The Forgotten City: How To Save Ulpius

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The Forgotten City. Ulpius is standing in front of the Bluff, looking out at the rest of the city. The Bluff is on the right of the image and Ulpius has his back to the viewer with his arms folded. He is on the left.

On your mission to find out who will break the golden rule in The Forgotten City, you will meet some characters that you can help. One of these characters is Ulpius who, alongside his friend Lulia, was tricked into a cruel contract with a powerful man. Ultimately, this will push both of them to try to take their own lives. We're going to show you how to save Ulpius as he connects to a couple of quests in the game.

Read More: The Forgotten City: How To Get Into the Palace and Find Naevia

How To Save Ulpius

To save Ulpius, you will need to follow the steps we have laid out below. You will need to trigger a time loop so we recommend that you save any progress you have made in a new save file before starting.

Step One: Save and Talk to Lulia

To save Ulpius, you will first need to save Lulia by giving Lucretia a mixture to cure her. We've got a guide that shows you how to get the Silphium Resin. Once you have gotten this and given it to Lucretia to cure Lulia, you need to speak to Lulia.

When speaking to Lulia, follow these conversational options:

  • Can I ask what happened to you?
  • I want to know how someone poisoned you without breaking the golden rule.
  • Is that who poisoned you?
  • I can't help unless you tell me what happened.
  • I have all the time in the world.

You will find out that Lulia wanted a way out of the city and was tricked into putting herself into debt with Malleolus. When the next set of options appears, follow these ones:

  • Why would he lend you so much money?
  • You can pick either option here (Oh, no or What's Hemlock?)
  • Surely that would have broken the golden rule?
  • You can pick either option again (Ah, I see or so you poisoned yourself?)
  • I'm sorry to hear that
  • So what'll happen to you now?
  • I'm sorry. Can I do anything to help?
  • I have a better idea: How much would it cost to buy your freedom?

You will then find out that Lulia made a pact with Ulpius to take their lives at the same time. You'll then unlock the quest to save Ulpius. After this, follow the final set of conversational options:

  • Perhaps I could help him too
  • I'll get right on it

Step Two: Run to the Bluff

Head out of Apollo's shrine and down to your right. Keep running until you come to a bridge on your left. Cross this bridge and follow the path to your right until you reach a tower with a lot of steps in it. Run up these steps until you reach the top and when you're at the top, look around for a ladder. Climb up the ladder and run along the path to your left. Keep following it and it will take you up some steps. At the top of the steps, run to your left and around to the quest marker (the Bluff).

Step Three: Speak to Octavia and Ulpius

When you approach Ulpius, who is standing near the edge, Octavia will intercept you. When speaking to her, these are the only two options you need to choose:

  • Actually, I really need to talk to Ulpius (Ulpius will then reveal his intentions)
  • Alright, I'll talk to him

No matter what you say to Ulpius, the result will be the same, unfortunately. Once he has jumped, you need to follow him and you will land in the water in the middle of Malleolus's Villa.

Step Four: Rob and Reset

When you surface from the water, look around you until you see this:

The Forgotten City. Main door to Malleolus's villa. The door is red with gold handles. There are two stands either side of the door with sculptures on them. On one side of the door there is a key.
click to enlarge

Steal the key beside the door that's labelled "key to Malleolus's villa". Unlock the door in front of you but turn around and head up the stairs that can be found on your right. When you are on the upper level of the villa, follow the red carpet until you come to another set of locked doors.

Open the doors and head inside to find Malleolus's wife, Claudia. You can choose any conversational options with her because the outcome will always be the same. Once you are finished talking to her, turn around and you should see a chest beside the door. Walk up to it and steal the Denarii from it. This will break the golden rule so you will need to head out of the doors and down the stairs to your right. Run out of the villa through the doors you unlocked earlier and head back to the portal. Jump through the portal to trigger the time loop.

Step Five: Save Ulpius

When you exit the time loop, speak to Galerius. Quickly, you will need to choose "I'm (name) and I need you to take care of some things urgently". Depending on what other quests you have encountered or completed, you may have a few or one option here. In any case, you need to choose the option that tells him to take the Silphium Resin to Lucretia for Lulia and do not engage in any more conversations with him.

Once Galerius has run off, turn to your right and run along the path. You should find the tower with steps in it. Just as you did before, run to the top of this tower and up the ladder to follow the path to the Bluff. Once you run up to Ulpius, Octavia will intercept you again. Follow the same conversational pattern until you get to speak directly to Ulpius. Once you can speak to him, follow these conversational options to save him:

  • Is this what Sentilla would want?
  • Actually, I do
  • No, you'd be free
  • Of course
  • Here's your money (this gives him the 2,000 Denarii that you stole from Malleolus earlier)

Now, you can either question him about his relationship with Sentilla or let him leave to buy his freedom.

Once you save Ulpius, you can find him at any time to talk to him about his relationship with Sentilla. There are many people you can be suspicious of but still help in The Forgotten City. We have a guide on how to stop the assassin, another character that threatens to break the golden rule. Also, we answer an important question about the game - does it have autosave?

For more articles like this, take a look at our The Forgotten City and Guides page.