Slashing Dragon did indeed get into Despise on the third day of his first-ever playthrough of Ultima 9…albeit he did take the time to explore the areas around Britain and the Shrine of Compassion first.

I walk around the Shrine but don’t find much apart from some potions. I was about to leave but then I thought may be I could try meditating on it. It worked! After “Mu”ing a bit some strange voice started talking with me and gave me tips on my overall mission of restoration of the land, which involves finding the corrupted runes in the dungeons, and the sigils in the towns, the do something at the shrines. It was worth coming here! I guess the voice is the same that thunders on Ultima V when you meditate.

SO LET’S HIT THE DUNGEON!, I travel back to the column and had my ass kicked by a Troll :/ I restored and came back.

Luckily, I took another path who put me just over the maze of castle Britannia! I jump over it and can see the center of the maze, a magic fountain… and a Flaming Sword… awesome!

Now, I feel confident to hit Despise…

If anything, he’s probably being too cautious here; Despise is pretty easy to get through from the moment you start the game. Equipping yourself with the Fire Sword is recommended, though; it packs a bit more of a punch, and the light it casts about can be useful.

Too, Slash seems genuinely impressed with how Despise has been built, which again is understandable. Apart from Hythloth, the dungeons in Ultima 9 are easily the best in the series. They differ wildly from each other, but each has had a lot of thought put into its construction, and some of the puzzles hidden away therein are genuinely tricky.