Overview
Includes a build and a walkthrough.
Introduction
This guide is intended for completionists and contains spoilers. I started the guide because the wiki is the only good guide, but the information is split among 3 pages which makes it easy to miss quests and achievements. I have consolidated the information and included some maps for help. Please use the quest links if you need more help and leave a comment if I am missing any important information.
Note: If you open the guide in a web browser you can hold CTRL and press +/- to change the font size of the guide. This may make certain sections easier to read.
I released the guide before it was completed. I do not see myself finishing it anytime soon. Currently it includes all quests, sidequests, and achievements for the prologue and first act.
Skills and Mutagens
This section is meant to provide you with an ideal build. The key information revolves around mutagens and the skill Impregnation. Near the end of the game you can respec in order to remove this skill.
Here is a level 30 sword tree build. You should beat the game by level 32.
- You can level up Skills[witcher.fandom.com] by meditating.
- You must invest 6 points into the Training tree before other trees.
- You can respec in Chapter 3 as long as you keep certain items from Chapter 2.
- Mutagens cannot be removed once they are equipped.
- Mutagens and bonuses are kept after respecing.
- Impregnation (alchemy skill) only affects mutagens that are equiped after leveling up the skill. This means you should obtain the skill before adding any mutagens to your build unless you do not plan on getting the skill.
- Impregnation 2 will substantially boost the stats of lesser mutagens stats. This will make them them slightly better than the highest level mutagen without Impregnation. See the Mutagens[witcher.fandom.com] table for details.
Prologue
You start in a tent with Triss and are told to speak to King Foltest. Outside of the tent is a group of men who will ask your opinion on an talisman. You have 3 dialogue choices:
- It is cursed. (*)
This results in him offering you the talisman and surviving the battle. - It is magic but you don’t know what it does.
This results in him surviving the battle. - It will help him.
This results in him dying in battle.
You can also obtain this talisman at the end of the prologue. Obtaining the talisman starts Melitele Heart[witcher.fandom.com]. If Newboy survives the battle then he will give you a book of knowledge on dragons.
Experienced: 10% bonus experience
Earned by destroying 10 training dummies. Note that there are only 5 dummies here. You can destroy the rest in Chapter 1 or 2.
Sapper: 50% chance to avoid trap/bomb damage
Earned by interrupting Geralt 5 times while disarming a trap.
Pyromaniac: 20% increased chance to incinerate
Earned by walking into a campfire 5 times.
Once you reach Foltest he will give you a spyglass. Aim the spyglass at the two men on the wall for the achievement and then follow Foltest until you reach the top of a siege tower. See this image for help.
Eagle Eye achievement
Earned by hitting Count Etchverry with the ballista.
Exit the siege tower and fight your way to Aryan Valette. Soon your path will be blocked by some archers in a tower which starts Barricade[witcher.fandom.com]. Fall down to the courtyard and fire a ballista to clear the path.
Assassin: 25% bonus damage when attacking from behind
Earned by approaching the dead Assassin’s Creed look-alike by the haystack near the ballista.
Now climb back up to the ramparts and follow Foltest until you reach Aryan La Valette. You are given 3 dialogue choices.
- Drop your weapon, fool. (*)
This spares Aryans life. - Let’s settle this between us. (*)
This results in a duel with Aryan. - As you wish.
You must kill Aryan and his men.
Note: This choice will affect affect the potential attributes you can earn later in the game.
Strong Back: +50 inventory capacity
Earned by saving Aryan and freeing him near the end of the Prologue.
Executioner: 1% chance to instantly kill enemies
Earned by killing Aryan along with 2 other important characters before Chapter 3.
Search for the secret entrance to the monastery and open the gate for the king’s men.
Head down the hill and you will witness a woman being shot in the back by a soldier. If you enter the house that she ran out of you can convince the soldiers to spare the rest of the villagers. Successfully performing any of the choices will start Woe to the Vanquished[witcher.fandom.com] and level up the respective attribute (Axii, persuasion, or intimidation). Note that each attribute has a maximum of 3 levels. There is a random chance of failing, so you may want to reload if that happens.
