The Witcher 3 addition hearts of stone walkthrough. Passage of the quest "Open Sesame!"

When I sat down to write this text, I didn’t really know what I was going to write. On the one hand, we have before us the “classic” The Witcher 3", on the other hand, everything is not so simple.

Let's figure it out.

The third part of the saga from wonderful people from CD Projekt RED put a lot of emotional pressure (in in a good way) in various aspects. But it hit especially hard for those who are familiar first-hand with the work of Mr. Andrzej. So many characters from books about Geralt was not present in the previous two games combined. And the way the characters were portrayed and how they developed throughout your adventure was great. And, as if trying to finally finish us off, they are releasing an add-on “ Stone Hearts". Yes, there are changes in mechanics and gameplay and a few more “technical” details, but they are not important. I'll tell you about them at the very end, but for now let's talk about soul.

The story is the heart of the new expansion, and its execution is top notch. It takes about 11-12 hours plus/minus to complete the entire expansion with new side quests; by modern standards of many other projects, this is an entire game. And to some extent this is true; for ease of perception, you can compare this in terms of intensity of events and interesting moments with five full-fledged episodes The Wolf Among Us or Last of Us. To clarify, I’m not talking about similar emotional feedback or anything like that, but rather about the feeling that you got a full-fledged cool and independent story. All events of the add-on (except for a few episodes) can be calmly perceived in isolation from The Witcher 3. Replacing Geralt with, say, Van Helsing and having moved the action to Eastern Europe, many of the characters wouldn’t even have to change their names, because they are new. My point is that we would have lost little in terms of the perception of the plot, we would have simply gotten an excellent story for 10 hours in the context of a new game, in a new setting. But we're in the world of The Witcher, and that makes everything even better.

A short synopsis. Ataman of the robbers Olgierd von Everec recruits Geralt for a seemingly typical mission - to kill a monster in the sewers Oxenfurt. Because of this beast, many girls have died - there is a story that if you kiss the creature, it will become a handsome prince. And, as always with Geralt, everything does not go according to plan, and to resolve his “inconvenient situation” he enters into a contract with "Glass Man"(if this name seems familiar to you, remember the prologue “ Wild Hunt").

Of course, everything turns out to be not so simple - it turns out that Olgierd von Everec also made a deal with the Glass Man at one time. And to complete it, someone else must fulfill Olgerd’s three wishes. This third turns out to be Geralt, since this is the price of his contract.

The expansion takes place in and around Oxenfurt. And it’s even more surprising how the developers were able to change not only the adventure genre, but also the general atmosphere of the game on the fly. Something similar happened when visiting the Marshes and when traveling to Skellige.

Von Evereck's three wishes are three completely different stories in mood and spirit. Conventionally, they can be designated as follows: first - Cheerful and Dashing, second - Exciting and Intriguing, well, the third - Sad and Gloomy. And, of course, all three are certainly interesting. Personally, I liked the third one the most. I’m not afraid to introduce a little pathos, but it seemed to me the most dramatically verified. In addition, there are absolutely wonderful scenes in terms of aesthetics and art direction.

The main part of the supplement conventionally consists of two more parts with different atmospheres. This is actually the beginning, where we receive the order from the chieftain and the part that comes after the fulfillment of his three wishes. The beginning is typical " Wild Hunt", except for the last 15 minutes. But the final addition is more interesting. It’s hard to find two epithets for it, and it would be more accurate to say that it contains everything and a little more. And yes, this is the second time, in less than six months, that the game makes one remember the work of Mike Mignola.

An interesting point is that the ending will depend not only on your decisions, but also on your meticulousness. Those who are too lazy to research something, ask an additional question or take any action in this spirit can expect various consequences, up to the point that you will not have the right to choose and the opportunity to influence the completion of the story. Throughout the game, the developers skillfully play on your expectations and stereotypes, and with each new answer the story becomes more mystical and stranger... or scarier. And if at the beginning the Glass Man looks like an average trickster magician, then as you progress you will change your opinion, and much will depend on how much you know about his real essence.

And they also returned Shani...

This is a book character, she also appeared in the first part of The Witcher and was a love interest. And, as you understand, Geralt, that is, you, will face another emotional dilemma about love, feelings and the like. The developers built this part of the plot very subtly and cleverly, and it does not look faded against the background of the stories Triss And Yennefer. So, those fans who believed that from the first part of Shani - the best choice for Geralt, they will be satisfied. By the way, in the romantic part, meticulousness and attentiveness will also not be superfluous, otherwise everything will not go as you planned. I would like to note that Shani is not the only greeting from the first part of the game; for example, in the auction house there will be a couple of excellent moments that you should not miss.

References and references concern not only the world of books and games; there are also homages and references to pop culture, classics of cinema and literature.

I think I promised to talk a little about the gameplay.

After completing a small quest, you will receive at your disposal a master of spells from Ophira. This man is for large amounts money works wonders for Geralt's equipment. He can also create rune slots in any weapon or armor. As they say, every whim is for your money.

New enemies have also appeared. Those for whom this is not the first game about the Witcher should like the appearance of the knights of the Order of the Flaming Rose. Thanks to the side quest, you will find out what they are doing here and why they started robbing the roads.

New bosses have also appeared, each of them is unique in its own way and sometimes has an “interesting” appearance. Another thing is that battles with them take place within the framework of the mechanics from “Wild Hunt”: you, like a madman, tumble around him and hit him with all possible means from your arsenal, not forgetting to drink elixirs. At the same time, according to subjective feelings, battles with ordinary opponents have become more interesting and tactical. In general, fighting is not boring =).

Summarizing...

Just go and play, that's all I have.

P.S. Be afraid of your desires...

The quest appears automatically in your quest log

Step 1: Check the notice board at the Seven Cats Tavern

Head to the tavern, it is located near Novigrad.

It is located in the Garin estate, north-east of.

At the estate you will be greeted with “funny” jokes and taken to Olgerd, you need to discuss the details of the order with him. When you leave, a girl will come up to you and give you an additional task “ Rose on a red field"

Stage 3: Oxenfurt canals

Your next adventure will be the city's canals. You can get into the canals by going down into the well, which is located west of the Novigrad Gate.

Step 4: Search the channels

Once down, use your Witcher Senses to find traces.

The tracks will lead you to an old friend of Geralt - she will tell you what is happening and tell you about the monster. After the conversation you need to find key to the lower channel grate , you can find it by searching the corpse of a soldier in the corner.

Stage 5: Lower Level

Using your witcher senses, carefully inspect the lower level of the channels.
The search will lead you to the corpse of one of the people accompanying Shani. After examining the body, Geralt smells the monster, follow it. The trail will lead you to a dead end, to move further you need to find a workaround (it’s easy to find, the passage will be behind an open grate), you will find yourself in a lair.

Stage 6: Lair

In the lair, using bait, Geralt will lure the monster into battle.

The fight with him is very difficult. Although he is slow and practically does not move, his attacks are very fast and powerful. The "Quen" sign, "Igni" and the "Dancing Star" and "North Wind" bombs will help in battle.

Stage 7: unexpected meeting

After defeating the monster, Geralt will fall from severe poisoning and wake up as a prisoner on the ship. You are considered the murderer of the Ophir prince and are being taken to execution.
Geralt's acquaintance will help you escape. After a sudden storm, the ship breaks up and Geralt finds himself on the shore. There you will have to fight a squad of warriors.

Stage 8: Ophir Mage

The squad will have an Ophir magician, a very strong enemy, who is guarded by several soldiers with pikes and shields.

Using Quen you can avoid damage from the magician while you deal with the others. With the North Wind bomb you can freeze the magician (this is difficult to do since he throws bombs away) and hit him with powerful attacks. Don't stand in one place and don't let yourself be surrounded.

Stage 9: meeting with Mr. Mirror

At midnight, head to the willow crossroads (Yantra Village)

After talking with O'Dim, you need to go to Olgerd.

Stage 10: Debtors Conversation

When you arrive at the estate, it will already be in flames, and Olgerd’s people will carry out the execution.

If you stop the execution, you will have to fight Olgerd. During the battle, use Quen and Aard, and everyone's favorite rolls and dodges. He will constantly teleport behind you, so keep blocking. After defeating him, there will be a dialogue. After the dialogue, the quests “And I was there, I drank honey and beer”, “Sesame, open!” will open.

Reward: 650 XP and 450 crowns

And I was there, drinking honey beer

From a conversation with her, you will learn what happened to Shani over all these years and where to look for the tomb of the Everek family.

Stage 2: Tomb of the Evereks

The tomb is located in the eastern part of the map from. Shani will be waiting for you there, she will give you censer(quest item). After the dialogue you need to go down to the crypt.

Level 33 (difficult opponents) will be waiting for you there and there are quite a lot of them, the Yrden sign will come in handy here, the main thing is not to let yourself be surrounded. After you kill all the ghosts, examine the place using your Witcher Senses and find Brother Olgerd.

Stage 3: perfume

Now you will need the censer that was given to you, with its help you need to walk through the crypt and fumigate it. After this, you need to light the lamp; it is located in the very center of the room where you fought with the ghosts.

After the ritual is completed, all members of the Everek family will come out to you, they will be hostile against you. They will have to be defeated in battle, even though they are ghosts, but they are much easier to kill. Afterwards, Witold, Olgerd’s brother, whom you were looking for, will come out to you. After Witold finds out that Geralt is here to cheer him up, he possesses the witcher.

Stage 4: wedding

Now throughout the entire task you will be accompanied by the spirit of Witold. To amuse the spirit, Shani offers to accompany her to the wedding. Head to the designated location in Bronovitsy Village. There, you and Shani will need to take part in the wedding fun before midnight.

One of these fun will be "drive the pigs into the barn"(the Aksiy sign will help you do this quickly), after participating, Shani will offer you a bet and because of it you will have to fight with the peasants with sticks (signs cannot be used). The next fun will be - "Catch the Shoe". Shani will throw her shoe into the lake and you need to find it, this is not easy because there are many other shoes in the lake. After this, Witold will want to dance. After the dance, talk to the Mirror Man. Then continue to participate in the fun. Another fun thing will be "The Search for the Fire Eater". To do this, follow the tracks of the runaway dog, they will lead you to the tree where the magician sits. On your way back to the village, you will be attacked by a boar. Protect the fire eater from him. And the last fun will be playing gwent(if you lose you will be forced to put on funny ears and give away 5% of your gold).

