The IDDQD Guide

The idea behind this guide/formula is to learn what to focus on in the game in order to maximize your efficiency, effectiveness, and damage. There are many skills and weapons in UO. Some are useful while others are not. The combination of the right weapons/abilities and skills will boost your damage astronomically. Use this guide to figure out what weapons, what abilities, and what skills help the most.

Essentially, (Proper Weapon + Mana Leech) + Chivalry & Other Skills = "Godmode"

Proper Weapon/Abilities

The first thing to look at is what kind of weapon to use. There are two factors to look at when picking a weapon: Base Weapon Damage and Weapon Abilities.

In essence, when looking for a weapon you want something that has a good ability/abilities and high-base damage. See the tables below for what abilities you should look for and what weapons are worthwhile. The other aspect of finding the right weapon is properly leveling them; for more information on how to level a weapon/what to add see the Levelable Weapons page.

Ability Chart

Ability	Weapon (Best used with)	Ability Explanation
Armor Pierce	Yumi	Only on Yumis. Adds 50% damage to your hit, has a chance to damage their armor as well. Similar to Crushing Blow, but has range. Use this if you have a Hanzos/Horselords or no +hits on your bow.
Double Shot	Yumi	Only on Yumis. Same as Double Strike, fires two shots, but there is no damage penalty. Best single target damage ability in game, if your weapon has multiple +hits on it (Fireball/Lightning, maybe Magic Arrow. Harm is bad for a bow, generally).
Crushing Blow	War Hammer, Ornate Axe, Viking Sword	Adds 50% damage to your hit, has a chance to damage their armor as well. Similar to Armor Pierce, but no range. Best melee single target damage ability.
Whirlwind	War Hammer, Halberd, Double Axe, Radiant Scimitar	GREAT ability. Hits every target within a 1 tile range, up to 9 targets. Hit Areas/Spells can do HUGE sums of damage here.
Double Strike	Double Axe, Scimitar	Swings twice at once. Each hit takes a -10% damage reduction. Any +Hits on your weapon will hit twice, meaning +Lightning/Fireball/etc do well with this ability.
Frenzied Whirlwind	Tetsubo	Only on Ninja/Bushido weps, adds a bleed on the target that does massive amounts of damage over 3 seconds.
Mortal Strike	Bow, Xbow, Hammer Pick, Exec. Axe	'Prevents a target from healing. 6 seconds in PvP, 12 in PvE.

NOTE: Bushido affects the damage that Whirlwind does. The formula is: ((# of opponents * Bushido) * (# of opponents * Bushido) / 3600) = Bonus Damage. Bonus Damage is capped at 100.

NOTE2: Double Strike has a -10% damage penalty per hit. Double Shot does not. Both of these abilities are best used when combined with multiple +hits on your weapon (lightning, fireball, magic arrow, and harm means you can hit an enemy up to 10x with one attack.)

Weapon Chart

Type	Weapon	Hand	Base Damage	Primary Ability	Secondary Ability
Bow	Yumi	Two-Handed	18-20	Armor Pierce	Double Shot
Mace	War Hammer	Two-Handed	17-18	Whirlwind	Crushing Blow
Mace	Tetsubo	Two-Handed	12-14	Frenzied WW	Crushing Blow
Mace	War Mace	One-Handed	16-17	Crushing Blow	Bleed
Axe	Ornate Axe	Two-Handed	18-20	Crushing Blow	Disarm
Axe	Halberd	Two-Handed	18-19	Whirlwind	Concussion Blow
Axe	Large Battle Axe	Two-Handed	16-17	Whirlwind	Bleed
Axe	Double Axe	Two-Handed	15-17	Double Strike	Whirlwind
Axe	Axe	One-Handed	14-16	Crushing Blow	Dismount
Sword	No-Dachi	Two-Handed	16-18	Crushing Blow	Riding Swipe
Sword	Viking Sword	One-Handed	15-17	Crushing Blow	Para Blow
Sword	Scimitar	One-Handed	12-16	Double Strike	Para Blow
Sword	Radiant Scimitar	One-Handed	10-14	Whirlwind	Bladeweave

The Importance of Mana Leech

Mana Leech (ML) is key in being able to spam Weapon Abilities. Without Mana Leech you cannot use your primary/secondary ability every attack (which significantly affects your damage output), or cast Chivalry/Necro Spells/heals as needed. Ideally, you want to find a weapon with Mana Leech on it already. Adding Mana Leech to a levelable weapon is doable, but detracts from points that should be spent on Hit Lightning/Fireball/Harm/Magic Arrow.

