You will be able to complete a plethora of side quests in Velen, including Forefeather’s Eve, A Greedy God and Wild at Heart. Along the way you will enjoy a little romance with Keira Metz and even kill a werewolf. With this in mind, continue your journey through CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Side Quest: Magic Lamp
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: Experience Points
Finish Main Quest: Wandering in the Dark to kick off Magic Lamp. Start by following Keira into a room and then use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to find a red doorway. A cinematic plays, and from here, you must light four braziers in a specific order. Otherwise, Wraiths appear and go after Geralt.
Light the braziers in this order:
- While facing that door, turn right and light this brazier.
- While facing the same door, go left and light this brazier.
- While facing the doorway, head right towards the first brazier you lit, then go right again to light the next one.
- Finally, and facing the doorway, walk left to the brazier you lit moments before, then go left again to light the remaining one.
Do this correctly and you reveal a passage near the doorway, so walk through to view another cinematic. Walk up to the monument and then turn right to find a chest. Collect the loot and then gather the notes laying on the altar. Now turn around, go right and ascend the rocks. Walk over to the purple rocks on the left and examine these objects to receive one attribute point.
You will encounter a Golem in the room directly ahead, so prepare Quen Sign magic. You want to strike the Golem and then back away to avoid the creature’s counterattack. When you see it curl into a ball, quickly run behind and then dodge its attack. In addition, the Golem will attempt to hit Geralt three times in succession. Dodge to the left or right to avoid these lunges; you may have to dodge again if you’re too close.
When the Golem dies, rummage through its corpse and take one infused dust, monster saliva and a Lesser Stribog runestone. Now search through the four chests in this area and collect whatever items you desire.
You will see some rocks blocking an archway, and using Geralt’s Aard Sign magic will make short work of them. Head through and pick up the loot, then return to the place where you lit those four braziers. From here you should travel south, look right and then walk up the steps. There’s a boulder in the way, so examine it and go outside, prompting a cinematic to play. The quest is over.
Side Quest: Return to the Crookback Bog
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ciri’s Story: Out of the Shadows
- Reward: 100 Crowns, Experience Points
While on Main Quest: Ciri’s Story, you have the option to help the baron locate his wife. If you agree, use fast travel to reach Downwarren and then go to the marker on Geralt’s map. The baron will take you to another marker, and you will have to deal with some Drowners while en route. Alternatively, you can simply run past these creatures to avoid fighting them.
You eventually locate his wife, but her condition depends on choices made during Main Quest: Ladies of the Wood. If you slaughtered the spirit in the tree, the baron’s confused wife is more or less OK. If you agreed to assist the spirit she’s a monster. See? You impacted things without knowing it.
Don’t get too choked up. Battle the Drowners, Water Hags and Fiend that appear. The Fiend seems more interested in the soldiers than Geralt, so attack from behind until it’s dead.
If you did in fact kill the spirit we mentioned, this side quest is over. Did you help the ghost? If so, you need to travel to the next marker to locate Johnny. Kill the Water Hag and Drowners, then examine Johnny’s home.
Use Geralt’s Witcher Senses and go after the footprints, but be on guard so you do not succumb to the Wild Hunt forces, Water Hags and Drowners nearby. When you come to the end of the footprints, search the broken wood to find Johnny and chat with him.
Return to the village marked on the map and watch the cut scene. From here, travel to the highlighted marker leading to a house. Go inside, turn right and approach the cellar door. Walk into the cellar and approach the altar. The game wants you to choose a doll, and Geralt can only pick one. We suggest going with the doll featuring violet hollyhock bloom. Do this, watch the cinematic and then return to Crow’s Perch. It seems the baron met his demise and the quest is complete.
Side Quest: An Invitation from Keira Metz
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: None
To kick off this quest, you must first complete the Magic Lamp secondary quest. Upon doing this, go to Keira’s place, walk inside and towards Keira. Watch the cinematic and get ready to embark upon the next side quest, A Towerful of Mice.
