I'm preparing to install the Ultima Underworld games but have never played them and was wondering if I could get some tips as to what they're like. I've played some of the games they directly inspired like Arx Fatalis and System Shock 2, but I don't know how different they are.

How long are each of the Underworld games? AF took me around 30 hours and SS2 took me around 20.

Are there any mods or anything technical I should know about Underworld?

Also, how much should I know about the lore? I just plan on reading the materials included on the GOG page (manual, guides, etc.).

You shouldn't need to mod either of them, as long as you have patched versions (which should be the case with GoG). Underworld 1 still has a potential bug affecting the game's object management, but it can generally be avoided by not dumping large amounts of clutter on a single dungeon level.

The length of the games can vary quite a bit, especially in #2. If you like to explore they'll last a lot longer than if you beeline through the objectives (since there are far more side/non-plot areas and multiple paths than SS2), and in #2s case it's possible to bypass some sections entirely with creative solutions. They'll take at least as long as SS2 if you aren't deliberately in a rush.

As for lore, it's nice to know the background of the setting but it isn't strictly necessary; the game manuals will give you a reasonable introduction to the things you need to know.

Be a bit careful about reading the cluebooks since they can quickly spoil you on the games; puzzle solving is a major part of both, so leave them for when you're well and truly stuck (or alternately, once you've done everything you think you can and want to find out what you've missed).

Likewise, finding your own solution to puzzles is a much bigger part of the UW games than SS2, and there are usually several ways to go about solving (or circumventing) any given problem.

Here are few things I learned from my paythrough:

- Don't bother with rogue skills like lockpicking, pickpocketing or sneaking, they can all be substituted by spells, which means you only have to increase your casting and mana and you get all those abilities, plus anything else that can be cast.
- Put points in lore. Lore allows you to identify objects or at least tell if they are magic. In this game magic items like weapons, rings, armour or even poitions are not highlighted blue. In my playthrough I didn't bother with lore, so i had no idea I missed all sorts of magic equipment.
- Take notes. Seriously, make use of the automap to write down points of interest.
- Generally, if you see a monster in Underworld you should be able to take it. This does not apply to Underworld 2 though, there the designers will intentionally throw in monsters which are too strong for you. Come back later, sneak around or just run through, but don't expect to kill a headless with your little dagger on the first floor.
- Focus only on one weapon type. I picked swords, this has the advatage that I could use the sword Excaliburn, which never breaks and is needed to beat the game.
- Contrary to what the manual says, fire elementals are not blind. In fact they can see realy well, they can shoot you even when they are outside your view. On the last two floors a fire protection spell is a must.
- Get the dragonskin boots. You don't need them, but they allow you to walk on lava, which is a big help. You need the recepie for ratworm stew, then prepare the stew, find someone to trade it with some levels deeper to get the leather and then oven deeper find someone who can make boots out of it. I'm not going to go into detail.

In Underworld 1, skill is improved by praying at a shrine, according to the mantra used. The shrine on the first floor has three "generic" mantras for combat, magic and "none of the above" skills. You may consider save scumming when praying, specially for combat skills, as spreading your limited skill points across different weapons will net you no benefit. Underworld 2 allows you choose to train in specific skills by talking to NPCs, and most skills have trainers in the level you start in, so there's a lot less reason for scumming. As a point of order (and this took me years to notice), training with an exceptional trainer will be more effective than with a regular one.

To add to the above, the all of the matras are also written down in the cluebook. It was intended for the player to discover the mantras throughout the game, but the game never checks which matras you've already learned, so you can use any mantra you want. Some of the mantras are very specialized, so you can train just swords without worrying that some points might end up in axes.

Nothing wrong in being able to use all kinds of melee weapons, IMO.
But I would concentrate on Lore, Casting and Mana in addition to the weapon skills.

Also STR is the most important stat, and DEX the least important. Low STR means being easily over encumbered, which can be frustrating. So try to aim for a STR as close to 30 as possible. Classes that can get 30 STR are Fighters, Paladins and Druids. Possibly one or two more.

So I just started, and I can't seem to get my attacks to connect in combat. This is particularly a problem with small enemies like spiders and worms. I draw back until the icon turns green, but most of the time the attack doesn't connect.

