Posts from Story and voice acting.

This is where general discussions about the storylines of the campaigns take place. Please ask questions about completing campaign scenarios in the appropriate threads.

Chronological order of campaign maps (some take place almost simultaneously):

- Heart of Nightmares (Collectors' edition map)
- Prologue 1
- Prologue 2
- Stronghold 1
- Stronghold 2
- Sanctuary 1
- Haven 1
- Inferno 1
- Necropolis 1
- Sanctuary 2
- Haven 2
- Necropolis 2
- Sanctuary 3
- Stronghold 3
- Inferno 2
- Necropolis 3
- Inferno 3
- Sanctuary 4
- Stronghold 4
- Haven 3
- Necropolis 4
- Haven 4
- Inferno 4
- Epilogues

To be honest, I expected a much more interesting storyline. In reality, it's just meaningless slaughter. The campaign is incredibly boring. I only liked the first chapter of the Sanctuary. And even there, only the first half was engaging; the second half was just blah-blah.

And, of course, a separate "thank you" for the voice acting of the characters. The city windows look like masterpieces against that backdrop.

Do you mean the voice acting in the localized version or the original English version? The latter has some voices that sound really good.

How interesting! Hugo's list presents a slightly different order:

- Heart of Nightmares (Collectors' edition map)
- Prologue 1
- Prologue 2
- Stronghold 1
- Sanctuary 1
- Haven 1
- Inferno 1
- Necropolis 1
- Stronghold 2
- Sanctuary 2
- Haven 2
- Necropolis 2
- Sanctuary 3
- Stronghold 3
- Inferno 2
- Necropolis 3
- Inferno 3
- Sanctuary 4
- Stronghold 4
- Haven 3
- Necropolis 4
- Haven 4
- Inferno 4
- Epilogues

How should the campaign be played? And how much will a player miss out on if they play through the levels in the order they appear in the game?

Overall, the plot of Might & Magic: Heroes VI pleasantly surprised me; in my opinion, it’s much more interesting than in Heroes of Might and Magic V, where it’s too monotonous and boring (although it’s better in Tribes of the East)... The only drawback of the plot is AsKhan!

As I said before, the plot, in my opinion, may not be as good as in Heroes 3 and 4, and most of the Might and Magic games, but it is much better than the nonsense in Heroes 5. That's already a plus.

How interesting! And on Hugolka, a slightly different order is given:

How should the campaign be played? And will the player lose much if they play them in the order they are placed in the game?

In the first post, it has been corrected: the second mission of the Stronghold takes place in parallel with the first mission of the Sanctuary. I don't think the player will lose much in terms of plot perception if they don't play in chronological order (based on references in the plots of some campaigns to events in others, one can get a picture), but it is still more convenient that way.

Some of the references to the original Might and Magic universe in the Campaigns.

Griffin's Doom (first mission for Slava):

Pleasant Valley - the name of the region where Sorpigal is located, one of the five main cities of VARN 4 and the starting location of MM6. Also, Paradise Valley was sometimes referred to as such - a region on the western coast of Enroth, where the Kreegans landed in the north during the Night of Falling Stars. There is an obvious reference to this in the mission's plot: in the backstory of MM6, King Roland set out with an army to Paradise Valley to investigate rumors of devils and eliminate any potential threat from them.

The Emperor's Will (second mission for Slava):

Blackfang was the name of the castle of the vampire lord, Count Blackfang, on the Dark Side of Xeen, which plays a key role in the plot of Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen.

Valeska - the name of an Erathian Crossbowman and Knight, one of the recruitable heroes in Heroes of Might and Magic III.

No Place for Orc Friends (first mission for Sandor):

The fortress of the Wolf Duchy, considered impregnable and guarding the port by the Jade Ocean, is called Kriegspire. This was the name of a castle in Enroth that served as a center for magical research. Minotaurs were created during experiments at Kriegspire.

Marriage Between Heaven and Hell (fourth mission for Kirill):

One of the cities in the vicinity of Portmeiron is called Sotbigal-by-Sea. In Might and Magic Book One: Secret of the Inner Sanctum, there was Sorpigal - one of the five main cities of VARN 4 and the starting location of the game. Also, in the original universe, there was New Sorpigal - one of the six main cities of the Kingdom of Enroth and the starting location of Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven.

Another city by the coast is called Baywatch. This was the name of one of the five main cities of the Isles of Terra, located on the shore of the Great Sea.

One of the signs contains a bounty notice for the head or capture of the barbarian Craig Hack, who became a pirate. This name was borne by two barbarians in the old universe: a dwarf who is one of the Ultimate Adventurers, great heroes from Terra chosen by the Ancients, and a human from Enroth, a former fortune hunter. The former was one of the key characters in Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra and Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor; the latter appeared in Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death, had a cameo in Dragon Slayer, and was a secondary hero in Heroes of Might and Magic II: Succession Wars and Heroes of Might and Magic IV.

