Combat in Might and Magic VI is a hybrid between real-time and turn-based gameplay, and generally takes place against dozens of enemies at a time. Real-time combat can be hectic, but exciting: a player might often find themselves running backwards, evading incoming projectiles while pumping spells and arrows into the advancing horde.

At any time, pressing Enter toggles a turnbased mode, leading to a more tactical experience. While turn-based mode is switched on, the party may not move, but the player has time to make more deliberate choices during combat. A player might find themselves gravitating to either real-time or turnbased combat, or mixing them: both modes have their advantages, and are viable in most situations.

Your party consists of four human adventurers, who can specialise in one of six different classes. M&M VI introduced the now-classic formula of seeking trainers to improve your skills, with the skill masters being hidden in obscure places. Characters are free to master any skill their class has access to, and can learn any spell in their available spell schools.

However, there are a significant number of spells which don't scale well into the later game, or simply don't work at all! Later M&M games fix these issues, but place more limits on which spells a class can learn, and which skills they can master. As a result, character classes in this game are less specialised and more homogeneous than in its sequels, but the player has more freedom to develop them as they see fit.

The balance tends to favour spell-casting classes, due in part to the raw power of Light and Dark magic and the sheer utility of Water and Air. Physical classes quickly drop off in power, but their survivability can save the party, and they tend to have more points to spend on non-combat skills like Repair.