Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds: Difference between revisions

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* There's no handholding and no quest journal. Remember what people say and note down anything that seems important (the game has a great map annotation feature).
* On a mechanical level the game is nigh-identical to the first Ultima Underworld, so nearly all advice from that game's page applies directly to the sequel as well and won't be repeated here, including the existence of a mouselook patch. There's no Silver Seed equivalent however, and the addition of an item-repairing spell makes the Repair skill even less useful than before.


* Whenever you bump into monsters you can't beat, just avoid them and come back later (sometimes a dozen levels later).
* While it can be a little hard to notice, once you're finished with the starting dungeon and find the Blackrock Gem, you can reach your next destination by touching a specific side of it that looks brighter than the others. Following these in order as more become available makes for a smooth game progression.


* It's best to be a swordsman. The sword trainer (Lobar in Killorn Keep) is twice as effective as the other trainers. Also, strength determines how much you can carry, which is very important.
* The game's difficulty curve is much less linear than the first game; it's normal to find enemies that are way too strong for you at the time.


* Regarding Strength and other stats: IIRC, there are few or no ways to improve them during the game; if you roll bad stats, just create a new character instead of pushing through (Str 25 is enough to wear a set of chainmail and still carry a bunch of items)
* Using the Look command is overall more important than before, as there's a less obvious mix of friendly and hostile NPCs, and more items are owned by NPCs that can get upset if you pick them up.


* Most locked doors can be bashed open. Carry a few bad weapons for this.
* Skills are now increased by visiting trainers rather than praying at shrines. At high levels training might occasionally yield no increase, so save before spending your skill points if you want to avoid this. Most skill trainers are identical with one exception: There's a Swords trainer named Lobar in the early game area called Killorn Keep who will always give one extra point in Swords when you train with him on top of the normal increase.


* Use the look command on everything. EVERYTHING.
* Bartering plays an even smaller role than in the first Ultima Underworld, and the only major use of money and valuables in UU2 is for paying the merchant Merzan in Killorn Keep for his item identification and wand recharging services, the former naturally made redundant by the latter should you find a wand that identifies items. Gems are nearly weightless, but there's no need to carry large amounts of heavy gold everywhere with you.


* When you look at a monster, if it is not hostile, it's usually better not to attack.
* While some spells have been removed or added or their levels changed, many of the rune combinations from the first game still work in the second, even if they're not explicitly mentioned in the manual.


* Non-hostile creatures can be aggroed by events, conversation choices, or taking their belongings ("you see a day-old piece of cheese belonging to a rat"). Look before you grab.
* As before, there's a couple of non-obvious items you'll need to finish the game, primarily <div class="spoiler">a bottle of Basilisk Oil</div> and <div class="spoiler">a potion of Iron Flesh</div>. If you find yourself not having the latter when it's needed, you can procure one by <div class="spoiler">asking Merzan for it and paying him the equivalent of 100 gold.</div>
 
* After you clear the prison world, you have a choice of Killorn Keep or an ice world. Choose the former first.
 
* Don't use the clunky command bar. Click & drag RMB is a far easier and more versatile option for interacting, LMB for looking around (1/2/3 for looking up/down). After some trial and error you might even get some early/clunky WAXD + mouselook.
 
* Shift-J is a standing long jump. The manual probably mentions it, but it's a lifesaver.
 
* Different types of weapons have different optimal attacks; e.g. for swords it's the bottom stabbing one.


* At some point (late-ish) during the game you'll get an Enchant Item spell. It's extremely powerful and stacks about a dozen times (upgrading the item all the way to Unsurpassed). If you cast it on a magical item, it'll upgrade the existing enchantment (damage, accuracy, etc.); if you cast on a mundane item, you'll get Toughness, which makes it lose durability more slowly. It's sometimes worth hoarding minor magical items to upgrade later.
* At some point (late-ish) during the game you'll get an Enchant Item spell. It's extremely powerful and stacks about a dozen times (upgrading the item all the way to Unsurpassed). If you cast it on a magical item, it'll upgrade the existing enchantment (damage, accuracy, etc.); if you cast on a mundane item, you'll get Toughness, which makes it lose durability more slowly. It's sometimes worth hoarding minor magical items to upgrade later.


* At some point during the game the castle servants will go on strike. Do try to appease them, otherwise you risk breaking an essential step of the main quest.
* At some point during the game the castle servants will go on strike. Do try to appease them, otherwise you risk breaking an essential step of the main quest. (This seems to have been fixed by the latest official patch)


[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]

Latest revision as of 06:46, 24 October 2025

  • On a mechanical level the game is nigh-identical to the first Ultima Underworld, so nearly all advice from that game's page applies directly to the sequel as well and won't be repeated here, including the existence of a mouselook patch. There's no Silver Seed equivalent however, and the addition of an item-repairing spell makes the Repair skill even less useful than before.
  • While it can be a little hard to notice, once you're finished with the starting dungeon and find the Blackrock Gem, you can reach your next destination by touching a specific side of it that looks brighter than the others. Following these in order as more become available makes for a smooth game progression.
  • The game's difficulty curve is much less linear than the first game; it's normal to find enemies that are way too strong for you at the time.
  • Using the Look command is overall more important than before, as there's a less obvious mix of friendly and hostile NPCs, and more items are owned by NPCs that can get upset if you pick them up.
  • Skills are now increased by visiting trainers rather than praying at shrines. At high levels training might occasionally yield no increase, so save before spending your skill points if you want to avoid this. Most skill trainers are identical with one exception: There's a Swords trainer named Lobar in the early game area called Killorn Keep who will always give one extra point in Swords when you train with him on top of the normal increase.
  • Bartering plays an even smaller role than in the first Ultima Underworld, and the only major use of money and valuables in UU2 is for paying the merchant Merzan in Killorn Keep for his item identification and wand recharging services, the former naturally made redundant by the latter should you find a wand that identifies items. Gems are nearly weightless, but there's no need to carry large amounts of heavy gold everywhere with you.
  • While some spells have been removed or added or their levels changed, many of the rune combinations from the first game still work in the second, even if they're not explicitly mentioned in the manual.
  • As before, there's a couple of non-obvious items you'll need to finish the game, primarily
    a bottle of Basilisk Oil
    and
    a potion of Iron Flesh
    . If you find yourself not having the latter when it's needed, you can procure one by
    asking Merzan for it and paying him the equivalent of 100 gold.
  • At some point (late-ish) during the game you'll get an Enchant Item spell. It's extremely powerful and stacks about a dozen times (upgrading the item all the way to Unsurpassed). If you cast it on a magical item, it'll upgrade the existing enchantment (damage, accuracy, etc.); if you cast on a mundane item, you'll get Toughness, which makes it lose durability more slowly. It's sometimes worth hoarding minor magical items to upgrade later.
  • At some point during the game the castle servants will go on strike. Do try to appease them, otherwise you risk breaking an essential step of the main quest. (This seems to have been fixed by the latest official patch)