- This guide is for the original release and its ports. For the NES remake, see Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (NES).
| Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Origin Systems Deprecated template usage Infinity (NES/Famicom) Deprecated template usage Sega (Master System) |
| Publisher(s) | Origin Systems Deprecated template usage Pony Canyon (Famicom) Deprecated template usage FCI (NES) Deprecated template usage Sega (Master System) |
| System(s) | Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, C64, DOS, FM Towns, MSX2, NEC PC-8801, NEC PC-9801, NES, SMS, Fujitsu FM-7, Sharp X1, X68000 |
| Preceded by | Ultima III: Exodus |
| Followed by | Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny |
| Series | Ultima |
| Designer(s) | Richard Garriott |
|---|---|
| Release date(s) | 
Sega Master System
NES |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Modes | Single player |
| Links |     |
|---|
Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar is the fourth in the series of Ultima computer role-playing games. It is the first in the "Age of Enlightenment" trilogy, shifting the series from the hack and slash, dungeon crawl gameplay of its "Age of Darkness" predecessors towards an ethically-nuanced, story-driven approach. Ultima IV is different among role-playing games in that the game's story does not center on asking a player to overcome a tangible ultimate evil.
Title (Atari ST)
Title (Sega Master System)
Story[edit]
After the defeat of each of the members of the triad of evil in the previous three Ultima games, the world of Sosaria underwent some radical changes in geography: three quarters of the world disappeared, continents rose and sunk, new cities were built to replace the ones that were lost. Eventually the world, now unified in Lord British's rule, was renamed Britannia. Lord British felt the people lacked purpose after their great struggles against the triad were over, and he was concerned with their spiritual well-being in this unfamiliar new age of relative peace, so he proclaimed the Quest of the Avatar: he needed someone to step forth and become the shining example for others to follow.
Versions[edit]
Note that the most advanced ports are different from the most popular one.
| Original version | 1985: Apple II |
|---|---|
| Most popular port | 1987: MS-DOS |
| Most advanced ports | 1988: Atari ST (& Amiga)[1] 1990: Master System |
| Remake | 1989: NES |
| Other ports |  C64, Atari 8-bit  MSX, PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-Towns, FM-7, Sharp X1, Sharp X68000
|
| Fan-made version | 2001: upgrade patch for the MS-DOS port |
Table of Contents
Age of Darkness:
Akalabeth: World of Doom ·
I: The First Age of Darkness ·
II: The Revenge of the Enchantress ·
III: Exodus
Age of Enlightment:
IV: Quest of the Avatar (NES) ·
V: Warriors of Destiny (NES) ·
VI: The False Prophet
Age of Armageddon: VII: The Black Gate (Forge of Virtue) ·
VII Part Two: Serpent Isle (The Silver Seed) ·
VIII: Pagan ·
IX: Ascension
Worlds of Adventure: The Savage Empire · Martian Dreams
Underworld: The Stygian Abyss · Labyrinth of Worlds · Ascendant
Ultima Online: Ultima Online
(The Second Age · Renaissance · Third Dawn · Lord Blackthorn's Revenge · Age of Shadows · Samurai Empire · Mondain's Legacy · Stygian Abyss)
Other (online): Lord of Ultima · Ultima Forever: Quest for the Avatar · Shroud of the Avatar
Action-adventure: Caverns of Freitag · Runes of Virtue · Runes of Virtue II · The Black Gate (SNES)
Related games: The Quest · Ring Quest · Knights of Legend