Thinking about returning to Britania.

[YuriGaDaisukiDa]

I played U.O. for about 4 years a while back. I quit when all my friends got wow, saying, its going to be awsome, and wot not. Well, it wasnt awsome, i quit not long after. I recently got warhammer, but It isnt that great. I kinda miss UO, but if i remember, it got old to me because of lack of things to do.

I stopped playing right after samuri empire came out.

So I was thinking about comming back, but im wondering a few things.

Do my characters still exist? I quit I think over 5 years ago. I see that baja still exists, that was my server.

Also, what has changed since samuri empire?
Has combat changed? Are there new lands?
How is the quest system?
Are there lots of cool things for tamers to tame?
Does animal taming still take forever to raise to 100?
Are there any new skills?
Is the skill cap still 700?
Is the skill cap still 120?
Are in game events and scenarios, frequent and interesting?

And my main question.

Does the game still have a large player base? Is there still lots of competition at certain monster spawns. Is there still no housing availible? Are there still lots of people to play with, or against >.>

Honest detailed answers would be appreciated.

 

[YuriGaDaisukiDa]

O yea!

And anything alse you think is important for me to know that would make me want to come back, or not come back >.>

 

[T_Amon_from_work]

Gee, ye don't want much, do you?

Lemme see what I can do to at least give you a taste of stuff.

Do my characters still exist? I quit I think over 5 years ago. I see that baja still exists, that was my server.
If you have the details from your old account (password, etc) you should be able to reactivate it. Odds are very good your old characters still exist.

Also, what has changed since samuri empire?
Yup - Peerless bosses in Ilshenar have a percentage based on the luck mod of your armor to drop an artifact when killed. These bosses are several times the strength of the normal foe with double DEX and INT I believe. The Hunters Guide explains about them I think.

Crafting - mining can dig up gems in addition to the normal drops, fishing can bring up pearls, lumberjacking has rare woods. However for LJ and Mining, spawns are randomized now so old runebooks for specific ores are generally no good.

New NPC-based quests. Go to uoguide.com for a breakdown of all the stuff. Two are human-to-elf and elf-to-human but there are others.

Greater Dragons were introduced for Valentines Day 2008. These are some mean critters with fire breath, poison and several other types of attacks that could be chained. There are ways to defeat them and many tamers use them once they find a good one.

There's a boatload of other stuff that others can fill you in on.

Has combat changed? Are there new lands?
PvM has changed some with the intro of Peerless and the GD and stuff ... mainly in techniques and some mods to armor. New lands? Not really, but there is a current event that partially contributes to the restoration of Magincia - which got destroyed in a prior event. We're talking totally leveled.

For the events that are going on right now, check uoguide to see what they have for Publish 56 ... UO.com as well.

How is the quest system?
Can't comment on this one ... but the new player quests in New Haven are pretty good for the first 50 in a skill.

Are there lots of cool things for tamers to tame?
Does animal taming still take forever to raise to 100?
I'm not a tamer, but there are more things. AFAIK, Taming is still a difficult skill to raise.

Are there any new skills?
Skills no. Arms Lore does contribute to mods on armor and weapons when made, so that got somewhat resurrected from the ashes of AoS. A new subset ability to be coming is imbuing and there is a thread on UHall about that.

Is the skill cap still 700?
Is the skill cap still 120?
Ummmm, yes and no. 700 is the skill cap initially, but each year up to 4 years, you get an added 5 skill points, so that you can have a cap of 720. With jewelry and such, the modified skill total can exceed that quite a bit.

120 is the max cap for any one skill ... yes. So you need to shoehorn that into your 700, 705, 710, 715 or 720 total cap.

Stats have a cap at 225 as usual, but then ... at 6 months a character is allowed an added 5 points. Add to that the stat scrolls that drop as loot in some champ spawns, you can have these as high as 255 I believe.

Are in game events and scenarios, frequent and interesting?
Frequent? Not so you'd notice ... but it's improving since some of the Mythic folks have gotten involved. The EM program is making a comeback at some point, so hopes are rising. The current event is interesting in that Faction battles in Fel actually determine Tram invasions. Defeat of the invasion can alter the Faction status of a Fel town.

Does the game still have a large player base? Is there still lots of competition at certain monster spawns. Is there still no housing availible? Are there still lots of people to play with, or against
Large? Not by some past standards, but there are still quite a few around. There is some competition at Champ spawns, perhaps other items, but I'm mainly a solo player due to times, etc ... someone else can answer this better I believe.

Housing ... depends on the shard. Want some really populated one, then you will probably be seeing damn-all little in free areas or cheap housing. Pick a somewhat less populated shard and the possibilities are very good.

Let's see what others input to this ... also I suggest just scanning the FAQs in various forums to get a feel for what might be viable for you. Welcome back (mebbe!!)

 

[YuriGaDaisukiDa]

Thanks, Ive decided to come back, see you all there, as long as your on baja or maybe seige perilous

 

[Hannes Erich]

Welcome back to Britannia! (From another returning player!)

I played during a much earlier period, so I can't tell you what has changed since Samurai Empire. But there is a new expansion in the works, "Stygian Abyss." It's written in very big letters at the top of UO.com. If you click on those letters, you will visit the expansion's website, where you can read about the new skills, and the new playable race, that is on the way for next year.

It's been a long time, so if you decide to make any new characters, I highly recommend giving the new player quests in New Haven a spin. They are helpful and rewarding (both in terms of skills and valuables), and well-written too. If you decide to take my advice, talk to Sir Helper (what a fortunate name) near the starting area. He'll tell you where all the profession quest givers are-- there are a ton of them all over the island.