Outside of that I'm still fumbling around exploring level 1. I actually ended up running into both the Green Goblin and Grey Goblin towns and speaking with both their leaders before running into Bragit (along with the Rune Pack). I'm trying to follow his directions to the human settlement but ended up somewhere between the two Goblin towns that's filled with spiders I can't seem to hit.

Finally, I'm really starting to see the similarities between this and Arx Fatalis. I really didn't understand the extent to which Arx was trying to be a sequel to these games.Reading the instruction booklet, even the maps look similar

The screen has three heights, you must attack enemies on the right one, i.e. to attack rats you use the lower third, for humans the middle and for enemies above the top. You also have to tilt the view up and down for very small or very high up enemies. Finally, the success rate of your attack is based on your stats, not every attacj will hit, even though you did everything right.

You want the weapon strike to occupy the same space as the creature's body on the screen. With spiders this often means using the 'look down' command to make it easier to target them, especially if you're using a weapon designed for overhead smashes (maces and axes). Range is also a factor: if you're too far back then the attack will just hit empty air between you.

Additionally, your "Attack" skill and the weapon skill related to whichever type you're wielding affects the chance of actually hitting the target. Tougher creatures are often harder to hit, and some things may be beyond you in the beginning.

The human settlement (such as it is) on the first level is just beyond that fellow. There's a large room with a ramp leading to the lower level, an exit out to the river running through the level, and another tunnel leading out to the side, relatively high up. You'll need to get to that upper tunnel to reach the outcast area.

You can look up and down in this game?! Hadn't realized that yet.

Yes. 1 to look down, 3 to look up, and 2 to center your view. You can push 1 or 3 several times to increase the angle.

After falling through a drain in level 2 I'm stuck in level 3 between a few enemies. I can barely defeat skeletons and can't beat that first bandit at all. There's a spider somewhere guarding a whole bunch of equipment but killing it left me poisoned and near death so I just reloaded.

Is it strange that I've never found a health potion in this game yet (only magic potions)? Are there any?: And how do you increase attributes like STR? I dont' think they've gone up with experience levels (I think I'm lvl 6 right now, the cap is lvl16 right?) and the game said I wasn't ready for a bunch of the mantras I tried at the shrine on Level 1.

Right now I'm just trying to get back to level 2. Oh, and I couldn't beat the headless on level 2.

Oh, so it's based on skill points. I kinda figured that out, but never saw skill points displayed anywhere.

Anyway, in an attempt to get out of level 3 I actually ended up lost in level 4. I found the shrine down in level for and mostly upped attack, defense, lore, and magic. I looked in the clue book and got the key of truth as well, though I don't know what it does yet. I'm at around level 8 now. I picked the Paladin class which has a STR of 17. Still trying to find a way back up to level 2.

Strength 17 is fairly low. You'll have to be VERY picky about how much stuff you carry with you. The starting scores are semi-random. They'll always total 60 points (unless you're a Shepherd, in which case they'll total 57), but the distribution varies partly by class and partly by chance. For some reason, paladins in UW1 had the wrong 'good' stats - they should have had strong Str/Int but got Dex/Int instead. This was fixed in UW2. Stats do not increase during the game. What you start with is what you finish with.

In UW2, skill points available are shown on the character stat panel and accumulate at the rate of 1 point per 150 XP, plus 1 point each time you gain a level. (This means you can gain 2 points at once when you hit certain XP values.) As far as I know it's the same rate in UW1, but you don't get to see how many you have available.

Make sure you put some points into the weapon type you favor since the weapon skill has a major impact on your effectiveness. Likewise, "Mana" gives you more power to work with but "Casting" determines how likely you are to succeed with a spellcasting attempt, so you need both.

Depending on where you are on level 4 there are some relatively safe paths back up to level 2 (and to level 1). In the meantime, both the southwest and southeast corners of level 4 are occupied by civilized groups, so you can head to one of those if you need a place to hole up. Much of the north-central area of level 3 is also inhabited by 'friendlies', although getting to them can be a bit more of a challenge.


Did you find and re-plant the silver sapling on level 1? If you did, then dying will cause you to return to life at the location that you last planted it, so if all else fails you can always get back up to the top that way.