Conjuror: +3 sign damage
Earned by successfully using Axii during conversations.
Axii Sign Hex: increases Axii success chance during conversations (3 levels)
Earned by successfully using Axii during conversations.
Intimidation achievement
Earned by successfully using intimidate during conversations.
Intimidate: increases intimidation success chance (3 levels)
Earned by successfully using intimidate during conversations.
Persuasion: increases persuasion success chance (3 levels)
Earned by successfully using persuasion during conversations.
Further down the hill you can fight a commander to prevent him from burning villagers alive. Saving both groups and refusing both rewards will earn you a larger reward in Chapter 1.
After entering the alley at the bottom of the hill some soldiers block your path with a cart. Backtrack to where the large crowd was at the bottom of the stairs. Break the nearby wall with Aard and enter a well. Inside the sewers you can use the medallion to highlight another breakable wall. Behind this wall is a Temerian steel sword. Once you make it out of the sewers you must kill some guards and open the gate.
Fight your way to the gate and hide under the structures to avoid the dragon’s fire. Once you reach the temple you will start Blood of His Blood[witcher.fandom.com]. Upon entering the temple the priests will berate you. You can respond to them how you wish. Eventually you will exit the temple and be chased by the dragon again. Run until you make it to the solar.
You begin in a prison cell. Once you escape you will need to find your way to Aryan or Louisa. Aryan will be the prisoner if you spared him. It is your choice to sneak or fight the guards, but you will get more loot and experience for fighting. After climbing some stairs you will reach an intersection. Straight ahead is a door, to the right is a set of stairs, and to the left are some prisoners in cells. There are two paths:
- Head left past the prisoners until you reach Aryan or Louisa.
- Head straight through the door and fall down the trap door. This path is harder because you must fight the hangman.
After saving the prisoner you will need to clear out the guards upstairs before escaping. Once the guards are dead you will get a quest update to go back and save Aryan or Louisa. You can choose to save them or leave them behind.
Strong Back: +50 inventory capacity
Earned by saving Aryan.
After leaving the dungeon you will be approached by Newboy if he survived who will help you by leading some guards away. If he did not survive his corpse can be found near the docks. You can kill him or loot his corpse for a talisman that starts Melitele’s Heart[witcher.fandom.com].
The Fugitive achievement
Awarded for completing the Prologue.
Chapter 1 – Main Quests
You start on a boat with Roche and Triss. Follow them until you are ambushed by Iorveth and some elves. Triss will cast a protective bubble to protect you from the arrows but uses up her energy in doing so. Now you must defend Roche as he carries Triss along the path.
Note: If you are overburdened then you can drop items here and pick them up after you are safe.
Cover: 10% damage reduction
Earned by staying inside Triss’ bubble until you reach Flotsam. Can also be earned later.
Once you reach town you will start By the Gods – Stringing Up Sods[witcher.fandom.com]. Approach the gallows in the center of town and stop your friends from being hung. Eventually Bernard Loredo[witcher.fandom.com] will free them which starts Indecent Proposal[witcher.fandom.com].
Take this time to grab the side quests and store your items in the lower level of the inn. See the side quests sections for full details. Most of these can be gathered from the notice board or inside of the inn. You can complete almost all side quests before continuing the main story.
Experienced: 10% bonus experience
Earned by destroying 10 training dummies.
Head to Loredo’s residence at night. Roche follow you in and ask you to dismantle the nearby ballista.
1. Bribe her. (50 orens)
3. Humiliate Myron and Alphonse by beating them at arm wrestling.
Once she has distracted the guard protecting the ballista you can walk up and take the Ballista Mechanism Fragment.
Speak to Roche and follow him down the stairs. A man will then approach you and inform you of a Kayran trap component Iron Frame[witcher.fandom.com]) which you can only obtain during this quest. Roche will then distract the closest guard. You will need to sneak by and knock out the guards. Use your medallion to detect buckets, especially around corners. Touching a bucket will draw the guards attention and cause you to miss out on two achievements. Search for the Kayran trap part (ironframe) and listen to the conversation in the window before returning to Roche.
