Hello all...
Sorry If this has been posted before - Admittedly I haven't read all 64 pages of posts...

I've been playing Dark Messiah for a week or so now, and I use online walkthroughs and the like, since I hate missing those secrets! However - Often times, my online walkthrough will say: "In this and that place you will find this and that item" - But the items I find in these places are often different than "Promised", or not there at all.
I'm confused. Does the secrets and placement of items change depending on your class and level? I really do search quite thoroughly - But they simply aren't there.
And I was really looking forward to that "Souldrinker" ... Any thoughts ?

You find the first Souldrinker in the middle part of the level "Temple of the Cat", after you fought your way passed the Orcs guarding the 'wood-and-rope'-bridge... just after that bridge when you enter the stairways opening, it's in the water under the stairs.

You really would enjoy the game more without a walkthrough,... and you would use your natural investigation-skills instead of trying to find out what the Wkthr is saying.

This is exactly my point - I know the first souldrinker is supposed to be in that pool, but I swear to high heavens - it simply isn't! And it's not the first time items in my game turn out to not be where other people find them... It really is very weird. I was wondering if other people had this problem?

Oh yeah that's true. A certain hammer often appears somehere randomly on the floor, sometimes on the block for forging a sword... it seems as if the Orc in that room is able to take and walk around with it as well, or that by the battles the weapon (like an object) is thrown through the room. Same could have happened with that specific Souldrinker.
Also, there are slight differences between the general version / Steam version (the same) and the Collector's Edition. Also, at a certain location 4 spiders can appear, but simetimes 5, or only 3. At a certain point you'll encounter 5 Goblins to battle and that's it, but a slightly different strategy triggers a second group of 6 Goblins at the same place. What you could try is replay the level from the moment you enter the map; the map with all the stairs carved in the rocks where you have to fight the Orcs patrolling. Good chance the Souldrinker appears where it should be this time.

I've already moved on... Suppose I'll Find another one somewhere. Besides - now I have the Orc Chieftain's big cleaver - And that's pretty nice too...

Yes, you can win the fight with the chief Orc easier with a Cleaver than using a Souldrinker. Where i guess you are right now (repairing the elevator?), you'll forge a Firesword and that's more powerfull than a Souldrinker anyway.