SummonerYuna: Hello. I bought Ultima I, II, and III and I just started playing Ultima I today. I'm in the process of leveling up my character. I've been to two towns (Britain and Moon) and checked both their weapons and armor shops. I've checked walkthroughs and according to those the armor shops sell both vacuum suit (necessary for the space section) and reflect armor. But neither store has them. According to the walkthroughs all armor shops sell the same stuff. I was wondering that maybe they would sell them once I've advanced more through the game. Is that how it is? Will the shops eventually sell those armors and more powerful weapons?
I've just started the game and my character is still level one. If anyone could clarify this it would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Those items usually appear as the game progresses, and some of the higher level weapons are extremely tough to find early in the game. My suggestions are:
1. Spend time in the dungeons. You gain hit points by venturing into dungeons and fighting monsters. Stay on the first two levels of the dungeon for a while, and, when you really want to get out, hit the c key to automatically cast prayers until ladders up appear. Dungeons are great for gold and HP.
2. Buy a low priced water vehicle as soon as possible and start visiting the sign posts. They will build your stats and give you goodies. One of them gives you weapons, and each visit gets you a better weapon, so you can actually get a light sword and a laser blaster eventually. Remember, Ultima I is not a strict medieval world, but it also has space travel and heavy duty laser weapons. There is nothing cooler than going up against a medieval enemy and blasting it with a high caliber laser weapon.
3. When the time comes to go into space, use a vacuum suit as any other armor will cause instant death in space.
4. Ultima I is also not about virtues. You will need to commit cold blooded murder at least once to get a vital quest item, so don't feel too bad about stealing. Some shops are close to the exit of town. If you get caught, you should be able to outrun the guards. You will be able to get armor and weapons this way even before they are "officially" released.
5. If you plan on stealing from castles or murdering anyone in the castle, be sure to have a blaster. Guards are tough, but heavy laser blasts work quite well against them.
5. Listen to what the bartenders say. Some of their advice is really worth listening to.
Enjoy!