Cover: 10% damage reduction
Earned by knocking out the first two guards.
Man of the Shadows achievement
Earned by sneaking through Loredo’s garden undetected and finding the Kayran Trap component.
After speaking with Triss, Zoltan, and Dandelion in the inn you will exit to find the Kayran attacking a man at the docks. Síle will intervene and the Kayran will run away. Louis Merse will then offer you a contract to kill the beast. Síle will then suggest you speak to Cedric to learn more about the Kayran.
Note: You can speak to Keith on the docks in order to level up a dialogue attribute.
Haggling: 20% discount from shop
Earned by successfully using Axii on a merchant and doubling the reward for killing the Kayran.
Once you leave town Triss will lead you to Cedric in Lobinden. Cedric will tell you to search the wreck to the north to learn more about the Kayran. Make sure to buy the Diagram: Kayran trap[witcher.fandom.com] from Cedric before meeting Triss. After fighting some drowners near the wreck you can analyze the ooze nearby. Triss will tell you the Kayran is venomous and recommend that you craft a Mongoose potion[witcher.fandom.com] to protect yourself. Investigate the wreck to start Mystic River[witcher.fandom.com] before leaving.
Great Potion! achievement
Earned by creating the Mongoose potion.
Strong Stomach: 10% reduced chance of being poisoned
Earned by drinking a Mongoose potion during Chapter 1.
Taster achievement
Earned by drinking a potion.
Speak to Síle in at the inn to travel to the Kayran. Drink the Mongoose potion before heading down to the shore.
Artful Dodger achievement
Earned by cutting off the Kayran’s tentacle using the Kayran trap.
Oh My God! You Killed The Kayran! You Bastards! achievement
Earned by killing the Kayran.
Backbone achievement
Earned by crafting a suit of armor from the Kayran’s carapace.
Note: I was able to loot the Kayran twice after defeating it. However, I was only able to loot it once after loading an autosave.
Strategy: Always keep Quen up during this fight. Cast Yrden or place the Kayran trap on the sides of the arena. Bait the tentacles to attack the traps and then chop them. After 3 tentacles are destroyed you will have a quicktime event. Finally you need to ascend the rubble on the left side before a cutscene plays.
Chapter 1 – Side Quests
1. Witcher’s Silver sword diagram (10-17 damage)
Found in a chest near the start of this chapter.
2. Silver Plated Sword (8-16 damage)
Purchased from Berthold Candeleria.
3. Robust Witcher’s Silver Sword (12-18 damage) (267 orens)
Purchased from a mysterious merchant.
4. Robust Witcher’s Silver Sword diagram (12-18 damage)
Found during Indecent Proposal.
5. Sword of Kaer Morhen (15-24 damage, 1% instant kill)
Found north of Iorveth’s hideout. This is only obtainable later on during the main quest.
Note: Silver ore can be found in caves, looted from bandits, or purchased from Berthold (180 orens). I recommend buying the robust sword.
Enter the Blue Stripes headquarters near the gallows and speak with the soldiers. You will be asked to complete with Ves at knife throwing. You do not need the Dagger Throwing skill to complete this.
Thrower: +5 throwing knife damage
Defeat Ves in a knife throwing contest.
After the contest some locals will anger Roche and you will have to calm him down. Next you must compete in arm wrestling against two soldiers. If you win then you will obtain a Sword of Creyden (10-13 damage). After the party you will wake up naked on the docks with a tattoo. A local will approach you and tell you to talk to Margot in the brothel. Margot will tell you to speak with Ves to obtain your belongings. You can then speak with Triss, Philippa, or Síle to remove the tattoo.
Speak to Matilda Szabo[witcher.fandom.com] from the crowd outside of the shopkeeper in the center of town and agree to help. If you succeed in putting the shopkeeper out of business she will give you 20 orens.
Chapter 1 – Side Quests (continued)
1. Help the ghost.
Convince Gridley and Rupert to enter the ruins. This results in both of them being killed. You can then loot Gridley’s corpse for a silver sword diagram.