Suggested Weapons

Single Target Weapons

Single Target Weapons are exactly what they sound like; weapons that are best for quickly disposing of one enemy at a time. The best single target weapons have a good ability/abilities, high base damage, and are leveled properly (have mana leech and multiple +Hit Spells).

Yumis

Based on their damage, abilities, and the range factor, the Yumi is considered the best weapon in the game. Double Shot (a Yumis secondary ability) has a chance to proc each +Hit Spell twice, meaning a weapon with three +Hit Spells has the potential to hit a target up to eight times (base shot x 2, each +Hit Spell x 2).

Yumis are not able to be looted (except for two artifacts). Should you wish to get a Yumi, your choices are:

The Horselord and Hanzo's Bow do not have the best base stats; therefore, until you find a good looted weapon you wish to turn into a Yumi (a popular action taken by many), your best bet is an exceptionally crafted Yumi with Mana Leech and a Hit Spell (Lightning, Fireball, or Magic Arrow). Exceptionally crafted weapons do more damage than non-exceptionally crafted weapons or their looted counterparts. Despite crafted weapons only receiving 3 points per level, a decent crafted Yumi will outshine a Hanzo's or Horselord.

Ornate Axes

Ornate Axes are the hardest hitting weapons in-game, but cannot be looted (only crafted or made by using a weapon type change deed). While Ornate Axes are popular, they do have their drawbacks. Obtaining one means finding a good crafted one (meaning less points per level) or spending 200 ED to change a viable weapon into an Ornate Axe.

Other Single Target Options

No-Dachi: The Darkened Sky / Sword of the Stampedeare the only lootable No-Dachi available. Both have solid +Hit Spells and high base damage. Crafted No-Dachi are also an option, but as with all crafted, receive less points per level and mean you will need to find one that is worthwhile (Mana Leech/a Hit Spell, and either LL/HLD/HCI/DCI/SSI).
Viking Swords
Axes
War Maces

Multi Target (AoE) Weapons

Multi Target (AoE) Weapons generally utilize +Hit Areas (Energy/Cold/Poison/etc.) and Whirlwind. The two weapons that would be classified as AoE only weapons (ie best for multiple targets but not as great for single targets) would be the

Halberd: Has the highest base damage of any weapon with Whirlwind (base damage affects how much damage +Hit Areas do).
Radiant Scimitar: Has a much lower base damage than Halberds, but is the only one-handed weapon with the Whirlwind ability. Also has Bladeweave, which has the chance to perform a random special move, a list of which can be seen here.

Hybrid Weapons

These are weapons that can excel as both Single Target Weapons And Multi Target Weapons. They will have both Whirlwind and either Crushing Blow or Double Strike, meaning you can switch your ability to focus on one enemy or a group.

War Hammer

War Hammers are one of the most popular weapons in game as they have Crushing Blow/Whirlwind and high base damage. Although War Hammers do less Single Target Damage than Yumis/Ornate Axes, and less Multi Target Damage than Halberds, many opt for War Hammers due to the ease in which one can switch between single/multiple targets.

Double Axes

Similar to the War Hammer, Double Axes have a Single Target Ability and a Multi Target Ability: Double Strike/Whirlwind. Double Strike is similar to Double Shot, in that +Hit Spells have the chance to proc twice. However, each regular swing with Double Strike has a -10% damage penalty (this doesn't affect +Hit Spells). A second popular choice, behind the War Hammer, due to Double Strikes' potential to proc +Hit Spells multiple times on a single target, or take down a group with Whirlwind.

Tetsubo

Has Frenzied Whirlwind/Crushing Blow. Frenzied WW hits all targets within two tiles (I believe) and does damage each .25 seconds for 3 seconds (hitting 12 times). Damage is based off of your Bushido/Ninjitsu skill. Crushing Blow allows for decent single target damage as well. This isn't a popular option, but Frenzied WW is definitely a nifty ability ;P

Key Skills

These are a few of the most useful skills in game. By combining a proper weapon/mana leech, and these skills/spells, you'll be able to output a ton of damage while being able to survive easier.

Chivalry

One of the best skills in game, considering the damage bonuses you receive from the spells. Karma is important to this skill; the higher your karma, the longer the spells will last.