At midnight, head to the barn for the wedding ceremony. After this, Witold's spirit will disappear.

Step 5: Report to Olgerd

Reward: 1065 XP , exercise:

Sesame, open up!

You will receive the quest automatically after completing the quest.

Stage 1: go to the Borsodi auction house

Stage 1: go to the von Evereck residence

When you fulfill two wishes, he will make a third - bring a purple rose. You will begin your search from the von Everek estate, which is located south of the village of Bronovitsy.

The gate to the residence will be locked. The passage will be to the left of the main gate.

Stage 2: Watchman

In the passage you will meet a thief who has lost his partner, Geralt promises to help find him. Once in the estate's courtyard, use your Witcher Senses to find a purple rose, examining the area you will find nothing, but the traces of the missing thief will lead you to the back of the garden. There you will find a dead thief and the residence's guard, the Keykeeper.

This is a very difficult opponent. All his hits on you will restore his health; his fighting principle is based on a series of circular blows and two powerful ones after which he cannot move. The battle with him takes place in two stages: the first - you leave him half of his health, the Keykeeper calls on the spirits from which he will restore his health (beating him at this time is useless; better deal with the spirits - destroy them) and the second - you leave him a quarter of his health, after which he again summons spirits, try to prevent him from replenishing his health, when the summoning ends, he can already be killed (this time he will not summon anyone). For the battle, stock up on food and potions, the Yrden sign will also help in battle, for some reason the monster is immediately distracted by its activation, you can use this to your advantage.

Stage 3: von Everek estate

When you finally defeat the Keyholder, a black dog and a black cat will come out to you, they are some kind of guardian spirits of this house. According to them, the rose can be found with the mistress of the house and Olgerd’s wife, Iris. Go up to the second floor of the estate and find Iris. On the ground floor there will be a table "Iris Sketchbook" (quest item). On the second floor, go through the balcony to another part of the house. There you will be attacked by the "Ghost in the Painting".

It will be much easier to fight him; the only difficulty will be caused by the portals that the ghost creates. It is better to close them as soon as possible (through them the ghost restores health). Having defeated the ghost, you will find yourself in Iris’s bedroom (on the left on the table you can pick up a portrait of Olgerd and Iris). The spirit of a dog and a cat will appear in the bedroom and they will tell you what happened to the owner. The hostess must be buried in the garden in front of the house in order to summon her spirit and ask about the rose. Using your witcher senses, find a suitable location. Once you find it, bury Iris and say last words(do not affect anything), you can also put the album and portrait you found in her grave.

Stage 4: Another World

The spirit you summon will open a portal, passing through it Geralt will find himself in the painted world. Here you need to find the memories of Iris von Everek and restore them.

Memories in chronological order:
1. Iris and Olgerd in the gazebo - on the bench, take the artist’s palette - place it on the table; there will be a book on the railing of the gazebo - put it in Olgerd's hand. When you do this, bees will attack you, burn them with the Igni sign.
2. Iris and Olgerd near the fountain - you will find a glass on the fountain - put it in Iris’s hand. After the cutscene you will be attacked by ghost spiders (exit to open place, it’s easier to resist them there).
3. Dinner - light two candles on the table (near the people) and light the fireplace using the Igni sign. A ghost will attack you; after defeating it, go to the second floor.
4. Bedroom - the towel will be on the floor - place it near Olgerd.
5. Workshop -take the glass on the nightstand with a candle, you will find fruit behind Iris’s back. After this, interact with the counter near Olgerd: place the apple on the right, the grapes on the left, and the glass in the center. Next, go to Olgerd's office. A lot of ghosts will attack you in the corridor - don’t let yourself be surrounded.
6. Laboratory - take the candles from the table and arrange them in a circle in which the pictogram is inscribed. A fire will start, to get out of it, run into the picture, you will be transported to the courtyard of the estate. There will be a snowstorm there, quickly run through the open doors of the basement.
7. Basement - you will find the marriage contract on the floor in the center - give it to Iris’s father, the mug will be to the left of the barrel - give it to Olgerd. Climb to the top.
8. Gloomy Dinner - take a tray of food near the fireplace - give it to the Keykeeper, a large bowl opposite the table - place it near the dog, a small bowl not far from the fireplace - place it near the cat.

Stage 5: Fear

After restoring all memories, take Olgerd's letter on the table, after reading it, it will appear "Iris's Greatest Fear".

You will be surrounded by 6 ghosts, they will attack I’ll go one at a time, don’t hurt the main thing other ghosts during the fight, then everyone will attack you. A sign will help in battle Aard (the sign does not apply to the latter), try not to move far from the enemy, if this happens, they will make a dash that can kill you.

Stage 6: flower

After dealing with the ghosts, you will finally talk to Iris. You can take the rose from her.

He will be waiting for you in the tavern; he will tell you to bring Olgerd to the Lilvani sanctuary (northeast of the Steiger village)

Additionally: Olgerd's man will tell us that Shani was here and was looking for Geralt, go to her clinic. Shani will tell us about Professor Shezlock - he could help us learn more about Mr. Mirror. Go with Shani to the university. The guards will only let Shani through, but she will help you get to the university territory; to do this, go around the building from the shore, there will be several drowned people there; it won’t be difficult to kill them. After climbing the rope, go to the professor’s house; 5 witch hunters will stand on your way. Deal with the crossbowman first and the battle will be much easier. The professor's house will be locked, there will be a staircase opposite the door, go up it and use the Aard sign on the doors, you will find yourself inside. There will be a professor on the lowest floor, after talking with him you will learn the details of the agreement between Olgerd and O"Dima. After the end of the dialogue, leave the university, leave the house and climb the tower using the ladder and jump into the water.

Stage 2: Lilwani Shrine

In the sanctuary you will meet with Olgerd, giving him the rose and Gunther will appear. Here you can choose two options:

Option 1: you choose the side of "Dima". All you need to do is wait until everything is over, and then choose your reward.

Option 2: you decide to help Olgerd.

In order to save Olgerda, you need to win in a game invented by Mister Mirror.

You will be transported to a dark place and given a riddle - to find out who Gunther o'Dim is and find him (if you took the rose from Iris and talked to the professor, it will be easier to guess). This quest is for a while, so immediately run to the bridge that is located below (avoid fighting with ghosts, because of them you will lose a lot of time), then keep to the right side, when you hear the cry “Help” go there There will be a destroyed bridge nearby, jump over it and run to the house.

Here you can find a drawing of the poisoned silver sword of the snake school. To find it you need to follow the left path after the bridge.

In the house down the corridor you will see a mirror, run towards it. The corridor will fall through (hold the jump button to reduce the damage after the fall). After you fall, look for the fountain (to the right of the fall) behind it, break the wall with Aard.

You have solved the riddle.

Reward: "Magnificent Carabella" sword with a unique effect

Side quests in the Hearts of Stone add-on are not so numerous, or rather, there are very few of them. This is understandable, the whirlpool of events during the passage of the main plot draws you in, and you don’t want to be distracted from the most fascinating story. However, they still deserve our attention, because completing some will allow you to get some good things at your disposal, as well as improve your existing equipment. Therefore, let's see what side tasks this add-on offers us.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

RACING: FAST AS THE WEST WIND

Let's start our consideration of side tasks, perhaps with the simplest. While walking around the village of Bronovitsy on the western shore of the lake the witcher will be called out by a man of clearly foreign appearance.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

He will be an Ophir merchant who came to the Northern Lands to see the world and show himself off. During the conversation, the witcher will turn his attention to an excellent stallion that belonged to the merchant and offer to organize horse races. Horse racing is one of the favorite pastimes not only in the North, but also in distant Ophir. Therefore, there is no need to persuade the merchant. He will gladly agree to the competition. And this means: “Move, Roach!”

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Roach will move until the victorious finish, for which he will receive new “clothes” for himself, namely "Ophir Nomad's Saddle" with energy 85 units. From the same merchant you can replenish our horse’s Ophir wardrobe blinders And saddle bags(100 kg).

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

However, life works in such a way that where you can win, you can also lose. And losing in horse racing is quite possible. But this shouldn't upset you. Although in case of defeat the task will be considered failed, you can approach the merchant again at any time and demand revenge. The failed task will again be active. And this can be repeated until victory.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

SPELL: STARTING CAPITAL

Our roaches are now wearing new clothes, so why shouldn’t the witcher take care of his equipment? From the announcement at the Seven Cats tavern we know that he has arrived in the northern lands rune caster and he is located very close to the Ophir merchant-rider, in a tent.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

It is not necessary to inspect the notice board for this task to be available for completion. Simply find the tent and contact the Ophir with bushy eyebrows, and the task will be activated.

So, during a conversation with the witcher, the Ophirian will tell about his craft and the misfortune that befell him on the way to the Northern Lands. All the tools with which he applies runes and glyphs ended up in the depths of the sea due to a shipwreck and there is no way to get them out of there. And new ones cost incredible money.

The story that you can enchant armor and weapons, thereby giving the equipment new properties, will interest Geralt. You can fork out money for this. To begin with, the rune master will need “just” 5000 CZK. But that's not all. The master will ask you to bring him an impressive size piece of jade. Only then can he begin his work. As soon as the money is in the hands of the Ophirite, the task “Spell: start-up capital" will be considered completed, and the next task associated with the rune master will immediately be activated.

ENCHANTING: PAYING FOR QUALITY

The rune master is still provided with finances, but the lack of jade will not allow him to begin his craft. Geralt knows that north of Novigrad you can pick out this very jade.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

But before you go looking for a stone, you need to acquire a mining tool. After all, a piece of jade will not just lie on the ground. For this we need Kylo, which the witcher requisitions from local residents that live next to the mill.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Now all that remains is to find a piece of jade and bring it to the rune master. Of the places offered by the game, a piece of the appropriate size can be found in only one place. This place will be cave, which was chosen by arachnomorphs for housing. They will not allow the witcher to calmly search for jade, so pest control in the cave is simply necessary. After the sanitary procedure, we get to work: the jade will not end up in the witcher’s hands by itself.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The jade stone brought by the witcher will finally allow the rune master to do what he loves. He will thank Geralt for his help and task "Enchantment: Pay for Quality" this will end.

