The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone – Scenes from a Marriage Quest, Beat the Caretaker

This feature will tell you how to beat the Scenes from a Marriage quest in The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone expansion. Olgierd once again has a mission for Geralt to complete. You must go in search of a specific type of flower, but rest assured, this is more than a simple fetch quest.

Begin the quest by heading to the von Everec manor. You explored the crypt, and now it’s time to go inside the house itself. As you walk towards the manor a strange person will cry out near the busted wall. He’s a thief, and you should engage him in conversation and agree to find his partner. 

Walk into the yard, then activate Geralt’s Witcher Senses to snoop around. You need a violet rose, and while you’ll find a series of clues about the manor, the flower is nowhere to be found. 

Approach the front door and use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to find the broken lamp. Now follow the tracks, which lead you to the garden in the back. Open the gate, then snoop around the garden once again with Geralt’s Witcher Senses.

You’ll hear the sound of digging, so move in its direction. This results in Geralt meeting the manor’s Caretaker, and we don’t mean Groundskeeper Willie. You’ll need to fight your way out of this one. 

How to Beat the Caretaker 

The fearsome Caretaker attempts to strike Geralt with its shovel. When you see the weapon glow, the creature will go for an overhead swing. The shovel strikes the ground, which results in debris flying into the air. Thankfully said shovel gets stuck for a little while, giving you the chance to get in some hits before the Caretaker yanks it free. 

If the shovel glows a teal color while in the ground, back away to avoid getting stunned. Additionally the Caretaker may charge towards Geralt with the intention of stabbing the Witcher with its gardening tool. Dodge to avoid taking damage. 

When you chip away at the Caretaker’s health, the creature will retreat towards the graves. It will also summon ghosts from these plots. Kill the minions as quickly as possible because they heal the Caretaker. 

Slay the Caretaker and get ready to go inside the manor. We suggest saving the game beforehand, and meditate in order to replenish Geralt’s potions. 

Walk into the manor, then go left through the open door. Watch the cut scene and then find Iris’ sketchbook on the desk. Now pan the camera right and go through the double doors leading to the main foyer. Stroll into the next room and inspect the items on the dining table. This adds backstory to the manor. 

When ready to proceed, walk up the big staircase and look for Iris von Everec. Go left and into the burned room to the balcony. Now move towards the next bedroom and the double doors open on their own.  Prepare for another battle! 

How to Beat the Wraith 

The lights go out the moment you pass through those double doors. Suddenly the candles relight and Geralt must square off against a Wraith clad in black. 

This creature is one of the most aggressive Wraiths in The Witcher 3. She charges Geralt and will slash him with her sharp nails. On top of that, she will attempt to stun Geralt with her ear-piercing shriek. 

In most cases you’d rely on Yrden sign magic, but here you’re able to use Quen sign magic to damage Geralt’s opponent. Feel free to use Yrden anyway, but it doesn’t yield the high results we’ve come to expect when dealing with Wraiths.

After reducing the Wraith’s health to a certain amount, she will scream and rise into the air. Following this, one of the three paintings on the walls will glow green, and the Wraith will absorb this energy to heal. You should immediately attack the glowing picture to halt the healing process. If you don’t feel like hacking the painting with Geralt’s sword, Igni sign magic works just as well. If the Wraith heals, she will go into one of the paintings and then exit another one with 100 percent health. 

Side note, you may want to add Spectre Oil to Geralt’s sword during the Wraith battle, and rely on the Ekhidna decoction to heal his stamina.

When the Wraith dies, walk to the end of this hallway and into the bedchamber. Activate Geralt’s Witcher Senses and locate the picture of Iris on Olgierd, which rests on a table by the fireplace. Loot this item, then turn your attention to the corpse on the bed. Watch the cut scene, then leave the manor through the front door to find a resting spot for Iris. Summon her, and she will take Geralt to a dangerous area. 

Now you must track down Iris von Everec’s memories. Proceed to the lit areas and use Geralt’s Witcher Senses to restore her memories. Each memory is a puzzle, and you’ll need to put items you find in the area into their proper locations. There’s a cut scene each time you complete one of her memories, and eventually you wind up inside the manor again.

Head into the painting studio where another puzzle awaits. It is similar to the memory puzzles. Assemble the elements from the tableau vivant exactly the same as they are in Olgierd’s painting. When this is complete, proceed into Olgierd’s study and rely on Geralt’s Witcher Senses to restore another memory. You will need to locate chalk and candles to complete the pentagram on the ground. There’s a book in this room that offers clues to solving the puzzle. 

Restore the pentagram and watch the cut scene. Now you will need to escape the fire. Look at the cold-looking painting on the wall and go into it. The next step requires you to flee the blizzard and go back into the house. Pan the camera in search of a mysterious figure, who will lead you to a hatch. 

When you find yourself in the manor, it’s time to restore memories on the bottom floor. Restore these memories with items you find close by. Watch the cut scene, then head to parlor and read the note on the table. This kicks off yet another boss battle, this time against Iris von Everec’s greatest fear.

How to beat Iris’ Greatest Fear

Following the cinematic, Geralt gets locked inside of a room with a bunch of Olgierd doppelgangers, otherwise known as Ethereals. One of these creatures moves towards Geralt, while the remaining Ethereals hang out around the room. We suggest quickly heading to the back to avoid taking damage.

The Ethereals know how to use their swords, and will attempt lunging attacks. Dodge or roll to avoid them. Deal some damage and your target will spit a black goop from its mouth. If it touches Geralt he’ll be stunned for a short time. Get in some swings and then dodge. 

If an Ethereal’s sword glows red, it will move to your location and attempt a few quick attacks, along with one powerful final blow that will kill Geralt. Parry to interrupt these strikes, or rely on Igni sign magic. Should you land a successful parry, the creature will stumble a bit, giving you the perfect time to counterattack.

Killing one Ethereal causes another one to attack, with each newly awakened creature stronger than the one you just defeated. You only have to battle one of these enemies at a time, so do your best to avoid the immobile ones; hitting these enemies will set them in motion.

We used Specter Oil on Geralt’s silver blade to boost attack damage, along with Blizzard potions. Quen sign magic proves especially useful, and you can always set a Yrden trap to slow these creatures down. Igni sign magic works, but you may inadvertently wake up the other Ethereals, and you don’t want to fight more than one at a time.

After beating Iris von Everec’s nightmares you’ll watch a cinematic. Respond however you want and this quest will end.

We’ll post more Hearts of Stone quests soon! For now, return to Prima’s Guide for The Witcher 3.