Gothic Remake: How to Complete Das Banner der Banner – Ulu-Mulu Guide

The Ridge South of the Neuen Lager

I still remember cresting the ridge south of the Neuen Lager, the Free Mine’s scaffolding finally visible through the fog, convinced the worst was behind me. I had slogged through the swamp, traded steel with a Shadowbeast that left my armor in ribbons, and I was carrying enough ore to weigh down a mule. I thought Das Banner der Banner was about to wrap itself up in a neat cinematic. Then I stepped through the mine entrance, met the business end of a mercenary crossbow bolt, and woke up back at the New Camp fire with an empty potion belt and a journal that still insisted I was missing trophies. That is the exact moment this quest clicked for me. It is not a delivery run. It is a wilderness exam. The colony does not care how shiny your sword is until you have proven you can survive four of its deadliest biomes, haul the proof back, and then fight your way into a fortified mine to find the only orc smith who can forge the Ulu-Mulu. Approach it like an errand, and it will bury you. Treat it like a hunting route with a siege at the end, and it becomes one of the most satisfying progression gates in Chapter 4.

What Unlocks the Quest

Finish A Shaman Shunned first. Das Banner der Banner will not appear in your log until that prerequisite is resolved, and no amount of premature running to the Free Mine will trigger Tarrok’s crafting dialogue. Once the quest is active, clear four dedicated inventory slots before you leave camp. These trophies are not traditional quest items that bypass your carry limit; they are physical drops that occupy space. Nothing ruins a clean run like having to dump a prized weapon into a swamp because a Troll Tusk suddenly needs a home. While prepping, be honest about whether you can currently kill a Troll. Not outlast it. Kill it. If the answer is no, train a level, upgrade at a smith, or grab a summoning scroll. The Troll is non-negotiable, and trying to sprint past it usually ends with your body launched across a canyon.

The Exact Ulu-Mulu Trophy Checklist

Tarrok requires four specific monster parts to craft the Banner of Banners. Do not arrive with three and hope for mercy. The list is exact, and each drop comes from a creature that owns its territory. The four trophies do not stack, so treat them like gear you are temporarily equipping into your backpack.

Shadowbeast Horn

The Shadowbeast rules the pine corridors between the Alten Lager and the deeper woods. In the remake, its dark coat blends into the undergrowth, so the first warning is usually the audio-a rattling, guttural growl-rather than a visual. You do not want to trade claw swipes with it. The Horn drops from any adult Shadowbeast, but the most reliable spawn patrols the elevated trail overlooking the swamp approach. Pull it away from any Wolf packs that might add to the chaos, because the real danger is the stunlock combo. If you are running dexterity, poison arrows can kite it safely. If you are melee, wait for the double-claw whiff, step to the beast’s right flank, and land two heavy attacks before disengaging. The Horn is a large, curved inventory piece; loot it immediately, as the body can despawn if you wander off to rest.

Swampshark Tooth

Swampsharks are the reason you bring pierce damage or fire into the bog. They haunt the murky channels near Cor Kalom’s territory, fins cutting the surface like serrated knives. The remake’s water shaders make them harder to spot than in the original, so watch for ripples that move against the current. Never wade in. The Swampshark has an underwater lunge that ignores most armor and can chain-bite before your stamina recovers. Instead, stand on dry ground or a fallen log and bait the surface breach. A heavy two-handed downward strike as it emerges will interrupt the lunge and leave its jaw exposed. The Tooth is a guaranteed drop, but the corpse sometimes slides into deep water and becomes unlootable, so kill it as close to shore as possible. If you are already hostile with the Brotherhood, watch for robed patrols nearby; a fireball in the back while wrestling a shark is an embarrassing way to restart.

Troll Tusk

This is the gear check. Trolls roam the highland passes near the Free Mine entrance, and one particular specimen guards a chokepoint that makes sneaking past nearly impossible. The Troll has massive health, slow footspeed, and a club sweep that will one-shot low-level characters even through block. Do not try to chip it down and heal through the damage; you will run dry before it does. The most reliable method is strong single-target damage from an upgraded weapon or a distraction spell-an undead warrior or similar summon will hold the Troll’s attention long enough for charged backstabs. Learn the shoulder dip tell. In the remake, the wind-up animation carries a distinct dip before the overhead smash. Roll or strafe backward twice; the shockwave has deceptive range. Once it falls, the Tusk drops every time, but it is the largest trophy of the four, so confirm your inventory space now.

