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The black stone of humility[edit]

See also Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar/The Great Stygian Abyss#The black stone of humility

Seven stones were found in the seven dungeons (the White Stone, too, more or less), but the Virtues are eight: the Black Stone of Humility is still missing.

For all the previous stones, information could be found in the corresponding city. In this case, it is the village of Vesper, instead. There is a secret passage near the Guild shop. There, a ranger (Merlin from Cove) explains where and how to get the Black Stone. He is the only character who says anything about it. Alternatively, in the unlikely case that you still have to achieve partial Avatarhood in Humility, the same information can be obtained by meditating for three cycles at the Shrine of that virtue.

The Black Stone of Humility can be found by stepping into the Moonglow Moongate when both moons are dark, then search the ground.

This last stone is only used in the Great Stygian Abyss.

Getting ready: checklist[edit]

See also Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar/The Great Stygian Abyss#Getting ready: checklist

This is the information scattered all over Britannia:

  • The Ankh in Cove and the ranger in the White Stone cave state that you need the Eight Stones (see Dungeons);
  • The fighter in the White Stone cave states that you must be an eight-parts Avatar (see The Shrines of Virtue);
  • The seahorse in Cove (Blissful) states that you should meditate in this order at the shrines of Honesty, Compassion, and Valor and learn how to enter the Abyss; this means that you should use in this order: the Book of Truth, the Candle of Love, and the Bell of Courage (see The Strongholds of the Principles);
  • The nixie in Serpent's Hold (Noxum) states that you need the Key of Three Parts (see Dungeons);

Furthermore, the guards in a shrine on an islet near the Abyss Island will explain that the Stranger also needs to be and strictly alone. He/she should also be at level 8. Only when all the requirements are satisfied, the guards will open the way to access the Great Stygian Abyss.

  • Requirements that were removed from this remake: the magic ship wheel, the Pure Axiom, the Word of Passage.

The Great Stygian Abyss[edit]

Map of Britannia centered on the sea. Useful for sea travel.
See also Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar/The Great Stygian Abyss#The Great Stygian Abyss

The shortest sea route to reach the Great Stygian Abyss starts from a peninsula east from Minoc (north from Vesper). Sail straight north; when you reach the three volcanoes, turn east. Near the west coast of the Dark Island, you can see a shrine: the three guards give you more information about the requirements to enter the Abyss. Keep sailing north and enter a gulf to the east. Defeat any pirate ship and land at the innermost end of the fjord. The entrance to the Abyss is in the middle of a lava field.

At the entrance of the Great Stygian Abyss, ring the Bell of Courage, then open the Book of Truth, then light the Candle of Love. The aforementioned order is learned by meditating three cycles at the Shrines of Compassion Valor, and Honesty.

If you give a wrong answer at any one of the eight altars in the Abyss, you will be ejected from the Great Stygian Abyss, and you will find yourself in the island shrine.

Lv. Map Notes
0 U4 NES d8 Abyss L0.png Note that the only way out of this room is down.
1 U4 NES d8 Abyss L1.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L1rooms1.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L1rooms2.png
In the second group of rooms, walk along the east wall instead of dispelling the fire fields.
The fountain restores all health.
[U]se the stones at the altar.

A strange voice is thundering: "Truth: which virtue is made from it?" (Honesty)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Blue)

2 U4 NES d8 Abyss L2.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L2rooms.png
In the last (south-east) room, step on the different-colored tile to reveal the true exit. The stairs down lead to a completely empty area.

A strange voice is thundering: "Love: which virtue is made from it?" (Compassion)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Yellow)

3 U4 NES d8 Abyss L3.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L3rooms.png
This fountain, too, restores all health. In the "inner" room, a trigger in the southern alcove reveals the exit.

A strange voice is thundering: "Courage: which virtue is made from it?" (Valor)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Red)

4 U4 NES d8 Abyss L4.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L4rooms1.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L4rooms2.png
Peer at a gem straight away, and memorize the location of the secret passages.
The rooms to the south are just a dead end; you may visit them for the sake of 100% completion, but there is nothing of interest in them.

A strange voice is thundering: "Truth and love: which virtue is made from it?" (Justice)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Green)

5 U4 NES d8 Abyss L5.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L5rooms.png
All the fountains on this floor fully restore health.
About the four rooms, in the two "entrance" ones, the triggers to open the passages are in the corridor beyond the energy fields. In the central room, the trigger is in the grey tiles beyond the false walls.

A strange voice is thundering: "Love and courage: which virtue is made from it?" (Sacrifice)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Orange)

6 U4 NES d8 Abyss L6.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L6rooms.png
The fountain restores all health.
Use a gem and notice that there is a "secret passage tile": step in it, and continue to the east. Follow the passages until you reach an apparent dead end on the waterfront: move straight south, and a trigger will activate a bridge. In the next room, another trigger activates a bridge, too, but it is a false track: if you leave to the west, you have to restart the labyrinth.

A strange voice is thundering: "Courage and truth: which virtue is made from it?" (Honor)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Purple)

7 U4 NES d8 Abyss L7.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L7rooms.png
There are four separate rooms, and the space between them allows to heal, if necessary. In the third room, there is a quite obvious trigger in the alcove: step on it, and leave from the new passage. In the fourth room, leave to the north.

A strange voice is thundering: "truth, love and courage: which virtue is made from it?" (Spirituality)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(White)

8 U4 NES d8 Abyss L8.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L8rooms1.png
U4 NES d8 Abyss L8rooms2.png
Peer at a gem to see the layout of the rooms. In the first group, check the walls carefully: you can access two alcoves, each of which conceals a trigger that opens half of the way out.
In the second group of rooms, you first have to fight a group of eight doppelgänger[1] In the second room, after you defeated all eneies, just walk straight south, and the exit will open.

A strange voice is thundering: "Truth, love and courage: what is virtue that has nothing to do with them?" (Humility)
A voice is thundering: "Put the stone which indicates the virtue here!"
(Black)

  1. Doppelgänger is a German word; its plural form is identical to the singular.

The chamber of the Codex[edit]

U4-NES PureAxiom.png
See also: Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar/The Great Stygian Abyss#The final test of virtues

After you put the eight stone in the altar, the Stranger finds him/herself into a room with a sentient Ankh. The three keys unite and form the Key of Three parts, that open the way to the Chamber of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom (in this NES remake, the final test of virtues was split up into seven questions asked in the previous seven dungeons).

You can finally read the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom, that also reveals (instead of asking) the One Pure Axiom: Infinity!

After reading the Codex, continue up the stairs and enjoy the ending. Congratulations!