Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Baltimore Games Day was not all about Warhammer Online for Mythic Entertainment, the company also gave us a look at the latest Ultima Online Expansion, Stygian Abyss. For those who may not know, Ultima Online is the grandfather of all MMORPGs and it is still strong today. The game has been around almost twelve years and has a very hardcore player base. Stygian Abyss is adding a new zone into the game, a new race, the Gargoyles, and much more for players to enjoy. Lead Designer Tim Cotton gave the presentation so check out some of the highlights below.  

When talking about the Stygian Abyss, Tim said that they used Ultima Six and Ultima Underworld as their models for the expansion. They wanted to bring some of the fun from those two games back into Ultima Online and used elements from both games in the expansion. He also pointed out that this is the eighth expansion for UO.

The Gargoyles join the ranks of Ultima Online.

The new race is the highlight of the expansion as player will finally be able to play as those winged, walking, spell casters, the Gargoyles. For old school Ultima players Gargoyles meant a tough fight, but good loot. Now fans can walk around as these creatures that get to choose from all the great skills in the game. Along with the Gargoyles, players will be introduced to the thrown weapon ability. This will allow players to make attacks from a distance and works differently from archery. The concept art for the boomerangs was very cool along with all the other thrown weapon varieties.

Players will also have sixteen new spells to choose from with names like Nether Bolt, Eagle Strike, and Stone Form. This will give casters an even stronger arsenal when going into the Abyss. Mixing spells with the new thrown weapon skills players will also have a new Profession Title, the Bladeweaver. Also the new skill set for Imbuing will be in the game and allow players to create some serious effects for their weapons.

The land of Ter Mur is opened up and will serve as the stomping grounds for some new creatures. Updated variations of the Lich as well as a Medusa, Colossus, and the Stygian Dragon can be found roaming the dark lands. Ter Mur will also lead players to the entrance for the Stygian Abyss dungeon. The dungeon will have five major boss mobs inside which player groups can bring down for some serious loot. Ter Mur is constantly under attack from creatures coming in from the Void. This new zone is not for the weak.

The Abyss Gateway.

Overall Ultima Online looks good, if you ever had a thought to come back to the game this is definitely the time. The new expansion looks to offer a lot to players and brings some great new zones and encounters. Of all the MMOs out there Ultima Online has proven that an online game can stand the test of time. For you old school players, do not worry, we were assured that Stygian Abyss will support the 2D client. There was no word on when Stygian Abyss is coming, but the demo we saw looked polished and ready to go. Let’s hope we can all return and start Gargoyles in the near future.