2. Trick the ghost.
Giving the ghost hearts and eyes of nekkers or pigs causes it to attack you. You can then decide to leave the two explorers alone or hand them over to Loredo’s mother.
Librarian achievement
Earned by finding all 4 pages of the asylum’s history.
1. Tell them the truth.
This results in Malena being hung. (325 XP)
2. Lie to the guards or let her speak.
You can then follow her and are promptly betrayed. She will then flee to the ruins to the south. Find her and decide what to do with her. (125 XP)
Show Anezka[witcher.fandom.com] in Lobinden the talisman and she will offer to buy it. You can accept 50 orens or haggle it up to 200 orens. If you persuade her into telling you why she wants it she says she can restore its power and keep it for yourself. This requires 4 ingredients:
• Troll Tongue – received as a reward from beating Sendler at dice or looted during Troll Trouble[witcher.fandom.com] by killing the troll
• Essence of Death – looted from wraiths during In the Claws of Madness[witcher.fandom.com].
• Endrega embryo – looted from Endregas or Endrega cocoons.
• Arachas eyes – looted from Arachas during The Assassin of Kings[witcher.fandom.com] if you choose not follow Iorveth immediately.
Some of these ingredients could be purchased from Cedric before patch 3.4. After obtaining these ingredients and defending her during the ritual you will obtain Melitele’s Heart[witcher.fandom.com] (+1 vitality regeneration while in your inventory).
1. Kill the troll.
Note you can help the troll for a reward before killing him. Return to Louis Merse in Flotsam for your reward.
Trollslayer achievement
Earned by killing all 3 the trolls in the game. This will be earned after Chapter 2.
2. Help the troll.
The troll explains that he will not go back to work unless his mate is avenged. Optionally speak to Síle and Zoltan in Flotsam to learn who killed the troll. Next you need to beat Sendler in a game of dice and he will give you the troll trophy and tell you to talk to a man in the inn during the night. He will tell you to find Dmitri at the graveyard in Lobinden. After killing Dmitri you can speak to the troll and convince him to rebuild the bridge. If you won the she-troll head from Sendler you can give it to the troll for the Hunter’s armor diagram, however this will prevent you from obtaining Melitele’s Heart unless you kill him. Next return to Chorab for a reward. You will have to persuade him to give the full amount.
Friend Of The Trolls achievement
Earned by helping all 3 trolls in the game and sparing their lives. This will be earned after Chapter 2.
Note: Dmitri has a key that unlocks the bandit hut on the lower right corner of the map. This hut contains a Superb Cutlass (16-22 damage). Nearby is a shrine that unlocks an achievement.
Summer Solstice achievement
Earned by visiting the Summer Shrine found in the lower right corner of the map near the bandit hut.
Summer’s Crown: 10% chance to incinerate enemies that hit you while Quen is active
Earned by visiting the Summer Shrine found in the lower right corner of the map. (PC only)
Chapter 1 – Main Quests (continued)
After turning in the Kayran quest Triss will speak with you. Follow her towards the prison boat. After speaking to the prisoner you will start The Rose of Remembrance[witcher.fandom.com]. Now you need to find the rose. You have two choices:
- Go alone
If you need help finding the garden you can speak to Cedric. Once you reach the garden you can take the rose. - Go with Triss (*)
Going with Triss will gives you the option to romance her or gain an attribute. Once you reach the garden you can take the rose. Your choice in giving it to Triss does not matter. Soon some bandits will show up and will be provoked into attacking. After the fight the floor will collapse and you can choose to romance Triss in the bath house or reject her to gain an attribute.
Resistance to Magic: 20% more resistances to magic
Earned by rejecting Triss in the Elven Bath and casting Aard to open the way out during The Rose of Remembrance.
Speak to Vernon Roche after the quest completes and then Zoltan in the inn. Zoltan will then escort you into the forest to meet some Scoia’tael. After speaking with them you must head deeper in the forest. You will be forced to fight an Arach before being confronted by Iorveth. WARNING! Do not disrespect or threaten him or you will be killed and miss out on the arach loot. Tell him about the elven prisoner on the barge and Letho. Do not follow Iorveth immediately or you will miss out on the loot.
