A New Shard for a New Legacy
Updated October 9, 2024
Q: What is Ultima Online: New Legacy?
Ultima Online reigns as one of the longest-running MMORPGs of all time! For 27 years countless players have forged a legacy in the living, breathing world that is Britannia. Now, for the first time in over 15 years, we are welcoming new players and old to forge their Britannian Legacy in a brand new shard focused on returning Ultima Online to its fundamental roots as an RPG.
Q: What is an Ultima Online: New Legacy shard?
Ultima Online: New Legacy is a new server that launches with the original map of Britannia using a customized ruleset focused on a core RPG experience.
We have completely rethought, reworked, and redesigned several core gameplay experiences with the goal of rekindling the classic feel of Ultima Online – focused on keeping true to the roots of Ultima as an RPG!
At the core of this experience is your new Britannian Legacy. Throughout gameplay you will be living your avatar’s quests throughout Britannia with each adventure. Where will you go? What battles will you fight? Will you rejoice in victory or taste bitter defeat? What friends will you make? What enemies will you best? The choice will be yours as you forge your new Britannian Legacy – a legacy that will be told for generations to come!
Q: When can I expect to play this shard?
Ultima Online: New Legacy Season 1 will launch October 15, 2024.
Q: How long will the first season of Ultima Online: New Legacy last?
Season 1 of Ultima Online: New Legacy launches on October 15, 2024. The Shattering will begin in the late summer of 2025 and conclude in October of 2025.
Q: What is the Shattering?
This will mark the beginning of the end of the season’s lifecycle. There are fictional elements that will come into play, as well as gameplay elements to paint the picture of a world in turmoil.
At the conclusion of this series of events, the shard will close in preparation for the next season.
Q: What happens when the shard closes?
Veteran accounts will be able to transfer to the production shard of their choice (excluding Siege Perilous & Mugen). This shard transfer will be complimentary and subject to available character slots on the destination shard.
Endless Journey accounts must activate a full subscription to transfer or purchase a token from the Ultima Store.
Q: What do I get to transfer with?
Characters will transfer with any skills & stats they have acquired on New Legacy. Characters will be able to transfer select items that fall into the following categories,
Legacy Items, Pets, Decorations, non-consumable Ultima Store Items
A full & detailed list of what can and cannot be transferred off the shard will be available when the Shattering begins.
Q: What are the core gameplay experiences you have rethought, redesigned, and reworked to rekindle the roots of Ultima Online as an RPG?
With a franchise that dates back to the 1970s, a game world that has been live since 1997, and over 85 years of combined game development experience on the team, we have seen and learned a thing or two! Our primary focus with Ultima Online: New Legacy has been to take that experience and apply lessons learned to create a new world where players can experience the classic nostalgia that has made Ultima Online a game like no other for over 25 years! We have expanded upon what works, redesigned what does not, and improved the game world as our technical limitations have expanded all while not being hindered by the limitations of an elder game world.
From the game world, to skill & gear progression, to resource gathering & crafting, to socializing & PvP we have strived to make gameplay as immersive and intuitive as possible.
At the heart of all these experiences is the goal of every character on Ultima Online: New Legacy – a chance to live your Britannian Legacy and forge your place in history for generations to come via the all-new Legacy System!
Q: How does skill gain work on New Legacy?
Skill gain on New Legacy is accelerated for all paths. Players who prefer a story-driven adventure can embark on various narrative lines to build their character. Players who prefer a more freeform approach can embark on the divergent path and mix and match their skills.
Q: What is the Legacy System?
The Legacy System is the engine by which you write your avatar’s story as they live their life in Britannia. Imagine writing a memoir, but instead of using words on a page after the experience has concluded you instead live those experiences in real time within the world to be seen by generations to come. Earn special commendations and medals for acts of Virtue, become the subject of epic tales found in libraries throughout the realm, be memorialized as a true Britannian hero with statues, paintings and busts and build a family name to be preserved for future generations of your avatar – all this and more will be possible with the Legacy System!
Q: What is different about Ultima Online: New Legacy versus live Ultima Online?
Ultima Online: New Legacy is a completely custom ruleset server. While the fundamentals of gameplay remain the same between a live server and Ultima Online: New Legacy the implementation of those fundamentals has been redesigned to focus on the roots of Ultima as an RPG.
At the conclusion of each season of Ultima Online: New Legacy the world will end in a cataclysmic event and will be reborn with fresh adventures to be had and a new legacy to be forged!
Q: Is Ultima Online: New Legacy an Ultima Online Classic Shard?
There is no magic dial to turn back Ultima Online to a specific era. Times have changed and expectations have moved past what the landscape of MMORPGs was like in 1997 and beyond. So in short, no, this is not a 1:1 recreation of a classic UO server in any given era. What we have done, however, is to rekindle the magic and nostalgia that drives the core desire to experience a classic server. As we have stated, we have completely rethought, reworked, and redesigned several core gameplay experiences with the goal of rekindling the classic experience of Ultima Online – focused on keeping true to the roots of Ultima as an RPG!
Q: How many Ultima Online: New Legacy Shards will there be at launch and where will it be located?
There will be one Ultima Online: New Legacy shard at launch located in the US.
Q: Who is eligible? Do I have to pay to access Ultima Online: New Legacy or can I access it with an Endless Journey account?
Both active Endless Journey accounts and paid subscription (veteran) accounts will be able to access Ultima Online: New Legacy.
Q: What types of gameplay can I experience on an Endless Journey Account?
Endless Journey accounts are able to participate in base narratives. That means being a crafter, warrior, mage, or ranger. Advanced builds & major hybridization will require a veteran account.
Q: Will there be housing?
There will be limited housing available for paid subscription (veteran) accounts which does not conflict with live UO housing. Individuals may choose from a selection of 7×7 homes, with larger homes being reserved for guilds only. Players must complete quest objectives in order to maintain their home. Houses that have not been refreshed via quest objectives will be subject to a 28-day decay cycle.
Q: Will you be releasing Ultima Online: New Legacy on other distribution platforms?
In order to enjoy Ultima Online: New Legacy you will simply need to download the client from UO.com and login to the game using your account credentials – it is as simple as that! Or you may utilize the sanctioned ClassicUO web client.
Q: Will there be rares? Server births?
There will be exclusive treasures to find on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard!
Q: Will there be live events on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard?
Live events will offer your avatar the ability to earn unique rewards and recognition, especially as you forge your new Britannian legacy! The global events will help tell the story and immerse you into the narrative as you follow the lifecycle of the shard from start to finish – the question then, is how will you be part of that story?
Q: Will I be able to purchase items from the Ultima Store on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard? What happens to these items after the Shattering?
Yes. There will be a limited number of store items available on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard. Unless the purchased item is shard bound, the item will be eligible for transfer after The Shattering. The Ultima Store will be available a few weeks after the launch of the shard.
Q: Will I be able to claim vet rewards on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard, what happens to these items after the shattering?
Players will not be able to claim veteran rewards on the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard.
Q: Will there be open-world PvP?
The Ultima Online: New Legacy shard will support open world Player vs Player combat using an updated Vice Vs Virtue framework.
Q: Can I transfer to / from New Legacy from production shards?
Transfers to New Legacy are not allowed. Transfer off will only be allowed during the Shattering.