Progression on Immortal Realm follows classic UO mechanics with a few intentional tunings: faster gains 1–70, standard 70–100, and Powerscrolls past 100 as a Felucca-only path. There are no classes — you build the character you want by training the skills you want.
This page covers how the skill system works, what the build path looks like at each tier, and which choices matter most.
The 700-Point Skill Cap
Every character has a 700-point skill cap distributed across any combination of UO's skill list. A standard "all-100" build looks like:
- 100 Swordsmanship
- 100 Tactics
- 100 Anatomy
- 100 Healing
- 100 Parrying
- 100 Magery
- 100 Resisting Spells
That's seven 100s — a complete, working warrior-mage hybrid. Pure mages, pure crafters, and specialist builds adjust the split.
Powerscrolls raise the per-skill cap above 100, up to 120 in 5-point increments. With Powerscrolls and the Felucca-side investment they require, a 700-point cap can house roughly six 110s + a 40, or other ratios depending on which skills you push past 100. Powerscrolls drop only from Felucca champion spawns and are tradeable between players.
Stats (Strength / Dexterity / Intelligence) are a separate 225-point cap (TotalStatCap=225 in Config/PlayerCaps.cfg) with per-stat base caps of 125 (StrCap=125 / DexCap=125 / IntCap=125) and enhanced per-stat caps of 150 with stat scrolls (StrMaxCap=150 etc.). Note: a single character can't reach 150/150/150 because the total is still capped at 225 — enhanced caps just give more flexibility in how you distribute the 225 points. The standard split for fighters is 100 STR / 100 DEX / 25 INT; mages flip it.
Skill Gain Curves
Immortal Realm tunes the skill-gain curve from stock UO:
- 1–70 is roughly 30% faster than standard UO. The intent is that players reach a "working" skill level in their first week without grinding becoming the entire content.
- 70–100 is unchanged from standard UO. This is the productive zone, where most of your real character-building time lives.
- 100+ requires Powerscrolls — bound to Felucca champion spawns, no shortcuts.
The split is intentional: a faster early curve means a new player is competent within a session, but the long-term progression still has weight. Reaching 100 in a skill is meant to feel like an accomplishment, not a milestone you hit by accident.
How Skills Actually Train
Skills raise by using them:
- Combat skills raise by hitting things. Swordsmanship raises when you swing a sword in combat; Archery raises when you shoot a bow.
- Magery raises by casting spells. Higher-circle spells gain faster (per cast) but cost more reagents.
- Crafting skills raise by crafting items. Some recipes have skill-level gates; staying near your current skill level produces fastest gains.
- Passive skills — Anatomy, Tactics, Eval Int, Resisting Spells — gain alongside their parent activity. Anatomy gains while you fight; Eval Int gains while you cast offensive spells.
There are no XP bars and no daily caps. You raise a skill by spending time using it.
The First Working Build
A new character should target a functional 70/70/70/70 template before worrying about specialization:
- Primary combat skill (Swordsmanship, Mace Fighting, Fencing, or Archery): 70.
- Tactics: 70 — required for combat-skill effectiveness.
- Anatomy: 70 — adds damage, gates combat-skill specials.
- Healing: 70 — bandages are core survivability, requires Anatomy 60+.
That's 280 skill points. With your starting profession's skills, you'll reach this in your first week of regular play. From here, you have three branches:
- Hybrid path: add Magery + Eval Int + Meditation for a melee-mage.
- Pure warrior path: add Parrying + Resisting Spells + a second weapon skill.
- Crafting hybrid: add Mining + Blacksmithy or Lumberjacking + Carpentry as a side-economy.
The 70 → 100 Grind
The productive zone. Three rules apply:
- Stay where the gains land. Most skills have a "skill level matches challenge level" sweet spot. Magery gains best on spells around your skill cap; combat skills gain best on monsters that genuinely threaten you.
- Don't grind alone unless you have to. A two-character group fighting harder content gains faster than one character fighting easy content.