Loot the Sword of Kaer Morhen[witcher.fandom.com] and prepare for the fight with Letho. Activate the places of power in the forest and use potions/oils before approaching Ioveth at the garden. Iorveth will then act as a hostage and let you take him to Letho. At the end of the conversation you will have a timed decision:
Note: This decision ultimately does not matter. Your allegiance can be chosen later.
- Help Iorveth
Give your sword to Iorveth. This results in a riot among the non-humans in the city and the Scoia’tael will become friendly. - Help Vernon Roche
Punch Iorveth so that he can be taken prisoner by Vernon Roche and Bernard Loredo. This results in a holiday in Flotsam.
After some cutscenes you will fight Letho.
Strategy: The fight ends soon after Letho reaches half health. Keep Quen up as much as possible and keep your distance. Letho is invulnerable while he has his own Quen up. Bombs, throwing daggers, and Igni/Aard can be useful. However, I recommend using Yrden as your primary method of attack. Letho will be temporarily disabled if he walks into a Yrden trap while attacking. Staying close to him and countering after his attacks will work but it’s a risky strategy due to Letho’s spells.
Half-Pirouette: 10% resistance to all critical effects (burn, poison, etc)
IMPOSSIBLE TO OBTAIN! Earned by making Letho’s health reach zero in Chapter 1.
After you defeat Letho you will be approached by Roche or Iorveth. Return to town and speak with Dandelion at the inn then follow him to Síle’s room. After you investigate the room you must speak with the elven woman next door. This triggers a flashback with Triss. If you sided with Roche you can optionally head to the brothel in the bottom of the inn to complete the quest Margot’s Disappearance[witcher.fandom.com]. Now return outside and follow the blood trail into the forest until you find Cedric. You can use a Cat potion to make following the trail of blood easier. Dandelion and Zoltan will then approach you and give you two quests.
1. At a Crossroads: Vernon Roche[witcher.fandom.com]
2. At a Crossroads: Scoia’tael[witcher.fandom.com]
IMPORTANT: You can only complete one of these quests and this choice will affect the rest of the game.
Speak with Vernon Roche in Flotsam and listen to the plan an attack on Bernard Loredo’s residence. You have 2 options:
- Follow Roche’s plan
Wait until night and then climb the ladder in the non-human district to enter the garden. - Enter using the secret passage
Enter the secret entrance to Loredo’s residence in a cave near the west side of town. This is the same cave entered during the Malenda side quest. (400 bonus XP)
You can kill the guards or sneak around, but you get more experience for killing them. You can optionally climb the ladder near the residence to speak with Helena. You can also optionally kill Arnolt Malliger in the garden. Inside the residence you will find Bernard’s mother whom you must kill. Next you must find a key and head upstairs. On the second floor you can interact with a mailbox if you have the Mystic River[witcher.fandom.com] quest. The third floor has sleeping guards and the key to the the upper floor. After retrieving the key head upstairs and kill Loredo. After the battle you must save Ves and Moril. Now head towards the courtyard and kill the guards on the way. Finally watch some cutscenes before you leave Flotsam.
To Aedirn! achievement
Earned by completing Chapter 1.
Side with the Scoia’tael at the rose garden.
To Aedirn! achievement
Earned by completing Chapter 1.
Chapter 2 – Main Quests (Roche)
Follow the path and speak with the diplomats. Your choices do not matter. After speaking to the diplomats a woman will offer to duel you. After the duel the sky will turn dark and curse will be unleashed. Geralt will then arrive to defend Henselt from an undead army. Two large Draugir will spawn during this battle. If you kill one and then run away before the other dies you can loot its corpse. Once the Draugir are dead Deathmold will cast a protective bubble. Follow him and defend him until you reach the encampment.
After reaching the base you will be approached by Zyvik who will give you a tour. You can skip this by telling him you want to speak with the king, but you will miss out on the achievement.
Tourist achievement
Earned after touring the camp with Zyvik.