From now on, the Rune Master will be available as a universal artisan, from whom you can not only repair equipment and disassemble junk, but also craft weapons and armor. However, this is not the main advantage of the master. He can enchant any piece of equipment that has three slots for runes or glyphs. By the way, the rune master, of course, for a fee - and not a small one - can add slots to all items of equipment (armor, weapons), except for witcher equipment. He will also have new glyphs on sale (as well as drawings for their manufacture), which will be needed to enchant armor glyphic words. These glyphs can also be used as regular glyphs and placed in upgrade slots.

After completing the task, we will only have access to level 1 enchantment

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Pie runestone blueprint location

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Location of the drawing of the rune stone Curd

Even though the task has ended, you can make the rune master rich again already 10000 CZK. After an infusion of money, he will have higher-level glyphs and runestones (as well as drawings for them) for sale, as well as the ability to cast level II enchantment. The rune master himself will develop from a student into a journeyman.

This is what new enchantment rune master can offer us.

And finally, a master-level enchantment

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

WITHOUT A TRACE

Arriving in the next village, the witcher never misses the opportunity to inspect the local notice board. And now, being in village of Bronovitsy, Geralt turned his attention to the advertisement for the search for a missing person. And since they offer a reward for the search, it would be a sin not to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

To talk with the customer, we go to the hut to the herbalist, which is near Oxenfurt. You may have already been there as part of the story mission of the “Open Sesame!” add-on. .

The herbalist will ask the witcher to find his apprentice Folkert, who went to Corpse Thicket for hemp fiber and still hasn't returned. It's worth looking for him there. However, this is not enough, we also need signs of the missing person, otherwise you never know. According to the herbalist, Folkert is short, like him, and even blonde. For such an experienced tracker as Geralt, this is enough to start searching.

The game will tell you that it is best to look for it near Erde village.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher's sense will help the Witcher to detect cart herbalist, and near her bloody trails leading to the village.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

It seems that Folkert was attacked by someone, and he decided to take refuge in the village. And what’s strange is that immediately at the entrance to the village the tracks will end, as if the apprentice had gained wings. Therefore, you just need to look around here. The village will look completely abandoned, but the witcher will be lucky to meet a couple of inhabitants. This is a married couple of quite advanced age. Only they remained in the village to live out their lives, not wanting to leave their homes.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

They will tell the witcher that they saw Folkert. He was attacked by wolves, so he decided to find shelter in the village. However, for some reason, he soon decided to go into the forest for herbs again, and never returned. Apparently, the second time fate was not so favorable to the underling, and he found his death from wolf fangs.

In principle, you can go to the herbalist right now to tell him about the fate of the apprentice, and receive as a reward 200 CZK, apparently, for your efforts, and finish this task.

However, something is wrong in this village. We should sniff around here. The first strangeness will appear in next door. There, the entire floor at the entrance will be covered in blood that is already several months old, and a bloody handprint will be clearly visible on the wall.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Let's ask the couple about this find. Their explanation will seem quite plausible: the old man is cutting up game there.

The second oddity will be the smell of rotting flesh. The Witcher will smell it to the left of the hut old people.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

This smell will lead us to a pile of boxes, and under them something like hatch. Aard will help get rid of the obstacle in the form of boxes, and all we have to do is go down to the cellar. There the witcher will see a picture that clearly does not contribute to the appearance of appetite, but rather the opposite. Animal carcasses will be hung under the ceiling, and a gutted animal will be on the table. herbalist's apprentice.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Looks like old people are real cannibals, and they cannot avoid a serious conversation with the angry witcher. After hearing the excuses, the time will come to decide whether to execute or pardon.

In the end, no matter what choice you make, it’s time to go to the customer. The apprentice is dead, so the herbalist has no reason to wait for him in vain. Of course, the lowlifes will want to know what the cause of Folkert's death was. Whether you tell him the original version about wolves or tell him the harsh truth is up to you.

If the version with wolves seems more appropriate to you, then we will receive a reward from the herbalist and you can go for a walk. This will complete the task.

If honesty does not allow you to lie, then the herbalist will ask whether you have brought justice to the murderers of Folkert. The news of the death of the cannibals will calm the herbalist’s soul, and he, thanking the witcher, will give him the full reward. But the customer will be dissatisfied with the pardon of the murderers. He will give us a reward and promise to find these human eaters and avenge Folkert.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

CRY AND PAY

The witcher barely had money in his pockets (more 35000 CZK), when he was stopped by a stranger at the entrance to the market square in Ochsenfurt. He will introduce himself as a tax inspector and regretfully tell the witcher about his undeclared income.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The taxman will ask the witcher three questions:

1. Was the witcher selling raw cow hides in the White Garden?

2. Did the witcher buy sea shells and then resell pearls from these shells?

3. Has the witcher ever had to break into someone else’s house and take something from there without permission?

Well, everything is clear with the third question, but what the first two are for is not entirely clear. However, those players who have been playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt since early versions will immediately understand the vile hint of the developers. There were times when in the White Garden, with a certain patience and endurance, it was possible to become indecently rich to such an extent that it would be enough for lifelong residence in the most elite brothel of Novigrad, “Passiflora”. Or make a fortune the size of the imperial treasury in Nilfgaard, just by buying sea shells from merchants for pennies, which could be dismantled from some artisan and sold to him for pearls at a much higher price. Later, this shop of “cunning” enrichment was closed down and such a hint task was filed.

Decide for yourself how to answer the questions; the inspector will take the witcher’s word for it. If the witcher confirms his illegal actions in at least two cases out of three, the tax officer will issue him an invoice for payment.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

And until the witcher pays this bill at Vivaldi’s bank, you can forget about loans. To be honest, it’s not really necessary.

If the witcher refutes two out of three assumptions about his illegal actions, he will receive at his disposal "Diploma of a Law-Abiding Taxpayer".

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

This is such a fun task. It will end upon receipt of a diploma, or upon payment of a bill at Vivaldi Bank.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The tasks discussed above did not in any way affect the main plot of the add-on. But the following side quests can only be obtained by completing quests in the main storyline.

ROSE ON A RED FIELD

As you remember, as soon as the witcher received the task from Olgerd von Everec to kill the beast in the Oxenfurt canals and set out to carry it out, he was stopped at the threshold of the estate by a shocking mamzel named Adele(right in rhyme, damn it).

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

She will literally force the witcher to listen to her. Her acquaintance did not come to meet her, Kluivert, who, by the way, was involved in fistech. And since he didn’t show up for the meeting, it means that something happened to him. Therefore, the witcher must visit Lukovets village and find out what happened to Adele's boyfriend.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The village will greet the witcher with silence. Only a draft will creak the uncovered shutters in abandoned houses, and ghouls walking around the village like a boss will complete the gloomy picture. Well, the witcher has a short conversation with ghouls. Only corpse eaters would not just come to the village. They probably smelled the smell of rotting flesh. Therefore, we should take a closer look here.

Witcher sense- best friend and assistant (along with Roach) - will help the witcher this time too. However, instead of the sickening aroma of decaying carrion, the smell of some kind of reagents will hover throughout the village. The witcher's sensitive nose will lead him to one of the huts equipped for the production of fisstech.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Some of the equipment had clearly been removed. But by whom and for what is unclear. Perhaps the piece of paper lying on the table will shed light on what happened here.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Our guess turned out to be correct, Kluivert was in danger. Not surprisingly, drugs are a dangerous (and extremely harmful) business. And their production even more so.

But let's not be distracted from examining the hut. On the bed someone will be found near the window footprints. And since the man climbed out of the hut through the window, it means he was taken by surprise. Behind the house there will be more footprints that will lead the witcher to a body with a crossbow bolt sticking out of its back. Using signs, the witcher will determine the identity of the murdered person - Kluivert.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

They were obviously shooting from the direction of the village and at close range. Traces near the fence on the outskirts of the village will fully confirm our assumption.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The marks will be deep, such as could be left by a man in heavy armor. Kluivert's killer, judging by the tracks, returned back to the village and rode on horseback to a hillock to a lonely hut. Let's follow him too. On a hillock near the hut, the witcher will be lucky enough to meet five knights of the Order of the Flaming Rose, only if you have not been there earlier to wrest the Ophir blueprint from them on the mission “From Distant Ophir”. Having killed the knights or unhindered, we carefully inspect the area. Near the hut there will be a cart with equipment removed from the laboratory, and in the cart there will be an interesting a note.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

So-so. So, behind all this fuss around the laboratory is Order of the Flaming Rose. It looks like the brothers have sunk to the very bottom since they started producing drugs.

From the note it is clear that the Order's laboratory is somewhere in the northwest of the village of Bronovitsy. This will be our next destination.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Of course, the entrance to the laboratory will be guarded, and the guards will not be in the mood for a peaceful conversation. There are three ways to enter the laboratory: firstly, simply kill gatekeepers, secondly, fuck off to them 1000 Novigrad crowns- money is the key to everything, thirdly, a sign Aksiy to help (you need Level 2 Deception). In this case, it is best to pay and get the “iron” 100 units of experience for it.

Ulrich, the one in charge of the knights will be peaceful, and will even answer the witcher’s question: “Why would the knights of the order suddenly engage in robbery and drug production?” But the leader’s revelations always end in the same way. He recognizes the witcher as the killer of the Master of the Order, Jacob from Aldersberg. Of course, after he was recognized, the witcher would not be released from the laboratory alive. We'll have to fight small room with as many as 8 opponents, two of whom are archers. The fight will be hot, and we will need something of mass destruction in it, for example, Igni or a bomb "Buckshot". As soon as the knights in the laboratory are killed, it’s time to go to Adele to the Alchemy tavern, which is in Oxenfurt. It is there that she will wait for news from us. On the way out, two guards will also say goodbye to their lives for the glory of the Eternal Flame (unless you cut them out earlier). From their corpses it will be possible to take all the money to the last crown that we paid for entrance to the laboratory.

