ULTIMA IV SOLUTION ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Part 1 ULTIMA IV begins very much like an illustrated text adventure, except that there is nothing for you to do but follow passively along until you are seated in the old gypsy's wagon (more about that in a bit). The opening scene is rather unique in that you're supposed to boot up the game and begin before you read the instructions! (Actually you *should* read your player reference card before booting up the game, but the illustrated adventure tells you when to start reading the History of Britannia). Once you've read the Book and followed the scenes into the gypsy's wagon, you're ready to make your first important decisions of the game: making the choices that the gypsy presents to you as she turns over the cards. CREATING A PRINCIPAL CHARACTER Your answers to the gypsy's questions are not just a mental exercise, and they're not some form of test; instead, they determine the profession that your principal character in the game will have and where on the huge map of Britannia (16 times larger than the Sosaria of ULTIMA III) you will start. Here is where ULTIMA IV makes its first dramatic departure from ULTIMA III. You begin with only one character, not a multi-character party. You can get up to seven other characters to join your party as you journey around Britannia (much more about that later), but at the start you are on your own. Also, all the characters in ULTIMA IV are human; there is no multiplicity of races as in previous ULTIMAs. There are, however, eight different professions, each with its own unique set of attributes as described in the History of Britannia, and this is where your answers to the gypsy's questions are key. Each card that the gypsy turns over stands for one of the eight virtues of an Avatar. Each question asks you to choose between two of the virtues. The questions are structured so that at the end of the gypsy's questions you will have favored one virtue over all of the others. Each of the eight possible professions is associated with one of the virtues, as is each of the eight principal cities of Britannia. Thus, the virtue that you favor will determine both the profession of your character and the city where you begin the game. The following chart lists the eight virtues, the professions, and the cities associated with them. VIRTUE PROFESSION CITY Honesty Mage Moonglow Compassion Bard Britain Valor Fighter Jhelom Justice Druid Yew Sacrifice Tinker Minoc Honor Paladin Trinsic Spirituality Ranger Skara Brae Humility Shepherd Magincia It is probably best to answer the questions in favor of Honor so that your principal character is a Paladin. Paladins have the strongest combination of magical and physical fighting abilities. They start out armed with a sword and wearing chain armour (a considerable advantage in the early going), and they can use all types of weapons and wear magical armour (a considerable advantage later in the game, as your principal character is always first in the order of battle and can expect to take a lot of punishment). ULTIMA IV Part 2 GENERAL STRATEGY The *ultimate* goal of ULTIMA IV is easy to describe: You strive to prove yourself worthy in each of the eight virtues of an avatar so that you may view the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom and guide the people of Britannia from the Age of Darkness into the Age of Light. Sounds simple, right? No? Well, I'll bet you've played an ULTIMA or two before! And if you have played any of the previous ULTIMAs, you already know the two most important skills required to successfully complete this game: Patience and Perserverance. As in the previous ULTIMAs, there is no single strategy or order of play that must be followed in order to complete the game. Unfolding the plot of ULTIMA IV, by far the most tightly woven and intricate of any ULTIMA so far, is rather like peeling an onion: you scrape away the outer layers in order to get at the juicier parts in the center. Unlike the onion, however, you don't have to peel away those outer layers in any particular order. Nevertheless, there are some things you must do if you wish to complete the game within an ordinary lifetime: 1) Read the History of Britannia, the Book of Magic, and your Player