Brand New to UO!

DM_Wyvern

Hi there UO community! 

I was a wee teenager when UO released in 1997 and always wanted to join the party but have not been able to really do so until now, 20 years later and thoroughly sick of the on-rails theme park MMOs derived from the EQ model. I have logged in a few times into UO over the years but was immediately struck dumb and lost by both the lack of in-game hand holding of new players and the complexity of the game. 

But now with Endless Journeys on the horizon I feel like now is a good time to come back to the game. I am now subscribed and plan to stay subscribed as long as the Broadsword office lights and servers are on. 

UO still is a daunting experience for any new player. It really is challenging knowing what to do and how to get started as a new player. So to help out people like myself I plan to document my experience through a series of posts and video guides that will hopefully make it easier for new players  to get into the unmatched simulation experience that is Ultima Online. 

And I plan to do so from scratch with absolutely no assistance from the veteran community. Here are my self imposed following rules:

1) Accept no gold gifts

2) Accept no item gifts

3) Learn how to harvest / craft everything on my own 

4) See how far I can get and how long it takes me to catch up with established players for PvE / PvM

After learning the ropes on Atlantic, I plan to move over to Siege and make that shard my permanent home. Wish me luck! 

- Grimjack

Rock

Good luck!

I'm a returning player who came back a month ago after not playing since 2010.  Your rules can get you up to and through the grand master level (100 in main skills). Being a 7x GM was considered the epitome for an experienced character. A long time ago, you would have been considered ready for the high end content of the time, especially with support of guild and/or teammates.

Nowadays, GM level seems to be considered a starting point. Like in chess, you have "learned the rules."  High end content is now tuned for players who have managed to get their important, and in many cases, all skills to 120, legendary, 6x at this level is often a goal template, but there are still some skills which are capped at 100.

Note that what had been considered end game content (when the skill cap was 100) still exists.  But to get the really important drops, like power scrolls and stat scrolls, I think you pretty much need to be teamed with really advanced players.  I.e. you can't get above 100 skill without a power scroll or 225 stat cap (230 for many long term veterans) without the scrolls, and the spawns which drop those scrolls are tuned for players who already have those capabilities.

Or, ... you spend real money and buy the scrolls from 3rd-party sources.  If you are in an active guild, guild mates may have scrolls to give you.  I think both of these violate your rules, so adventuring with friends will be your route.  I've checked various shards for players selling such scrolls through vendors, and on most, they just are not available.  Also, the level 105, 110, and 115 power scrolls are not even marketed by the 3rd-party guys or player vendors.  It's either 120 or nothing.  That is a shame, because the other scrolls drop in more abundance.  Even if you can't get to 120 right away, even a 105 or 110 scroll lets you advance.  You still may eventually want the 120, but there appears to be nothing available for math geeks who know that 110 > 100.

Concerning Siege Perilous, that is intentionally a tough nut.  You can't build your own infrastructure of characters, with craftsmen, fighters, and scribes.  One helpful change is that the old "one house per account" rule has been sort of relaxed.  You can now have two houses per account, so long as one of them is on Siege or the Japanese-equivalent shard, Mugen.

Pawain

Welcome aboard and Good Luck.

Mariah

Welcome. Please make full use of our wiki https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/ it's written to help. Particularly the section Beginning the Adventure also draw on the experience of the players on these forums.

JollyJade

I think 1) and 2) are good targets. I doubt 3) is feasible in UO. The RNG can be so brutal. You can farm mobs or craft RNG based items for weeks on end without getting the result, while dozens of them sit ready on vendors. And then the prices are so steep, you will never get the gold to buy them by just playing PvM/PvP content. You need to sell stuff to to get some gold incoming.

But I like the general attitude of experiencing the game yourself. You will have a lot fun on this path and there is content for months or years along the way.

And if you start paying your account now, you can also have the most desirable UO item in just 14 years, 2032 or like that   

Captain_Lucky

Certain power scrolls and EM event drops can get you into big gold quicker than anything else (without starting a major discussion *grin*). Might wanna get in the groove with that.

Bilbo

  

Sable

Welcome!  Look forward to seeing you document your adventures.  When Endless Journeys goes live I thought this was something Vets could do, to build a character up from scratch and to use only equipment they can craft, buy from NPC vendors, or loot off their kills just as a challenge with the side benefit of likely playing and hunting in areas Endless Journey returners would be playing.

