Posted November 14, 2024
Ultima 4 (NES):
A couple solos:
Tinker:
* Level 4 (where I'm staying, so that sleep-casting enemies don't appear on the overworld)
* Have the +1 Axe (Magic Axe on PC), which is the second strongest ranged weapon in the game. (One drawback: In the NES version, you can normally equip a melee weapon and a sling/bow at the same time; this weapon replaces the melee weapon and isn't as strong as the better melee-only weapons.)
* Have 15 MP. (Not enough for more powerful spells; can't even use Blink to courageously escape from battles!)
Druid:
* Just got the magic wand, which makes things much easier. (Especially at melee; you can't use bows in melee (instead, the equipped melee weapon gets used), and the strongest melee weapon a non-Avatar druid can use is the club.)
* Going by intended stat names, 50 DEX and 38 INT; still need to boost STR. (The translators messed up; when translating the game back from Japanese to English, they switched the DEX and INT labels. Note that this does not affect other versions of the game because they didn't have to go through double translation.)
Haven't yet gone for Avatarhood in either save. It's worth noting, however, that the NES version works a bit differently with regard to the rewards:
* Only the Avatar gets the Mystic Sword/Armor. Furthermore, you can't sell them for massive money. (Money is harder to come by in the NES version than in other versions, making the Magic Axe/Wand a particularly good measure of (early) progress.)
* On reaching Avatarhood, your max MP increases to 99, regardless of class. (Especially nice for the Tinker, or if you're brave enough to make your Avatar a Fighter or Shepherd.)
* Unlike in other versions, you have to brave the Abyss alone. (With that said, this dungeon, just like the other dungeons in the game, has been simplified.)
A couple solos:
Tinker:
* Level 4 (where I'm staying, so that sleep-casting enemies don't appear on the overworld)
* Have the +1 Axe (Magic Axe on PC), which is the second strongest ranged weapon in the game. (One drawback: In the NES version, you can normally equip a melee weapon and a sling/bow at the same time; this weapon replaces the melee weapon and isn't as strong as the better melee-only weapons.)
* Have 15 MP. (Not enough for more powerful spells; can't even use Blink to courageously escape from battles!)
Druid:
* Just got the magic wand, which makes things much easier. (Especially at melee; you can't use bows in melee (instead, the equipped melee weapon gets used), and the strongest melee weapon a non-Avatar druid can use is the club.)
* Going by intended stat names, 50 DEX and 38 INT; still need to boost STR. (The translators messed up; when translating the game back from Japanese to English, they switched the DEX and INT labels. Note that this does not affect other versions of the game because they didn't have to go through double translation.)
Haven't yet gone for Avatarhood in either save. It's worth noting, however, that the NES version works a bit differently with regard to the rewards:
* Only the Avatar gets the Mystic Sword/Armor. Furthermore, you can't sell them for massive money. (Money is harder to come by in the NES version than in other versions, making the Magic Axe/Wand a particularly good measure of (early) progress.)
* On reaching Avatarhood, your max MP increases to 99, regardless of class. (Especially nice for the Tinker, or if you're brave enough to make your Avatar a Fighter or Shepherd.)
* Unlike in other versions, you have to brave the Abyss alone. (With that said, this dungeon, just like the other dungeons in the game, has been simplified.)