Swordsmanship

Swordsmanship is the skill in Ultima Online which states how good a character is with bladed weapons. The name of the skill is misleading, since apart from all kind of swords, it includes all kind of bladed and/or sharp weapons like axes, halberds, knives and so on. Not to be confused with Fencing, Swordsmanship - together with Mace Fighting and Archery - is one of the main weapon skills in Ultima Online.

The main gain from this skill is an increased chance to hit the target. It does not determine damage and speed, which are governed by strength and dexterity. A high Swordsmanship level also opens up new special moves with 70 for the first move of the specific weapon, and 90 for the second. Note that the Tactics skill is also needed.

Of note is that Lumberjacking increases the damage when using axes.

Training

Training is the same for all weapon classes. First, buy training from a Warrior Guildmaster until reaching 30 points. After that, only real battle can help to improve. Therefore here the best battlegrounds for the varying skill levels.

Skill Level	Enemies to battle
30 - 60	Skeletons, preferably 1-3 at a time, which can be found in any graveyard.
60 - 70	Lizardmen such as you'd find in the top level of Despise.
70 - 85	Ogres, again in Despise but at lowest level this time (avoid the Ogre Lords).
85 - 100	Earth Elementals found in Shame or Despise level 2.
100 - 110	Cyclopean Warriors found in Cyclops Valley in the Lost Lands and Despise level 3.
110 - 120	Troglodytes found in the Painted Caves.

Alternatively, you can use the Pet Golem Trick to gain experience.