Ultima VI: The False Prophet — Walkthrough
Ultima VI from Origin and Lord British is the sixth game in the Ultima series. Great improvements to the graphics are to be enjoyed in this game, though the program has some bugs and the documentation of commands is poor. Do NOT use the mouse — despite what the docs say, it simply does not work well. The keyboard works fine once you get used to it.
The screen is divided into four sections: map, status display, message area, and command icons. The map area is so small that until you have played the game for a while, it is far too easy to get disoriented.
You begin the game with 3 other companions in Lord British's castle — also in a fight. Your beginning group is: Yourself, Dupre, Shamino, and Iolo. Talk to them. Iolo can gather or split all the gold in the party for you. Later in the game you will find others who are willing to join your group. Not everyone who joins is necessarily worth having — some are poorly equipped, others have poor stats, or both.
Warning about bugs: Many bugs have been reported in this game. Make backups of your character files often, and make different copies rather than overwriting past backups. Some bugs can be avoided by limiting your inventory and later reducing your party to the original four (avatar, Dupre, Shamino, Iolo).
Team Members
| Name | Location | STR | DEX | INT | Magic | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beh Lem * | Outside Hythloth | 23 | 24 | 26 | 0/0 | Suggested best |
| Blain | With Gypsies | 16 | 21 | 18 | 0/0 | |
| Cpt Leonna | Moonglow | 15 | 15 | 18 | 0/0 | |
| Cpt Leodon | Moonglow | 15 | 19 | 15 | 7/7 | |
| Gorn * | Under Sutek's | — | — | — | — | Suggested best |
| Gwenno * | Minoc | 18 | 21 | 17 | 9/9 | Suggested best |
| Jaana | Yew | — | — | — | — | |
| Julia | Minoc | 21 | 18 | 17 | 0/0 | |
| Katrina | New Magincia | 19 | 16 | 16 | 0/0 | |
| Seggallion * | Serpents Hold | 28 | 21 | 20 | 0/0 | Suggested best |
| Sentri | Serpents Hold | 26 | 18 | 16 | 0/0 | |
| Sherry | Lord B's castle | — | — | — | — | Talking mouse; needed for one task in Jhelom, then can be dropped |
* = Suggested best party members to add to Avatar, Dupre, Shamino, Iolo
Experience & Level Advancement
When a character has enough experience to advance a level, TALK to a shrine and chant the mantra. You can greatly improve the character's stats with careful use of the shrine chart.
| Experience Range | Level |
|---|---|
| 0 – 100 | Level 1 |
| 101 – 200 | Level 2 |
| 201 – 400 | Level 3 |
| 401 – 800 | Level 4 |
| 801 – 1,600 | Level 5 |
| 1,601 – 3,200 | Level 6 |
| 3,201 – 6,400 | Level 7 |
| 6,401+ | Level 8 |
Characteristic Improvements by Shrine
| Shrine | Strength | Dexterity | Intelligence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compassion | — | +3 | — |
| Honesty | — | — | +3 |
| Honor | — | +1 | +1 |
| Humility | — | — | — |
| Justice | +1 | — | +1 |
| Sacrifice | +1 | +1 | — |
| Spirituality | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Valor | +3 | — | — |
Mantras
| Virtue | Mantra |
|---|---|
| Compassion | mu |
| Control | un |
| Diligence | us |
| Honesty | ahm |
| Honor | summ |
| Humility | lum |
| Justice | beh |
| Passion | or |
| Pride | mul |
| Sacrifice | cah |
| Singularity | unorus |
| Spirituality | om |
| Valor | ra |
Runes: Location and Requirements
| Virtue | Location & How to Get |
|---|---|
| Compassion | Ariana, a child, in the conservatory of Britannia. You will need her mother's permission — her mother runs the tavern in Britannia. |
| Honesty | In the tomb of Beyvin in the catacombs of Moonglow. Get the key from Manrel who lives south of the Blue Bottle Inn. |
| Honor | On the pedestal in Trinsic. Talk to the mayor before taking it and return it afterwards. |
| Humility | The mayor of New Magincia has the rune — answer "Conor" to his question. |
| Justice | Talk to the thief in the Yew jail — the rune is hidden under a plant in Yew's tavern. |
| Sacrifice | Selganor in the Minoc Artisans' Guild has the rune; you must join the Guild first. To join: get a yew log from Ben (west of the mayor's house in Yew), have it cut at the saw mill southeast of Minoc, take the yew board to Julia to make into PanPipes, and learn the notation of the tune Stones from Gwenno (Minoc). Stones notation: 6789878767653. |
| Spirituality | In the chest in Marney's house in the north end of Skara Brae. |
Moongates
To use a moongate, stand in the center and USE the Moon Orb, then point to one of the squares around you. Below are the destinations for each position. Coordinates can be used with the {alt}214 teleport command.
