It may 
`   also be useful to drop a couple on your designated healer down the 
`   road.

For Might, stats of 18+ for stat-dependent characters (Knight and
Paladin) and stats of 9 for all others.
--- Reason: Unlike the Endurance crystal, the Might crystal in the 
`   Swamp Town Cavern only gives boosts of 20. So to get the magic 68 
`   and 69 stats, you need single-digit Might. Unfortunately for Knight 
`   and Paladin, they are handicapped because of their requirement for 
`   stat-rolling; they'll have 10 less Might than anyone else to start. 
`   This is why a Barbarian makes a better tanking character to start.
--- For all other Might boosts, drop half on your lead character, and
`   split the rest between the 2nd and 3rd characters. For damage dealing,
`   and for busting down doors and secret passages. If you need more 
`   Might, hit the Greywind/Blackwind thrones on their respective days 
`   and get some Photon gear.

For Speed, it's easy: The more, the better: 20 or 21 at all times.
--- Reason: Of all the stat boosts, Speed has the fewest boosts in the
`   game, only 160 total points or so. So how do you distribute speed?
`   You want to split evenly between your lead character (Barbarin/Knight) 
`   and one of your two Sorcerers. 80% of the enemies you face have 70 
`   speed or less. So splitting between your best fighter and best magic 
`   user will allow them to slay most enemy groups before they can even 
`   attack. If you do face a monster that's faster, the Cleric's support 
`   magic of Blessed/Holy Bonus/Heroism will cure that. If you landed some 
`   Velocity items while throne-exploiting, these make the best choice for 
`   boosting Speed.

All that's left for your temp party is to transfer all their items to the
approperiate characters. Obsideon equipment + the Fountains will allow
the party to level-up at Castle Bloodreign via the Magicians. And also
your stock-piled Seashells of Serenity will also give a nice head start
in leveling. 

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   SO WHAT CAN THE FUTURE PARTY DO?    3 3 3

Your last exploit will be to clear out the Halls of Insanity (if you 
didn't with the temp party,) and learn all skills (It's located at X4, 
Y29, and costs 100,000 gold per character.) One of the Hirelings trapped 
in the Baywatch dungeon has the green key. Yes, it's a lot of money to 
learn all the skills, but it's the only way you can learn Thievery and 
open chests without a Robber or Ninja. Learning Thievery gives your 
character the skill equal to their level. Equip one of your characters 
with 2 pieces of Pirate equipment. This will boost his/her Thievery 
high enough to disarm traps without too much problem. This will be your 
designated chest-opener.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3  IS THERE ANYTHING I'M FORGETTING? OH YEAH, THE HIRELINGS   3 3 3

Sometimes, a 6-Pack of decked-out characters isn't enough, you know? 
You already know about the exploit that allows you to use Hirelings 
without paying them? (Pick them up after 5:00 AM, use them until 
4:58 AM the next day, and dismiss them before the sun rises.) With 
this trick, you can have a party of 8 for most of the game. 

The trick to leveling your Hirelings without getting charged is to 
enter Caverns, Dungeons, Castles, and Pyramids. Time goes by 1 minute 
per step in these areas, as opposed to 10 minutes per step when outdoors. 
You can clear out each of these places in less than a day, so they're a 
great way to earn exp for Hirelings.

In addition, you can also bring your Hirelings along when you turn in
Seashells of Serenity, give up Precious Pearls to the Pirate Queen, 
offer Ultimate Power Orbs to kings, saving Princess Trubury, and freeing
the Unicorn. All of these provide free and godly easy exp.

Stat boosting? I recommend the Throne of Power in Castle Greywind. This
boosts one character +10 in all stats on Day 50. This is a great way to
build your Hirelings' stats without wasting the finite ones you find in
other areas. You could even consider doing this during your Temp Party
exploit quests as a substitute to acquiring free items or gold from the
other thrones.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   SO WHICH HIRELINGS SHOULD I CHOOSE?   3 3 3

I will tell you right off that you WANT The Raven. He's the most 
powerful hireling to start, AND he's a Sorcerer who knows every spell. 
He alone can get you through the first half of the game with his 
overpowering magic by himself! 

There are 9 others though, so who to choose? 

Unless you have a party of nothing but pure spellcasters (Druids, 
Clerics, and/or Sorcerers) then you won't need a tanking character (so 
you don't need Lord Bruno or Sir Galant.) Since the Hall of Insanity 
gives you the Thievery skill, you can cross off Son of Abu. However, 
Wartowsan is a feasible choice in an all-spellcaster party if you need 
a tanking character and you're a purist for opening chests.

Fineous is probably the worst choice. The Druid spell list is 
unimpressive, and the class itself isn't that great. He should only be 
considered if your party doesn't have a source for Walk on Water. 

With that said, Lone Wolf is a better choice, because her Ranger status 
lets her double as a tanking character for spell-heavy parties.