Reference Card thoroughly before beginning play. In fact it's a good idea to read them more than once (especially the Player Reference Card). There's lots of important information in these materials that you will want to have in the back of your mind throughout the game. 2) Talk to everybody. Virtually all of the clues to solving the various problems contained in this game are held by the people who you will meet in the various towns, villages, and castles. The only way to get this information is to (T)alk to everyone you encounter. You should pay special attention to the information in your Player Reference Card. Ask each person his or her name, job, and health, and note their replies. For example, if a Paladin responds to "job" by saying, "I fight to protect the shrine of Honor," you should respond by asking the Paladin about fight, shrine, and honor. In this way, you will eventually learn everything you need to know. 3) Write everything down. This is absolutely crucial. You must write down the name of everybody you meet (whether or not they have anything important to say to you the first time that you meet them), where you met them, and what, if anything, they had to say. The reason that this is so important is that the plot of ULTIMA IV is designed to make you visit every location in the game, usually more than once, and it is written in such a way that you may not know what to ask people the first time you meet them. For example, the first time you meet Sir Simon and Lady Tessa in Paws Village, they will tell you only that they know a great secret. Later, someone else in another town will tell you exactly what it is that you should ask Sir Simon and Lady Tessa about. But, he will not tell you where to find them. If you hadn't written down that they were in Paws, you wouldn't know where to go to get this important information. 4) Thoroughly explore all the towns, villages, and castles. As your Player Reference Card says, many quests in the game are contained entirely within the individual towns, villages, and castles of Britannia. Take the time to familiarize yourself completely with their geography. Don't limit yourself to the areas that are immediately visible. Much of the really important stuff is hidden on the perimeters of the towns and behind secret doors. As for the perimeters, experiment by trying to walk around the areas immediately outside the town. You will find that in many places you can walk around the outside border of the town without the game forcing you to exit back to the Britannia map. You will often run into people who have very important things to say. Vital information can also be found behind the secret doors in most of the towns, villages, and castles. How do you know where a secret door is? Well, look carefully at the brick work that forms the walls of the room where you are. If you see what appears to be an oddly-placed rectangle in the brick work (one that doesn't fit in with the pattern of the other bricks) that's a secret door! Just move your character through it to get to the other side. When exploring in this manner, you'll sometimes come up against locked doors or passages blocked by magic fields. Don't be concerned that you can't get by these barriers. Just make note of their locations; they'll be easy enough to handle later on in the game. 5) Be virtuous! Who is an avatar? One who has proved him/herself worthy in each of the eight virtues. The eight virtues are: honesty, compassion, justice, spirituality, valor, sacrifice, humility, and honor. You can't play ULTIMA IV in the same way that you played the first three ULTIMAs and expect to win. This game does *not* reward stealing and beating up on the guards. If you insist on lying, on taking the gold that's just sitting there to tempt you in the towns and castles, and on attacking non-evil creatures, the Seer Hawkwind will recognize you for the evil cur that you are, and you'll be a complete washout as an avatar. Play this game with the golden rule in mind and walk the straight and narrow. ULTIMA IV Part 3 EXPLORING THE CASTLES, TOWNS, AND VILLAGES The heart of the game in ULTIMA IV is exploring the various castles, towns, and villages and conversing with the many NPCs that you will find residing there. It is in these locations that