Love Demands Great Sacrifices — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt The Complete Edition eGuide

Objectives

Find Palmerin and ask him to take you to the duchess.
Defeat the Shaelmaar.

Exit the cellar, optionally find Roach nibbling on some grass, and ride him roughly southward and southwestward, up the hill to the Tourney Grounds. Weave your way past the peasantry, and locate the knight telling stories to a small group of urchins.

The story of Riddick and the dragon will have to wait; Palmerin shoos the children away, but only after mentioning your help in defeating the giant named Golyat. One of the inquisitive tykes asks if virtue always trumps villainy. Answer how you wish:

Answer “Virtue always triumphs,” to result in the children mocking you slightly.
Answer “The stronger wins,” though this isn’t the best way to influence small minds.
Answer “Not always,” to hedge your bets, and answer most truthfully.

Your audience with the Duchess will have to wait too; the festivities at this location are about to begin with an arena battle. You’re taken aback to see a large and confused Shaelmaar (a gift from the emperor) being prodded into its pen. Answer Palmerin as you wish regarding the danger or torture of the animal. Ask who will fight the Shaelmaar if you wish; Palmerin explains it is Guillaume, who was out of his depth against the giant when you first met him. This won’t end well.

Indeed, it doesn’t. After what appears to be a victory, Guillaume makes what could be termed a ‘tactical misstep,’ forcing you and Palmerin into the fray to save his life. Again. Prepare to face the Shaelmaar yourself, since Palmerin will quickly be knocked down by the creature.

Defeating the Shaelmaar: The Shaelmaar’s Attacks

The Shaelmaar has the following attacks and maneuvers to be aware of:

Blind as a Bat: Shaelmaars are blind, and rely on sounds to find their prey. This makes combat much easier, though Palmerin doesn’t have this knowledge, meaning the Shaelmaar is likely to attack him over you.

One-Hit Attacks: The Shaelmaar has three types of attacks that strike once; a left arm swing, a right arm swing, and a vertical swing (“uppercut”). Each deals heavy damage, and should be parried, dodged, or absorbed by Quen.

Head Smash: With its bulk and heavy armor plating, the beast lurches forward, leading with its head and neck. This can stagger you, and is highly damaging. Only dodging (or being away from the attack) ensures you aren’t hit.

Counterattack: If struck too many times, the Shaelmaar tends to roll up into an impervious ball. You need to exercise patience and wait for it to unroll itself before attacking. Try to strike the beast while it is rolled up, and it can quickly counterattack with a swift and heavily-damaging swipe.

Charge: Usually at mid to long distance, and after being hassled by you, the beast rolls into a ball and rumbles forward, quickly knocking anything in its way. Expect to be stunned for a few seconds after landing on your back (and very prone to more attacks). It stops after striking, or hitting a wall. This is best avoided, through a roll or dodge to the side, and a well-timed strike to its flank will damage it.

Ground Pummel: Using its large, shovel-like arms to throw copious rocks and soil forward in a wave of destruction, this is usually used as an opening attack. Dodge to the side to prevent being damaged by the assorted projectiles.

Tremor: If you’re fighting a Shaelmaar in a cave, it can burrow into the ground, shaking its back plates, and creating tremors that cause rocks to fall from the ceiling. It reappears shortly after, so keep your wits about you and watch the mini-map to track the foe.

Echo Location: If you stand still for long enough, the Shaelmaar sends sound waves to locate you, which can cause discomfort to your ears, though isn’t debilitating. However, your position is discovered, meaning you need to attack or retreat.

Defeating the Shaelmaar: The Best Battle Tactics

The good news is that the Shaelmaar has no ability to dodge any of your attacks. The bad news is that it turns and defends its vulnerable front by showing its back to you; a back that is heavily armored, and difficult to penetrate. This also occurs if you attempt to use Igni. Expect it to violently roll around the arena if you’re continuously attacking it, and use its meaty paws to swipe if struck from behind.

Aside from well-timed strikes as the Shaelmaar finishes a combat move, the odd attack from Palmerin, and deft dodging to avoid the pulverizing nature of its attacks, disorientate it using Aard, and follow it up with Samum bombs that generate a large amount of noise, confusing the Shaelmaar (allowing you to strike with swords, crossbow, more bombs, or Signs). The Samum bomb stuns the Shaelmaar too, making it incredibly effective.

Another strong tactic is to taunt the Shaelmaar into rolling, then dodge at the last second to make it slam into a wall. This puts it on its back for a while, and all attacks landed in this window of opportunity deal critical damage.

After the beast has been toppled, you have the following option. You can:

Kill it.
Spare it.

Choose the latter, and pikemen come in to keep it from getting up, while you’re awarded the title “Geralt the Merciful” from the bard (an unofficial title). This fulfills the virtue of mercy for the Lady of the Lake quest.