Posted September 14, 2011
TheCycoONE: Since we're on the topic: What about the balloon, glass sword, nightshade, and mandrake root. IIRC none of those items are strictly necessary and all could be called side quests.
Well, without the balloon, you can't get a certain item that you'll need in the Abyss, unless you're prepared to "cheat" (use knowledge not gained in game) or test a lot of blink spells until you find the exact spot you're looking for. I've never heard of the glass sword (in Ultima IV, anyway), so I'm not sure what you're talking about.
Nightshade and Mandrake aren't technically necessary items, I s'pose. Still, trying to get through the game without Mandrake Root would be an awful hardship, as it's basically required for any of the more useful spells - not for your everyday stuff, but anything that you pull out in difficult situations. You don't ever have to use magic (unless there are a couple of purple fields that need dispelling; I can't recall if that's ever a necessity) but it makes the game near impossible to try and get through without the benefit of Heals or Cures; I could see living without Fireball, but getting through without ever using Tremor would be a major challenge.
While we're at it - a sextant isn't ever wholly necessary, either, but the game would be near impossible (even for veterans) without it.