Plot Cuts in Ultima VIII

Due to the deadline issued by Electronic Arts, Origin had to rush Ultima VIII to make it. In the process, they had to cut the plot in numerous way to keep the time table. It created plot holes and unstatisfying sections of the game. This of course is really sad, because the fragments found indicate that they ha had big plans. Numerous things slumber in the usecode of the game while others have to be reconstructed from the remnants.

Undead invasion
In the plot of the game, the Titans start to punish Pagan should the Avatar take their Blackrock object. Pyros lets the volcano errupt after freeing him, Hydros starts heavy rainstorms after being freedand Stratos denies any further healing after the Breath of Air is taken away. But stangely enough, Lithos does nothing.

However, the usecode reveals that actually he was supposed to do something. Taking the Heart of Earth was supposed to piss him off, so he starts earthquakes and sends his undead army against Tenebrae. Also, Vividos openly accused the Avatar of treachery.

All this, apart from the quakes, is in the usecode. Strangely enough, it can't be activated the normal way.

Underwater city
Numerous times throughout the game, an underwater city of Hydros is mentioned, and the book about the blackrog fragments even explicitly states that Hydros has stored her fragment, the Tear of Seas in said underwater city. Obviously, the fragment is to be found there.

However, all of this is suddenly totally ignored and Devon "just by chance" had once fished the Tear out of the sea one day. This is without doubt a very constructed explanation, and only there to hide the fact that the team had been unable to finish the underwater city in which the search for the Tear of Seas could be implemented properly.

Sorcerers help with Hydros
After Hydros is freed, Devon tasks the Avatar with the mission to find the Sorcerers and ask them for assistance to find ways to stop Hydros from attempting to drown the land in her rainstorms. However, the Avatar never mentions any of this to the Sorcerers, nor does Devon ever again ask if the Sorcerers were able to help.

This is most likely another cut, and in the complete plot the Sorcerers either somehow could have gotten involved in trying to stop Hydros (their arch-enemy) or at least would have denied the Avatar their help. Also, becoming a Sorcerer to then be allowed to ask for help is also a possible plot development.

The Lost Vale
The Lost Vale. The never-to-be released add-on. It was finished, when Electronic Arts decided to pull the plug.

More about that here: The Lost Vale

Bithplace of Moriens
The Birthplace of Moriens is a well known plot hole. In the unpatched version, it didn't exist at all and in the patched version, the programmers simply changed a sign and the place is totally unspectecular. The whole thing makes no sense. However, there is a line in the unpatched version, that is interesting:

''Avatar: "Where is this place?" (about the Pilgrimage)''

Vividos: "You must return to the catacombs. First go into the Upper Catacombs. Once there, seek out the signs that mark the way. I would think that you have already seen them. There are signs which guide you to many places. The Pit of Death is one of those places."

That implies that in the original plans, the Birthplace would have been in the Pit of Death. And indeed, there is a caved-in passage that strongly hints that it was supposed to have a use.

Becoming the Necromancer
When looking throught the program files, there is one interesting object in the GFX-files: the Key of the Necromancer. This object does not appear in the regular game but can be created with the cheat program. However, it's properties are broken and it only has the same use of the Key of the Caretaker.

The existence of such a key that the Avatar was supposed to have strongly hints that Vividos was supposed to somehow die, with the Avatar becoming the last Necromancer. Then Lithos' parting words that the Avatar should meet hi magain until being the Necromancer himself make sense.

Elerion
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Hydros wanting to kill Devon
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The Skull of Quakes
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