| Position | Destination | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Top-left | MG of Honesty — Moonglow | 383 1F3 0 |
| Top 2nd | Shrine of Honesty | 3A7 106 0 |
| Top 3rd | MG of Compassion — Britannia | 1B3 18B 0 |
| Top 4th | Shrine of Compassion | 1F7 166 0 |
| Top-right | MG of Valor — Jhelom | 093 373 0 |
| Mid-left | Shrine of Humility | 398 3A7 0 |
| Mid 2nd | Shrine of Control | 044 02D 5 |
| Mid 3rd | Lord B's Castle Throne Room | 133 160 0 |
| Mid 4th | Shrine of Passion | 0BC 02D 5 |
| Mid-right | Shrine of Valor | 09F 3AE 0 |
| Far-left | MG of Humility — New Magincia | 2E3 2BB 0 |
| Far-right | MG of Justice — Yew | 0E3 083 0 |
| Low-left | Shrine of Spirituality | 017 016 1 |
| Low 2nd | Gargoyle Altar | 080 056 5 |
| Low 3rd | Shrine of Diligence | 066 0DD 5 |
| Low 4th | Temple of Codex | 39B 36C 0 |
| Low-right | Shrine of Justice | 129 027 0 |
| Bottom-left | MG of Spirituality — Skara Brae | 04B 1FB 0 |
| Bottom 2nd | Shrine of Honor | 147 336 0 |
| Bottom 3rd | MG of Honor — Trinsic | 183 313 0 |
| Bottom 4th | Shrine of Sacrifice | 340 0A7 0 |
| Bottom-right | MG of Sacrifice — Minoc | 29B 043 0 |
Spells, Reagents, Magic & Potions
Spells marked with * are required to complete the game.
Cove — Ruduyom (20 gp/lvl)
Northwest corner of town.
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Create Food, Douse, Heal, Ignite |
| 2nd | — |
| 3rd | Mass Awaken |
| 4th | Great Heal * |
| 5th | Pickpocket *, Seance |
| 6th | — |
| 7th | — |
| Reagent | Price |
|---|---|
| Blood Moss | 3g |
| Garlic | 1g |
| Ginseng | 2g |
| Nightshade | 2g |
| Spider Silk | 2g |
| Sulphurous Ash | 1g |
Lycaeum — Xaio (25 gp/lvl)
North, northeast of Library.
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Detect Magic, Dispel Magic *, Light |
| 2nd | Infravision, Reappear, Telekinesis *, Vanish |
| 3rd | Dispel Field *, Great Light, Peer |
| 4th | Animate, Fire Field, Locate, Mass Dispel *, Poison Field, Sleep Field, Wind Change * |
| 5th | Energy Field, Invisibility *, Reveal, X-Ray |
| 6th | Clone, Negate Magic, Replicate |
| 7th | Fear, Gate Travel, Wizard's Eye |
| Reagent | Price |
|---|---|
| Black Pearl | 4g |
| Garlic | 3g |
| Ginseng | 3g |
| Mandrake | 6g |
| Nightshade | 3g |
| Spider Silk | 3g |
| Sulphurous Ash | 3g |
Nickodemus — North of Britain between two rivers (20 gp/lvl)
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Detect Trap |
| 2nd | Sleep, Unlock Magic *, Untrap |
| 3rd | Magic Lock, Mass Sleep, Protection, Repel Undead |
| 4th | Conjure |
| 5th | Insect Swarm |
| 6th | Charm, Confuse, Mass Protect, Web |
| 7th | Enchant, Mass Invisibility * |
| Reagent | Price |
|---|---|
| Blood Moss | 2g |
| Garlic | 1g |
| Ginseng | 1g |
| Spider Silk | 1g |
| Sulphurous Ash | 2g |
Nickodemus also sells staves which can be used with the Enchant spell. Each staff can hold up to 10 spells. Anyone can use a charged staff.
