How do you choose a Free Shard to play?
There are many UO freeshards out there, but only a few good ones to even consider. First you should decide which era you would like to play. Some like the feel of the original mmorpg, yet other players appreciate the custom era shards that blend the best aspects of the game to create a more balanced world. You can explore many of the UO Shard toplists and tour the many sites to decide which one is best for your style of game play.
Selecting a Shard Era?
Choosing your UO era is one of the hardest decisions to make. Each era has it’s pros and cons. Most “old school” players enjoy the original T2A era, but over the years, the player base has shifted to custom shards with the best of all the eras.
Here is a list of the UO Eras with descriptions:
Ultima Online Eras
Ultima Online: Pre T2A
1997
Ultima Online: The Second Age (T2A)
1 October 1998
A new area of land called the Lost Lands, along with an in-game chat system and new
creatures. Also known as T2A. It was released in two boxed versions with the first
having different artwork and a single manual.
Ultima Online: Renaissance (UO:R)
4 May 2000
Doubled the size of the world, as there were literally two copies of it. The worlds
were called Felucca and Trammel, after the two moons in Ultima’s Britannia world. The
Trammel world did not allow player killing and was geared towards fighting monsters.
Felucca also adopted a darker, more foreboding look and kept its player vs player
roots.
Ultima Online: Third Dawn (UO:3D)
7 March 2001
Included a 3D client to compete with 3D competition like EverQuest. Also, a special
Third Dawn only land was created, called Ilshenar. It was accessible only to 3D clients
until the release of Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge.
Ultima Online: Lord Blackthorn’s Revenge
24 February 2002
Brought “a dark new world based on new characters from Todd McFarlane” to Ultima Online
with improved game artificial intelligence, in-game help, and improved character
creation.
Ultima Online: Age of Shadows (AOS)
11 February 2003
Brought the landmass of Malas with space for new housing, two new character classes
(Paladin and Necromancer) and the ability to customize house designs. The item system
was completely reworked with this expansion. Armor resistance was split into five types
of resistance, and many new properties that affected game play were added to weaponry.
As good equipment became vital, this expansion also brought with it item insurance.
Subscriptions reached a peak of over 250,000 accounts following the release.
Ultima Online: Samurai Empire (UO:SE)
2 November 2004
Brought ancient Japanese mythology and folklore to the game, two new classes (Ninja and
Samurai) and a new area to explore, the Tokuno Islands. The new class skills shifted
the balance of player vs. player combat away from mage dominance.
Ultima Online: Mondain’s Legacy (UO:ML)
30 August 2005
Introduced a new race, elves, and a new skill, spellweaving. Several dungeons were also
added.
Ultima Online: Stygian Abyss (UO:SA)
8 September 2009
Featured a new playable race, the Gargoyle; additional play areas; and three new
skills: imbuing, throwing, and mysticism. Stygian Abyss also featured significant
upgrades to the Kingdom Reborn client, which has been renamed to the Enhanced Client.
The original client is still supported.
Ultima Online: High Seas (UO:HS)
12 October 2010
Focused on additions to fishing, sailing and the pirate skill. Four new ship types,
improved ship movement, pirate NPCs to hunt, and new boss encounters are introduced
along with improvements to the fishing skill like new types of fish and crustaceans to
catch and an increased skill cap
Ultima Online: Time of Legends (UO:TL)
2015
New Areas: Shadowguard and Valley of Eodon; two new champion spawns; Completing the
virtue system; lots of new items; new skill—masteries; updates to classic housing.
The Freeshard Community continues the legacy of the Original Ultima Online with many custom expansions. You can visit http://www.uoportal.com to view the free-to-play top list and play on shards build by UO fans
Ultima Portal – Ultima Online Gateway
Ultima Online Custom Era
UO Evolution is the top shard in the custom freeshard category! Log into www.uoevolution.com and Play for Free!