Bilbo

Welcome

DM_Wyvern

Rock said:

Good luck!

Great feedback Rock! Thanks for the advice!

JollyJade said:

But I like the general attitude of experiencing the game yourself. You will have a lot fun on this path and there is content for months or years along the way.

And if you start paying your account now, you can also have the most desirable UO item in just 14 years, 2032 or like that   

Thanks Jolly! I am not too worried about Vet Rewards and have no plans getting caught up in UO's version of PixelQuest. When UO was first launched it was marketed as a simulation experience and that is the mindset I plan on taking with my play experience. ^_^

Sable said:

Welcome!  Look forward to seeing you document your adventures.  When Endless Journeys goes live I thought this was something Vets could do, to build a character up from scratch and to use only equipment they can craft, buy from NPC vendors, or loot off their kills just as a challenge with the side benefit of likely playing and hunting in areas Endless Journey returners would be playing.

Thanks Sable! I had my first day in-game, all the way over on Formosa unfortunately, seeing how I am playing out of the Philippines for the moment. But it was fun! Am running around on my Thrower - Mystic gargoyle, Grimjack. Plan on moving to a US shard soon, when I relocate back to New Mexico later this year.

percivalgoh

Awesome.  I have done 1 to 3 but for number 4 I just find UO as an escape from reality with no intent on being the best or seeing how far I can go

DM_Wyvern

Having trouble posting my first journal entry, you can find it here:

https://grimjackuo.tumblr.com/

Hope folks enjoy the write up. ^_^

DM_Wyvern

Hi UO Vets! I have a question RE the Deluxe Starter Pack:

Are the points gained by using the Community Collection Point Award and Dungeon Point Award Point tokens transferable between shards? 

Tanager

Welcome to UO, Grimjack!

I'm afraid the Deluxe Starter Pack is a brand new package and I do not know much about it. To the best of my knowledge the points are bound to your character, and go with you when you transfer. Best to get a more informed answer tho.

I read your first journal entry, very well written. You are right that the game itself does very little hand holding. Many see this as a bad thing, but to me it creates an environment where an actual community can exist. This is an aspect where other MMOs I have played just sort of flounder.

I don't want to give any spoilers or unsolicited advice, but I do want to suggest joining the General chat channel if you have not found it already. I don't know about Formosa, but on most shards the Help channel is default but mostly empty.

Happy adventuring!

Gem

Welcome Grimjack!

If you find yourself on Great Lakes--look for Fishing Council of Britannia

UltraViolence

Good luck Grimjack. If you need any tips or decide to break your own rules let me know I'll help you out on Siege or Atl.

InLor

All the stuff is shard account and in some cases char bound. 

Tanager

I think he means the actual points tho, once the token is used. Like if you tamed and donated 100 dragons to the Royal Zoo, I think the char keeps those points if they xfer to another shard.

InLor

oh... hm... dont know about that.

DM_Wyvern

Thanks for your replies here @Tanager and @InLor. Would you or any other veterans have any further insights here? I am planning to eventually move shards and would not want to waste my award tokens, if possible. 

Does anyone else know if the Collection and Dungeon points transfer with the character or are they shard bound? 

InLor

From what shard to what shard are you moving? Because transfers from Atlantic to Siege are not possible, fyi...

I would guess the community points transfer along...but you better get that confirmed.

MissE

Aye you cannot transfer from Atlantic to siege, you must create your character on siege and start fresh there.

The community collection points apply to the character you put the token on from what I can see.  My char on oce has 1469 points at the library in britain, on the mage npc, and that is character bound and only on the one shard, there are 0 points on say atlantic, and 0 on siege, and 0 on other characters on the same account.

Perhaps it would be different handed in at the zoo or museum, but certainly at the library the points are ONLY vallid on the npc you donate too, and there are a lot of different npc's there offering different rewards.  Points at the zoo and museum are all on ONE reward menu as they are handed in to boxes so totally different.

Not sure if the token is coded differently tho or how you actually 'redeem' the points. Perhaps @Kyronix can answer that question. But I think you would find once redeemed they will only apply to the shard you redeem on. Only a guess tho.

Drakelord

http://www.peoplesarmyofsonoma.net/index.php ; If you on Sonoma ask for PAS people in General chat or go to the forum link

AtlanteanAngel

Hi Grimjack, are you still on Formosa, or have you transferred to an American shard yet?