Skara Brae — Horance Island, Horance (30 gp/lvl) — Coordinates: 03B 1D4 0
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Harm |
| 2nd | Magic Arrow, Poison, Trap, Unlock Magic * |
| 3rd | Curse, Fireball |
| 4th | Disable |
| 5th | Explosion *, Lightning, Paralyze |
| 6th | Flame Wind, Hail Storm, Poison Wind |
| 7th | Chain Bolt, Energy Wind, Kill, Mass Curse, Wing Strike |
| Reagent | Price |
|---|---|
| Black Pearl | 3g |
| Blood Moss | 3g |
| Mandrake Root | 5g |
| Nightshade | 2g |
| Spider Silk | 1g |
| Sulphurous Ash | 2g |
Zoltar — Gypsy
| Reagent | Price |
|---|---|
| Blood Moss | 3g |
| Garlic | 2g |
| Ginseng | 1g |
| Nightshade | 1g |
| Spider Silk | 2g |
| Sulphurous Ash | 1g |
Potions
| Color | Effect |
|---|---|
| Black | Invisible |
| Blue | Awaken |
| Green | Poison |
| Orange | Sleep (does not work on monsters) |
| Purple | Invisible |
| Red | Dispel Magic |
| Yellow | Heal |
| White | X-Ray vision |
Weapons & Armor by Town
| Town | Weapons | Armor |
|---|---|---|
| Britannia | Dagger, spear, sword, 2-handed sword, Magic Bow, arrows, bolts | Cloth armor, leather armor, chain mail, plate mail, heater (serpent) shield, iron helm |
| Buccaneer's Den | Club, dagger, oil flask, main gauche, throwing axe | Cloth armor, leather armor, leather helm |
| Jhelom | Bow, club, crossbow, dagger, oil flask, spear, arrows, bolts | Spiked shield |
| Minoc | Dagger, mace, main gauche, morning star, sword | Chain coif, chain mail, ring mail, scale mail, winged helm |
| Serpent's Hold | Halberd, hammer, morning star, throwing axe, 2-handed sword | Black shield, door shield, scale mail, spiked collar, spiked shield, spiked helm, Magic Shield (can be made) |
| Trinsic | Mace, main gauche, sword, 2-handed axe, 2-handed hammer, 2-handed sword | Iron helm, kite shield, Magic Armor, Magic Helm, plate mail |
| Yew | Club, dagger, spear, throwing axe, 2-handed axe | Brass helm, leather helm, leather armor, ring mail, Swamp Boots |
Starting Out
You begin the game in Lord British's castle. Lord B will tell you how the shrines are under the control of the gargoyles and must be freed. There is equipment for your use in the castle, in your room and in others. Talk to everyone you meet — ask their name and job to get clues as to further conversation. Talk to the mage in Lord B's castle. He will tell you about Iolo's book and to consult Mariah (in Lycaeum).
Inventory Hints
Major bugs are related to character inventory, so keep only what you need: food, reagents, and the like. Some items you will need to keep until they have been used. Once used, you can drop them (such as Rune Stones and pieces to the pirates' treasure map). To WIN the game you will need:
- Vortex Cube (loaded with the 8 Moonstones)
- 2 Vortex Lenses
It will be very useful to have a strong character in your party carry a skiff. There are areas you will want to reach (such as Dungeon Shame) that you will be unable to reach without one.
Sewers
Good for gold and experience. In the potion laboratory in the castle, you will find a ladder to the sewers below. It is larger than it looks — use all ladders you find until you are familiar with where they lead. On level 2 of the sewers you will find an underground lake. Phoenix lives to the north of the lake. When you have gotten the Pickpocket spell, seek out Phoenix and take her thief's belt.
Shrines
After spending a little time in the sewers, visit the wide world. Your purpose at this point is to free the shrines from the hold of the gargoyles. The shrine of Compassion (east of Britannia) is the easiest to free early on. At other shrines, you may find it easier to cast Invisibility upon your avatar and have him/her free the shrine alone, thus avoiding a fight with the gargoyles. To free a shrine: USE the rune on the shrine and chant the mantra. The force field upon the shrine will be broken. Take the Moonstone!
