Game:

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988)

Duration: 32:35

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9

The Avatar has had a pretty minor role in my Ultima V speedruns so far. On the eve of 2023, that changes :-) I decided to make a "solo-Avatar run."

Note for the pedantic: You start the game with Shamino and Iolo in your party. For a "true solo" run, you could modify your SAVED.GAM file with a hex editor (after picking your name and virtues) at offset 0x2B5 by changing the value 3 to 1. However, I wanted the extra challenge of ditching my teamates as quickly as possible since I believed it would force me deviate from my typical Empathy Abbey/Yew opening and lead to some new routing for a more-interesting video. I also wanted to showcase some bugs/exploits I've known about but haven't used in a run. This might not be the optimal solo route, but I think my concept worked rather well!

Here are the three guiding principles of this run:
1. TRUTH: Beeline to nearest inn and ditch companions so you can truly go it alone. (Don't do anything else first. Don't Z-stats, don't take their armor, etc.) If you get attacked before ditching your partners, restart the run.
2. LOVE: Play rest of game "normally" for the love of speedrunning.
3. COURAGE: Don't ask anyone to join you.
I also wanted to complete the run in a single segement (no quit & save).

Run was performed using DOSBox 0.74, Cpu speed 3000 cycles, Frameskip 0 (These are the default DOSBox settings, though GOG uses 5000 cycles.)

SPOILER ALERT: Expect spoilers. If you are watching this, you are presumably familiar with Ultima V.

CONSIDERATIONS
- Winning Ultima V requires casting the level-3 blink spell (In Por). The Avatar starts as Level 2, so some grinding for experience to level up is needed.
- You *could* import (transfer) a higher level character (up to Level 5) from an Ultima IV saved game file; but that would defeat part of the challenge.
- This video is really more of a challenge run. I realize I didn't check my pocket watch before entering the final mirror.
- I like coming up with ideas more than grinding out perfection, but I think this video is fairly representative of how things usually go in a successful run. Things could fall apart due to bad RNG, though.
- Some of the timing (especially at the beginning) is kind of tight. I don't get to Inn in Britain as early as possible (in terms of in-game time) since I would have to wait around for the innkeeper, so I intentionally walk through slower foothills and brush on my path to Britain. However, delaying by too much can complicate the roof of Lord British's castle.
- I didn't keep track of all of my attempts, but I have two other successful completions. (One, which has a horribly slow wisp-shark room, only took 9 days Britannia time since I slept differently.) I can post those other videos if anyone is interested.

SOME OF THE EXPLOITS USED (I'm making up my own names for these)
- Death boost: Camping and hoping for an apparition isn't the only way to level up. When your entire party dies and is resurrected by Lord British, characters with enough experience points will be awarded the corresponding level albeit with no stat boost to str/int/dex.
- Indifferent guard: When the guard is returning to his shift at the roof of Lord British's castle, firing a cannon will cause him to ignore you and keep walking.
- Carpetbagger: This isn't essential, but you can get multiple magic carpets as long as you don't have any in your inventory. You can leave carpets in the outside world; but like horses, carpets will disappear if you leave them in a town.
- Wrong warp: If you enter the Underworld and the date (day) changes without your having slept (holed up), a moongate (from a buried moonstone) will take you to the previous day's destination instead of the current day's destination. If you enter a moongate again, you go to the correct place.
- Early axe: This is achieved by using "wrong warp." The game starts on date 4-5-139. On date 4-6-139 between midnight and 5 a.m., moongates should take you to Yew. However, if you were in the Underworld during the midnight transition and have a moongate (due to taking a moonstone), the moongate takes you to Jhelom which is the destination on the fifth day of each month between 12:01 and 5 a.m. You can grab the magic axe from the tree stump in Jhelom once the gates open.
- Multiple glass swords: After getting the glass sword, equip it to a player, and search again for another. However, the glass sword will (properly) shatter when used by the Avatar.
- Infinite Loot: The treasure chests in the basement of Lord British's castle has good random loot items (sometimes including negate time scrolls) that reappear when you leave the level and come back to it. However, each chest you open costs you 2 karma points.
- Free keys: Ask Jeremy (Yew cook) for keys; he will give you 5. If you don't agree to pay $50, you lose 3 karma. If you agree to pay but have less than $50, you get the keys for free.

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