Ultima Online is one of the defining games of the MMORPG genre. From designer Richard Garriott‘s vision for a multiplayer RPG world, it has been influential on many of the most successful and popular titles that came after it. Set in Medieval Brittania, the game is a 2D fantasy RPG that follows the single-player Ultima series.
UO allows you to choose a class, train skills, and upgrade player stats to advance. many gameplay mechanics and features that we now consider traditional in MMOs, such as living in a virtual world, building player cities, leveling, crafting, exploring, and more were either forged by or made classic by Ultima Online. There is an extensive crafting system and resources to gather for use in both skill training and crafting.
The close-knit community as well as the developers remain loyal to the game despite its now dated graphics and oft-imitated gameplay. There have been nine major expansions to UO (most recently in 2009, adding another class), keeping content fresh and introducing new elements.
FEATURES
- Races | Choose from three races in Britannia, each with their own unique traits: Human (Strong Back, Tough, Workhorse, Jack of All Trades); Elf (Night Sight, Infused with Magic, Knowledge of Nature, Difficult to Track, Perception, Wisdom); and Gargoyle (Flying, Berserk, Master Artisan, Deadly Aim, Mystic Insight).
- Professions | Character class is left open to the player, allowing you to build your own class from a selection of over 50 skills.
- Custom Avatar | Set character Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence scores, as well as choose from hundreds of armor, weapons, clothes, and hairstyles, in a huge variety of colors and abilities.
- Explore Britannia | UO hosts a vast world, with six main continents: Felucca, Trammel, Ilshenar, Malas, Tokuno, and the most recent addition, Ter Mur.
- Expansions | UO now has a solid track record of 15 years of additional content: The Second Age (1998), Renaissance (2000), Third Dawn (2001), Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge (2002), Age of Shadows (2003), Samurai Empire (2004), Mondain’s Legacy (2005), Stygian Abyss (2009).
- In Game Markets | NPC vendors abound in the towns and cities, but beyond that, players may purchase their own vendors and fill their inventory with items to have them sale when the player is in game, and out.
- Player Housing | UO pioneered player housing in the MMORPG genre, and now has over 20 houses and castles to buy or build.