Areas of Interest
| Location | Notable Contents |
|---|---|
| Ant Mounds | Map piece, reagents |
| Buccaneer Cave | Minor items |
| Cyclops Cave | Powder Kegs, gold |
| Dungeon Covetous | Minor items |
| Dungeon Deceit | Minor items |
| Dungeon Destard | Dragon Eggs, major treasures |
| Dungeon Hythloth | Gargoyle scroll, entrance to gargoyle world |
| Dungeon Shame | Map piece, gold, gems |
| Dungeon Wrong | Map piece |
| Heftimus Cave | Near Jhelom — rings, potions |
| Heroes Cave | Near shrine of Honor — minor items |
| Lycaeum Underground | Books * |
| Moonglow Catacombs | Rune of Honesty, weapons, armor, staves |
| Pirate's Cave | Tablet, storm cloak, magic fan |
| Sewers (under Lord B's) | Thief Guild Belt, gold, minor items |
| Shrine of Control | Mondain Statue |
| Shrine of Diligence | Exodus Statue |
| Shrine of Passion | Minax Statue |
| Spider Cave | Spider Silk |
| Stonegate | Vortex Cube |
| Sutek Castle Catacombs | Balloon plans |
| Tomb of Kings | Minor items |
* Books: The Book of Lost Mantras, if shown to Wisps, will get you the 8th level spell of Armageddon (which you do NOT need). The Book: Wizard of Oz, when given to Lord British, will get you some gems as a reward.
Karma
Karma is important in this game. To maintain and increase Karma: do not steal, return the rune of honor to Trinsic, and do good deeds (such as getting dragon eggs for Sandy the cook in Trinsic).
Pirates' Map & Tablet
Talking to Mariah in Lycaeum will reveal that a second portion of the tablet will be needed to translate it fully. Mariah directs you to Zoltar the gypsy. Zoltar will tell you that pirates stole the other portion of the tablet. To locate this second piece of tablet you will need the Thieves' Belt from the sewers under Lord B's — to join the Thieves' Guild and get information from Homer on Buccaneer's Den.
Homer will tell you that there are 9 pieces to the map of Captain Hawkin's treasure (the location of the 2nd piece of tablet). Homer has one of the nine pieces. The others are at:
| Location | Details |
|---|---|
| Shipwreck | 71S, 14E |
| Ant Mound | 4th level |
| Dungeon Shame | — |
| Dungeon Wrong | — |
| Serpent's Hold | A woman to the east has a piece — give her a Magic Shield to get it |
| Dagger Isle | Hermit's cellar (move harpsichord) |
| Bad Gypsies (N of Paws) | Buy or pickpocket the piece |
| Mayor of Trinsic | Confront mayor with name "GORDON" |
Giving Sandy the cook in Trinsic dragon eggs will reveal the remaining map piece locations. After collecting 8 pieces, return to Homer. He will give you the last piece and tell you how many paces to move before digging (you will need a Shovel). Drop the map pieces and move them around until you get a clear map.
Treasure location: Small island southwest of Buccaneer's Den with 3 stones in northeast corner. Walk 3 steps south, 9 steps west, 12 steps south. DIG! This reveals a hole to explore. Find the sign "Drop to your Death" and choose the hole with a gold nugget next to it to find the Tablet.
Return to Buccaneer's Den and give the Storm Cloak to Homer. Return to Lycaeum with both parts of the tablet and talk to Mariah.
Gargoyles
Mariah will supply additional information on why the gargoyles are causing trouble. She will direct you to Sin Vraal (south of shrine of sacrifice), who will tell you that you can enter the gargoyle world through Hythloth.
Dungeon Hythloth is found near the Shrine of Humility (lower right portion of the map). You will find Captain Johne on the bottom level. He will tell you about the gargoyles and give you a scroll that will allow you to talk to gargoyles. Cpt. Johne will also tell you about Beh Lem, a gargoyle who will help you get around the gargoyle city without being attacked. Beh Lem is found just outside of Dungeon Hythloth on the gargoyle plane.
Talk to Beh Lem. He will tell you to see his father, who will explain that you need to visit the gargoyle Inquisitor (Lord Draxinusom) and surrender, as well as make a sacrifice to help mend the two worlds. Naxatilor is the gargoyle who will explain sacrifice more clearly.
Go see Lord Drax and surrender. Drax will ask that you submit to wearing an Amulet of Submission. Dupre will warn you it is a magical trick — ignore him. Once you are wearing the amulet, you will be able to travel freely around the gargoyle world.
