The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Act 1 – Bloody Baron, King of Wolves, Family Matters

Main Quest: The Nilfgaardian Connection

After reaching Velen (No Man’s Land), go to the Inn at the Crossroads and enter. There are a few people you can speak with here, but your goal should be to order a drink and start up a conversation with the innkeep. This will prompt some armored men to enter, at which point your objective will change to finish talking to the innkeep about the agent called Hendrik, or defeat the baron’s men. Consider the consequences of your actions before speaking, as fighting these soldiers will mean fighting their comrades in the future.

• Tell them to back off or die, which will result in a fight, as you might imagine.
• Insult them, but keep your sword sheathed and avoid combat.
• Buy them a drink, an action that is likely to pay off down the road.

Finish talking to the innkeep about Hendrik, a conversation that is more pleasant if you chose not to fight the soldiers. When you’re done talking, look for Hendrik in the village of Heatherton by exiting the Inn at the Crossroads and following the road east. When you arrive in Heatherton, save a man from three wild dogs, then talk to the survivor and learn what happened in the village. Be sure to use Axii to calm him down.

Head to a cabin to the southwest of the survivor to find the agent called Hendrik. When you arrive you will need to search Hendrik’s hut using your Witcher Senses. Make sure to loot Hendrik’s clothing, with special attention being paid to his boot. Here you will find a key, and behind the bear skin will be a trapdoor that leads to a cellar.

Activate your Witcher Senses and move beyond the poster offering a reward for return of the Baron’s daughter, into an adjacent room where a mounted candle holder can be found between two cellar rooms. Use this candle holder to reveal a secret compartment that contains the ledgers you’re looking for. Be sure to read all four of them, completing the quest.

• Missing and Wanted
• Drunken Swine
• Clashed with a Witch
• Caution Advised

Main Quest: Bloody Baron

Go to the Baron’s castle and locate the wooden fortification at Crow’s Perch, crossing the bridge and moving into the village beyond the walls. Head east until you find a large brick gate, pushing it open and riding up the hill. Head to the main gate where you’ll encounter some of the Baron’s men, whom you must get past in order to find the Baron. How you interacted with them in the during The Nilfgaardian connection will impact your experience here. Either way, be sure to choose positive conversation options during this interaction for the best outcome. Below you will see the three conversation options, as well as which path applies to you later in the quest.

• If you bought them drinks, they will allow you in with no fuss (Peaceful).
• If you were insulting but not violent, they make you pay 15 Crowns to be let in (Peaceful).
• If you fought the men, they will not allow you in and you’ll need to find another way (Forceful).

The Peaceful Path

Follow the sergeant and talk to him about his desertion, as well as how his men are finding the war. He will lead you straight to the Baron. Choose the conversation options that best suit you, concluding the quest when your chat is over.

The Forceful Path

Since you just had to pick a fight back at the Inn at the Crossroads, search the village to find another way into the castle, which means you need to locate and talk to the old man,who is too weak to move. He will request payment for information on how to get into the castle, and your options are as follows.

• Pay the man 15 Crowns for information on the castle.
• Don’t pay the man and just let us tell you how it’s done.

Whistle for Roach and then ride down the rickety bridge, heading west and following the trail to a grassy high ground to the northwest of Crow’s Perch. You’ll need to explore the area where the boy’s body was found, then head into the ditch and find an opening a few steps to the southeast. Find the cave that leads under Crow’s Perch by driving under water, then swimming southeast, then south, finally surfacing in a cave.

Explore the cave and find a way into the castle by finding dry ground and hopping over some rocks. Your primary goal is to climb up through the old well to enter the castle, but first you need to find a light above. Defeat the water hag, then look for a slope, following it to the well and ladder. When you climb the ladder you’ll end up in the gardens with the Baron. Speak with him to end the quest.

Main Quest: Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves

Move forward to follow the riverbed and find help. You’ll eventually spot three wolves circling a tree with a terrified girl on a high branch. Kill the wolves to save her.

Follow Gretka until you must protect Gretka from the wolves. Defeat an additional five wolves ripping up a crow’s corpse. Continue to move forward until you reach a boat that’s seen better days, and a body that is less than complete. Inspect the following clues/items.

• The eyes
• The head
• The chest
• The leg
• The belly

You’ll discover that a lycanthrope caused this mess, and must mix some blade oil that Vesemir taught you to brew. This will help you defeat The Wolf King that Gretka spoke about earlier.

Locate and find the following four items in order to mix the correct oil.

• Dog tallow (1)
• Wolf’s liver (1)
• Fool’s parsley (2)
• Wolfsbane (3)

Both dog tallow and wolf’s liver can be found on the corpses of the wolves that you killed. The fool’s parsley and wolfsbane can be found along the riverbed. Continue to move forward, killing three more wolves and searching them for the items you need. Just be sure not to travel past the dead dog until you mixed your blade oil.

If you did not discover the five clues from the dismantled body, you likely thought you were about to face a fiend and potentially mixed the wrong oil. If that’s the case, your quest to kill the werewolf will be tougher. Either way, when the werewolf is dead you will have essentially completed this main quest.

Main Quest: Family Matters

Follow the Baron until you reach his bedchamber. You’ll investigate all of the rooms on this floor, but for now use your Witcher Senses to search the room you’re in. You’re looking for the following items.

• A broken wooden candlestick
• Flowers on  a side table
• Picture of the Baron and his wife
• Piece of candlestick behind the painting
• The wooden pillar near the desk
• Wine stains from a smashed bottle

Use your Witcher Sense if you must, but follow the scent trail down the steps you previously walked up with the Baron. The scent will become faint on a landing between the two floors, and inspecting a loose floorboard will allow you to remove a folk talisman beneath it.

