Ultima Online has a short Halloween event running on its New Legacy shards. The Hollow Rider went live on October 30 on both New Legacy and New Legacy Japan. It stays up only for the weekend and closes with Monday morning’s server maintenance.
To join in, head to the Yew Moongate, where the adventure begins.
A headless horseman outside Yew
The UO Team frames the event around an old Yew legend. Every year on the last night of harvest, the local farmers light their lanterns and hear hoofbeats that never stop at their door. This year the story goes differently. Britannia is said to be burning brighter than it has in ages, and that light has drawn something out of the deep woods.
Players arriving in Yew will find the fields around the town circled by fire. Pumpkin-headed creatures wander between the trees. In the middle of the flames waits the Rider himself, mounted on a burning horse, sword in hand and a pumpkin sitting where his head should be. He is hunting for the head he lost long ago.
According to the lore, nobody has ever beaten him on their own and survived, and his curse can only be lifted by people who fight side by side. That suggests the encounter is meant for groups rather than solo players, so it’s worth rounding up friends or guildmates before you step through the gate.
What’s on offer
Beating the Rider and his pumpkin-headed followers earns exclusive rewards. The announcement doesn’t list them, so players will have to find out what drops by taking part. The key details so far:
- Where: New Legacy and New Legacy Japan shards
- How to start: Use the Yew Moongate
- When: Live now, ending with Monday morning’s server maintenance
- Rewards: Exclusive event items, not yet detailed
The team is also pitching the event to newcomers and lapsed players. They describe it as a good reason to try the current season of New Legacy, whether you’re coming back to Britannia or setting foot there for the first time. New Legacy runs separately from the classic shards, so everyone starts from the same point. That makes a weekend event like this a fairly easy way in.
The Hollow Rider is a separate event from Wintertide, the holiday activity now being tested on Test Center 1 as part of Publish 125. Wintertide is still heading toward the live shards, while the Rider is only around for a few days. Players on New Legacy who want to take him on need to do it before the Monday maintenance, when he disappears again.
Source: Ultima Online official news.
