2002-03 Newsletter

Ultima Online Newsletter: March 2002

Ultima Online Newsletter

• Join Us! - UO player testimonials
• Tips & Hints - A must read for new players
• Connections - Links to key UO.com areas
• Support - Get the help you need

Greetings, Citizen!

Congratulations, you have done well learning your way around Haven and the world of Britannia. Already you are well on your way to becoming a veteran player and an upstanding citizen of Britannia! Don't forget, should you have any game-play questions that pop up along the way, our PlayGuide contains hundreds of pages of valuable information, and our interactive easy access answer tool (the Game Wizard) at UO.com is full of answers to commonly asked questions from players just like you, on topics ranging from common computer errors to how to chop trees! The Game Wizard knows all and tells all, plus it is always available to help you.

Join Us!

Ultima Online can be so much more than just a game, and we hope that as you meet more people and try more things, you'll see why so many of our players have been members of the UO community for over four years. As a matter of fact, we think the best people to introduce you to what makes UO special are our "veteran" players -- so here's what some of them have said about Ultima Online:

"There is an overwhelming sense of being part of something more than a game when playing Ultima Online. I have made friendships playing UO that are among the strongest and longest lasting of any I've developed in my life. One of those friendships turned to an in-game romance that resulted in a real world marriage for me. I think you can understand why, in my mind and in my heart, Ultima Online will always be special."

- Anonymous

"UO has become my virtual fantasy world. Yes, it's a challenge learning all the intricacies of the game, but the challenge also makes it interesting. I've been playing for almost 4 years now, and I'm still learning, still fascinated and still having fun."

- Anonymous

"You will be so proud of your achievements at each step along the way. At the high skill levels, you'll be able to fight awesome monsters, lead war campaigns, or tame and ride magical, fierce horses. It's thrilling and worth the effort." - Anonymous

UO Tips and Hints

Uzeraan Says

Banking: As a new player, there are several ways to make money: craft & collect items to sell, and kill monsters that carry gold. Don't forget that as you are collecting all these cool new items, they all weigh something just as an item would in your real-world backpack. Overtime, they will weigh you down and increase the rate at which you burn through your stamina.

You may not realize that you are beginning to move slower or cannot move in battle as quickly as you could earlier in time, but it does happen, and before you know it you might be stuck -- literally unable to move. In order to avoid having this happen to you when you least expect it, go and continuously put items and half your gold into your bank box. It is fun and easy to do, much easier than in the real world (no long lines at the drive-through!)!

Just go to the bank in the town that you are in and say "Bank" and your bank box will automatically open. Stash your stuff (by dragging the item from your backpack into the bank box window open on your screen) on a regular basis. Usually the bank is in the center of town and lots of people are hanging out around it, so it is also a great place to meet people, catch up on the latest gossip, and make new friends. But don't take my word for it, go there tonight and find out for yourself (And, you can also visit the Money and Banking section of UO.com for more information.)!

Joining A Guild: It's possible that although you've been exploring the vast world of Britannia doing lots of adventurous things, you still have not met a lot of new people -- and particularly the people who are more experienced with the game that can really give you a leg up (we call them veteran players). And believe me, there are plenty of them out there willing to help mentor "young" players. So, if you want to get more excitement from the game and meet some great veterans at the same time, join a Guild, it's a great way to get more involved in UO. And, it is a lot more fun than you might think. Guild-mates are great game-mates and become buddies, sometimes for life! We have had some pretty amazing friendships start in-game that turn into real-life long-term friendships and more!

To figure out how to join a Guild and which Guild to join visit our Guilds section of UO.com and look up the Guilds that are currently active in UO.

Next, look at the listings for those Guilds that are actively recruiting -- sometimes this is also listed under the Live Events. Some Guilds are organized by profession, some just by location, but they are all full of people who were once new just like you are and who are usually friendly, fun, and always open to inviting new people into their group. Hey, in UO where Guilds are concerned, "bigger" is better! But, to join a Guild you will have to track down one of its members, get to know them and let them know that you are interested in joining. The best place in-game to start this process is around the Britain Bank where a lot of Guilds often are often found trying to recruit. It is up to you, to make it happen, but it is well worth the effort.

Building Basic Skills: Finally, the last and best piece of advice I can give you as a new player is to keep building up your basic skills which then give you the capability to do things which ultimately earn you money to buy what you need to get even stronger in your chosen profession.

For instance, as a "young" player, chopping down trees is a great way to build up your strength.

Also, killing the low-end monsters will help you build up different combat skills, so look for mongbats, headless ones, rats, giant rats, and yes, even bunny rabbits to kill. All of these animals and creatures are great for providing experience points, food, fur, and building skill points.

There are training dummies located throughout Haven that allow you to practice bowery skills and swordsmanship among others, and there are training NPC's who you can pay to train you by getting close enough to them to catch their attention and then saying their name (which appears over their heads) and the word "train".

And don't forgot that asking others for help and advice is ok too. You can always visit a tavern or an Inn or go near the bank to meet other players and ask them for advice on how to build up your skills or earn some money.

Finally, stay tuned in to the Live Events calendar on UO.com and watch for Guild recruiting, hunting parties, or other events which interest you and through which you can meet others. The first rule of UO is to have fun and usually where there are people to meet, virtual wine to drink, and Headless Ones to be killed -- there is fun! So, jump in and when in doubt visit the New Player Center or the Game Wizard for more information. But don't give up, because in case we didn't mention it, we are glad you're here!

Thanks again for joining the world of Ultima Online, and you'll be hearing more from us in our monthly newsletter!

See you in Britannia,

Your Ultima Online Team