Get equipped[edit]
At the start of the game, the Stranger is in the Lands of Lord British. The lord's castle is visible to the west, but actually it can be ignored for the moment. Go north, instead.
After a few steps, the town of Paws comes into sight. There, the Stranger can [T]ransact with the merchants and purchase an axe, a horse and some food rations. Remember to get the weapon [R]eady.
There is no distinction between actual HP and maximum HP. The only max HP is 9999. Enter a dungeon (one is just north-east from Paws), fight some monsters on the first floor only, then exit: your HP will be increased depending on how many monsters you defeated.
As soon as you collected enough money (about 550 coins), go back to Britain and buy a frigate and a bow.
Lord British and the White Dragon king[edit]
Accomplish the pilgrimages ordered by these two kings over and over again, and you will raise rapidly Strength, Stamina and Intelligence. On the way, you will also have the opportunity to raise Agility.
WEST (left): Lands of Danger and Despair
1. City of Britain and Lord British's castle
2. City of Gorlab and White Dragon's Castle
3. Grave of the Lost Soul
4. Eastern sign post
5. Pillars of Protection
6. Tower of Knowledge
Locations to visit, in order:
- City of Britain and Lord British's castle (Str+ after visiting the Grave of the Lost Soul)
- City of Gorlab and White Dragon's Castle (Str+ after visiting the Tower of Knowledge)
- Grave of the Lost Soul (Sta +10%)
- Eastern sign post (no upgrade)
- Pillars of Protection (Agi +10%)
- Tower of Knowledge (Int +10%)
As soon as Intelligence and Dexterity are raised to 99, you can move on to the next pilgrimages, where the remaining attributes will be raised to their maximum.
With maximum intelligence, prices will be at their minimum. Therefore, purchase a good ranged weapon, the best armor and an aircar.
Barataria King and Olympus King[edit]
Accomplish the pilgrimages ordered by these two kings over and over again, and you will raise rapidly Strength, Charisma and Wisdom. On the way, you will also have the opportunity to raise Stamina and easily obtain the best weapons.
In particular, visiting the Pillars of the Argonauts the Stranger will always find the lowest ranked weapon he/she does not possess yet. E.g. if he only holds a bow, he will find a dagger (the weakest weapon); if he holds a dagger and a bow, he will find an axe (the weakest weapon he doesn't own), and so on. If you hold on to all the weapons found at the Pillars of the Argonauts, you'll eventually obtain the blaster.
Be careful in the castles, anyway. The jester Gwino can steal any unequipped weapon, if she touches the Stranger. In order to obtain the blaster, avoid her.
WEST (left): Lands of the Feudal Lords
1. City of Nassau and castle of Olympus
2. Southern sign post
3. The sign post
4. City of Arnold and Castle Barataria
5. Pillars of the Argonauts
6. Pillar of Ozymandias
Locations to visit, in order:
- City of Arnold and Castle Barataria (Str+ after visiting the Southern sign post)
- City of Wealth and Castle of Olympus (Str+ after visiting the Pillars of Ozymandias)
- Southern sign post (Cha +10%)
- The sign post (Sta +10%)
- Pillars of the Argonauts (Weapon+)
- Pillars of Ozymandias (Wisdom +10%)
After all attibutes are at 99, you can raise HP and food. In order to quickly raise HP, you can offer pence to a king or drop pence in a pond in any town. The Stranger gets 3 HP for every 2p given; in other words, 9000 HP for 6000p.
- Note: the "Sign Post" gives the name to the whole Ultima series. It reads "Ultima Thule". "Thule" was the Latin name of a land beyond any known land, now identified with Iceland. "Ultima Thule" was the Latin name of a further land beyond Thule/Iceland, therefore the very last land before the world's edge, now identified with Greenland. "Ultima" is Latin for "last" or "the last one".