After starting ULTIMA I, press any key to view the ULTIMA I MAIN MENU.
When traveling in the countryside, the arrow keys correspond to the directions of a compass:
When moving in towers and dungeons, the arrow keys correspond to:
As you travel the lands of Sosaria, you will run into many situations that force you to ready your weapons, armor or magic spells.
On an IBM keyboard, you can attack in two ways:
[A]ttack Attempt to harm your opponent with the weapon you currently hold. Unless fighting in a dungeon, you must indicate an attack direction.
[B]oard Mount a horse or board a raft, frigate, or other form of transportation. You must be standing on the object before boarding.
[C]ast Cast a spell. You must first commit the intended spell to memory, using the Ready command.
[D]rop Dispose of unwanted items while in a town or castle. Dropped items cannot be retrieved.
[E]nter Enter a town, castle, dungeon, or other landmark. You must be standing on the entrance before entering.
[F]ire Discharge a weapon at a foe from a ship or other armed vehicle.
[G]et Pick up adjacent items.
[H]yper Jump Enables you to travel to other stellar sectors at a speed faster than light. Available only in certain vehicles.
[I]nform & Search Reveals the names of places and things that may be entered. Also permits detection of secret doors and passages in dungeons and may grant a view of your surroundings in future transport crafts.
[K]limb Climb up or down ladders in dungeons. This command can lead to doom as easily as to fortune.
[N]oise Toggles sound on and off.
[O]pen Reveals the contents of a coffin in a dungeon.
[Q]uit (and save to disk): Use this command to stop playing (from the outside world only) and save your progress to disk. You can resume the game from this point.
[R]eady Equip yourself with a specific weapon, wear a selected suit of armor, or learn a magic spell. Must be performed prior to using an item.
[S]teal Used to take items from the unwatched counters of shops and the dark caches in castles. Beware, for the guards frown on this behavior.
[T]ransact Conduct business with merchants or kings.
[U]nlock Open cells in castles or chests in dungeons. Danger may follow.
[V]iew Change Switches the view in future transport crafts between front and top perspectives.
[X]-it Leave behind or dismount your current transport and travel on foot.
[Z]tats Displays your vital statistics, possessions, and spells. Also used to temporarily stop the passage of time in the game.
[Spacebar] Pass Time passed and food is consumed.
Protection from danger in the dungeons, towers, and countryside is largely dependent on your selection of weapons and armor. These items can be purchased in the town shops throughout Sosaria. The craftsworkers of the realm are known for their expertise, and you should endeavor to acquire the finest examples of their work.
Weapons
a Hands i Amulet
b Dagger j Wand
c Mace k Staff
d Axe 1 Triangle
e Rope & Spikes m Pistol
f Sword n Lightsword
g Greatsword o Phaser
h Bow & Arrow p Blaster
Armor
a Skin d Plate Mail
b Leather e Vacuum Suit
c Chain Mail f Reflect Suit