ULTIMA UNDERWORLD I - Part 2 All you ever wanted to know about the Stygian Abyss a walkthrough by Hazel Bradshaw @~As mentioned last issue, Hazel also provided full maps to the @~game. These are not in a format which can be used in the @~magazine so have been put onto a disk and added to the library. @~However, the solution refers to the maps, so if you want a copy @~of the disk, send me a blank disk and stamp and I'll send a copy @~back by return of post. Walkthrough - General Hints and Tips ------------------------------------ The object of the game is not just to rescue the Princess Arial and escape from the Abyss as you were told in the beginning - you have to save Britannia from destruction. To do this you must find all Sir Cabirus' 8 Talismans and destroy the Slasher of Veils. The notes that follow reveal all the secrets and solve all the puzzles. The numbers I have used are to locate items on the maps and do not suggest that the game should be played in a particular order. Choosing your character ----------------------- Magic is essential - you will not survive without it and it is great fun to use. Strength is the next most important statistic - it affects not only your fighting ability but also how much you can carry. If you create, say, a Druid with a strength of 26, life will be easy. If you go for a Shepherd with a strength of 18 life will be very hard - but he can make it! Maybe somewhere between the two - the choice is yours. The game gives you a lot of sets of statistics for each character - make notes but don't keep anything. If you then exit the game and start again you will get the same sets of statistics in the same order, but this time you will know which to keep. Using the Shrines ----------------- Always save your game before chanting a mantra, and when chanting Summ Ra only advance in your chosen weapon group and attack or defence. You will be offered lots of different skills (e.g. unarmed, axe, unarmed when you want sword, attack, defence) but be persistent and you will eventually get what you want. You also need lots of mana, casting and lore from Mu Ahm. The third mantra, Om Cah, is less important. I found some search, acrobat, charm and appraise useful, but not swimming, repair, picklock, track or sneak. You can already swim, you can have excellent repairs done cheaply on Level 2, and most doors have keys. Later, you will learn a specific mantra for each skill, but until then make the most of the three mantras you have. Bartering --------- Up to you - if you enjoy it, maybe get some extra charm and appraise. You will find lots of gems, coins and weapons you don't need that you can use to barter with. Poison ------ Your vitality flask will turn green when you are poisoned. Click on it to see how bad it is - mild cases will heal themselves gradually or you can sleep. For more serious poisoning you can USE leeches, a potion or a spell. Identifying your possessions ---------------------------- You will find red and green potions, wands, scrolls and other items which 'look' will not fully reveal to you. When you can cast 'name enchantment' (or find a wand which will do it for you) name these items permanently in your inventory. Tips for fighting ----------------- Try not to get surrounded. Back off into a passage or doorway and take the creatures one at a time if you can. Use your wands where there is space to fire, and keep a heal potion or spell ready to give yourself a quick boost if your vitality drops dangerously low. You can always run away, rest and then go back when you are fit. If a fight is too hard, get more experience points elsewhere to earn another trip to a shrine before you try again - it really does make a difference. To fight worms and spiders, I used 1 on the keyboard to look down - you are not always as close to them as you think you are. Starting out ------------ Use the excellent tutorial in the handbook. It tells you all you need to know about moving around and finding the first essentials. Keep your map handy and use it constantly, marking where people are so that you can find them again easily. Fill in all the water and lava - there are lots of little places you can only see from there. Keep a notebook, you never know what clues may be important later. Make a list of spells, you will need them in a hurry. 'Look' whenever you meet anyone. Always talk to people with names, they will have something to tell you. Also look at the creatures and only attack if they are hostile. Pick up everything you find - some things you need, some you can barter. If you get over-loaded, keep a pile of things in a handy place. Check your condition often, and have food ready before you sleep, as you always wake up hungry. Using the maps -------------- The maps have been provided in separate graphics files with this walkthrough and should be used in conjunction with the following points. Each point is numbered, which corresponds to the numbers which can be found on the maps. LEVEL 1 1 All these items are covered in the tutorial in the handbook. Find your starter sack, runebag, runestones S, B, L, I, O and J, a red key, leggings and a bedroll. Plant the silver seed and talk to Bragit. (Cast IL for a magic torch to try using magic. It will add brightness to the torch you are using) 2 Switch opens door to the North. 