Already in the tavern we will tell Adele about the death of Kluivert, about revenge for his death and we will receive from her a reward in the amount 200 CZK. At this point the task will be considered completed.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

CLEAR MIDNIGHT

Another task closely related to the passage of the main plot. It is activated as soon as Gunther O'Dimm drives the spirit of Witold von Everek from the wedding of Aldona and Yavnut back to the crypt and advises the witcher to cheer up Shani, who is sad from unfulfilled expectations. He will offer to bring the girl flowers or something to drink. We will have a choice four items
The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Bouquet of daisies

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Branch with rowan berries

Which of all this will Shani like most? The game will offer to read about Shani in the glossary, from where it will become clear what kind of gift the girl will be happy with. This rowan sprig. If you remember, at the very beginning of the wedding she immediately noticed a rowan tree in the yard, because once in her childhood she had made beads from it.

Having chosen a gift, we go to look for Shani. Let me make a reservation right away: it is useless to approach her without a gift. The girl will sit in the barn where the main wedding celebrations take place, hanging her head. Her whole pose will scream about the melancholy in which the girl was.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

Meanwhile, the rather tipsy musicians will become more and more out of tune, making conversation in the room impossible. Geralt will invite Shani to take a walk, to which the girl will happily agree, and our couple will go out into the yard for some fresh air. While walking, Geralt and Shani will remember the old days and their joint adventure in Vizima, talk about the newlyweds, about Shani herself and what happened at the wedding.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

However, all this time the witcher will not get out of his head that kiss when the spirit of Witold kissed Shani. Geralt will want to compare sensations, and the lips of old acquaintances will close in a passionate kiss.

During a walk and after a kiss, choose in response any remark that you prefer. However, when Shani asks the witcher if they have time to be together, this is where you need to choose correctly. And the game will not let us think too long.

Selecting a replica "Let's go back", the chance to spend the evening with Shani will be lost. The disappointed girl will not want to stay at the wedding any longer and will decide to leave. But before leaving, Geralt will ask her to find out more about Olgerd von Everek, to which he will receive the girl’s consent. Shani and the witcher will go their separate ways and the task will end.

Replica "One kiss is not enough for me" will continue our evening in the company of the charming Shani. The Witcher decides to arrange a boat ride on the lake at night, but the pier has already been chosen by a kissing couple (you, of course, recognize the girl).

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

When Geralt and Shani appear, they will run away, forgetting to take a bottle of wine with them. Shani will immediately find her, and if you brought her alcohol as a gift, she will decide to drink this wine. The game will offer us a choice: stop the girl or let her get drunk. If you gave her a branch of rowan or chamomile, then Shani will not drink.

In any case, Shani and Geralt will go on a romantic walk along the night lake illuminated by the full moon, which will end with an equally romantic love scene.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

If you let Shani get drunk, then at the most crucial moment her stomach will decide that there is no point for these two to indulge in pleasures, and the girl will vomit.

No matter how the night ends, Geralt will wake up at sunrise already on the shore. Shani will be awake by this time. After discussing what happened a little, Shani will want to put it all in her head alone and head home. But first, the witcher will ask her to find out more about Olgerd. Shani will happily agree and leave the witcher. At this point the task will be considered completed.

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Walkthrough of side quests The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

The Witcher 3. Addition "Hearts of Stone". Completing side quests

So, we looked at all the side quests in the Hearts of Stone add-on. Yes, they are few in number and not as exciting as in “Wild Hunt,” but they weren’t boring to do either. Moreover, some turned out to be very useful for the witcher, especially the rune master’s quests.

Well, it's time for me to say goodbye to this wonderful addition that is definitely worth paying my hard-earned money for. I hope that you found the expansion guides useful and that you learned something new from them.

However, it is unlikely that they would have appeared in my authorship if dear Elle (for which I thank her very much!) had not entrusted me with such a responsible and serious work that only you, my beloved readers, can appreciate.

Thank you very much for the tips and clarifications for the task “Enchantment: payment for quality” -

Who said that every fairy tale must have a good ending?

During his travels, Geralt of Rivia repeatedly came across wondrous creatures, as if they had come to visit straight from folklore, famous and not so famous fairy tales, legends and myths. Needless to say, even the Wild Hunt, the fight against which the lion's share of the game was devoted to The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, owes its image to Scandinavian mythology? However, sometimes even seemingly positive characters good fairy tales can force the witcher to bare his silver sword... As this happened in the task " The first shoots of evil", which is what we will talk about.

This is a job for a witcher!

Are you looking for The Witcher? We are looking for someone who will kill the monster!

The task becomes available immediately after installing the add-on" Stone Hearts", but it is recommended to postpone its passage until Geralt's level reaches 35 or higher. Go to the Seven Cats tavern, which is located near Novigrad, go to the notice board and look at it. There is nothing interesting for the witcher there it turns out, exactly until a man comes up to the board and places an order for a monster from the canals.Geralt asks if the witcher needs help, to which he receives advice to go to the Garin estate, which is northeast of Oxenfurt, and talk with Olgierd von Everec, because it was he who placed the reward on the monster’s head.

Upon arrival, Geralt will discover that the estate has been occupied by robbers, proudly calling themselves “boars.” Fortunately, they will not attack, and one of them from the balcony will call the witcher inside the estate. However, Olgerd still has to be looked for, which the resting and having fun “wild boars” will not rush to help with. On the contrary, when they see the guest, they will begin to joke and mock him, alternately introducing themselves as “Olgerd” and confusing the witcher. The gray-haired monster slayer, of course, will not like this very much, and he will be able to choose one of two lines:

• Bunch of idiots. Geralt will not hide his irritation, making caustic jokes in response and insisting that he be taken to the real von Everek. One of the robbers will not like such impudence and a fist fight will break out. In general, the enemy is not difficult, and to defeat him it is enough to simply not expose yourself to blows, jumping back and blocking them, and at the right moment counterattack and go on the offensive. If possible, try to land the first blow, and then take advantage of the situation and simply bombard the enemy with a flurry of normal attacks. The defeated "boar", like his comrades, will even be glad of such entertainment and will lead the witcher to Olgerd.
• It was nice to chat, but I'm here on business. Geralt will not lose his composure, wanting to avoid conflict. By repeating that he came here because of an order, the witcher will thereby somewhat moderate the ardor of the “boars”, and he will also be led to Olgerd.

But I look at this... And I see only a lifeless piece of stone

During the quest “The First Sprouts of Evil”, Geralt will find Olgerd von Everek looking at a sculpture in an office on the second floor. It is noteworthy that although it is not mentioned in the game, the statue represents none other than the legendary Lady of the Lake - a mythical maiden revered by many as a deity. The Witcher knows her personally - during the events of the original game The Witcher, as a reward for defeating the underwater monster Dagon, the Lady knighted Geralt and presented him with a special silver sword, Arondite. Alas, the gray-haired man managed to lose even such a valuable gift somewhere. Owners of the supplement " Blood and wine", by the way, there will still be an opportunity to meet the Lady again and return Arondite, but that’s a completely different story. Now, after a short lyrical digression, let’s return to pressing matters. Olgerd makes it clear that even though he leads a robber lifestyle, but not at all like ordinary looters and bandits. Von Evereck, having thought a little about the fact that modern art cannot be compared with the works of yesteryear, wants to know Geralt’s opinion regarding the sculpture. There are four possible answers.

• I don't know much about sculpture. Geralt honestly admits that he is far from art and has never been particularly interested in it. Olgerd will say that the witcher has not lost much.
• I like this. Geralt will state that he likes the sculpture, especially the “bulges”. Olgerd will appreciate the joke, believing that it is always a pleasure to work with people with a sense of humor.
• I prefer Gernst's works. Geralt will show off his knowledge, expressing preference for the work of a certain Gernst. Von Everek will be surprised at the breadth of the witcher’s horizons.
• Let's talk about ordering. Ignoring Olgerd's question, Geralt will prefer to get straight to the point. Olgerd will note that the witcher is a man of action, and he likes it.

The choice of replica has only a symbolic function - in any case, Olgerd will destroy the sculpture, knocking it over to the floor, invite Geralt to go down to the main hall, where the fun is already in full swing, and there they will discuss the order for the monster from the canals.

Olgerd von Everec will tell you that the monster that the witcher is tasked with killing lives in the sewers near Oxenfurt and regularly devours women who have heard enough stories about a handsome prince turned into a toad by a terrible curse and descending into dark canals in search of his happiness. They find, alas, only death. One of the victims of the monster was the cook Olgerda, and that is why he longs for the death of the so-called “toad prince.” Agree to fulfill the order and do not hesitate to ask the noble robber to increase the reward - he will, without much hesitation, throw in 50 crowns on top. You can also ask Olgerd about the reason for which the feast was held. It turns out that in this way the “boars” celebrate the baptism of fire of the new saber of one of the “boars”, which was called “Tradition”. At the exit from the estate, the witcher will be called by the “boar” Adele. She will ask you to find the killer of her friend, track him down and take revenge on him. This will begin the side quest “Rose on a Red Field”.

Oxenfurt canals

The descent into the city sewer is located near the Oxenfurt market, right on the main square. A commoner standing near the entrance can tell the witcher that many have already descended into the canals - and ordinary people, and knights in shining armor - but no one ever returned. Don't be fooled by the seemingly small height; If you don’t want a tombstone with the carved epitaph “Here lies Geralt of Rivia. He choked on sewage, breaking both his legs,” to appear in the cemetery, use the stairs.

Below, the witcher will be able to see traces supposedly left by a man, and next to them a woman’s. After walking a little through the tunnels, you will come across one of the local inhabitants - a drowned man. Usually taking in numbers, lone drowners are an easy target for the witcher's blade, so there should be no difficulty in killing him. Soon Geralt will hear a woman's voice, apparently begging for mercy. It is worth saying that in the original English voice acting the voice was alarming, almost panicky, while in the Russian localization it is completely calm, which somewhat ruins the tension of the moment. A witcher who hastens to help will find an unexpected sight...

