Battle Ulle & complete the 'Master of the Arena' quest in The Witcher 3

You may want to know how to complete the Master of the Arena quest in The Witcher 3, as it cleverly subverts the typical questline of defeating the monster at the end with an unconventional solution. 

So, if you've made your way to the isles of Skellige and want to know how to take on the Master of the Arena quest, we've got you covered. 

How to complete the Master of the Arena quest

To begin the Master of the Arena quest, you will need to have progressed through the story until you unlock Skellige and be level 14. Once here, head over to the island of Spikeroog, and find the docks for the village of Svorlag.

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Take a boat out and sail it to the other side of this island, where you can find the village of Hov. Check your map once here and follow the yellow question mark to speak to two soldiers, Gunnar and Lydrik, allowing you to begin the quest. 

They'll give you a brief rundown of the current situation, essentially telling you that the Hov arena used to draw warriors from across Skellige until a contestant named Ulle the Unlucky backstabbed a Jarl, who in turn cursed him to haunt the arena as a ghost that can never win a battle.

Your goal is to get rid of the ghost so the arena can return to the prominence it once had. The arena is located right next to the two soldiers, so hop the fence into the open area and speak to Ulle. He will challenge you to a battle, so accept his invitation and get to work.

Now, if you defeat him, a cutscene will play where he congratulates you sarcastically and disappears, but he will continue to come back. It becomes obvious quickly that defeating him isn't the answer. 

Wait a few days if you need him to reappear, but next time you challenge Ulle, let him beat you in battle. A cutscene will play after he has won where he will thank you, and he will finally pass into the afterlife. 

If you head back to the soldiers, they will pay you for getting rid of Ulle, but they also ask you to return in a few days for a second payment. You can either just wait for a few in-game days or go off wandering around until you remember to come back, but once you head back to the Hov arena, it will be bustling with warriors again.

This time, the soldiers will pay you an additional fee, and the quest will be fully finished. 

At this point in the game, you may be wondering, how long does The Witcher 3 take to beat? We've got you covered there, too.