New Dawn. New Britannia. New Chapter.

Game Portal

About New Dawn

New Dawn is an Ultima Online shard built around the T2A and UO:R era. It's the version of UO a lot of us remember best, and the one we keep coming back to.

We're not trying to make a perfect recreation. Some things from that era were great, but 25 years later, some of them need to evolve with the times (and with us). We kept what worked and changed what didn't, based on a lot of years spent playing, running, and building for UO.

If you played back then, most of it will feel like home, with a few changes you'll notice right away. If you didn't, there's no quest log telling you where to go next and no level cap to grind toward. You pick some skills, head out, and figure it out.

It's free to play, and there's nothing to buy that gives you an edge over anyone else.

A lot of people in the UO community helped make New Dawn happen. They're listed on the credits page.

Server Features

Some of the bigger things we've added or changed.

T2A/UOR Era Combat

Classic T2A/UOR PvP, adjusted over a lot of testing. We evened out the balance where it needed it, but kept the risk.

Players adventuring in the Felucca wilderness

One Facet: Felucca

There's no Trammel. The whole world is PvP-enabled, so you're never completely safe once you leave town, and your reputation as a red or blue follows you.

Template Freedom

700 skill points and 225 stat points, spent however you like. Underused skills like Parrying, Archery and Spirit Speak have been reworked so they're worth building around.

A Britannian city still damaged from the Codex War

A Reshaped Britannia

It's the Britannia you know, but the Codex War left its mark. Towns are damaged, parts of the world have changed, and people are still putting things back together.

Codex Rifts & Rift Seasons

Step through a portal into a pivotal moment in Britannia's history, including battles from the Codex War. Rifts can drop powerful artifacts, and Rift Seasons bring limited-time content on top.

Pirates & Sea Encounters

Rare treasure maps lead to hidden pirate havens, and ships come out of the fog while you're at sea. It's dangerous, but the loot is worth it.

Dungeon of the Week

Every week, different dungeons get bonuses like better loot and faster skill gain. It's a good excuse to go back to places you haven't been in years.

Teams fighting over a flag in Capture the Flag

Battlegrounds

Structured PvP outside the open world: Capture the Flag (up to 10v10, 20-minute matches), Conquest, ranked Dueling, and Battle Bombin'.

Order vs. Chaos

An open-world faction war across Felucca. Order and Chaos fight over outposts, and a new season starts every month.

Achievements

Achievements track the milestones and challenges you've completed, and some of them come with rewards.

Life Skills

Archaeology, Astronomy, Beekeeping, Coin Collecting and more. In Archaeology, monsters drop clues that point to dig sites in the ruins around Britain and Moonglow. You dig in three stages, and higher skill means better odds of turning up something valuable.

And a Lot More

New characters start safe on Ocllo Island through the Young Player Program. Champions and the Harrower pay out a custom currency for unique rewards, and rare creatures spawn around the world. We've been live since February 2026 and have shipped 75+ patches since. The full list is in the patch notes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ultima Online? +

Ultima Online came out in 1997 and was one of the first MMORPGs. You make a character and train skills by using them. There are no classes and no levels. From there you can fight, craft, trade, build a house, or get into trouble with other players.

What is UO New Dawn? +

A free Ultima Online shard built around the T2A and UO:R era. The About section above has the longer version.

Why another shard? +

There are hundreds of UO shards out there, so it's a fair question.

Most of the big ideas in UO have been tried somewhere by now, and anyone with an AI subscription can crank out new features in an afternoon. What sets a shard apart is how well it all fits together, and that comes down to execution. That's where almost 20 years in software architecture and development comes in, and it's what makes New Dawn different.

New Dawn gets regular updates, from patches and fixes to new items and bigger events. But we're not chasing a content treadmill to keep you logging in. The heart of it is a sandbox in the T2A/Renaissance style, where most of what happens comes from the players. Guilds, rivalries, the economy, events people run themselves.

Early UO gave you a world to live in, not a game to beat. That's still what we're going for.

Getting Started with New Dawn

Three steps to get playing

Create Your Free Account

Register on the game portal. You'll need a verified Discord account to sign up. It takes about a minute and costs nothing.

Download the Launcher

Once you're logged in, the portal's Getting Started page has the launcher download. If you get stuck, the Codex has an install guide for Windows and Linux. Please read the server policies before you log in.

Read Up and Say Hello

The New Player Guide covers the basics, and everything else lives in the Codex. Our Discord is where announcements go up and where you can ask questions. You don't have to stay in the server after you register, but it's the easiest way to find people to play with.

We'll see you in Britannia!