-Shani, he died. -I know... But it was worth a try

As it turns out, the voice belonged to Geralt’s old friend Shani, who was trying with all her might to save the life of the wounded soldier. However, the witcher will have to admit the futility of the red-haired medic’s undertaking - the soldier dressed in the colors of Redania is dead. Despite the current circumstances, both Shani and Geralt are very happy to see each other, and no wonder, given their general history. Shani first appeared in the book of the literary series " Blood of the Elves", where the topic of their friendship and love relationships was touched upon. The latter, in turn, could be continued in the game The Witcher, where a kind and friendly girl acted as a “rival” of Triss Merigold. After the events of the first part, Shani became a teacher at the Oxenfurt Institute and an assistant to Joachim von Gratz, who met Geralt during the execution side quest"Deadly Sins" With the outbreak of the war against Nilfgaard, she went to the front line to help the wounded. At the time of the events of the add-on, she is still working with the Redanians, and it was the task that led her to the sewers - whatever monster lives in the tunnels, it is poisoning the water and Shani needs to get a sample of mucus to create an antidote. Geralt, of course, immediately volunteers to help his friend.

It will not be possible to go into the next room during the quest “The First Sprouts of Evil” in the usual way - in pursuit of Shani, the monster crashed into the metal grate, thereby bending both it and the door. Geralt will assume that the neighboring wall could also have been damaged during the impact, and he will be absolutely right. Create an impromptu passage by using the witcher sign Aard on the wall near the grate; weakness very easy to determine with the help of a witcher's sense. Proceeding further, the witcher will find two more dead soldiers, whom Shani will call Miklas and Vern. The girl will tell you that when they got here, the squad was attacked by a flock of drowners. The Redans were able to fight back, but one of them, Franz, was wounded in the leg. Before the doctor had time to properly bandage the wound, something very large, scary and slimy attacked them. Knols ordered Shani to flee, and the remaining soldiers tried to delay the monster at the cost of their lives. When Shani returned, she saw Nols still alive, covered in strange mucus, dragged him away from the battlefield and tried to help. It was then that Geralt came across her.

There are two ways to get down to the lower levels of the canals: either jump into the hole near which the bodies of Vern and Miklas were found, or find the key and use it to unlock the grate blocking the passage. However, keep in mind that in the first case the witcher will lose half his health, and it will be very useful to him in the battle with the flock of drowners who have occupied the lower level of the sewer. Corpse eaters, due to their nature, are completely immune to the negative effect of “poisoning”, as well as the witcher’s sign of Axii. On the other hand, monsters have a dislike for fire, in particular the Igni sign and the Dancing Star bomb. In battle, try to keep opponents at a distance by pushing them away with the Aard sign or an alternative version of the Quen sign. Also, do not forget to lubricate the silver blade with oil against corpse eaters - it is especially useful on high level difficulties.

Having dealt with the drowners, approach the soldier's corpse. Shani recognizes him as Franz - the same Redanian wounded in the leg, only the scale of the damage has increased significantly - if before it was a laceration from the claws of a drowned man, now the lower limb is completely missing. From the conversation it will become clear that the monster was attracted by the smell of alcohol, which Shani used to treat the wound, mixed with blood. As soon as the dialogue ends, use your witcher's senses and examine Franz's body again - Geralt will be able to smell the persistent smell of alcohol, which will lead the monster killer to the lair of one of them.

Don't rush to immediately follow the alcohol trail to the monster's hideout. Examine the lower level and find two notes that will complement the picture of what is happening and bring some clarity:

• Advertising for a marriage agency lies at the grate standing at the entrance to the tunnel leading to the monster. It talks about the fact that a certain marriage agency decided to cash in on the story of the enchanted prince, taking payment from gullible girls and sending them to certain death.
• Soaked letter located at the feet of a corpse glued to one of the walls with dried mucus. As a guide, you can use a torch on the ground located near the letter. From it you can learn an extended version of the story of the cursed “groom” - one Ophir prince arrived in Novigrad and fell in love with a girl. Unfortunately for him, the lady's lover turned out to be a powerful sorcerer, who punished the unlucky lover by turning him into a toad.

Don't worry if you missed these notes - this will not affect the process of completing the task in any way. However, keep in mind that once Geralt discovers the monster’s lair, there is no way to go back or prepare any elixirs or bombs, so do this in advance. Particular attention should be paid to the “North Wind” and “Dancing Star” bombs, as well as the “Swallow” and “Ivolga” elixirs.

As it turns out, the monster chose a monastery worthy of a person of royal blood - spacious, its structure reminiscent of a dome. Shani will take a sample of mucus, which she came down for. Geralt will decide to lure the monster out by luring it with the smell of alcohol and blood. If the witcher does not have any alcoholic drinks in his inventory, Shani will give him his supplies; You won’t have to look for the second component for long either, because the lair is full of human corpses. The gray-haired one will send Shani to the surface, worried about her safety, and he himself will begin meditation in anticipation of the goal of his order.

His Highness, the Toad Prince!

After a few hours, the meditation will be interrupted by the sounds of something large and quickly approaching. The gossip did not lie - the sewer was indeed occupied by a huge toad, but it apparently lost its crown along the way. But even without expensive decoration, the Toad Prince is a very dangerous opponent, primarily due to his increased toxicity. At the first opportunity, take the Oriole elixir, which you were advised to prepare earlier - it will completely cancel any side effects from poisoning. The Toad Prince has several unique basic attacks:

• Bounce. It would be strange if the toad could not jump. If Geralt moves too far away or, conversely, comes too close, the Toad Prince will jump high, “hover” in the air for a second, and then quickly rush to the ground, creating a shock wave upon landing. Try not to stop and run away from the Toad’s trajectory so that it does not crush the witcher with its carcass.
• Poisonous Spit . If the witcher is far from the Toad, it will begin to spit clumps of poisonous mucus at him, which upon landing form a cloud of poisonous gas. Before this, the bags on her neck will swell, acquiring a characteristic red color. As soon as you see this, get ready to roll or start running away from the Toad.
• Tongue attack. The enemy will use an improvised whip if Geralt gets too close. This attack is very fast, so it is not always possible to dodge or run away from it. As an alternative, it is recommended to use the Quen sign.

As you can see, the Toad Prince in the quest “The First Sprouts of Evil” adheres to the strategy of keeping the enemy at a distance, attacking with long-range attacks, and if the witcher manages to get close enough to strike with his sword, jump away and continue his “shelling”. This is the main difficulty in the battle with Toad - due to its mobility, it is difficult to hit it. In order to limit the monster's mobility, you can use the Yrden trap sign and/or the improved North Wind bomb. It's also worth coating your silver witch blade with anti-damned oil, as the extra damage in this fight won't hurt. It is noteworthy that at least in one of the dialogues Shani will mention that she threw a torch at the monster, but he did not even pay attention to this and, therefore, is immune to fire, everything is exactly the opposite - the fire element is especially effective against the Toad. Probably on early stages development The Toad Prince did have immunity to fire, but later this advantage was turned into a weakness.

There is some truth in every fairy tale

Geralt will deliver the decisive blow to the Toad in a cut-scene, dodging the monster’s jump and ripping open its belly. Unfortunately for the witcher, the poisonous blood of the monster poured out of the fresh wound onto him. Although the monster killer’s body, thanks to mutations, is less susceptible to toxins, Geralt, weakened after a difficult battle, will lose consciousness. The last thing he will see will be the dying Ophir prince, posthumously freed from the curse, as well as the running Ophir soldiers.

Captured by the Ophirians

Petty thief, sharper, and in his spare time a tour guide in Oxenfurt

The witcher will come to his senses on board the Albatross ship, locked in a cage. Geralt's awakening will be noticed by his fellow sufferer. He will start a conversation with the gray-haired prisoner, introducing himself as a petty thief, a sharper and a guide to Oxenfurt. From the dialogue it will become clear that the witcher himself was indirectly involved in his imprisonment. Philippe was hired by the Ophirians to guide guests from the South through the city's sewers. They were obviously looking for their missing prince, but they were exactly a minute late, finding only a cold corpse. Calagrande fell under the hot hand of the Ophir people, who decided that he was an accomplice of the murderer. Philippe will tell you that they will travel to Ophir, where they will be executed, but the guide is even happy about this, because he always wanted to look at black horses with white stripes. The dialogue between the prisoners will be interrupted by two Ophir soldiers, who will bring food and order the prisoners to be silent. Geralt will try to take advantage of the opportunity and ask Philippe how the phrase “take me to the captain” sounds in Ophir? The witcher who has not understood anything will have the opportunity to choose one of three phrases:

• Alle"khe yhll eghallith! One of the Ophirians will ignore Geralt's request, finally adding that they will still see who will laugh last. Philippe will say that the phrase uttered by the witcher translates as “I had your aunt’s hat.”
• Alle"ghe urh yghileth! The result will be exactly the same as with the first option. Only this time the translation will be less offensive, but meaningless - “I want to dance his nose.”
• Alle"khe uhl eghullath! Having correctly uttered the request to take him to the captain, the witcher will still be ignored by the Ophirians, in Once again ordering him to shut up.
• If Geralt does not have time to choose one of the provided lines, the Ophirians will leave silently.

In general, even the right choice will not have any result. Philippe decides to sleep and advises Geralt to do the same - they have a long journey ahead of them. The Witcher, in his characteristic ironic manner, will say that he would like someone on the ship to fulfill his wishes...

Gunther O'Dim, you lousy tramp!

And, oddly enough, such a person will be nearby. Gunther O'Dim, whom Geralt met at the beginning of the game's events The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt in the White Garden. Although O'Dim's first appearance was episodic, even then one could suspect that Gunther was not the ordinary mirror merchant he introduced himself to. Firstly, he knew a lot about Geralt; he also knew what brought the witcher to the White Garden and about his relationship with Yennefer. But if this could still be justified by Gunther’s reading of Dandelion’s ballads, then with mysterious disappearance it won't work. In addition, those who like to play a game of gwent, collecting new cards and looking for them from merchants, could stumble upon a merchant in the circus camp, located not far from the Wegelbud estate. One of the cards available for purchase is the neutral card "Gunther O'Dim: Darkness", which partially reveals the essence of Gunther.

