For adventurers in Ultima Online looking to tame creatures with finesse rather than brute force, peace making offers a unique and rewarding path. This guide will walk you through the intricacies of peace making taming, helping you subdue even the most formidable beasts in Britannia. While direct peace taming isn’t universally applicable – some creatures like greater dragons and cu sidhe possess inherent resistance – mastering this technique opens up a world of possibilities for your tamer.
Understanding Peace Taming in Ultima Online
Peace taming leverages the Peacemaking skill in conjunction with Musicianship to calm a creature, making it susceptible to taming attempts. Unlike traditional taming which relies on repeated applications of the Animal Taming skill, peace taming introduces a strategic layer, allowing tamers to control aggressive creatures before even attempting to tame them. This method is particularly useful for creatures that are naturally hostile or inhabit dangerous environments.
Creatures Suited for Peace Taming
While the allure of peace taming dragons is strong, it’s crucial to understand its limitations. Creatures possess a “barding difficulty” which determines the effectiveness of peace making. For entities with excessively high barding difficulty, even a master peacemaker with 120 Peacemaking and Musicianship skills might struggle to directly peace them for taming purposes.
However, for a significant portion of creatures in Ultima Online, peace taming is not only viable but highly efficient. These include, but are not limited to:
- Nightmares: Manageable with GM level Peacemaking and Musicianship.
- Regular Dragons, Hiryus, Fire Steeds, Rune Beetles: More reliably peace tamable when Musicianship reaches 105 and Peacemaking is at least GM, with optimal success around 110 Musicianship and 105+ Peacemaking.
For creatures like Greater Dragons and Cu Sidhe, direct peace taming becomes exceptionally challenging. Alternative strategies, discussed later, are often necessary.
Step-by-Step Guide to Peace Taming
To effectively peace tame, follow these steps:
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Preparation:
- Location: Lead the target creature to a secluded spot, away from other spawns. This minimizes distractions and potential interruptions.
- Sound On: Ensure game sounds are enabled. Audio cues are vital for monitoring the success of peacemaking and the creature’s agitation levels.
- Macros: Set up macros for “Use Skill Taming” with cursor targeting and “Tame Last Object.” These macros streamline the taming process, especially when time is of the essence.
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Initiating Peace Taming:
- Peace the Creature: Use your Peacemaking skill on the target creature. Observe for successful peacemaking – a successful attempt will be indicated by your bard playing music.
- Wait for Song: Allow the peacemaking song to fully conclude before attempting to tame.
- Tame Attempt: Immediately after the song finishes, use your “Tame Last Object” macro repeatedly to initiate the taming process. Look for the system message confirming “You have started to tame the creature.”
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Maintaining Calm and Taming Progress:
- Walk Away: Crucially, after initiating the tame, slowly walk away from the creature. Remaining stationary can lead to accidental attacks, even on a peaced creature, potentially breaking the taming attempt.
- Monitor Aggravation: Pay close attention to both audio and visual cues indicating the creature’s agitation. Growls, snarls, and visual aggression signal the calming effect is wearing off and it’s time to re-peace.
- Re-Peace Timing: Be proactive in re-peacing. Aim to re-peace immediately after a taming attempt ends and before the creature becomes fully aggressive again. With practice, you’ll develop a sense for the timing.
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Persistence and Practice:
- Skill Development: Peace taming success is heavily influenced by your Peacemaking and Musicianship skills. Consistent practice and skill gains will noticeably improve your success rate.
- Macro Efficiency: Mastering your taming macros is crucial for efficient attempts, especially under pressure.
Advanced Peace Taming Techniques for Difficult Creatures
For creatures like Greater Dragons and Cu Sidhe that resist direct peace taming, consider these advanced techniques:
- Area Peacemaking for Positioning: Utilize Area Peacemaking to calm surrounding creatures, allowing you to safely approach and maneuver the target creature to a suitable taming area. Engage combat mode and “tap” the target to lure it without direct aggression.
- Honor Taming Greater Dragons: For Greater Dragons, after using Area Peacemaking to position them, dismount and employ the Honor virtue for taming. This method bypasses the direct peace taming resistance. Be prepared to expend multiple “dots” of honor, allowing 5 minutes between attempts, depending on your Taming and Lore skills and luck.
- Assisted Cu Sidhe Taming: Taming a Cu Sidhe directly with peace making is exceptionally difficult for newly tamed specimens. Area peacemaking can significantly aid a friend attempting to tame a Cu Sidhe by keeping surrounding threats at bay. Interestingly, a previously tamed and then released Cu Sidhe might be more susceptible to direct peace taming due to a potentially reduced barding difficulty.
Conclusion: Embrace the Art of Peace Taming
Peace making taming in Ultima Online is a nuanced skill that rewards patience, practice, and strategic thinking. While not a universal solution, it provides a powerful tool for aspiring tamers to acquire a diverse range of creatures. By understanding its mechanics, mastering the techniques, and continuously refining your skills, you can confidently venture forth and peaceably tame some of Britannia’s most magnificent beasts.
