Samurai Empire
Samurai Empire
Samurai Empire — released November 2004 — is the third major expansion of Ultima Online and the one that introduced Britannia's Far East in the form of the Tokuno Islands facet. Samurai Empire shipped with two new skill schools (Bushido and Ninjitsu), the Samurai and Ninja archetype builds, and a Tokuno-themed content suite (artwork, cosmetics, monsters, and the recurring Treasures of Tokuno events). Where Age of Shadows added darker / paladin themes via Necromancy + Chivalry, Samurai Empire added Far East warrior cultures with the canonical Bushi (samurai) and Ninja archetype templates.
The expansion's most enduring contributions to the meta were the Bushido skill (which became a foundational skill for the Sampire combat template) and Ninjitsu (which built the canonical Ninja stealth-combat archetype with Smoke Bomb, Shadow form, and the Animal Form mechanic).
What Samurai Empire shipped
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Tokuno Islands facet | New facet — Tokuno-themed islands east of mainland Britannia |
| Bushido skill | Samurai discipline; perfection moves and weapon-skill enhancements |
| Ninjitsu skill | Ninja discipline; stealth, forms, and signature ninja consumables |
| Three Tokuno cities | Zento, Homare-Jima, Isamu-Jima, Makoto-Jima |
| Treasures of Tokuno event series | Recurring event with Tokuno-themed cosmetic rewards |
| Tokuno weapons + armor | New weapon classes (Wakizashi, Tetsubo, Yumi, etc.) |
| Hiryu pet | Powerful dragon-tier pet for Tamers |
| Samurai / Ninja artifacts | Bushido + Ninjitsu themed artifact items |
Bushido
Bushido is the canonical "samurai discipline" skill:
| Mechanic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Reagents | None — uses Bushido as direct skill check |
| Iconic abilities | Honorable Execution, Lightning Strike, Momentum Strike, Confidence, Counter Attack, Evasion |
| Weapon synergy | Buffs swordsmanship + fencing + mace combat |
| Critical role | Special Move discount — drops stamina cost ~50% |
| Sampire requirement | Foundational — every Sampire build runs 120 Bushido |
Bushido at GM (100) gives ~50% special-move stamina discount; at 120 (Power Scroll) the discount is even larger. The skill is the canonical "special move sustainability" foundation in modern UO.
Ninjitsu
Ninjitsu is the canonical "ninja discipline" skill:
| Mechanic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Iconic abilities | Animal Form (cat / dog / squirrel disguise), Smoke Bomb, Shadow form |
| Stealth synergy | Pairs with Hiding + Stealth |
| Surprise Attack | First-strike bonus from hidden start |
| Weapon synergy | Pairs with throwing weapons (post-Stygian Abyss) |
| Defensive options | Animal Form to escape combat as small-creature |
The combination of Smoke Bomb (instant hide in combat) + Shadow form (reveal-resistance) + Animal Form (disguise) makes the Ninjitsu archetype the canonical "combat survivor" build.
Tokuno Islands
Tokuno Islands is the fourth facet introduced with Samurai Empire (after Felucca, Trammel, and Malas). The facet has:
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
| Zento | The capital city of Tokuno; bank, healers, all major services |
| Homare-Jima | Northern island; military training |
| Isamu-Jima | Eastern island; spiritual / religious focus |
| Makoto-Jima | Southern island; commerce + craft |
| Fan Dancer Dojo | Dungeon — Bushido-themed |
| Yomotsu Mines | Dungeon — Ninja-themed |
| The Citadel | Mid-tier boss dungeon |
Travel to Tokuno is via dual moongates and the Tokuno-flavored boats that ferry between mainland and the islands.
Tokuno weapons + armor
Samurai Empire introduced a new weapon-and-armor roster reflecting Far Eastern aesthetics:
| Weapon class | Skill |
|---|---|
| Wakizashi, Katana, No-Dachi, Tessen | Swordsmanship |
| Tetsubo, Bokuto | Mace Fighting |
| Yumi (longbow), Composite Bow, Repeating Crossbow | Archery |
| Sai, Lajatang | Fencing (Sai) or Swordsmanship (Lajatang) |
| Daisho | Combined sword+wakizashi pair |
The armor roster: Hakama, Kimono, Studded Leather (Tokuno-flavored), Hiryu / Bushi armor. Same six-slot equipment layout as mainland; cosmetic differences only.
Hiryu
The Hiryu is the iconic Tamer pet introduced with Samurai Empire:
| Hiryu attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Taming Difficulty | 98.5 (full Hiryu); ~89 (lesser Hiryu) |
| HP | 700 — 1000 |
| Damage type | Mostly Physical with a Cold component |
| Slots cost | 4 — 5 |
| Ability | Flame Breath (high-damage AoE) |
The Hiryu joined the canonical "end-game pet roster" alongside Cu Sidhe (the Mondain's Legacy elf-pet) and Greater Dragon (the post-Pet-Training universal champion).
Treasures of Tokuno
Treasures of Tokuno is the recurring event series introduced with Samurai Empire:
| Cycle | Recurrence |
|---|---|
| Token-grinding phase | Tokuno mobs drop event tokens |
| Reward redemption | Tokens exchanged at event NPC for Tokuno cosmetics + artifacts |
| Event-end | Tokuno tokens become collectibles after event closes |
Treasures of Tokuno cycles have run multiple times since the expansion's launch. Each cycle adds new Tokuno-themed items to the collector market.
Sampire — born of Samurai Empire
The canonical "Sampire" build template combines: - Bushido — special-move sustainability - Necromancy — Vampiric Embrace form (heal-on-hit) - Chivalry — Consecrate Weapon + heal spells - Tactics + Anatomy — damage multipliers - An axe-class weapon — Lumberjacking damage stack
This is the canonical "Pure DPS" warrior template, born from the simultaneous availability of Necromancy/Chivalry (Age of Shadows) + Bushido (Samurai Empire). Without both expansions, the build is impossible.
Long-term legacy
| Consequence | Detail |
|---|---|
| Bushido as Sampire foundation | Permanent fixture in DPS-focused builds |
| Ninjitsu's stealth overhaul | Made hide-and-seek combat viable |
| Tokuno cosmetic economy | Recurring event-token cycles |
| New crafting recipes | Tokuno-themed Carpentry / Tailoring / Fletching |
See also
- Bushido — the samurai-discipline skill
- Ninjitsu — the ninja-discipline skill
- Tokuno_Islands — the facet introduced with this expansion
- Smoke_Bomb — the canonical Ninjitsu consumable
- Shadow — the canonical Ninjitsu form
- Treasures_of_Tokuno — the recurring event-token cycle
- Age_of_Shadows — the previous expansion
- Mondain's_Legacy — the next expansion (2005)