The "sign" of "O" Dima on the witcher's face, serving as a reminder of duty

Gunther will lend a helping hand to Geralt, offering to rescue the witcher from captivity. In return, O"Dim will ask you to fulfill one small request, the details of which Geralt will find out when he arrives at midnight at a crossroads under the willows near the village of Yantra. At this point, "Mr. Mirror" will break a wooden spoon in half and then disappear. The awakened Philippe will be surprised with whom he just met Geralt was talking? Suddenly, a strong shaking will begin, caused by the storm that has begun. The gray-haired man will lose consciousness again, waking up already on the shore. From the conversation of the Ophirians, it will become clear that the ship crashed near Oxenfurt, caught in a strong storm. Having also heard a lot about the ways in which a witcher can be executed , Geralt decides to flee. Having killed the Temerian mercenary who accompanied the Ophir detachment, the prince's killer will free himself from his bonds and begin the battle against the surviving soldiers.

Please note that combat with them is optional and the only thing the witcher will lose when fleeing the battlefield will be experience and random loot from corpses. If you decide to fight the enemies surrounding Geralt, you can use the following tactics. The Ophir magician, being away from the witcher, will often attack him with a special spell. First, a wide “ring” will form on the sand, which will rapidly narrow, and then completely cause a sand explosion. As soon as you notice such a ring, try to lure as many opponents into it as possible and at the last moment cast the Quen protective sign on the witcher - for any opponent the magician’s spell will be fatal, and Geralt will be left without a single scratch. Applying the Yrden trap sign to the area inside the ring won’t hurt, but you should do it at the first sign so that Quen’s energy has time to recover. The magician is very weak in close combat, but can teleport. Stun him with the Axii or Aard signs, and then unleash a flurry of blows.

Conversation with Gunther O'Diem

Head to Yantra Village, find the indicated location and meditate until midnight. Gunther appears and reflects on the fact that even inveterate criminals consider it a matter of honor to come to a meeting with O'Dim, which greatly surprises him. Then he will outline the essence of his request - he needs Geralt to force one of O'Dim's "clients" to repay the debt . It will be none other than Olgerd von Everek, who, according to O'Dim, once came to him emaciated, ragged and with only his saber on his belt. Gunther gave Olgerd everything that the nobleman asked for, but when the time came to pay the bills, Olgierd wanted to avoid this. Geralt couldn’t refuse the offer even if he wanted to, and then Gunther suggested that the witcher go to the Garin estate and talk with Olgierd.

Exists Alternative option meetings with "Mr. Mirror". Regardless of the agreement, ignore Gunther's words about the meeting at the Yantra village and go straight to your customer - Olgierd von Everek. However, it will not be possible to avoid the conversation - O"Dim will wait for the witcher on the branch of a spreading tree growing at the entrance to Garin's domain. The essence of the dialogue will remain virtually unchanged, with the exception of O"Dim's remark that only the witcher did not consider it a matter of honor to appear at the indicated place, and a short conversation about the fire that happened on the estate.

Return to the estate

And your estate is on fire here

Approaching the estate of the Garin family, the witcher will notice a red glow on the horizon. Upon arrival, the reason will be discovered - the estate is on fire, and on the steps above the body of the dead owner of the land, his daughter is sobbing. But the “boars,” apparently, are not very saddened by this or at all interested. One of the already familiar robbers will meet Geralt in a good mood and say that they had a little too much at the feast and what happened happened. The Witcher will ask where he can find Olgerd? This time the “boar” will not make fun of him, but the problem is that he himself does not know where to look for the chieftain.

The witcher's attention will be attracted by a noisy "boar", asking to spare him, and two more comrades of the person sentenced to death, preparing to carry out this very execution. Geralt will not be able to pass by and will intervene in the execution process. The executioners will perceive such an act of nobility extremely negatively, demanding that the gray-haired man get away and not disturb them. You can answer in one of two ways:

• Let's talk calmly. Geralt will say that he just wants to talk calmly and does not intend to influence what is happening in any way.
• Don't move. Geralt will turn very sharply to the “boar”, advising her not to get into trouble and not to test from her own experience what a witcher is capable of in anger.

Whatever option the witcher chooses, the “boar” will still not stop demanding that the gray-haired man move away and not interfere with them doing their job. Here you will have a choice of three replicas:

• No need to be nervous, let's talk calmly. The witcher will repeat that he does not need a conflict with the “boars” and will ask why they want to execute the man who shared bread with them this morning? "Kabanikha" will sparingly answer that this is Olgerd's order, and that the condemned person violated the "noble code." Algerd, emerging from the burning estate, steals Geralt’s attention for a moment, and during this moment the “boar” loses his head.
• Let him go or you will deal with me. The Witcher will demand that the poor “boar” be released, hinting that if they want his blood, they will first have to shed the Witcher’s. Algerd, who emerged from the fire, will consider this a challenge and Geralt will cross blades with him in a duel for the life of the condemned “boar”.
• Do your thing, it doesn't concern me. The Witcher will not interfere with the “boars”, and their former comrade-in-arms will lose his head.

Taking into account the corpse of the owner lying on the steps of the estate, as well as the “boar’s” mention of a violation of the code of nobility, we can conclude that the person sentenced specifically for the murder of the ruler of the Garin estate will be executed. In other words, the punishment, although cruel, is fair - a life for a life.

Fight with Olgierd von Everec

Now at least you know that I don't lose my head so easily

If Geralt comes to the defense of the poor “boar”, a battle will break out with Olgierd von Everec. It is interesting, first of all, because of the opportunity to see Olgerd in action and evaluate his strength. The first thing that catches your eye is his saber "Iris", which the nobleman-robber wields with special skill. During strong sweeping attacks, it begins to glow brightly scarlet, which hints at magical properties weapons. On the other hand, Olgerd himself has the same abilities, capable of making dashes over long distances, enveloping himself in black fog. A similar glow is formed near his hands. In a battle with Olgerd, it is worth remembering his main attacks: a series of several fast strikes saber, strong impact and lunge. In addition, at close range, Olgerd can throw a handful of sand into the witcher’s eyes, causing him to lose his balance. It will be most effective to counterattack the first blow in a series or a blow in a dash, trying to push Olgierd to the conventional “border” of the battlefield and begin to actively slash his body with quick attacks. In this case, the enemy simply will not be able to get out of the stunned state and will be quickly defeated. To be sure, you can also apply the Yrden sign - then von Everek will have no chance against the witcher. As soon as Olgierd's health bar is completely depleted, a cutscene will begin in which Geralt will pierce the nobleman's chest right through. However, something will go wrong and Olgerd will not die, and will even be able to continue the fight. With one more blow, the witcher will almost cut off von Everek’s head... And he will personally applaud the winner.

Three conditions

Regardless of whether Geralt fought with Olgerd or not, he will be ready to talk. Olgerd will explain why even after losing his head, if the witcher fought with him, or after being in the fire for a long time, if the head of the “boar” is separated from the body, the nobleman feels great. It's all about the agreement with O'Dim, who made von Everek practically immortal. Over time, Olgerd became bored with the inability to die and he began to see a lot of disadvantages in it - life for him lost color, because even the craziest act loses all risk. In a mocking manner , the nobleman will offer the witcher to take his reward - everything that he can take away from the burning estate.

Then, out of nowhere, Gunther O'Dim will appear, reminding Geralt of his warning - Olgerd cannot be trusted. Von Everek will clearly not be happy to see Gunther, and he will also begin to add fuel to the fire of the brewing conflict between the witcher and the chieftain of the robbers. What will emerge is that Olgerd knew that the monster in the canals was the cursed prince. Moreover, it was he who imposed the curse, and then hired the witcher to kill the converted Ophir. Wanting to quickly get rid of O'Dim, von Everek will ask why he came, and having learned about that Geralt will have to fulfill Olgerd’s last three wishes, he will drive him away, inviting the witcher to go to the stables - the “boars” are just about to leave the estate, since there is no point left in staying in the burnt house.

There von Everek will talk about his desires, the first of which will be the requirement to find “wild boars” for him. new house. But an ordinary house is unlikely to be suitable, unlike the house of Maximilian Borsodi. As a second wish, von Everek will ask the witcher to make him younger brother Witold had a lot of fun - he hasn't had such an opportunity for the last few years. Olgerd agrees to voice the third wish only if Geralt manages to fulfill the first two, and in case of success, which the robber himself strongly doubts, asks to find him in the Alchemy tavern in Oxenfurt. During the conversation, you can also ask Olgerd about how he cursed the Ophir prince? Von Evereck admits that he didn’t want to do this himself, he just, in a fit of rage, shouted something like “let him turn into a toad.” Olgerd had a reason to be angry - the parents of his beloved wanted to marry the girl to an Ophirian. Apparently, it is von Everek who is called the very “powerful sorcerer” in the soaked letter that could be found in the canals.

Leaving the Garin estate, the witcher will once again stumble upon Gunther O'Dim. Wanting to help Geralt fulfill Olgierd's wishes, since this is exactly what he needs, he will tell the gray-haired man about the reasons why von Evereck is so confident in Geralt's failure. Witold von Evereck , whom the witcher will have to entertain, was not having fun for one reason - he has been dead for several years. Geralt will not be happy with this news, because to summon Witold he will have to resort to necromancy. O" Dim will point to another method - the Summoning Ritual. The witcher will answer that for such a ritual you will need the blood of the deceased... Which will just happen to be in the possession of Gunther O'Dim and who will gladly share it. The auction house is now organizing an auction, but it is obvious that the noble Borsodi family does not just want to part with with property. In a conversation, Geralt will mention that once his swords went under the hammer of an auction house, but then this establishment was in Novigrad. This event took place in the book Thunderstorm season"Geralt from Rivia arrived in the kingdom of Kerak, where he was framed by a corrupt official, arrested and convicted. Very soon the witcher was released, where he learned about the disappearance of his swords, confiscated during his arrest. Attempts to return his property end in nothing - they are still being sold .

I hope that completing the quest “The First Sprouts of Evil” in The Witcher 3 will be useful for you, dear readers. Enjoy the game and good luck on the Path, witchers and witchers!