Spell	What it does
Divine Fury:	When cast, it will FULLY replenish all your Stamina. This is important: low stamina = low swing speed = bad news bears. Divine Fury will also boost Damage, SSI and HCI by 10%, AND reduce your DCI by 10%. The bonus damage from Divine Fury works outside of the Dmg Increase Cap (which is 100% from gear), so you will always gain a slight Dmg boost when casting it.
Consecrate Weapon:	Will change the damage type of your weapon to the weakest resistance of your target. If your weapon does Physical dmg, and your target is weakest to Cold, your wep will do Cold Dmg as long as Consec Wep is up. Lasts about 5-10 seconds, depending on Karma. By far, one of the most useful spells in the game.
Enemy of One:	Your best or worst friend. This will increase damage on one target type, so if you use it on one lich, it will affect ALL liches (not lich lords tho). If you're fighting a boss, the same mob, etc. then this is great to use. Boosts damage by 50%, BUT you take 100% more dmg from non-targets. So if you're in Doom and you use EEO on a lich lord, then a devourer comes up, you may want to step back. Lasts for 100-180 seconds or so, depending on Karma once again. Can't deactivate it, just let it time out or change targets, hence why it can be your worst friend.
Sacred Journey:	Use this instead of Recall. Slightly quicker, cheaper (reg wise), but you will still be sapped of mana if using it to travel out of Fel (changed in 2016).

Necromancy

Necromancy is a great skill to use if your weapon does not have leeches on it. There are multiple forms you can cast into that add damage, mana/life leech and more. Here is the list of some of the more useful spells. Unlike Chivalry, where you need to recast Consec Wep/Divine Fury every 10-15 seconds to maintain a high damage output, Necro Spells are there for specific situations. Curse Weapon is a life saver if you are hit with mortal strike, but it isn't needed every second you are fighting. Lich/Wraith form both have advantages, but also aren't needed always. The bottom three spells are good assist spells.

Spell	What it does
Wraith Form	+25% damage from undead weapons +15% physical resist/-5% fire resist/-5% energy resist While in this form your weapon gets Mana Leech added to it. The formula for mana leeched is: Spirit Speak / 5. If the target has no mana left, you leech nothing.
Curse Weapon	Adds Life Leech to your weapon. You receive 50% of your damage output. At GM Spirit Speak, this lasts 30 seconds. At 120 SS, this lasts 35 seconds.
Lich Form	+25% damage from undead weapons -10% fire resist/+10% poison resist/+10% cold resist +13 mana every 10 seconds -5 Hitpoints every 10 seconds (cannot go below 1) (Yes, you lose HP in this form, be careful)
Blood Oath	Any damage the target does is reflected back. Lasts 8-10 seconds or so.

Other Notable Skills

Bushido

Bushido is a handy skill which has a few extremely helpful skills/perks. Those with both Bushido and Parrying are able to parry with one or two-hand weapons, while parrying chance with a shield drops significantly. At 120 Bushido/Parry:

1-Handed weapon parry chance: 35%

2-Handed weapon parry chance: 40%

Shield parry chance: 5%

Calculator for determining parry chance based on Bushido/Parry skill levels: https://uo.stratics.com/content/skills/parrying.php

Spell	What it does
Counter Attack	If armed/active, you will counter an enemy should you successfully parry. Has the potential to miss. Counter Attack will use your primary/secondary abilities (and +Hit Spells can proc as well), effectively giving you a free attack. If you are fighting multiple mobs and are attacking Target "A", and you parry/counter Target "B", your attack focus will shift to Target "B".
Momentum Strike	Allows you to hit two targets at once, providing both are in range. Melee weapons will target two targets, providing both are 1 tile away from you. Ranged weapons will hit two targets within shooting distance. Momentum Strike will only hit both targets if they are both attacking you.
Confidence	Adds passive Stamina/HP Regen for four seconds (or until you are hit) and heals your Stamina/HP per successful parry. Confidence lasts about 10 seconds.
Evasion	Increases your parry chance and allows you to parry abilities/spells which normally cannot be parried (dragon breath/spells). Lasts 3-6 seconds, depending on your Bushido/Tactics/Anatomy.

Discordance

Extremely useful skill that causes your target to lose a percentage of its stats/resistances. At 120 Discord, targets lose 28% of their resists (so something at 75/75/75/75/75 resists would drop to 47/47/47/47/47 resists). By far one of the most underrated skills available, allowing you to dish out even heavier hits when combined with the core components listed earlier.

Ninjitsu

Has a few nifty spells (mirror image, focus attack, backstab, shadow jump, death strike, etc.), but not as useful in everyday situations as Chiv/Necro/Bushido is. It's uses are more niche. Ninjitsu is necessary to use some Special Moves (abilities).

Lumberjacking

At 100 Lumberjacking you receive a 30% Damage Bonus. The formula is ((Skill/5) + 10%). I'm unsure if this increases at 120 LJ. Definitely worthwhile to get 120 LJ if you plan on using any Axes.

Inscription

At 100 Inscription you gain 10% Spell Damage Increase on Magery Spells (affects +Hits on Weapons). I'm unsure if 120 Inscription would be 12%.
Lowers the penalties of Protection/Reactive Armor/Magic Reflection.

Combat Focus Guide

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