3 Talk to outcasts and learn about shrines. 4 Talk to Gulik and Hagbard - presumably Bragit's people. 5 Secret door. 6 Switch opens door to the North, which leads to the shrine. 7 Bash this door open - it is damaged. Find an iron key. 8 USE the orb. 9 Green potion. Until you can identify potions, save your game and try them out to see what they do before wasting them. 10 Leap for the shrine. Difficult jump - save before trying it! (Use 1 on the keyboard to look down at the edge, 2 to go back to normal) 11 The shrine. There are three general mantras on the walls (See notes on using the shrine) 12 Red key opens this door. 13 M and Y stones - now you can create food. 14 Use the iron key. 15 Lever opens portcullis. Way down to Level 2. 16 Green goblins. Speak to Drog through the portcullis. 17 Locked door "KEEP OUT", my advice - do just that. There is nothing here that you need. If later you open the door, the goblins will attack, and whereas you could grab their meagre possessions and run away, that would be stealing! 18 Talk to Lanugo. Keep the recipe he gives you and collect a bowl and the ingredients as you find them. You will need them on Level 4. 19 Talk to Vernix. Use horrible flattery, ask no questions except about himself and he will tell you all he knows. 20 There is a lurker here - magic missiles are the safest way to kill them. Kill all you meet - lots of experience points. 21 Use iron key. 22 Secret door here is locked. 'Pick' it if you can. It is just a short-cut. 23 Use iron key. Colours on the floor match blocks below. 24 The aim here is to climb the stairway on the south wall to a room in the south east corner. I left the gold lever alone, raised the one next to it one position and jumped from there. If you want a nice staircase, turn lever furthest from door to NE, next one to E, next one to SE and gold one to S. 25 Secret door. 26 Grey goblins. Eb will open the portcullis. 27 Talk to Queen Retichall, then 28 King Ketchaval (you have never heard of Vernix!) Find out about killer spider. 29 See note 17 above. 30 USE button to open door. Bragit's former cell. 31 Poisonous red spider here. Pick up strong thread and keep it safe for Level 5. 32 There is a big jump and a way down to Level 2 here. Not worth it - easily reached from Level 2 later. 33 Iron key. Rubies are good - don't barter them all, save some. LEVEL 2 1 Stairs up to Level 1. 2 Shrine. 3 Mountainmen. Brawnclan will open up. 4 Incense. Light it by clicking it on a lit torch, then USE it. Collect three pairs of letters and make a note of them. 5 RA - very useful mantra. 6 UN - charm. 7 USE pole on switch to open portcullis. 8 USE chest - H and M stones. IS spell for shield. 9 Orb. You will understand this later, it shows a moonstone. 10 Key with badly chipped red gem. 11 Way up to Level 1 (see note 32, Level 1). Use iron key. 12 Ironwit. Go and find his blueprints! 13 Jump across here. 14 Follow yellow path carefully - find yellow gem key. 15 Use yellow gem key. Red potion is poison, green is 'fly'. 16 Look at your map - you see a door but there isn't one there. Look up (3 on keyboard) and when you think you are nearest to the door, use 'fly' potion. (E on keyboard to go up, Q to land) Yellow gem key opens the door. 17 Find blueprints and U stone. (You should always carry a rock hammer) 18 Use chipped red key. 19 Corby and Mondor. 20 Goldthirst. No flattery here - hail him and tell him you seek adventure. He will tell you about the gazer in his mines and you will offer to kill it for him. 21 Steeltoe. There is a locked door here which leads to Goldthirst's strongroom. If at some stage you give Goldthirst a big enough gift of gold, he will give you the password and Steeltoe will open the door. If not, come back later and cast 'open door'. You will need levitate to get out again. (There is nothing in here that you need - you will soon have more wealth than Goldthirst!) The password is Deco Morono. 22 Stairs down to Level 3. 23 Smash barrel to get past. (Not with your best weapon) 24 Go for a swim (lurker here). 25 Visit Shak. He will fix anything for you at a very reasonable price, but you do have to wait. Always go away and do something else, it doesn't matter if you are late but if you are too early, he sends you away again! 26 Hewstone. 27 LU - mantra for search. You do need about 10 points. 28 USE rock hammer on the boulders - then watch out! 29 The gazer. Cast 'magic shield' - he casts lethal electrical bolts, but he needs room to cast them. I found the best way to fight him was to rush him, pin him against a wall and bash! When you have killed him be sure to go back and tell Goldthirst. His reward of a gemcutter is vital to the game (Level 4). 30 P and Y stones. 31 Go for a swim, but don't go through the dangerous drain until you have done some of Level 3, you can't get back. 32 This wand casts missiles. M There is a moonstone here (shown by the orb). @~To be continued next issue. - o -