When a person from a certain tax office meets you on a square in the city, try to answer all questions either “no” or simply deny everything (personally, it seemed to me that this was a joke from the developers, because at one time players took advantage of the game’s bugs, making a fortune , for example, on the skins of cows). In any case, do not linger in the square and quickly go down the stairs into the sewer (the marked place will be on your map). Once you go down, you receive a subtask.

→ Advice: The first thing you need to remember when wandering through a smelly sewer is to always inspect each room and each sewer room. There will be a lot of barrels, chests and bags, so there will be useful items that will 100% help you in the future, if you are not stupid and are constantly doing something, crafting and creating something.

At the bottom, first go to the right and collect useful items there. After this, go left and activate your witcher sense - you will find traces (do not forget to collect useful items along the way). Soon you come across a drowned man. After killing him, move on. In this large hall, find the corpse of another drowned man. “The wounds are cut, obviously from a blade. This is not the work of a monster” - new evidence. Now go to the next room, where the cutscene begins.

And who do you think you will meet now? Shani is an old friend. During the conversation, try to find out as many details as possible. The monster turns out to be not afraid of fire, poisons the water throughout the entire territory and releases some kind of poison. After the conversation, you receive a subtask. To the right of the grate there is a weak wall - break it using the Aard sign. Follow the tracks, a new cutscene will begin soon.

After a sad conversation, you receive a subtask. You're now facing a ramp down, so go down and get ready to fight, because level 30 Drowners are waiting for you below. I was attacked by five creatures, so maybe you'll have better luck. After going into the next room and killing the drowned man there, a new cutscene begins. With Shani you find Franz's corpse. Choose as soon as possible. After the next conversation you receive a subtask. Walk with your Witcher Senses activated. As you progress, you will find many corpses, among which there will be a bunch of girls who “hoped to find the prince here.” After a thorough search, the further path will be indicated to you on the map in the form of a line that consists of white dots.

When you reach the lair, a cutscene will begin. Having received a subtask, get to work (the monster itself reminded me of the vampires from the third part of the film “Blade”, because there the monsters also had a mouth that opened into three parts).

Boss - Toad

Well, how to deal with the Toad in the “Hearts of Stone” add-on, you ask? Yes, the enemy will not be easy. As soon as control is in your hands, immediately start jumping, because poisonous balls will start flying at you. At the first opportunity, put a protective mark on yourself. Remember what happened at the very beginning - fire has no effect on the monster. When approaching the Toad, be prepared for the fact that it can give you a good crack with its tongue and jump. In order not to be seriously injured, you must: firstly, approach and hit from the side, or, as usual, from behind; secondly, when you see the Toad jumping, you must quickly jump away; thirdly, all this must be done under a protective sign. Another remarkable ability of this monster is poison. Besides the fact that it can throw it at you, it also releases it like a fountain. It releases poison from above and no further than two or three meters, and in one direction. So if it starts to “spray” poison on one side, then you move to the other and attack the Toad from that side. What potions can help? Oriole, Petri's potion, Thunder and of course, Swallow. And one more thing, green “hazes” will periodically appear - these are poisonous clouds that are best avoided at all costs.

→ Advice: I would like to add that it was said that supposedly fire has no effect, supposedly the monster does not perceive it. Perhaps there was a bug, or Geralt himself was just a damn misinformer, because when I decided to fry a toad’s butt, the fire worked better on the Toad than on some Golem. So, friends, don't be afraid to shoot the toad.

After the victory, it turns out that the Toad really was the prince... The cutscene begins, the witcher becomes ill from the poison (I already imagined how heroically the Great Geralt dies), you lose consciousness and some Turks find you. What will happen next and how to proceed with the “” addition - read below.

So, now it turns out that that Toad, or as he was called, “Prince,” is a really noble face, and you were captured for killing the “prince’s son.” Everything is so bad that the people who found you had to disenchant this “prince,” and they swore with their families that they would deliver the Prince alive. After you wake up, another prisoner will talk to you. When the guards talk to you and you are given several phrases to choose from, you don’t have to worry too much about choosing a phrase, nothing will help anyway. Soon you are visited by an old acquaintance - Gunther O'Dimm, who at the very beginning of the original game helped you find Yennefer. If you don’t remember him, then answer him: “No.” Having agreed to the offer of an old acquaintance, the ship goes to the bottom.

→ Advice: I'm 100% sure that each of you started to worry about equipment because you saw Geralt naked. Don't worry, you may be undressed, but you are simply undressed. All your equipment will be in your backpack, so everything will be fine and you can get back dressed.

Well, now do you understand the situation you find yourself in? As soon as you get your hands on a weapon, get ready to defeat these Arabs who have caught you. The most interesting thing is that in addition to the main task, you get an additional task. If everything is simple with the first task, then problems may arise with the second. If you are not ready for the fact that you have to fight the Arabs without your favorite equipment, then you can simply run away and be done.

Boss - Ophir Mage

If you decide to defeat all the Arabs, then keep in mind that the leader will be an elemental magician who will use the power of the wind. If you think that he will allegedly throw ordinary balloons at you, you are seriously mistaken. Before I start telling you the battle tactics, defeat the ordinary Arabs with spears and shields. Don’t get carried away too much in battle: two or three hits and you’ll move away. Don't forget about the Quen protective sign. After you have killed all the Turks (well, they are very similar), switch to the magician. In addition, during the battle with the Ophirians, the magician will from time to time create air clots on the ground, which, after narrowing, explode - you better not be inside these clots, otherwise you will get very badly damaged. In a fight with a magician, the first thing to consider is that you need to be fast and sharp, because this magician will also have the ability to move and he will do this very quickly, and very often. After one or two hits, move away, because otherwise he will throw you away himself. If you are too far away, then he will shoot air blasts at you. Otherwise, everything is simple. Don't forget about the Quen sign and the potions that you will have.

Having killed the Ophir magician, the additional task is considered completed. Don't forget to search him and the rest of the soldiers. You can also wander along the shore - chests will be scattered here. After the search, go to the place indicated on your map. At the right place, wait until midnight. The conversation will be very rich and interesting in detail. After a long dialogue and clarification of all the details of the “debt”, you receive a subtask, so go!

Well, when you reach the estate, you see that Olgerd’s mansion is on fire. Go to the burning house, where a new cutscene will begin. After a long conversation, it turns out that you were set up a second time. In the end, you have no choice but to take on and complete the tasks that Olgierd gave you.

And I was there, drinking mead beer - Part 1

This is your first sub-quest in this long quest, so first of all, find your red-haired friend. By the way, if you are interested, you can go in and read about the biographies of the characters just to get to know everyone and find out more details about the personalities you met.

Having moved to the Oxenfurt port (it is closest to the key point), run to Shani. Once up the stairs, a cutscene begins. After talking a little with the local soldiers and Shani, we manage to find out what we needed. After a long dialogue, the cutscene ends and you receive a subtask.

Having reached the huge Everek Residence, Shani will be waiting for you on the spot. After talking with your friend, she hands you the censer. In addition, you get a new subtask. After entering the mausoleum, go down below. In the central hall you will be attacked by ghosts. You will also receive a subtask, so get to work. There will be four ghosts in total and they will attack in pairs - that is, you kill a ghost, another one appears, and so on until you kill four. If you are going to go to the mausoleum unprepared, then it is better to use your brain and think about everything carefully, because it will only get more difficult.

After winning, you will have a subtask. Finding the right tomb will not be difficult. Once you find it and Geralt reads the inscription, you will have to use the censer to. It is enough just to walk from circle to circle (look at the map) and wander through the halls while the witcher casts the summoning spell.

→ Advice: At this stage, I again advise you to prepare, because after the call the entire von Evereck family will arrive and they will be very angry. You will have a subtask. In addition to the fact that there will be five of them, they will also be incredibly strong. When fighting them, try to dodge more often and hit the target with a maximum of two hits. As soon as you kill someone, you can try to land more hits. The fact is that they simply overwhelm the witcher, so they can easily kick you to death on the spot.

After the battle, a cutscene begins and the one you were looking for comes to you. In the end, after a very long conversation, Witold possesses you and now you have to share a body with a ghost. Once the cutscene passes, you get a subtask. You can find the desired location on the map. By the way, it is in this place that you can sleep with Shani and have an affair with her (meaning at the wedding). You will find a guide on what you need to do in order to get a girl into bed.

Once control is back in your hands, follow Shani forward. When you talk to the newlyweds, you can ask any questions. Nothing terrible will happen anyway, and you will have fun. So, after the conversation, you have a subtask, so start just having fun. All the competitions that will be presented at the wedding are simple and there shouldn’t be any difficulties with them. The most important thing is that Witold has fun, so don’t be afraid to be bold and edgy.

Sooner or later at the wedding you will find the mother of the bride who will tell you about her trouble. If everything is simple with all the other mini-tasks, then during this task difficulties may arise, albeit for a short time, but still, they can. So, they will tell you that a fire magician was invited to the wedding from Novigrad, but the problem is that they cannot find him - he disappeared. You have to find him. To do this, leave this village estate and move further along the dog's tracks. When you are near the log on the ground, the tracks on the ground will end. At this moment, look around and look for a trace in the form of a sound (all this must be done using the witcher’s sense). Following the sound, you soon find the magician. It turns out that he was running away from an ordinary dog, and now he has locked himself in a tree from her and is sitting there, in the hope that someone will save him from her. When you take the dog away and he comes down, he won’t want to follow you right away, so you will need to offer him either 50 gold, or use the Axii sign on him - that is, resort to deception.

Soon the Boar attacked my fire eater, so he killed him, and this happened instantly, so I have no idea whether he could be saved or not. In any case, if you find yourself in the same situation, and the old lady is crying, supposedly the wedding is ruined - it doesn’t matter. Offer yourself as a juggler. To start, just ask if you can help with anything and then smoothly move on to the topic with tricks. If you did everything correctly, then you will have a task. Everything is quite simple: you go to the indicated point, Witold takes the balls and begins to amuse the audience. After a couple of seconds, the subtask is considered completed, so go on and have fun!

