head to head

Guild Wars cover artvsUltima Online cover art

Guild WarsvsUltima Online

Guild Wars leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Ultima Online leans Optimization (Mind & Math).

EXECUTION4 /10READS5 /10VARIANCE2 /10OPTIMIZATION8 /10
Guild WarsUltima Online

Axis by axis

Execution4 vs 4

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads5 vs 5

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance2 vs 3

Ultima Online leans harder on variance: Open-world encounters and loot uncertainty

Optimization8 vs 7

Guild Wars leans harder on optimization: Eight-skill build construction is the game's soul

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Guild Wars

full breakdown

Ultima Online