Bloodfly Stinger

The lowland bogs and stagnant pools between the New Camp and the swamp are thick with Bloodflies. While individual insects are fragile, they attack in swarms that can stagger-lock you if surrounded. You need the Stinger from a mature Bloodfly, identifiable by a reddish thorax glow in the remake’s updated lighting. Area damage is your friend here—a fire arrow or wide sword sweep can clear the swarm. Loot the Stinger before moving on. It is easy to overlook among chitin and wings, so check every corpse until you see the distinct trophy icon. Because these spawn in clusters, this is the fastest part to farm if you miss it the first time.

The Route That Saves You an Hour

Do not collect one trophy, run back to camp, then repeat. The most efficient path begins at the Neuen Lager. Head southeast into the swamp basin and clear the Swampshark and Bloodfly spawns in the same loop. Their territories overlap near the deeper pools, and you can often bait a Bloodfly swarm toward the water’s edge while waiting for the Swampshark to surface. From there, cut northwest toward the forest ridge that overlooks the path to the Old Camp. The Shadowbeast patrols this border. Take it down, loot the Horn, and immediately turn south toward the canyon approach leading to the Free Mine. The Troll sits directly on this approach, making it the natural final stop before you enter the mine. By the time you reach the scaffolding, all four trophies should be in your pack and your backtracking should be finished. This clockwise sweep avoids the worst of the Alten Lager patrols if you are not yet friendly with Gomez’s men, and it minimizes time in the lethal swamp channels. The only caveat is weight. Those four trophies, plus whatever ore or weapons you pick up, will push most early-game carry limits to the edge. Travel light. Leave the spare armor at home.

Taking the Free Mine

The Free Mine sits south of the Neuen Lager, and from the outside it looks abandoned. It is not. The moment you cross the threshold, you are trespassing on mercenary-held ground, and the guards inside do not issue warnings. In the remake, the interior lighting is darker than the original, with lantern pools creating sharp shadows. Use this to isolate patrols if you like, but do not expect a full stealth clear. The corridors are tight, which favors melee builds that can corner-strike, but it also gives crossbowmen clear sightlines down the scaffolding walkways. Priority one is the crossbowman on the upper gantry. If you rush the ground floor, he will pelt you while you fight his allies. Climb the nearest ladder, close the distance fast, and eliminate him before dropping back down to handle the sword-and-board guards. Their block is sturdy, so charged heavy attacks or a dodge behind them is more efficient than trading light attacks into their shields. As you descend toward the lower levels, the mine opens into a forge chamber where Tarrok waits. Clear every hostile in the room before speaking to him. If you enter dialogue while a mercenary is still aggressive, the fight will interrupt the conversation and can potentially bug Tarrok’s crafting prompt. Save before the final pull. Dying to the last guard and respawning at the New Camp is a bitter pill, especially because the mine’s internal state does not always reset cleanly.

Tarrok and Crafting the Banner

Tarrok is not a traditional prisoner; he is an orc smith forced to work the mercenary forge until you clear the room. Once the last guard falls, approach him with all four trophies in your inventory. The dialogue is straightforward, but there is a trap: if you draw your weapon or select an aggressive line, he will turn hostile, and you will lose your only Ulu-Mulu craftsman for this playthrough. Sheathe your weapon before clicking on him. Hand over the Shadowbeast Horn, Swampshark Tooth, Troll Tusk, and Bloodfly Stinger. The crafting animation is short, and he will present you with the Banner of Banners. Alkimia Interactive’s remake renders the totem with stitched orcish iconography that marks you as a warrior worthy of entering the Orc Town. Hold onto it. It is not merely a quest log update; it is a functional key that changes how later Chapter 4 encounters resolve. Without it, you are an intruder. With it, you are a recognized challenger. That distinction is the difference between a siege and a negotiation.

Mistakes That Waste Your Time

• The most common error is attempting to start Das Banner der Banner before resolving A Shaman Shunned. The quest simply will not trigger, and Tarrok will treat you as a trespasser with nothing to craft.
• Inventory bloat kills more runs than bosses. Players reach the Free Mine with full bags, kill the Troll, and realize they cannot pick up the Tusk without destroying a stack of potions. Keep those four slots open from the moment you accept the quest.
• Do not sprint past the guards inside the mine to reach Tarrok. They will follow you into the forge, break the conversation, and potentially lock you out of the crafting sequence. Clear the room.
• Do not underestimate the Swampshark’s loot window. If the corpse glitches into deep water, you are reloading a save or hunting a second spawn. Always pull it toward dry land.
• On higher difficulty settings, the Troll’s shockwave has an expanded hitbox—what looked like a safe distance in the 2001 original is no longer safe. Respect the wind-up.