you learn virtually all of the secrets that the game holds. Keeping accurate notes of what the NPCs say to you and who said what is vital to the successful completion of the game. You should also note where each NPC was found, since later in the game another NPC will tell you that a certain character holds important information, but the NPC won't tell you where that character is located. Listed below are summaries of the important information to be found in each of the castles, towns, and villages. Rather than attempt to repeat each drawn-out. Where possible, I have included the name and profession of the NPC who provided the information (alas, my notes weren't perfect, especially those I took early in the game, but all the necessary information is included). The locations are listed in the order that I explored them. you can explore them in any order you want. You should, however, go have a talk with Lord British in his castle as early in the game as possible. I have also included in brackets the latitude and longitude of each location. You will need a sextant obtained from a guild shop in order to use these coordinates. CASTLES: BRITANNIA CASTLE [G'L", F'G"] Lord British -- Find Lord British in his second floor throne room. Ask him of the Virtue, and he will describe the towns that represent each Virtue. He will also tell you of the castles that represent each principle. And he will tell you of the Abyss and the Codex. LB will also raise the levels of you and your party members when you earn enough experience points. If you ask him of his health and respond "no" when he asks if you are also well, he will raise all of the hit points of your party to their current maximums for free. So visit him often! The Seer Hawkwind -- Hawkwind is located in the southwest area of the castle's first floor. Visit him often to learn of your progress toward avatarhood in each of the 8 Virtues. Sheesha -- Injured fighter -- Seek out the Smith named Zircon in Minoc for he made the mystic arms, only they will save thee in the Abyss. Shawn -- Shepherdess both strong and beautiful -- Her town was destroyed for its pride. The ruins lie on an isle at Lat-K'J", Long-L'L". EMPATH ABBEY [D'C", B'M"] Guard -- In the Oak Grove many find the meaning of peace and Love. Visit the small Shrine within the Abbey. Chinup -- Stately Child -- Visit the Oak Grove. There four profession types seek the Truth. Pass guard -- From the altars a 3-part key is gained, needed to enter the chamber of the Codex. Brother Antos -- Wise Druid -- Ask the Bard beyond the secret passage about the Candle of Love. Suzanna -- Lovely Lady -- Malchor can lead thee to the Silver Horn. Malchor -- Bold Paladin -- The Silver Horn is buried on a small isle off the tip of Spiritwood. Lady Marcy and Lord Robert -- They know one syllable of the word of passage: "Amo" To learn of the White Stone, find the Old Hermit Sloven, he lives near Lock Lake. OAK GROVE (LOCATED WITHIN EMPATH ABBEY -- REQUIRES KEYS TO ENTER) Benjamin -- Love alone forms compassion. Lastro -- Spirituality is based on Truth, Love and Courage. Deirde -- Justice is formed from Truth tempered by Love. Thomas -- Sacrifice is comprised of Love and Courage. Isaac -- The White Stone sits atop the Serpent's Spine. It can only be reached by one who floats above the clouds. Garam -- Fighter -- The Bell is at the bottom of deep well at sea at N'A", L'A". Ask the Beggar Jude about the Skull. He is very poor. THE LYCAEUM [G'M", N'K"] The Charming Lady -- Beth Frasier, The Stately Baron -- Robert Frasier -- They know one syllable of the word of passage: "Ver" Scatu -- Tall Mage Wearing Strange Armour -- Visit the seer often. Nigel -- Noble Wizard -- The Resurrection spell consists of one part each of Ash, Ginseng, Garlic, Spider Silk, Bloodmoss and Mandrake Root. Injured Warrior -- A Fighter -- Was lost in a dungeon altar room. They connect the dungeons unto each other. Each of the three rooms connects to four dungeons each. SERPENT'S HOLD [P'B", J'C"] The ruler of this Castle knows the third part of the word of passage: "Cor" Ranger -- Ask teach about rooms. Shyra -- Training Master -- In the Altar Room of Courage use the Red, Orange, Purple and White Stones. Noxum -- Nixie -- HMS Cape had a magical wheel that would strengthen her