Initially announced back in 2020, and slated for a 2022 release, Ultima Online: New Legacy was part of Broadsword’s efforts to bring UO to “the largest audience ever”…one which seemed for a goodly while to have stalled out. One of the first touted features of New Legacy was seasonal changes — Sosaria would shift between the four seasons dynamically — though there was also some discussion of returning the UO experience to something closer to its “classic roots” (albeit without the notoriously awful always-on PVP experience that characterized those early days).

Well, it isn’t 2022, but there is some exciting news on the New Legacy front: beta testing of the new shard — I’m not sure if “expansion” is the right term here — has completed, and New Legacy will be launching in full on October 15th.

We are extremely excited to announce the first season of Ultima Online: New Legacy will begin on Tuesday, October 15, 2024!  Players will be able to login that day starting at noon ET and begin to forge their legacy!  Be sure to also signup for the Ultima Online newsletter to stay connected with all things UO!

Now, it’s worth noting that “forge their legacy” is a very deliberate word choice, because one thing that New Legacy will bring to UO is — as the FAQ for it explains — the concept of…well…a character legacy (which a few other MMOs also have):

The Legacy System is the engine by which you write your avatar’s story as they live their life in Britannia.  Imagine writing a memoir, but instead of using words on a page after the experience has concluded you instead live those experiences in real time within the world to be seen by generations to come.  Earn special commendations and medals for acts of Virtue, become the subject of epic tales found in libraries throughout the realm, be memorialized as a true Britannian hero with statues, paintings and busts and build a family name to be preserved for future generations of your avatar – all this and more will be possible with the Legacy System!

And if you were wondering that “future generations of your avatar” means, the FAQ further explains that the shift between seasons in New Legacy will…not be a gradual or gentle thing:

At the conclusion of each season of Ultima Online: New Legacy the world will end in a cataclysmic event and will be reborn with fresh adventures to be had and a new legacy to be forged!

At least one other MMO — Crowfall, if memory serves — explored the idea of world shards having set lifespans. There’s also, I suppose, a bit of a roguelike element to this setup. Except that unlike the permadeath that characterizes many roguelikes, New Legacy players will have the option to transfer their avatars off of the shard (presumably to another UO shard).

Players will not be able to transfer to the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard.  At the conclusion of the Shattering characters will be able to transfer off the Ultima Online: New Legacy shard keeping all their skill, stat, and legacy progress they earned to shards with available character slots.  Non-shard bound items and items earned via the Legacy System can also be transferred off.

A gameplay trailer for New Legacy can be found at the bottom of this article. Below are some screenshots extracted from it, which showcase various other new or revamped features that New Legacy will bring to UO. Once New Legacy launches, it will be available through the UO clients.