Side Quest: A Towerful of Mice
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: Experience Points
Travel south to the marker on Geralt’s map, then use Keira’s boat to continue moving south. While it is possible to avoid most of the enemies on the isle, you’re free to kill them for items and valuable experience points, so go ahead and take down the Ghouls, Rotfiends and Drowners.
In the middle of the next marker is a tower. There are Ghouls and Water Hags nearby, so tread carefully. When the coast is clear, go inside and up the steps. Rely on Geralt’s Witcher Senses to locate objects along the floor, then walk to the green light. Activate Keira’s lamp and then eavesdrop on the ghosts.
When the conversation is over, walk through the door to the northeast and then go down the steps. Take all of the items from the cellar and then head to the next glowing area. Once again, use the magic lamp to listen to the ghostly chatter, then walk up the steps until you reach the second floor. If you use the lamp on the fireplace, there’s another conversation.
Now go to the third floor, explore the rooms and point the lamp at the green light. Gather the items and walk onto the balcony. Take the items from the chest, go inside and up two floors. With Geralt’s Witcher Senses, investigate the red marks on the ground, turn left and activate one of the levers, which causes a door to open.
Walk through this door and then up the steps. Use your Witcher Senses and take the highlighted objects. Additionally, pick up loot from the chests. Now pull out the lamp and use it on the green area. Watch the cinematic and you have two choices: agree to help the ghost or not.
We suggest helping it, because doing this means not having to fight the ghost. You’ll battle upstairs and then outside the tower. From there, you’ll talk to her lover and then bring him back to the tower while dealing with Wraiths. Then you’ll have to go to the room where you met the spirit and pay Keira’s home a visit.
With that out of the way, help the ghost and then walk to the bottom floor. Exit the tower and travel west to discover a boat. Hop in and take the boat north until you reach the next point on the map. Walk up to the home and knock on the door to begin the next cut scene.
Exit this place and travel east to the fast travel point. You will eventually hear a scream, so go back into the home to discover that Graham is dead. Now return to Keira’s place and engage her in conversation to finish this side quest and begin A Favor for a Friend.
Side Quest: A Favor for a Friend
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: Experience Points
Once you complete A Towerful of Mice, speak with Keira to start this quest. Go to the marker on the map and use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to see cart tracks. While searching you may encounter Drowners and a Water Hag, so be careful.
With no enemies in the immediate area, continue following these tracks to the south until you stumble upon the cart. With your Witcher Senses, check out all of the red items and pick up loot. Keep following these tracks and you’ll run into a Rotfiend snacking on the merchant. Take out all of the monsters and collect the letter from the merchant’s corpse.
Return to Keira’s home and talk to her. After agreeing to have dinner, get on a horse and use the yellow line to reach the location. Engage in dinner conversation and then react positively to Keira. You will then follow a trail of her clothes leading to the woods. You’re free to resist Keira, but why?
For more opportunities with the ladies, read Prima’s Romance guide!
Side Quest: For the Advancement of Learning
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: Experience Points
With A Favor for a Friend complete, travel to Fyke Isle and go to the area marked on the map. During the cinematic, mention Keira’s suicide plan, then instruct her to visit Kaer Morhen and say you will run into her there. Doing this ensures that Keira will appear later in The Witcher 3.
Conversely, telling her the plan is a great idea results in her demise. Furthermore, forbidding her from taking the notes results in Geralt having to fight Keira. Yup, go with option one.
Side Quest: Forefeather’s Eve
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: 50 Crowns, Experience Points
Finish side quest A Towerful of Mice, then exit Keira’s place and walk over to the pellar. Agree to assist this character and Forefeather’s Eve begins. If you have yet to finish Main Quest: Family Matters, you encounter the pellar in Crow’s Perch after finishing the A Towerful of Mice side quest.
Go to Fyke Isle and travel to the marker on the map that turns out to be a circle made of stone. When it’s midnight (meditate if necessary), chat with the pellar and agree to protect people from monsters. Now head south and battle the Drowners and Water Hag.
You must make a choice. Either continue assisting the pellar and then fight three witch hunters, or avoid this battle to end the quest. Ideally you should help the pellar.