Lady_Storm

I admire a person who wants to do it their own way and willing to take their lumps as they come.  UO is not a kiddie game... no formal quest line... if your willing to stick your neck out and believe me there is a good chance a axe is out there...   As one of the beta players UO has always been unique in its world.  Life is not a given, you know this right off the bat...  the first time your killed by a pk or red in fel.   I will say don't look a friendly piece of advice in the mouth kiddo it just might save your hide and all you worked hard to get....   Welcome to the UO community of players.

DM_Wyvern

Rock said:

Good luck!

Nowadays, GM level seems to be considered a starting point. Like in chess, you have "learned the rules."  High end content is now tuned for players who have managed to get their important, and in many cases, all skills to 120, legendary, 6x at this level is often a goal template, but there are still some skills which are capped at 100.

Note that what had been considered end game content (when the skill cap was 100) still exists.  But to get the really important drops, like power scrolls and stat scrolls, I think you pretty much need to be teamed with really advanced players.  I.e. you can't get above 100 skill without a power scroll or 225 stat cap (230 for many long term veterans) without the scrolls, and the spawns which drop those scrolls are tuned for players who already have those capabilities.

Hi Rock & Team!

The return continues! I have transferred over to Atlantic and joined United We Fight. I have been warmly welcomed by UWF and am enjoying meeting the rest of the UWF community. 

I am slowly beginning to max out my skills and I am now starting to think about how to start earning meaningful in-game gold to purchase the items / scrolls I need to complete my Mystic Thrower.

UWF raids throughout the week so I plan on starting there but beyond the UWF raids what is there I can do on my own to make good gold in-game?

I have been advised to collect Void Orbs in Ter Mur and have been doing that, seeing how it is not only a resource that sells well but doing so helps me earn loyalty with the Gargoyle Queen and will eventually grant me access to the Soul Forge. 

Is there anything else I can do be doing? My stats look like this:

100 Throwing

90 Tactics

90 Healing

90 Anatomy

95 Mysticism

100 Focus

90 Chivalry

And my equipment right now consists of the Deluxe Journeyman’s Armor from the Deluxe Starter Pack: 

https://uo.com/wiki/ultima-online-wiki/beginning-the-adventure/deluxe-starter-pack/

Based on what I have currently, what content can I take on to start building up some decent gold in-game? ^_^

Arnold7

Did not read all of the responses here so this may have already been suggested.  But since it sounds like you are in Tel Mur most of the time seek out Percolem the hunter and do the kill 20 toxic sliths quest over and over again.  I think you have to work up to it and do some other easier quests he offers first.  The slths you kill will provide pretty good gold per kill by UO standards, you will get pottery fragments and scroll fragments that you can use to complete the Tel Mur library quests, you will get some armor and weapons that you can get pretty good gold for if you sell them to the Tel Mur blacksmith, you will get plenty of weapons your thrower can use, and you will get some valuable crafting items.  If you skin them after killing them you can get even more including one of the reagents your mystic uses.  If you decide to skin them use a skinning knife and then after that use a scissors to cut up the pelts.  I worked these for a long time and did quite well.  If you can get a reptile slayer, that will help a lot.  Also there is another quest qiver at the entrance to the blacksmith shop.  If you do his quest over and over you can get slayers your thrower can use.  I started about two years ago and found Tel Mur to be a great area for someone with the kind of stats you have right now.  You will find the sliths to the east of the royal city.  The area to the west is great too.  Lots of snakes and other things but not many Sliths.   The area to the south is good if you decide to do the quest you get from the quest giver in front of the blacksmiths shop.  Good luck.  Glad to see I am not the only new player in the game.
By the way the Tel Mur Percolem and the library quest givers provide the best quest rewards.  You will be very satisfied with what they give you.  Also, would recommend you do not do the bora quests Percolem offers.  They take forever to kill and you don't get much from them afterwards.

Pawain

If not already said. Replace focus with imbuing. You have no skills for the soulforge.

Kirthag

*blinks, stretches, yawns, blinks again, squints, realizes she doesn't have her glasses on, grabs them, focuses.....

reads

reads more

grins

returns to her own musings, hiding the glasses away*

DM_Wyvern

Just got my first ever house in @UltimaOnlineEA! Wyvern's Lair has come up in the lands of Ter Mur on the Atlantic shard, thanks to my United We Fight guildmate Dryzzid. ^_^

Drakelord

congrats