Death-in-Life and Life-in-Death (fourth mission for Irina):

Portsmith, a trading city of the Wolf Duchy (also appearing in Sandor's first mission), is named after one of the five central cities of VARN 4. On the sign pointing to Portsmith, someone wrote "Demon lovers!" In MM1, Portsmith was ruled by the Succubus Queen. This city also figures in Sandor's first mission.

Dawn Everywhere (third mission for Anastasia):

The staff of Sandor, a former follower of Belket, which Anastasia's Necromancers use to recruit Lamassu into their army. Sandor is the name of two liches from the original universe games (one from Xeen, the other from Enroth), who played a significant role in the plots of World of Xeen (Sandor of Xeen), The Shadow of Death, and Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (Sandor of Enroth).

Also, one of the Necropolis is called Abel-Vertigo (I don't remember the exact spelling of the first word). Vertigo is the name of one of the five main cities on the light side of Xeen, from where the future Chosen began their journey to defeat Lord Xeen - the starting location of Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen.

Spider's Trick (fourth mission for Anastasia):

Near the starting location of the game, there is a sign containing an invitation to join the Cult of Meow. This is a humorous reference to the tradition of the Might and Magic series where (starting from the third part) cults with names similar to animal species and the sounds they make played a significant role in the plot: the necromancer cult Moo on Terra (MM3), Yak on Xeen, the orc religion Bark, and the peaceful church of Mok on the Dark Side of Xeen. The order founded by the Kreegans to eliminate all potential threats to their invasion in the Kingdom of Enroth was called Baa (present in the sixth and seventh parts). In MM8, there is a Temple of Eep in Jadame, whose followers voluntarily turn into wererats. In Chedane (Might and Magic IX), there is the cult of Honk, who worshiped the goddess Fre's pet goose, calling it "The Great Honk".

Everything Mixed, Truth and Falsehood (second mission for Anton):

Lord Kilbourn, an ally of Anton and an assistant to the protagonist on the Path of Tears. Kilbourn is a noble surname from VARN 4. Two representatives of this dynasty were characters in the old universe games: one in MM1, who had to be found on a quest for Lord Ironfist. The other was one of Morglin Ironfist's supporters who fled with him through a portal to Enroth and appeared in Heroes 1-2 and the backstory of Might and Magic VI (he was killed by Kreegans while patrolling the outskirts of Blackshire).

Are you referring to the voice acting in the localized version or the original English one? The latter has some voices that sound really good.

The Russian version isn't voice acting at all; it's an assault on the ears. The original is clearly much better. I like Irina's voice; it's exactly how I imagined it even before the game came out.
The following are particularly annoying: the Kappa speaking with human voices, the Shark Guardian, and the Kirin; the Creek Spirits and Snow Maidens acting silly; the Coral Maiden screeching like a market vendor; and the Deep Naga babbling with elderly intonations. In general, the developers completely ruined my expectations for the Sanctuary. And not just in terms of audio. I liked the beta much more. In fact, I play it more often than the release version.

Some of the references to the original Might and Magic universe in the campaigns.

Yes, the developers seem to lack imagination.

What does imagination have to do with it, and why does it suffer?

What do imagination and its suffering have to do with it, and where does it come from?

They couldn't come up with original names and identities for the new world.

There are already plenty of original names and titles there. And that's not a negative; on the contrary, in a way, it's even a good thing, as a tribute to the original universe.

The plot was generally enjoyable, but I was left with the feeling that it was just a minor skirmish. I hope that the story will be more epic in the expansions – if the ending wasn't for nothing, of course. Once again, I was surprised by the complaints about the "kappa, shark guardian, and kirin speaking in human voices." I apologize, but who, if not humans, should have voiced them?

Adagio meant that they should be handled more cleverly, after all, it's the 21st century. Or at least, when voicing them, they should use some special intonation. If I understood correctly.

Once again, I'm surprised by the complaints about "kappas, shark guards, and kirin speaking with human voices." I apologize, but if not humans, then who should have voiced them?

Apparently, we have completely different ideas about how a serious project should be voiced.

Firstly, the very fact that kappas and kirin speak at all is horrifying. These creatures should only make certain sounds, more or less similar to what we hear on the battlefield. I can still understand the presence of speech in shark guards, but it should be a deep bass with undertones of guttural growls in pronunciation. And it should sound natural, that is, as a result of long and high-quality processing, and not as a result of unsuccessful attempts by the first actors to portray a scary monster. Stream spirits and snow maidens should not have a playful and flirtatious voice like a schoolgirl, but a cold and completely emotionless voice of an adult woman with a light, barely noticeable echo. Tide maidens... Well, they can't shout in the style of "Buy it cheaper!!!" This should be a quiet and measured chest voice that you don't just hear, but want to listen to again and again. Almost the same applies to deep nagas, except that some roughness and significant muting of the timbre should be added to create the impression that this is the speech of a reptile, and not just a human. Perhaps a very light snake hiss would not be superfluous. There is a style of voices that are called wise and inspiring. This is what nagas are about - both coral and deep. But not in the opinion of the developers.

This is how I see the voice acting for the characters of the Sanctuary faction. IMHO.