Relics are unique and powerful items. In the previous games they were sometimes split in two categories: Relics and Artefacts. You might remember some of them from the old games: Aegis and Pellinore. Ghoulsbane and Iron Feather. The Mace of the Sun and the Scepter of Kings. Einherjar and Everstrike…

These powerful items are back in Might & Magic X Legacy, unified as a single category named simply Relics. Some are awarded by completing quests, other are found by killing bosses or hidden in the depths of the most dangerous dungeons. Relics don’t just have a unique name and icon; they also have a text description telling their story.

But there is something different about the Relics in Might & Magic X Legacy. The moment you find them, they are already powerful items. But they actually gain experience the longer you wear them, unlocking new bonuses, and revealing more of their lore.

[...] The way Relics are handled in Legacy is somewhat inspired by the Dynasty Weapons of Might & Magic: Heroes VI, which shared a similar principle of gaining experience the more they were used. However our Relics don’t necessitate to be online to be equipped, and their powers are more subdued than those of the Dynasty Weapons. Also, they are not only weapons – in Legacy, every item type has its own Relic (except miscellaneous items like rings and amulets).

But truth be told, one of the major inspiration behind the Relics is a pen-and-paper roleplaying game named Earthdawn. In Earthdawn, major artefacts become stronger the more a character uncovers their past and secrets, allowing him to bind himself to the item. I always found that principle fascinating, although not easy to translate in a computer game. The mechanics of the Relics of Legacy are simpler, but descend from this great idea that the powers of the item are linked to its history.
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There are around 60 different monster models in the game – not counting unique enemies and bosses. But each of these models is actually 3 different enemies, or grades.

There’s the “core” version of the monster, that is, the basic version. Then there’s the “elite” version : it has a slightly different colour palette, stronger stats and more abilities. And finally there’s the “champion” version. There’s actually only one champion per enemy type: it has a unique name, different colours (and sometimes even different weapons) and stronger stats and abilities than the elites. Champions are often encountered at the end of dungeons, and are like mini-bosses. Killing a Champion usually awards the coolest items of the game.

Let’s have a look at how monsters are handled in the game’s data, with a creature you already encountered in the Early Access: the good old Giant Spider. Apart from the obvious combat values (attack power, evade chance, etc.), here are some interesting values that define our eight-legged “friend”:

• Size: Small, Medium or Large. It will determine how many monsters can fit in a single tile, but is also taken into account by some abilities (more efficient against large creatures for instance). In the case of the spider, it is considered a “Medium” monster.
• AIBehaviour: not all enemies behave the same way. The lowest AI level is called “Brainless” (that’s actually the AI level of the Giant Spider), but other values include “Average”, “Clever” and “Genial”. Bosses usually have their own AI Behaviour.
• Class: As you might have seen in the in-game Bestiary, enemies can be “Beasts”, “Humans”, “Humanoids”, “Elementals” or “Undead”. There are no Demons in Might & Magic X Legacy.
• AccessibleTerrains: some enemies can fly, or walk on water. That’s where this is indicated. The Giant Spider is limited to normal, rough and forest terrains.
• Spells: this lists the active abilities and spells used by the monster. The Giant Spider has only one: “Poison Spit”.

Bosses have the same set of stats, but the encounter usually has its own rules, which we call the “boss pattern”.

For instance Mamushi, the evil leader of the Cult of the Wrecker that you battle on the top level of the Lighthouse, has diagonal movement and can kill you by pushing the party over the ledge of the arena. He also becomes more deadly when his Health Points drop under a certain threshold. To triumph, you’ll have to use your brains as much as your brawn!​