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Uo1

Lord British's assassination in Ultima Online

Killing Lord British has become an accomplishment in itself over the years. Richard Garriott had something against the players trying to assassinate his character Lord British. At first Garriott made this task extremely difficult, but program oversights still made it possible. Later, the whole thing was seen as more humorous. Therefore, here now are the known ways to kill Lord British in the games:

Killable due to a programming oversight[]

Ultima I[]

  • Lord British just has lots of hit points, so if insanely leveled up with all stats on maximum and the best weapons and armour, it is possible to kill him the normal way.

Ultima II[]

  • As in Ultima I, British again just has lots of hit points. See Ultima I above!

Ultima III[]

  • Lord British is invulnerable to normal weapons in Ultima III -- however, he isn't to ship cannons! The Player can lure Lord British towards the moat, after making him aggressive, and kill him with the cannons of the ship parked there.

Ultima IV[]

  • In the NES version Lord British can be killed much like in Ultima I and II.
  • In the Atari 800 and C64 versions, Lord British can be killed if you use the Skull of Mondain in his presence. He just disappears along with everyone else in the room.

Ultima V[]

  • Bumbling around for too long in the game (meaning several years) will result in Lord British dying from starvation during his imprisonment, which also means a game over.
  • Finishing the game without having the Sandalwood Box in your inventory causes you to be trapped with Lord British with no means of escape, which is another means of a game over. Presumably, you and Lord British both eventually starve to death while trapped in the alternate dimension if this happens.

Ultima VI[]

  • Dragging a poison trap to the throne and detonating it while Lord British sits on it will poison him, killing him in only a matter of time.
  • While Lord British is asleep, is possible to kill him with a Glass Sword.
  • Surrounding his throne with enough powder kegs and igniting them while he sits on it kills him.
  • Open the doorway to the throne room and move one of the castle's cannons in front of the doorway. Use the cannon enough times and you'll kill Lord British. (He has some powerful items on him.) If you try to use the cannon within the throne room, the game will recognize what you are trying to do and British will whack the Avatar.

Killable as an Easter Egg[]

Ultima VII[]

  • Every day at noon, Lord British stays in the doorway to the throne room. Reading the plaque above the door will cause it to fall, beheading the king. This was inspired by an incident at the Origin building; a metal bar, where the magnet on the door attached to it, fell on Garriott's head, warranting a visit to the hospital.
  • It also is possible to use The Black Sword against Lord British, which results in a humorous scene before and after the deed is done.
  • A third method involves assembling at least 8 gun powder kegs around Lord British in his throne room, and then detonating them.

When killed, Lord British will leave his will and testament in which he bequeaths his belongings to Nell, and the crown to their unborn child. He comments on how Nell has kept him warm so many nights.

Ultima VII Part Two[]

  • The whole thing is played for laughs. Since Lord British is met in the dream realm, he can be attacked by normal means. He complains of how far the Avatar has fallen before waking up.

Ultima IX[]

  • The Avatar can use his bread maker together with rat poison to make poisoned bread. This can be taken to Britannia, and exchanged with Lord British's meal in the kitchen. Lord British will come in, eat the bread, and die from the rat poison.
 	Ultima_IX_-_Killing_Lord_British 	 			  

Not killable[]

This list does not include games in which Lord British does not appear (such as Ultima VIII: Pagan).

Ultima: Runes of Virtue[]

  • According to lead designer Dr. Cat, this is the first game where it is impossible to kill Lord British.[1]

Unconfirmed[]

Ultima: Runes of Virtue II[]

  • Dr. Cat believes that Lord British is not killable in this game, but since he had left Origin by this time, he can't confirm it.[1]

Ultima Underworld II[]

  • Using the Armageddon spell, it is possible to annihilate every single active object in the game. High-level spells cannot be cast in Britannia; however, it is possible to cast Armageddon in another world, and then return to Britannia by dying. It is impossible to reach to the main floor of the castle to check if the spell has actually killed Lord British, but it stands to reason that he is dead because the spell destroys every object in every world, including ones that are normally indestructible.

Trivia[]

  • The whole thing also accidentally happened in Ultima Online (see top-of-article image). A character called "Rainz" used a stolen firewall-scroll while Lord British gave an audience. Richard Garriott, who had forgotten to activate his "Lord British-invincibility" must have looked quite shocked, when his alter ego dropped dead on the spot.
  • In Ultima VII, If you use the Exult cheats to enter God Mode.. Use the Armageddon spell in LB's presence. Then attack him. He will attack you without mercy even if you use charm on him. Using sleep on him will just cause him to continue to attack you after he wakes up. The only way to make him friendly towards you is to kill him by luring him into the courtyard and having the plaque fall on his head. Resurrect him afterwards and he will be friendly towards you again.. Of course, all he will talk to you about is your irresponsible usage of the Armageddon spell.
  • If you use the cheat mode, use the pickpocket cheat on Lord British and you will find not only his scroll, but a lightning bolt. You can arm it, but not use it as an attack method. Batlin will have a fireball on his person, in his left hand, and a tuft of sparkles in his right. (he can only attack you with his hands if you take these from him). In his pack he has what looks to be the amulet of Lord British itself. If you drop it, it will be too heavy to pick up again. But you must use the Exult Cheats to accomplish these feats.
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