Returning to Archery after a long sleep...

[Morganne]

I've returned to UO after being gone a VERY long time, and obviously everything has changed! I'm looking for advice on what to do with my character's existing skills to make her an excellent archer. Here are the skills she currently has:

Anatomy 100
Archery 101.6
Bowcraft/fletching 100 (Can I make fabulous stuff if I get this to 120?)
Focus 26.5 (set to go down)
Healing 82.8 (set to go up. Getting to 100 might be nice so I can res with bandages)
Hiding 80
Magery 66.6 (Currently locked, but I could go down in this. I only need to be able to recall and heal.)
Resisting spells 60 (magic stuff still kicks my butt every time)
Tactics 100

As far as getting that archery up to 120, are there any particular types of monsters I should fight for good gains? So far nothing I've been shooting at seems to budge that number, so maybe I'm fighting the wrong things. Tried a lich today for a challenge...BIG mistake. *sigh* It ate me for lunch in about two seconds.

 

[Dizzy]

Well, for archery training, I like both earth elementals in Shame and Ogre Lords in Ice. Neither cast magic, so they're easy to run from. They'll take you to 120.

 

[Max Blackoak]

search this forum for archer templates. you will find plenty of good info.

bowcraft can't be raised to 120, 100 is the maximum skill. You should probably transfer that to another character or drop it in order to free up 100 skill points.

 

[Lord GOD(GOD)]

I've returned to UO after being gone a VERY long time, and obviously everything has changed! I'm looking for advice on what to do with my character's existing skills to make her an excellent archer. Here are the skills she currently has:

Anatomy 100
Archery 101.6
Bowcraft/fletching 100 (Can I make fabulous stuff if I get this to 120?)
Focus 26.5 (set to go down)
Healing 82.8 (set to go up. Getting to 100 might be nice so I can res with bandages)
Hiding 80
Magery 66.6 (Currently locked, but I could go down in this. I only need to be able to recall and heal.)
Resisting spells 60 (magic stuff still kicks my butt every time)
Tactics 100

As far as getting that archery up to 120, are there any particular types of monsters I should fight for good gains? So far nothing I've been shooting at seems to budge that number, so maybe I'm fighting the wrong things. Tried a lich today for a challenge...BIG mistake. *sigh* It ate me for lunch in about two seconds.

Hello,

I would advise you first read UOguide.com, a lot has been added since you last played and many skills changed dramatically, I would read specifically about Chivalry, Necromancy, Bushido, Ninjitsu, Spellweaving and Mysticism. As well as changes to Discordance and Skill Masteries.

Item properties are probably another baffling area to come back to so for the time being just try and get all 70's. Or if you have to prioritise do fire, phys, energy, poison, cold in that order.

It's hard to advise of anything until you're up to speed but if you want to play while you get back into the swing of things I'd aim for:

120 Archery
Tactics
Healing
Anatomy
Chivalry
Resist
Focus

Don't concern yourself with powerscrolls until you know what final template you want. Get a Soulstone or Soulstone Fragment (either Vet Reward, or Token, in game has a Vendor Search you can access from your characters context menu while in towns or houses.) Soulstones let you move skills, you want to take Bowcraft off and put it on another character. Any other skills can be dropped, you'll be using Chivalry to travel via the Sacred Journey spell, read UOguide about this skill and how to Tithe gold.

 

[Morganne]

Thank you! This is very helpful and gives me something to work toward. Silly as it may seem, it will be hard to let go of hiding--I like being able to "disappear" when necessary. I'll look at the UO guide to read up on some of these changes.

 

[Innoxicated]

@Morganne what shard do you play on? If it happens to be ATL, some of the in's and out's might be more easily demonstrated in game. Either way, there is much research you'll be needing to do. Luckily between template threads here (which are often very informative as players throw ideas back and forth), the uo.com wiki, and uoguide.com, you have a wealth of knowledge to pour over.

The way I break down templates is by pairing primary/secondary skills and supplementry skills.

• Archery (absolutely 120, even if a long-term goal)
- Tactics (secondary to archery, your % to hit is based off archery, while your damage [putting it very simply] is based off of tactics)

• Chivalry (spells that increase your combat ability, also provides methods of healing/curing poison, and resing other players)

• Bushido (spells that increase your combat ability)

With Archery/Tactics + Chivalry + Bushido we have what is called the ABC archer template, which as hybrid-y as it might look, is closest to the 'pure' archer concept in function.


You already have healing/anat which is a great pair of skills to use as a primary healing method, anatomy also passively increases your bow damage.

Put fletching on a mule character, unless it's strictly for RP or if you're on siege or something. Even then you could probably make an EJ account for crafting stuff?

Magic resist only lessens the duration of debuffs now, so it's really 100, 120, or 0. Most players choose 0, as those 100 points could be more effectively spent elsewhere.


So Archery/Tactics/Healing/Anatomy you can pick 2 or 3 more skills. As Lord GOD suggested, chivalry is *highly* recommended, as it can vastly increase your damage output and provide powerful additional utility even at skill levels well below GM (though 100.0+ might be a goal to shoot for, too).

You could also do hide/stealth if you really don't want to give up your hiding. 100 hide / 80 stealth in leather armor. Though you won't be dealing top damage, a stealth archer can be very fun to play, and you should still have enough points remaining to get some chivalry on the template.


Welcome back!! After you've done a little digging and have some idea of which direction sounds the most enjoyable for you, please ask any more questions you might have! Hell, if you're torn between 2 or 3 choices, ask! Those kind of posts always lead to some very enlightening discussions.

Also it's important to me to keep playing for *fun* your goal, and not coming back just to get caught up in fully optimizing your cookie cutter, just because everyone else has. *cough,cough*popps*cough*