hull. Ask Lassorn. Lassorn -- Sailor -- HMS Cape lies sunken in the deep waters of the Bay of the Cape of Heroes. TOWNS: TRINSIC [L'I", G'K"] Rigmore -- Strong Paladin -- Information about the Virtue of Honor is found throughout Trinsic. There are 2 requirements to enter and use the Shrine of Honor. Publius -- Sleepy Fighter -- Seek the purple Stone of Honor. Winthrop -- Scruffy Merchant -- Go to the pub in Jhelom and ask of sextants. Kline -- Searching Paladin -- The Mantra of Honor is "Summ." The Shrine of Honor lies to the south and west beyond the swamps. Swindrik -- Wizard -- Ask at the Folley Tavern of Mandrake. Terrin -- Cowering child -- Rune of Honor is buried in the southwest corner of the town. Quix -- Wandering mage -- The skeleton knows a great secret about the purple Stone of Honor. Barkeep -- Ask the old hermit Sloven who lives near Lock Lake of the white Stone. Virgil -- Mage (Located inside poison field in southwest corner of town) -- Nightshade may be found at Lat-J'F", Long-C'O" only on the darkest of nights. BRITAIN [G'K", F' C"] Gweno -- Jester -- Beggars are thankful for small donations; shows compassion. Sprite -- Beggar -- Pepper knows of the Rune. Shapero -- Druid -- Find the Shrine of Compassion east across 2 bridges. Sebastion -- Prostrate -- Mondain's influence has not left the world. An artifact remains. At Bucaneer's Den, ask at the pub there of the Skull. Joe -- Fighter -- The yellow Stone may be found in the Dungeon Despise. Pepper -- Bard -- The Rune of Compassion lies at the end of a hall somewhere in this town. Cricket -- Bard -- The Mantra for the Shrine of compassion is "Mu." The great Stygian Abyss is the darkest pocket of evil left in Britannia. In its deepest recesses lies the Codex, which only one of the highest Virtue may enter. Give of thy life's blood so that others may live. Meditation lights the path. Runes are needed to enter Shrines. Mantra chants are needed to focus thoughts while meditating. SKARA BRAE [I'A", B'G"] Carlyle -- Wise Mage -- Magic missiles need but one part ash. Presto -- Very Small Wizard -- Ask the barkeep at the Axe-N-Ale in Vesper about Nightshade. Barren -- Small Child -- The Mantra of Spirituality is "Om." Mitre -- Radiant Ranger -- The white Stone is no longer in the Dungeon Hylothe, it is gone. Ask for the Stone at the tap in Trinsic. Romasco -- Teacher -- Teaches of the Abyss, a word of passage is needed at the last gate. Seek Zair the Wise in Paws for more on the word. JHELOM [N'O", C'E"] (NOTE: In order to completely explore this town, you will need keys obtained from a Guild shop and several Dispel spells.) Guards -- Passages are restricted. X -- Strange Person -- Seeks the red Stone of Valor. Thou shalt need the red Stone in one altar room to get the third part of a key. Sir Hrothgar -- Mighty Warrior -- Seek the Shrine of Valor. Ask Aesop for the Mantra. Aesop -- The Mantra of Valor is "Ra." Use it in the Shrine on the next isle. Lord Robert -- Ask Nostro of the Rune. Nostro (he's located deep in the restricted passages) -- The Rune is buried in a Tower. Senora -- Virgil in Trinsic knows about Nightshade. Gravnor -- Grave fighter -- The red Stone is found on an altar in the Dungeon Destard. For navigation a sextant is vital. Ask for item "D" in the Guild shops. Bingrod -- Wounded fighter -- Find the altar room of the Dungeon Destard. Therein use the Stones found in the connecting dungeons. MOONGLOW [I'H", O'I"] Calabrini -- Tall Mage -- The Shrine lies on an isle to the north. Tyrone -- Battered Mage -- The Stone of Honesty is found on an altar in the Dungeon Deceit. Browning -- Tall Mage -- Truth is the root of Honesty. Shazom -- Dying Young Wizard -- Nigel lives at the Lycaeum. Cosima -- Elderly Woman -- Sleep spell actually requires but one part spider silk. William -- Child Eating Sandwich -- Search for the Rune of Honesty by Mariah's gold. Cromwell -- Regal Paladin -- The Mantra of Honesty is "Ahm." Dekker -- Bouncy Jester -- Humility is not derived from the direct combination of Truth, Love or Courage. YEW [C'L", D'K"] Druid -- Wandering Druid -- The Shrine of Justice lies to the East then North. Ask Talfourd about the Rune. Pinrod -- Thin Man -- The Druids chant the Mantra. Talfourd -- Wise Judge -- The Rune is hidden well. Silent -- Chanting Druid -- Chants "Beh." Seek the green Stone in "Wrong." Calumny -- Old Mage -- Mandrake root is found only in the fens of the dead and in the Bloody Plains where the ground is always damp. Quickness requires but one bloodmoss. MINOC [B'E", J'P"] Mike Ward -- Stocky Ranger -- Rune of Spirituality is missing from Skara Brae. Azure -- Tinker at Table -- Ask Mischief of Rune of Spirituality Alex -- Teenage Boy -- Give all you can to the needy. Alkerion -- Old Ragged Man -- The Stone of Spirituality is Orange in Colour and used in the altar rooms of Love and Courage. Jude -- Ragged Soul -- The Skull of Mondain may be found at P'F", M'F" on the darkest of nights. Use it only at the mouth of the Abyss to destroy it. Merida -- Wandering Tinker -- The Shrine of Sacrifice is on a lake to the East. A hidden Shepherd knows the Mantra. Singsong -- Cute Bard -- "In the Corn the Raven sayeth 'Cah.'" Zircon -- Tinker -- The Mystic Weapons and Armour he gave to Sir Simon and Lady Tessa. Mischief -- Happy Tinker -- Search for the Rune of Spirituality in the Treasure Chamber of Britannia. Enter the Gate of Full Moons by Minoc with the Rune to find the Shrine. The Candle of Love is found in a secret place hidden off Lock Lake. Mystics can be found only by an 8-parts Avatar. MAGINCIA [K'J", L'L"] Nate the Snake -- Ask in the Pub in Britain of the Black Stone. Casperin -- Ask Heywood of the Mantra of Humility. Heywood -- Ask Faultless of the Mantra of Pride. The Silver Horn must be used to pass the Demon guard of the Shrine of Humility. Ask Demitry of the Horn. Demitry -- Ask the Lady in Waiting of the Queen of Love of the Horn. Faultless -- The Mantra of Pride is "Mul." VILLAGES: PAWS [J'B", G'C"] Sir Simon and Lady Tessa -- If you are not yet an 8-parts Avatar, they will tell you only that they know a great secret. If you *are* an 8-parts Avatar, they will tell you that the Mystic Weapons lie in the training room of Serpent Castle and that the Mystic Armour lies in the center of the Oak Grove at Empath Abbey. Zair the Wise -- A 3-part key and a word of passage are needed to enter the Chamber of the Codex. Ask his brother beyond Lock Lake of the Word. Jingles -- Young Mage -- His master, Mentorian, lives in a hidden village in Lock Lake, reachable only by ship. Ask Mentorian of the Gate Spell. Greg N Rob -- Bartender -- The last person I knew that had any mandrake was an old alchemist named Calumny. Damsel -- Small Druid -- Rations are used in the dungeons. In the great castle there is a secret entrance. Wheatpin -- Meek Shepherd -- The Rune is around there in nook of mountains. VESPER [D'L", L'H"] Flatbush -- Visit each Shrine for One, Two, Three cycles each for paths to be clear. Plain -- When the 3 principles of Virtue combine in 8 ways, pride has no Virtue. Gem -- When thou knowest the Mantra of pride, reverse it. Job -- The Shrine of Humility lies on the North bank of the Isle of the Abyss and guarded by endless hords of Demons. It is Southwest of Britannia. Traveling Dan -- Knows the world is round. BUCANEERS DEN [J'O", I'I"] Ragnar -- If you ever use the Skull except to destroy it, all thy Virtues will be lost. Starlight -- Powerful Magic Missiles are made from one part Black Pearl and one part ash. COVE [F'K", I'I"] Frontis -- Find peace in our Shrine. Brother Zair -- The Kings of the Castles which represent the 3 Principles of Virtue each know but one syllable of the Word of Passage. Blissful -- The Shrine Ankh knows how to Enter the Chamber of the Codex. Shrine Ankh -- To enter the Chamber of the Codex, one must be an 8-parts Avatar, have the key of 3 parts, the word of passage and know the Pure Axiom. Mentorian -- A gate spell requires Ash, Pearl and Mandrake Root. Circe -- The whole of the Axiom is greater than all its parts. The measure of unending Love, the limitless Courage needed to face all obstacles, the Truth which encompasses all things. Spellbind -- For the Codex, one must know the combination of the 3 principles of Virtue. The combination equals the measure of time and space. Only the ghost of Isaac who haunts the Inn at Skara Brae can tell thee of the White Stone. Stay until he shows. Allen -- The Abyss may only be approached by ship and the ship must have a magically strengthened hull. Merlin -- To find the