Speak with the king in his tent. Then speak with Deathmold and Zyvik who will give you a number of quests.
Explore the camp and complete as many Side Quests as possible now.
The Path to Vision[witcher.fandom.com]
Conspiracy Theory[witcher.fandom.com]
Faith Symbolized[witcher.fandom.com]
Death Symbolized[witcher.fandom.com]
Hatred Symbolized[witcher.fandom.com]
The Spear of Destiny[witcher.fandom.com]
The Siege of Vergen[witcher.fandom.com]
A sackful of Fluff[witcher.fandom.com]
Fat Man achievement
Earned by killing the Draug.
Exorcist: 10% increase damage against spectres and wraiths
Remove the curse from the king.
David: 10% increased damage dealt to opponents much bigger than Geralt
Kill the golem in the kingslayer’s hideout.
Swordsman: +4 sword damage
Defend King Henselt from the two assassins.
Executioner: 1% chance to instantly kill enemies
Kill Adam Pangratt and Henselt as well as Aryan La Valette during the Prologue.
Alea Iacta Est achievement
Earned by completing Chapter 2.
Heartbreaker achievement
Earned by seducing Ves.
Gladiator achievement
Earned by defeating all the opponents in the arena.
Necromancer achievement
Awarded for reliving all of Aucke’s memories in Dethmold’s vision
Reasons Of State
Earned by stopping Roche from killing Henselt.
Chapter 2 – Side Quests (Roche)
1. He’s a prisoner. The guard will let you enter. (*)
2. He has important information. The guard will refuse you without a bribe.
3. Bribe the guard (30 orens).
Drag Odrin to his 3 mates and then head towards the canteen at the east end of the camp. Make sure to answer “Think Henselt might have a job for me?” followed by “The king knows what he is doing.” This results in Odrin giving you a square coin[witcher.fandom.com] and says to head to ask for Whistling Wendy at the brothel. This starts the main quest Conspiracy Theory[witcher.fandom.com].
Manfred and his son Sven will have an argument outside of the canteen. Speak to Manfred inside the canteen and convince him to let you help Sven. Now go outside and convince Sven to make the duel a two on two. Head to Avet, the Butcher of Cidaris and challenge him. Finally, enter the arena and defeat the two knights. It does not matter if Sven lives during the fight. After the fight Manfred will give you a square coin[witcher.fandom.com] and starts the main quest Conspiracy Theory[witcher.fandom.com].
Head to the beach and wait until midnight. A wraith will appear and tell you that Mavrick killed the sisters. You have 3 choices:
1. Kill the wraiths (50 XP)
2. Speak to Mavrick at the camp and side with him. Then defeat the wraiths (600 XP)
3. Accuse Mavrick of murder.
This ends in the quest failing. Mavrick will run away and be murdered by the wraiths. If you speak to them they will summon a Bullvore which drops a Mahakaman sihil[witcher.fandom.com] steel sword schematic (29-35 damage).
1. Give the notes to Deathmold or Síle.
2. Save the notes until Chapter 3 and earn a free respec along with an interesting questline.
[/tr]
Chapter 2 – Main Quests (Iorveth)
Anatomy lesson: Damage against humans: +10%. Examine the body in the catacombs during With Flickering Heart quest in Chapter II (Iorveth’s path).
Birdman: 10% increased damage against harpies
Complete The Harpy Contract quest.
Child of the Night: +2 vitality regeneration at night
Sneak through the camp undetected during the Where is Triss Merigold?
Black Ops Awarded for succesfully sneaking through the lower camp without raising the alarm
Fat Man Awarded for killing the Draug
Alea Iacta Est Awarded for completing chapter 2
Chapter 3
During respecing.
Mutant! achievement
Earned by using mutagens to enhance 5 abilities.
Swordmaster achievement
Earned by acquiring the Combat Acument ability.
Master Alchemist achievement
Earned by acquiring the Mutant ability.
Master Of Magic achievement
Earned by acquiring the Sense Of Magic ability.
Achievements
This list includes all achievements that were not included in the rest of the guide. These were found with the help of this guide.