Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

General

• Using keyboard only controls the game better, especially in combat. Use your left hand to control movement around WAXD and attacking using P, ; and /.

If you want a more modernized control scheme, there is a fanmade mouselook patch with more modern PC controls and some other QOL improvements. See the PC Gaming Wiki page for example for links and instructions.

• The game very much assumes you've read the manual properly, at least for the list of spells and the generic level up mantras.

• Shift+J is a standing long jump, or Ctrl+Shift if using the mouselook patch. You'll be using it a lot.

• The game has no qualms about softlocking you from beating it should you throw away the wrong item or anger the wrong NPC, so save before talking to people and leave important things where you can find them again. Also while it doesn't happen often, if you see an error message in your log, it's probably safer to load a previous save.

Exploration & Items

• There is no in-game time limit. Items dropped on the ground will also stay there forever, so you can safely stash items you don't want to lug around but might need later. There is a cap for how many separate objects the game can handle existing on a single level, so you might not want to dump every single individual rock and gem on the floor, but use stacks and containers instead. This cap is fairly high though.

• You can write notes on your map. There is no quest log; note down anything and anyone that seems remotely important.

• The Silver Seed you can find near the start of the game will act as a checkpoint when planted, and it can be safely removed and re-planted at will. There is no penalty to dying if you have one planted, so it can double as a sort of fast travel point if you die on purpose.

• Some secret doors need to be examined first before you're able to open them, even if you know their location. Some also only open from one side.

• Long poles can be used to activate switches that are out of your reach. If you have a spare, combine it with a thread for a fishing rod (free fresh food anywhere near water).

• When you acquire a recipe, you have to hold on to the recipe itself to create the item, not just write down its contents.

• There are a few "generic" items you will eventually need that may not seem obvious a first. Such as
  a bowl, a flute, thread, and some incense (you'll need to light up)
  . Anything with a special sounding name (obviously). Also a pickaxe in case you get trapped by a cave-in.

Attributes & Skills

• Your three main attributes are randomized at character creation based on your class, ranging from 12 to 30 and always adding up to 60. Unlike your skills, these are set in stone for the entire game. For fighter or universalist characters, aim for Strength 25+.

• The manual contains 3 generic mantras that give you random advances in combat/magic/miscellaneous skills respectively, but you'll want to switch to mantras that give you specific skills. You will find them during the game, often near shrines or taught by experts in their field.

• Combat and spellcasting skills are more important than the others. Some are practically useless (like Lockpick, since any pickable doors can be bashed open). One exception is Lore, which allows you to recognize magical items without having to cast Identify all the time.

• One skill point in Attack essentially counts as half a point in each individual weapon skill for purposes of offense. As usual, swords are a safe choice if you want to specialize.