Black Stone, stand where the Gate of Both Moons Dark shall appear, search when the moons go dark. Zorin -- In the castles, find all named Antos and ask of the bell, book and candle. ULTIMA IV Part 4 CHARACTERS 1. Dupre.........Paladin (Trinsic) 2. Katrina.......Shepherd (Magincia) 3. Shamino.......Ranger (Skara Brae) 4. Janna.........Druid (Yew) 5. Geoffrey......Fighter (Jhelom) 6. Mariah........Mage (Moonglow) 7. Julia.........Tinker (Minoc) 8. Iolo..........Bard (Britain) DUNGEONS AND THEIR LOCATIONS 1. Deceit.........E'J"/P'A" 2. Wrong..........B'E"/H'O" 3. Despise........E'D"/F'L" 4. Covetous.......B'L"/J'M" 5. Dasterd........K'I"/E'I" 6. Shame..........G'I"/D'K" 7. Hylothe........Behind Castle Britannia 8. Abyss..........O'J"/O'J" RUNES AND THEIR LOCATIONS 1. Honesty........A'G"/A'I" (Moonglow) 2. Valor..........B'O"/B'O" (Jhelom) 3. Spirituality...A'I"/B'B" (Britannia) 4. Humility.......B'N"/B'N" (Paws) 5. Justice........In Yew 6. Sacrifice......In Minoc 7. Compassion.....A'B"/B'J" (Britain) 8. Honor..........In Trinsic MANTRAS 1. Justice........"BEH" 2. Compassion....."MU" 3. Sacrifice......"CAH" 4. Humility......."LUM" 5. Valor.........."RA" 6. Honesty........"AHM" 7. Spirituality..."OM" 8. Honor.........."SUMM" STONES AND THEIR LOCATIONS 1. Black..........Moongate 2. White..........Serpents Spine 3. Blue...........Deceit (level 7) 4. Green..........Wrong (level 8) 5. Yellow.........Despise (level 5) 6. Orange.........Covetous (level 7) 7. Red............Dasterd (level 7) 8. Purple.........Shame (level 2) SHRINES AND THEIR LOCATIONS 1. Justice........A'K"/E'K" 2. Compassion.....F'M"/I'A" 3. Sacrifice......C'N"/M'N" 4. Humility.......N'I"/O'H" 5. Valor..........O'F"/C'E" 6. Honesty........E'C"/O'J" 7. Spirituality...B'D"/K'G" 8. Honor..........M'N"/F'C" STONES USED FOR 3-PART KEY AT ALTARS 1. White/Orange/Green/Yellow...Love 2. White/Orange/Red/Purple.....Courage 3. White/Blue/Green/Purple.....Truth MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS 1. Bell...........N'A"/L'A" 2. Book...........A'G"/A'G" (Lycaeum) 3. Candle.........A'B"/B'G" (Cove) 4. Mystic Arm.....A'E"/B'G" (Empath Abbey) 5. Mystic Weap....A'P"/A'I" (Serpents Hold) 6. Silver Horn....K'N"/C'N" 7. Wheel..........N'H"/G'A" 8. Skull..........P'F"/M'F" PLACES VIEWED THROUGH TELESCOPE IN THE LYCAEUM A....Britannia B....Lycaeum C....Empath Abbey D....Serpents Hold E....Moon Glow F....Britain G....Jehlom H....Yew I....Minoc J....Trinsic K....Skara Brae L....Magincia M....Paws N....Buccaneer's Den O....Vesper P....Cove ULTIMA IV Part 5 THE ABYSS To reach the Abyss, you must sail through the pirate armada and land on the eastern shore. Disembark, and quickly make your way to the fiery lava cross. Make sure you have the maximum number of spells available. Save game. At the center of the cross (don't worry about being burned; it can't be helped), use your bell, book, and candle. You may destroy the skull here by using it, if you wish. Do not dispell the field. Enter. There are 8 levels in this dungeon. To go down a level, you must locate an altar, answer a question, and use the appropriate stone. All 8 levels must be completed in one sitting (no save game here!). What follows are the answers to the questions and the correct color of the stones to be used on each level: LEVEL VIRTUE STONE 1 Honesty Blue 2 Compassion Yellow 3 Valor Red 4 Justice Green 5 Sacrifice Orange 6 Honor Purple 7 Spirituality White 8 Humility Black Some altars are difficult to find, so you'll have to use a lot of gems, and search very carefully for hidden triggers (sometimes two in one room!). There are also many terrible monsters to defeat. Use your spells judiciously, and run when you're really overwhelmed. When you finally reach level 8, you must be extremely careful. You will have to type in a number of answers to questions, and one mistake can throw you out to the surface. Here is the list of answers to the questions that are posed when all goes black: PASSWORD = VERAMOCOR THE TWELVE ANSWERS 1. Honesty 2. Compassion 3. Valor 4. Justice 5. Sacrifice 6. Honor 7. Spirituality 8. Humility 9. Truth 10. Love 11. Courage 12. Infinity The Codex opens, and all knowledge is revealed to you! Congratulations! This walkthru is copyright (c) 1986 by Patricia Fitzgibbons. All rights reserved.