Begin the ritual and kill the three Wraiths that show up; we suggest using Yrden Sign magic. Watch the cut scene and go to the next highlighted area on the map. Use the Orphans of Crookback Bog fast travel point to eliminate unnecessary travel time.
Upon arriving, kill the Rotfiends and use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to inspect the corpse, which turns out to be the remains of the pellar’s father. Set it on fire with Igni Sign magic and use the fast travel ability to reach Heatherton. Go to the pellar’s home and engage him in conversation to end the side quest.
Side Quest: A Greedy God
- Location: Velen
- Related Quest: Ladies of the Wood
- Reward: 100 Crowns, Experience Points
Look for an exclamation point on Geralt’s map, which is south of the Wastrel Manor fast travel point. Head over there to encounter two men speaking to each other. Chat with these fellows to begin.
Examine the altar and have a quick chat, then use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to inspect a cracked wall right of this altar and spilt wine to the left. Follow the smell of this wine and then check out the ground to find steps.
Head down into the crypt and watch the cut scene, then demand the creature accept humble offerings so you receive lots of experience points and crowns. You can also take the loot nearby.
If you kill the Allgod, examine the body to find a monster eye, monster saliva, two monster hair, monster liver, monster heart, five grilled pork,four hardened leather and 23 crowns.
Whatever you choose, go back up the steps and talk to the peasants. Unless you feel especially murderous, don’t tell these guys about the newly discovered crypt, otherwise they wind up dead.
Side Quest: The Truth is in the Stars
- Location: Velen, on the Oxenfurt Notice Board
- Related Quest: Family Matters
- Reward: Experience Points
Use the Downwarren fast travel point and then go northeast to the waypoint. You may also use the Benek fast travel point, but only if Geralt was in the village before. Upon reaching the next marker, walk up to the house and go northwest to find an elderly man. If you have the Gwent: Velen Players side quest active, play Gwent with him, thereby making progress in that quest.
Give the man food and travel southeast to a cave. Go into the cave and walk to the end. Slaughter the Ghouls and use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to examine the cavern. Locate the dragonroot and then return to the man to end this side quest.
Side Quest: Wild at Heart
- Location: Velen, on the Notice Boards
- Related Quest: N/A
- Reward: Werewolf Saliva, Niellen’s Key, Monster Brain, Monster Blood, Monster Essence, Experience Points
One of the notes pegged to the Notice Boards says Neillen’s wife disappeared. Agree to go after her and visit Blackbough. If Geralt didn’t go there yet, use the Hangman’s Alley fast travel point and then head east to Blackbough.
Interact with Neillen and then speak to two of his neighbors. Follow the waypoint to the forest and use Witcher Senses to find Hanna’s corpse, as well as some wolves. Kill these animals and Hanna’s sister will appear. Agree with her and Geralt receives 55 Crowns. Hold out for a bit and you stand to gain 65 Crowns.
Should you choose to continue, activate Witcher Senses and check out the wolf corpse marked in red. Examine the nearby claw marks and Geralt will discover that a werewolf is responsible. Time to go to its lair.
Begin by checking for blood. Follow it and Geralt will come upon a tree. Inspect the tree and then discover some fur. You will now pick up the werewolf’s scent, leading to some clothing.
Check out these clothes and follow the path until you see a hut. Go into the hut and examine the bedroom to find notes. Exit the hut and go around back to discover some blood and a door. Use Aard Sign magic to open it and you’ll not only find the werewolf, but also some wolves keeping him company.
Start off by killing the wolves and then battle the werewolf. Hannah’s sister shows up just before you decide the werewolf’s fate. If you let him live he responds by killing her. Whatever you choose, take down the werewolf, examine his body and collect Niellen’s Key. This ends the quest, and you can go back into the hut and take items from the chest in the bedroom.
Become the ultimate monster hunter with Prima’s Monster Contracts guide, and continue your journey with our free The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt walkthrough. Then complete even more Velen side quests, including Fists of Fury, The Fall of the House of Reardon and Ghosts of the Past!
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.
Published: May 20, 2015 05:50 pm