- Use the right reagents / tools. Higher-tier reagents and tools accelerate gains; cheap shortcuts cost time.
70 → 100 in a primary skill is roughly two to four weeks of regular play. 70 → 100 in a second skill, with the first already at 100, is faster because your overall character power lets you train against tougher content.
100 → 120 (Powerscrolls)
Powerscrolls are the Felucca-exclusive cap raise. Mechanics:
- Champion spawns drop Powerscrolls scaling 105 → 120 per skill.
- A 105 Powerscroll raises your cap to 105; 110 raises it to 110; 115 to 115; 120 to 120.
- Powerscrolls are tradeable — you don't have to farm your own.
- Once your cap is raised, the skill itself still has to be trained to the new cap.
The Felucca-side commitment is real: serious endgame characters tend to have Felucca-experienced friends, faction membership, or guild war partners who farm spawns regularly.
Stats: The 225-Point Pool
Strength / Dexterity / Intelligence sum to 225 (TotalStatCap=225) with per-stat base caps of 125 (StrCap=125 / DexCap=125 / IntCap=125). Stat scrolls raise individual caps to 150 (StrMaxCap=150 / DexMaxCap=150 / IntMaxCap=150), but the 225 total cap is hard — enhanced individual caps just let you redistribute, not exceed.
Standard splits:
- Fighter: 100 STR / 100 DEX / 25 INT
- Mage: 25 STR / 25 DEX / 100 INT, or 50/25/100 for hybrids that want some hit-points buffer
- Crafter: 100 STR / 25 DEX / 25 INT — Strength gates carry capacity, which matters for resource gathering
Stat scrolls (raising individual caps to 125) drop similarly to Powerscrolls — mostly Felucca content.
Build Templates That Work
A short menu of proven 700-point templates:
Pure Warrior (PvE / casual PvP)
- 100 Swordsmanship
- 100 Tactics
- 100 Anatomy
- 100 Healing
- 100 Parrying
- 100 Magery
- 100 Resisting Spells
Self-sufficient, tanky, can solo most PvE content. Recall via Magery 50+; Greater Heal as backup heal.
Pure Mage (PvE / PvP)
- 100 Magery
- 100 Eval Int
- 100 Meditation
- 100 Resisting Spells
- 100 Inscription (or 100 Mysticism if mysticism is your route)
- 100 Wrestling
- 100 Anatomy
High burst damage, mobility, area control. Fragile in melee — keep your distance.
Tamer
- 100 Animal Taming
- 100 Animal Lore
- 100 Veterinary
- 100 Magery
- 100 Eval Int
- 100 Meditation
- 100 Resisting Spells
Pet-driven content; one of the strongest PvE solo templates. Slow to skill up early but rewarding after 80 Taming.
Crafter (Smith)
- 100 Blacksmithy
- 100 Mining
- 100 Arms Lore
- 100 Tinkering
- 100 Carpentry
- 100 Magery (for Recall mobility)
- 100 Anatomy or Tactics for self-defense
Economy character. Pair with a fighter alt for materials and protection.
Reading the Long Arc
A realistic timeline:
- Week 1: working 70/70/70/70 base. Comfortable in Trammel; can solo basic dungeons.
- Weeks 2–4: push primary skills to 100. Start engaging with mid-tier PvE content.
- Months 2–3: full all-100 template. Felucca becomes a real option. First Powerscroll farming.
- Months 4+: 110/115 Powerscrolls on primary skills. Endgame PvE and competitive PvP both viable.
There is no point at which you "win" UO — the long-arc reward is the world itself, and the character you've built lets you participate in it more deeply over time.
Where to Go Next
If you're new and need the starting walkthrough, Immortal Realm New Player Guide covers the New Haven path and recommended starting profession. If you're aiming at PvP-viable builds specifically, PvP on Immortal Realm covers the Felucca side. If you want the higher-level shard pitch, Immortal Realm Guide is the right read. When you're ready to play, the download page is the on-ramp.
