Thinking of coming back

[jpfdx]

HELLO all! I have been away since 2003. Can someone bring me up to speed? I have a Tamer/Mage. I have been reading the boards but a quick recap would be good. I am on Great Lakes Server. Is that populated? If not what is a good server?

I have been playing WoW but I am thinking of giving it a break with WotLK coming out. UO was funnest game I ever played but I am having a hard time convincing people to try it due to PVP, Graphics, and lack of dungeons. What are some good sells?

Will there ever be a release of UO that completely overhauls the graphics? I agree that some type of change needs to occur.

Lastly is fishing still fun?

 

[GFY]

Hi Y'all,

You have been out of the loop! UO Kingdom Reborn has completely redone the graphics while at the same time keeping an option (a legacy client) for us old schoolers! The next big upgrade (Stygen Abyss) promises to improve both clients when it releases around Christmas. (Cross your fingers on the release date!)

Tamer/mages have been recently given some love with the new super dragoons. They spawn in the same places as dragons but are tougher than paragons!

I'm not sure about population but the East coast servers seem to have a higher population the the west. Rest assured Great Lakes is still going strong!

As far as dungeons go with the Anti virtue dungeons, elemental dungeons, Peerless spawns, champion spawns, and that's not even mentioning Felluccia! There's still plenty to do!

Fishing is still very fun! You do need to be careful however you just might fish something up that could kill you!

 

[Basara]

Lack of dungeons? UO's always had dungeons, and added Doom in AoS, several more in Samurai Empire, and even more in Mondain's Legacy (the latter having peerless boss fights, which are semi-instanced fights - only one instane can be active of each at a time - for small parties). If you want a real challenge, try to fight your way to the center of the Labyrinth dungeon on the center island of Malas - there's a staged spawn there that is similar to a champ spawn in a number of ways.

Kingdom Reborn was a graphics overhaul - though EA Japan forced it to go to market when it should have been in early Beta (if not still alpha testing - they'd promised it as a 2Q 2007 release there as a retail box (as opposed to being a free download in the US & Europe), and wouldn't delay it). It's still a bit buggy, but is relatively playable in PvM/PvE (especially some crafter aspects) - that client is getting rebuilt from the ground up as it should have been, without the forced release as the primary client for next year's Stygian Abyss release.

The fact one can make totally customizable houses in the game is still a big selling point, as well as you have the choice to never PvP at all, should you so choose, by never going to Felucca (and not guilding with anyone you don't trust).

The've played around with the big fish (new world record is 225 stones), added White Pearls as a crafting resource gained only by fishing, and since 2003 added Ancient SOS - 4% of MIBs become an Ancient SOS when opened, with a level 4 chest, and a white net in the chest that can be tossed for one heck of a fight (even tamers have difficulties if done solo - best done from a deep water-accessible dock like Buc's Den if you do one alone or with only 1-2 friends) and the chance for minor artifact drops, including very rare Seahorse statue and Ghost Ship Anchor artifact drops for the participants. So yes, fishing is still fun and has more content.

And, You just missed the Cleanup event, where all the pre-chest loot (even the body parts), empty chests, and the like could be turned in for points.

 

[jpfdx]

Thanks for the responses! Some follow up questions... Is EA going to try to attract new players with new release. It seems like the last couple of expansions were geared towards only existing subscribers. It seems like they need new blood in the game.

As far as dungeons go... it seems like to me (going off memory) that you could solo alot of places.. I have read on the boards people who solo paragons... I like that you CAN solo stuff but I would really like to see stuff geared towards 2-4 ppl groups or more.

The housing is awesome. I love that part of the game. I like not being boxed into doing just one thing. Felucca needs some upgrading.. give ppl rewards for going there.. No insurance.. get everyone onto the same playing field. PVP in UO is just not good.

Back to fishing and items in general. I use to run a store but with all the new magic items I simply don't know what is worth what. Is there a good guide somewhere? I sure liked it when stuff was based on just if the item was of Power or it was Invulnerable... lot simpler than this... but i can get the hang of it.

 

[Basara]

The people who solo paragons are freaks of nature. Most use a bunch of highest-end equipment and an accidental skill use that shouldn't work as it does(and is about to be nerfed rightly - the ability to become Vampire form using mostly equipment, then remove the necro skill equipment for high regen/resist suits); the rest use a still sick, but at least more legitimate combination of Bushido, chivalry, lots of life leech/HP regen, and wraith form (often actually cast with actual skill, not using equipment as a crutch).

Most of the peerless give 3-5 people trouble, under the right circumstances (some, like travesty, have a secondary spawn when near death that can easily overwhelm a solo hunter - or even a party of 10 under the worst case scenario - if the peerless heals back above the trigger point, when they drop again, they spawn an extra set). The solo peerless hunters take 30-90 minutes to kill something that a party can do in 7-10 minutes (and if someone is waiting WITH a party to do it, while one of the solos is hogging it, it can really tick the party off)

Greater Dragons (and the boost to Ancient Wyrms that came with them) have made all of Destard a VERY dangerous place, even in Trammel.