Anachronistic Weapons



Due to Mondain's contact with extraterrestrials in Ultima I and the altered state of the time line in Ultima II, many highly sophisticated weapons appear in these games, even during time periods in which they are clearly beyond the current reach of technology. Later, after the defeat of both Mondain and Minax in realms of times past, the course of history appears to have been altered such that these devices were rendered unavailable to the population of Sosaria.

Pistols
In the age of Ultima I, small personal handguns were available to the populace of Sosaria. It is unclear whether they were an import from Mondain's star-faring allies or a technological development of the age. Ships were then equipped with cannons - implying the advent of gunpowder weapons had already transpired. In either case, the pistol was an exceptionally potent weapon for the Sosarian age, trumping even the mages' triangle sword in terms of effectiveness.

Pistols would reappear later in the Ultima series -- although in their proper place in time -- in Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams; see Weapons in Martian Dreams.

Blasters
The blaster was the most powerful weapon available in Sosaria during the era one millenium after the construction of Mondain's gem. It was a ranged hand-held weapon, similar to a pistol, save that it shot bolts of energy far more potent than the soft metal ammunition of handguns. It was probable that the blaster was either a device created by combining the mystic arts with contemporary firearms technology, or it was an imported weapon obtained from contact with the star-walkers.

Phasers
The phaser (sometimes also spelled as "phazor") was a weapon similar in construction and operation to the blaster, save that it was not as potent. Unlike blasters, phaser technology was available to the people of the Stranger's home world during the temporal relativity created by Minax and the advent of the time doors. Within this timeline of Earth's reality, phasers were the most potent weapons available, save for the legendary Quicksword, although they required a very skilled hand to operate.

Light Swords
Light swords could be found in both the Sosaria of the First Age of Darkness and upon the altered Earth created by Minax. It is unclear if these weapons were simply magically enchanted swords composed of metal, or if they were some manner of high-tech device, such as might be seen in the films of the late twentieth century. The latter seems likely, as they were of superior attack power than the Sosarian pistol - although in their later incarnation they required significant manual dexterity to wield effectively.

Trivia

 * As with other genre-bending anachronisms of Ultima I and II, Richard Garriott has stated that weapons such as these came about as he was still trying to find the right direction for the series, adding in bits and pieces from what he saw in the world of entertainment at the time that inspired him. The majority of these items vanished by the time of Ultima III, when the series began to take a more definitive shape in terms of its setting.