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Surprisingly, Oceania is far from dead

Sneaky Que

Babbling Loonie
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Consider this a "state of Oceania" report of such haha

I've recently returned to UO about a month ago after a long break and have been surprised at how much has changed and that there is also a decent number of players on Oceania. There's definitely more action now than there was when I left around 4 years ago.

Spawns and PvP are a pretty regular occurrence (VvV has really helped in that department), loot has been completely revamped and improved, players are doing peerless and other stuff like that all the time, the shard has a new EM who is frequently running both PvP and PvM events, and there's just more activity in general. The Devs actually do stuff now which is nice for a change haha.

Old players are returning all the time which is good to see. I've even seen a few new players on young accounts start up and continue playing. EOB is by far the most active guild around at the moment and there are quite a few others such as S^R etc who have regular players.

VvV is a great addition to the game which has replaced the old faction system and creates plenty of PvP action. For those who haven't tried it, it's similar to the old Order vs Chaos system except with a town capture feature and a few other differences. The great thing about it is that it tells you when and where a battle is taking place over guild chat, so you'll always know where the action is. Battles happen all the time with only a 5 minute wait between them. Currently, FFS (aka me lol) dominates the leaderboard, with other guilds also ranking well in both points and kills.

Haven't tried any of the High Seas content yet, as it came out while I was away so I'm not upgraded to it. Thinking of getting it for myself as a xmas prezzie tho so I'll probably check it out soon hehe. I have seen the new ships though and they look brilliant! The old boats sail smoothly now too which looks much better.

As for housing on the shard, there is a good amount of room to find yourself a nice spot on any facet. My castle fell while I was away but luckily I was prepared for it and banked everything in it that I didn't want to lose. Having 30 banks across 5 accounts really came in handy, even tho it's a bit of a nightmare to sort through it all now, but I'm getting there haha. Anyway, I managed to place a new castle right next to where the old one was after scouting a few spots and deciding that I liked it the most. So if you're a returning or new player looking to place a castle or large house there are definitely still spots available.

When I first returned I was a bit skeptical as to if it was worth coming back, but after seeing that the shard is indeed alive and kicking I would definitely recommend it to any former player who is thinking about playing on Oceania again.
 

Uriah Heep

Grand Poobah
Alumni
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
UNLEASHED
On the visits I have made, have run into quite a few good peeps on Oceania. I just can't play it for all the lag...distance caused lag, not shard lag =(
 

LiquidSolidity

Adventurer
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
I have recently returned to Oceania on a new account after several year's break. While I have seen a few players, most seem to be AFK or won't talk much. I have seen a few players from PoC and have asked if I could join the guild, but have had no luck. Was told by a member that he didn't know who I was and it was too risky to give me the guild leader's details. Seems like the Oceania community is not going out of its way to help new players - I'll keep playing here for a while longer and I'm sure I will meet up with someone who wants to make friends. In contrast, the Atlantic community was very generous and helpful. It's just a shame that I can't play there from NZ because of the lag.
 

EM ShanyraFyre

UO Chesapeake Event Moderator
UO Event Moderator
Stratics Veteran
I have recently returned to Oceania on a new account after several year's break. While I have seen a few players, most seem to be AFK or won't talk much. I have seen a few players from PoC and have asked if I could join the guild, but have had no luck. Was told by a member that he didn't know who I was and it was too risky to give me the guild leader's details. Seems like the Oceania community is not going out of its way to help new players - I'll keep playing here for a while longer and I'm sure I will meet up with someone who wants to make friends. In contrast, the Atlantic community was very generous and helpful. It's just a shame that I can't play there from NZ because of the lag.
There are a LOT of players on Oceania who are very helpful. I see this daily. If you need help, and need help finding helpful people who can help you in ways that I cannot, please email me [email protected] I'm also on facebook and twitter. You can find ALL my info on the signs at Luna Mint.
 

Clog|Mordain

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
oceanias problem isnt that there are no players playing. its that said players return to the game at different times. When VvV came out, I was playing. Got bored fighting the same 4-5 people though (or getting no fights at all). If everyone returned at the same time the shard would be extremely populated and alot of fun could be had.

Might be time for another return (god damn UO still having a hold on me after so many years)
 

Navarone

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Looking for players who were around between 2003 to 2007. At that time, it was all fun days especially before the age of smelting came devouring our fun.

As far as I remember, we had SDK, TC, 3T, ORB, TSB, S^R, OPK, and new clans back then, I only remember PoC.

I was with TcV and basically did a lot of fun.

I tried to get my ICQ online about a few months ago. Saw a long list of users under UO Players but none are active anymore. Just wondering if some of those guys are still around.

Btw, is that true the Oceania server was moved to the U.S. and gives high latency for players?
 

Hraxal

Visitor
Stratics Veteran
Held/Dain/Emo here.

A few of us reactivated about 2 weeks ago now and have been super surprised at how active it is.

PvP is definitely based around VvV and the occasional spawn. Most commonly see around 3T, OPK + EOB, BR and AHC or whatever it is around primetime. Usually 2-3 people per team. I think I counted 13 people at a VvV battle at Britain a few nights ago!

Quite a few people regularly transfering between Oce and Atlantic which are happy to carry stuff for you for free. Has been super helpful getting my characters back up to date.

The regularity of EM events and the presence of Advisor's was a plesant surprise.
 

Clog|Mordain

Lore Master
Stratics Veteran
Stratics Legend
Welcome back Dain.

Ill second Dain. 8-10 People in VvV isnt uncommon, but that fight you spoke about was sooooo fun!
 
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