The room to the right of the stairs is Tamara’s room. You can enter and use your Witcher Sense to find the following clues/items, although it is optional.

• An ugly doll by the bed
• A letter from Tamara on a sideboard
• Incense and key in the wardrobe

After you use your Witcher Sense to locate where the scent is coming from (incense and key), follow the misty odor down the stairs. When you reach the basement, work your way through the goods and grain to find a shrine to the Eternal Fire. If you wish, you can also go back to the room where you first spoke to the Baron to grab a letter, but this quest will be put on hold either way. You should now complete the Secondary Quest: Ciri’s Room before you continue with Family Matters. However, we will continue right now.

Speak with the Baron and be sure to tell him about the following things that you discovered.

• The doll from Tamara’s room
• Evidence of a fight (the candlestick)
• The talisman from the floor board

To find the pellar’s hut, you must leave Crow’s Perch and travel west along a path that leads to Blackbough. Move into the woods along a path to the northwest to find the pellar’s cottage under attack by the Baron’s men. You have the option to kill the bandits attacking the pellar, but we strongly urge you to consider the following approaches before rushing to a decision.

• Pay them off (they’ll refuse payment)
• Tell them to leave using Axii Delusion level two (they’ll leave peacefully)
• Tell them to leave or die (they’ll choose die and you fight them)
• Ask what they want, then offer to heal Eldric (they’ll leave)

Knock on the door and talk to the pellar. He has information that you want, but he’s only willing to give it up if you help him find the Princess, which turns out to be his goat. With this, you will once again have Family Matter suspended. The good news is you can keep reading below to complete the Main Quest: A Princess in Distress, then get right back to Main Quest: Family Matters (Part 2).

Main Quest: A Princess in Distress

Using Geralt’s Witcher Senses, inspect the tracks until you discover a goat. Wolves will attack during this short journey, but you shouldn’t have much trouble killing these animals. 

Give the nearby bell a ring and then set off to bring the goat to the pellar. When the goat turns around along the way, get ready to fight a bear! Strike this animal one time and then back away to avoid its attacks. Repeat this strategy until you show the bear who’s boss. Now ring the bell to recapture the goat’s attention. Reach pellar’s home and watch the cut scene that ends this main quest. Now you pick up the Family Matters quest again.

Main Quest: Family Matters

Following the goat shenanigans, return to the baron’s place and watch the ensuing cut scene that shows the stable on fire. Providing you saved the stable hand (don’t worry, the game will pay out 20 crowns for this later), ascend the ladder, look to the left and grab the items. Now select Aard and use this magic to open a new area towards the back of the loft that will take you to the stables. When you reach this location, open all of the doors to free the horses. Now go left and open the stable door. You need speed to get this done in the quickest time possible, so if Geralt runs out of breath, take the ladder down again and give it another go.

If done successfully, you’ll watch a cut scene featuring the horses galloping away. Now it’s time to fight the baron; if you did not save the animals, you immediately square off against the baron. 

Unfortunately, Geralt cannot use weapons, magic or replenish his health, but don’t worry. Wait patiently for the baron to swing at Geralt. When this happens, quickly move backwards to avoid taking damage and then get in some punches. React quickly enough and Geralt will take away roughly half of the baron’s health during one attack sequence. Now repeat the process to defeat the baron.

At this point, the baron will take Geralt to the child’s grave, which kicks off yet another cut scene. When this is over, stick close to the baron and he’ll lead Geralt to the entrance of the castle. During your travels Wraiths will appear, and you’ll want to pay close attention to when these creatures vanish. When this happens, dodge to avoid taking damage and then counter attack. After killing the enemies, select Axii to calm the child and keep following the baron.

Watch the cut scene and then inspect the grave to view another cinematic. The Lubberkin will lead Geralt to a home, and you should use his Witcher Senses to examine the outside. You’ll locate three objects glowing red.

Continue after the Lubberkin and take down the two Endrega Workers. Multiple Rotfiends will attack when you reach the next point of interest. Slaughter these foes and check out the deceased horse. Now the Lubberkin will take you to a fisherman’s place, and you should go inside to begin a cut scene. Have Geralt chat with the baron about the man’s family.

From here, you will need to locate the baron’s daughter, Tamara, so travel to Oxenfurt. There’s a good chance Geralt will require a pass to enter this place, and you can get one from Secondary Quest: Fake Papers. If you did not finish this side quest, walk to the river edge and then go for a swim towards Oxenfurt.

When you get there, walk to the west of the buildings and you’ll eventually find a way to get inside. Once you gain access a cut scene plays, and when this cinematic concludes, stuff Geralt’s pockets with items on the first and second floor. Now return to the baron for another chat. 

On the way to the baron you will receive the aforementioned 20 crowns from rescuing the stable boy, providing you did that. If you let him burn, proceed to the baron. A cut scene will play, this quest will stop temporarily and you’ll begin another main quest.

Main Quest: Ciri’s Story – The Race

This quest puts you in control of Ciri, and challenges you to defeat the baron in a horse race.  The yellow marker on your map serves as a guide, so whatever you do, follow this at all costs. We also suggest galloping as much as possible. After winning, watch the cut scene and then transition to the following Main Quest: Hunting a Witch.  You will need to finish Hunting a Witch and a handful of other quests before returning to the Family Matters quest.

Learn tips to winning Gwent matches, romance the ladies and more with Prima’s free The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt walkthrough. When ready, proceed to Main Quests Hunting a Witch and Wandering in the Dark.

Ready to stand against the Wild Hunt? Prima’s official strategy guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough to help make decisions, navigate the vast game areas and reach the ending you want. The collector’s edition offers even more, with 32 pages of bonus content.