Visit Nax (who lives across the way from Drax) and learn about sacrifice. Sacrifice, to gargoyles, can mean one of three things: self, others, or valuables. When asked which you wish to sacrifice, answer "value". Nax informs you that the Codex is the only thing of real value. When asked if you wish to destroy the Codex, answer "no". Nax will then suggest that you return the Codex to the void. Here at last is your true mission!
Visit the Hall of Knowledge to read the Book of Rituals and get the vortex lens (it is broken — have it repaired by the gargoyle lens maker who lives east of the gargoyle city). You will be told you need a concave vortex lens to represent humans, and to read the Codex for instructions on what to do with the lenses and the Vortex Cube (loaded with the 8 moonstones). The Vortex Cube is supposed to be in the Hall of Knowledge but will be found missing — it was stolen by humans who went to Stonegate (castle in the mountains south of Minoc). Find secret passages and do errands for the Ogres there to get the Vortex Cube.
The mage near Lycaeum (across the river) will make you a concave vortex lens if you give him a glass sword. Glass swords can be found on Phoenix in the sewers.
The Balloon
You cannot enter the Temple of the Codex unless you are on a quest. The only way to begin a quest is to visit the Shrine of Singularity (in the gargoyle world), which requires a balloon. Balloon plans can be found on a dead body in the dungeon under Sutek's.
Once you have the balloon plans, you will need to visit:
| Town | Service | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Minoc | Have the basket woven | 300 gp |
| Paws | Buy rope | 5 gp |
| Paws | Have silk thread spun (need lots of spider silk) | 10 gp |
| New Magincia | Have thread woven into cloth | 20 gp |
| Paws | Have cloth sewn into a large bag | 75 gp |
You also need a cauldron (Dungeon Wrong is a good source) and an anchor. USE the balloon plans to make a balloon. Have one of your strong characters carry the balloon. Use a moongate to get to the gargoyle altar. Go north and a little to the right, drop the balloon, and then use it. Use the Fan to change the wind to S so that you may travel north. Once past the mountains, land and enter the Shrine of Singularity.
TALK to the altar. When asked what you want, answer "quest". When asked for whom, answer "all". The shrine will tell you to visit the shrines representing the gargoyle virtues: Control, Passion, and Diligence. Each shrine contains a statue — talk to it to learn the mantra of that virtue. The three virtues combined equal the mantra for the Singularity.
Use the balloon to return south of the mountains. The entrances to the shrines of Control, Passion, and Diligence are on the gargoyle island. The catacombs of Diligence are the hardest — there is a secret door leading to a ladder near the lower left corner. This secret door is NOT on an outer wall.
After visiting all three shrines, return to the Shrine of Singularity. Answer yes to having visited all three shrines, then chant the mantra UNORUS. You now have a quest and may enter the temple containing the Codex!
Use the Moon Orb to get to the Temple of the Codex and read it (LOOK). Follow the instructions to place the two lenses and the Cube loaded with all eight moonstones, then USE the Cube! You will see a series of pictures culminating in the END GAME!
Congratulations!
Debug Commands ({alt} Keys)
There are 3 {alt} commands that work in this game (through version 3.2). These are debugging tools that were left in the game. Press the alt key and then the three numbers before releasing.
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
| {alt} 213 | Gives you the gem overview plus a string of numbers: first 2 = karma, next 4 = time, next 3 = 1st coordinate, next 3 = 2nd coordinate, last = plane. |
| {alt} 214 | Teleport to any location by entering 3 coordinates. Example for Shrine of Spirituality: enter 017, then 016, then 1. |
| {alt} 215 | Causes an hour of game time to pass. Useful when waiting for someone to return to their place of business. |
Useful {alt} 214 Teleport Coordinates
| Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| Paws | 173 272 0 |
| Minoc (by sundial) | 254 063 0 |
| Sutek (on the docks) | 315 3D6 0 |
| Sewers (near campfires) | 062 07B 2 |
| Pirates' Treasure Room | 09B 0D8 4 |
| Lycaeum | 376 1BB 0 |
| Altar of Singularity | 080 02E 5 |
| Statue of Mondain | 043 00C 4 |
| Statue of Minax | 0BB 00B 4 |
| Statue of Exodus | 053 0DC 3 |
| Hythloth (gargoyle plane entrance) | 0DC 0DB 5 |
| Hythloth (human plane entrance) | 3B4 3A2 0 |
| Human Lens Maker (near Lycaeum) | 3BB 195 0 |