Charity is an ok choice if your party is lacking Cleric spellcaster 
and/or tanking characters. But as a Paladin, and a Dwarf for that matter, 
she doesn't earn enough Spell Points to take full advantage of the better 
support magics.

The best choices, is either Allen Bow, or Darlana. The disadvantage of
these two is they're low on levels and will take time to build them up to
their full-potential. But, Allen Bow gives you an extra source for the
Implosion spell, AND can double as a tanking character. Darlana, on the
other hand, is perfect for any party lacking a Cleric. You NEED the 
Cleric's support magic, it's more effective when cast by a Cleric, and 
she'll have more Spell Points to cast them multiple times.

FINAL RANKINGS IN ORDER:
The Raven  (For ALL party-types!)
Allen Bow  (For extra Implosion spell + Tanking Character)
Darlana    (For parties lacking a Cleric)
Lone Wolf  (For parties lacking Walk On Water)
Wartowsan  (For chest-opening purists)
Charity    (For Tanking and/or an extra Healer)
Lord Bruno (For Tanking in an all-spellcaster party)
Sir Galant (Same, however, isn't nearly as leveled as Lord Bruno)
Son of Abu (For chest-opening purists who don't need a Tanking character)
Fineous    (Only for Walk On Water, but is worthless otherwise)

You can use the other Hirelings for backpacks to hold on to equipment 
you're not currently using. You should also designate two Hirelings you 
don't plan to use to perform tasks that would otherwise put your 
characters in danger (such as the Pits in Castle Dragontooth, or the 
Witch's Cauldron in the Cursed Cold Cavern that ages you 50 years, 
or to drink the soul-slaying Moose juices in the Cathedral of Carnage,
or the blood sacrifice in the Blackwind Dungeon, as examples.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   THAT'S IT. HAVE FUN MOWING DOWN THE ISLES OF TERRA    3 3 3

You've got equipment, you've got money and gems in the vault. So what's 
left to do, outside of solving the riddles? (which is easy enough to do 
on your own.) 

Pretty much all you can do is clear out the dungeons, sell any equipment 
you find, and put everything you earn in the vault. You will end up with 
millions of gold and gems before endgame. Spend another 20 years earning 
interest by performing 'Odd Jobs' in Fountain Head (do this until the 
year your new party starts losing stats, usually happens at around Age 
40,) and the interest you earn in the Vault will start bordering on 
ludicrous!....Don't be surprised if you break the 1 Billion plateau....

You'll have enough to waste the gold in the experience fountain to get 
all your characters enough exp points to level to the maximum 200. And 
yet, you'll STILL have enough to train your levels to that maximum 200...
trust me when I say it STILL won't dent your hard-earned income. At this 
point, you can consider maxing out your two favorite Hirelings for extra 
firepower for end-game...just note their costs will also border on 
ludicrous and you will only be able to use them for a single day...just 
enough for end-game.

Enjoy the easiest ride you've ever had in an RPG.

3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   BEFORE I FINISH   3 3 3

It's worth repeating a second time, as I need to give proper credit where 
it's due. I contacted this guy but never received a reply, so if you get
my e-mail late and you see this Guide online, just want to say you gave
me the inspiration to write this Exploit Guide, so all the credit to
you! 

Stephen S. Lee wrote a Game Guide that lists tips, tricks, and spoilers 
for Might & Magic III. Several of his tricks have been refined and 
rewritten for use in this Exploit Guide. I would have to completely
rewrite this guide to make a proper reference list, so instead, I will
reiterate that I give you LOTS of credit for the inspiration and
creation of this guide. If you see this guide and would like to get in
touch, let me know what you think. I'll even give co-author credit
in the next update if infringement is an issue.

With that said, here's a link to his Game Guide, and the reason why
this Exploit Guide was made possible:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/564551-might-and-magic-iii-isles-of-
terra/faqs/36599

In addition, I would also like to give credit to the official strategy
guide to Might & Magic III. If not for Stephen's Game Guide, and the
official strategy guide, this Exploit Guide wouldn't have been possible.


3 3 3 - - - - - - - - - - - 3 3 3
3 3 3   DISCLAIMER NOTICE   3 3 3

Might & Magic III: Isles of Terra, is (c) 1991, New World Computing,
All Rights Reserved.

This guide is property of Aspie Giraffe, Copyright 11/9/10, all rights 
reserved. Any relation to guide books or other websites dedicated to
Might & Magic III are purely coincential, for this guide was put together 
by experience of playing the game, except where otherwise noted. Feel 
free to distribute this FAQ or link this FAQ to your website. Just be 
sure to give the proper credit where it's due.

Last Updated: 11/10/10

NOTE: This Guide is intended for the PC Version of Might
`     Magic 3. Specifically, the version that appears on the
`     Might & Magic Trilogy CD-ROM. It hasn't been tested on
`     the original PC release nor the SNES version of the game.