After much entertainment and cutscenes, Witold gives you a letter, which he asks you to give to your brother. After another long cutscene and a lot of chatter, you are finally given the opportunity to start a relationship with Shani, but as Geralt, not Witold.

clear midnight

After talking, you are released, having received a subtask, look at your map - here you have three circles. Look carefully at these points to find something that will help you cheer up the girl. It is best to pick a rowan tree, because Shani already mentioned at the beginning of the holiday that she likes rowan. As soon as you hide the branch, you get a subtask, so, together with a bouquet of rowan berries, go to the girl. If you really want to romance Shani, then flirt with her a lot. Try to choose answers that lead to kisses and other compliments. If you do everything exactly like this, then you will definitely sleep with her.

And I was there, drinking mead beer - Part 2

In general, whether you slept with Shani or not is unimportant. You will have a subtask anyway, so go to it. By the way, don’t forget to put your things back on. And don’t forget that Olgerd spoke about what would be waiting for you in Oxenfurt, in the tavern. After talking with Olgerd, you can go on your next assignment.

Sesame, open up!

Your first subtask in this assignment will be. On the road, on the road again. Look at the map and run to the indicated location (it is not too far away). As you approach, the cutscene begins. Here you will meet your second old friend - Vin Vivaldi. After talking with an old acquaintance, you have the subtask “Climb to the second floor of the auction house.”

At the top, Vivaldi will introduce Geralt to a couple of people who “ate the dog” in their business. Some of them are well versed in paintings, some in architecture, and some just stare at local girls who are looking for a richer man. In any case, you will have to talk to some influential guests. You will have an additional subtask. If you are not a fan of small talk, you don’t have to bother with this nonsense.

→ Tip: When you meet an aristocrat who understands paintings, answer his question that this is supposedly a portrait of a merchant with a pearl. Having given the correct answer, he will advise you on where you can sell the painting, which will be sold at auction, and the painting will cost 20 crowns, and you can sell it for more (for 500 crowns + a useful item). Thus, you receive the additional task “Collector”, the walkthrough of which you can find here. When you meet the old Countess, pay attention to her. During the conversation, you learn that she collects witcher equipment. If you want to trade with her, then you can buy a full set of Snake School armor from her, and at level 39. If you want to have equipment from the Snake School, then I recommend buying four drawings from the old lady.

When the old Countess asks you to find the earring on the balcony, agree. Of course, there won’t be anything on the balcony, she just needed to talk to you alone. And all in order to find out how Vesemir is doing (who had already fallen in battle during my playthrough). If you want to know a little more detail about the personal life of your former mentor, then I recommend agreeing to find the earring (there may be no other choice, and you will have to agree anyway).

In any case, in the end you will only have to talk to Gilbert. With it you can play Gwent, and also make the maximum bet, thereby earning good money. In addition, Vivaldi will ask you to give him 10% of your winnings. There is no choice, so you have to agree.

→ Tip: The auction will begin soon, so I recommend everyone to buy everything that will be exhibited. First, one item will be an interesting reference. Secondly, in a painting, for example, you can make good money. Thirdly, a useful item will also be sold there - well, you just buy it and that’s it! The benefit will be 100%.

After meeting all the influential people, you receive a subtask. When the bidding begins, a brass figurine is put up for auction at the very beginning, in which the treasure is supposedly hidden. You can pick up a figurine of the late Count Romilla for 300 gold coins, so you will have to bargain at the very beginning, but after three hundred coins no one will bargain anymore.

Next, a painting called “Starry Night over Pontar” will be put up at auction, which you can buy for only 20 crowns (and no one will bargain anymore, so you can buy such a thing for such a small amount).

The third item will be the Professor's glasses, which is known to any player who completed the first part of The Witcher! If you are a true fan, a lover of the series, or just a person who likes to buy everything at auction, do not miss this item! Bids will start from two hundred crowns and you can buy them back without any problems for 350 crowns, but it is worth noting that they are worth it.

After the lot with points, the auctioneer announces that there is a break. During the break, I managed to meet a person who was needed on assignment, but since I spoke to him very boldly and openly, I was kicked out (although they push out into the street in any case). On the street, after you are kicked out, you have to beat up two guards and talk to a mysterious man. He offers an option for solving the task, but to complete it you will have to go to the herbalist and tell him about the extract from the blood tank. The mysterious man says that the herbalist will understand why you came. You get a subtask. The herbalist is located nearby, so it won’t be difficult to figure it out.

Having reached the Herbalist's Hut, you come across former knights of the Order of the Flaming Rose who are trying to get into the house. You need to kill them all. There will be two shield warriors there, so use potions, signs and bombs to quickly deal with them.

As soon as you kill everyone, go to the house, where the cutscene will begin. When you talk to him, ask him: “Is there an extract from the blood tank?” And in response, he will ask you to go to the basement. Having received the subtask, go down the stairs to the basement. There you meet the man who caught you after you were kicked out of the auction. So, he will tell you the plan that he made for the raid on the auction house. Listen to him. After you have listened to all the details of the plan, listened to all the candidates who are suitable for the robbery, you can begin to assemble a team.

Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings

You now need to prepare a potion that will help weaken the Redanian soldiers who stand and guard the house you need. Your first subtask in this matter. Based on this, go to the city.

When in town, go to the indicated location. Don’t forget to activate your witcher senses around the Redanian soldiers. Remember at the beginning of the task “Open Sesame!” the Redanian whom Vivaldi scolded for not letting you in? So, it is this soldier who will post the necessary information regarding the stew for the soldiers. He usually patrols the shore with a group of other guards. After overhearing a conversation, a subtask appears. Go to the indicated location. If you arrive at the place and the cook is still not there, then meditate a little and wait for him to appear. The cook's name is Maarten and, as a rule, he sits on the bridge and catches fish.

Having offered the cook to add a potion to the soldiers’ soup, he will demand that you give him a significant amount of gold. You have a choice: pay 500 gold coins, or enchant him. It's up to you to choose, but I managed to enchant him. In any case, when you solve the problem with the guards, you can switch to other tasks.

Family Matters: Safecracker

Having received the subtask, I decided to begin implementing the plan to rob and assemble a team with Casimir. To do this you need to get to the village of Alness. Upon arrival at Casimir’s house, it turns out that his wife left him, and took all his property and even his children with her. Now this dwarf is threatening to tear both his house and himself to pieces. It is not possible to save Kazimir from family grief, so in the end he commits suicide.

Since the first candidate died, it is necessary to find a second candidate for the role of bugbear. Once you receive the subtask, look at the map and move as close to the key location as possible. You can find the camp not far from the Herbalist's Hut. Upon arrival at the camp, you find Quinto sitting in a cage. Nobody will allow you to give up the bugbear just like that, so there are four options for how to free him. Among all, the most sensible: pay 400 gold coins and play Gwent, and if you want to play Gwent and lose, then the price for ransoming the boy will double. In any case, I chose Gwent and thus took Quinto completely free and without any problems. In any case, as soon as Quinto is free, you tell him what you want from him and where he should go, after which the task is over.

Family Matters: Burglar

After completing the previous task “Family Matters: Burglar”, switch to the task “Family Matters: Burglar” and get a subtask, which, in general, is what you do. Once you arrive in Novigrad, go to the marked house. Approaching the house, the cutscene begins. On one of the pillars, Geralt suddenly notices blood. You have a subtask. On the ground near the house you can find bare feet. Follow them. Eventually, you make it to the shore, where you encounter bandits who will immediately try to kill you. After the battle, carefully examine the shore (the area will be marked on your map). You can find an interesting letter from one of the bandits, which, by the way, will update your current task. Now the area to be examined is marked in the middle of the river. Sail there. It's sad, but Hugo was drowned and now he won't be able to help you.

Your new subtask. Send to the new specified point. When you get to the standing circus, find the girl you need. It won’t be difficult to come to an agreement with her, but she asks for help in one matter. Their performance is on the verge of collapse, so you need to help them either with deeds or gold. The choice is yours, and both options are simple.

→ Tip: When a girl asks you to help her in this matter, it is better not to pay, because there is nothing complicated in providing help. You just go on stage and you have to use a crossbow to shoot at the apples that the elf will be holding.

Once the performance is successful, you tell the girl where she needs to go in order to receive further instructions and familiarize herself with the plan. Now you can return back to the “Stranger” in the Herbalist’s Hut to prepare for the raid on the auction house.

“Sesame, open!” - Part 2

Your new sub-task, so open your map and move closer to his Hut. As soon as you return, the screensaver will start. Having found out all the details of the robbery from the “Stranger”, get down to business. In the end, you just have to decide: go to the place together or alone. In any case, although the first part of the plan was successful, there were still some complications - there are guards inside. Since Geralt is against killing during a robbery, he takes a wooden sword. You have a new subtask. Move forward with your group.

Going down to the floor below, you come across guards. The fight won't be too difficult. Soon things don't go according to plan, your partner takes a hostage and asks you to bargain for some time. Ask the guards to move away from the auction house. Next, ask them to provide you with a cart and horses. At the same moment, Quinto arrives and says that the treasury has been opened. In the end, talk about the fact that you need any cart. Regarding the hostages, say that you are only releasing one person. After negotiations, go down to the treasury.

In the treasury, as soon as the doors open for you and you take one step, you immediately fall down and have to fight spiders. Below, first use the “Cat” elixir. Then everything is as usual: Aard sign + Quen sign. Having defeated all the monsters, you get back to the top in the cutscene.

→ Tip: Since this is a treasury, try to examine it thoroughly, because there are a lot of different chests with useful things and objects. Perhaps you will like something and find it useful. Either way, you'll get a nice boost in terms of gold.

Soon there comes a time when you have to choose which side you're on. There is no way to choose a neutral side. Since I went further - that is, against Horst, I had to take up arms and fight not only with the auctioneer, but also with the mercenaries, and even Quinto, who decided to betray the group. Since the elf ran away even when everything was covered, she is, accordingly, not here.

Boss - Horst Borsodi

So, what we have: a fat auctioneer - he is the Boss (in every sense), two mercenaries and the traitor Quinto. On your side is only Horst's brother, who, to be honest, is zero, so you will have to mostly fight alone. First of all, I propose to take down the traitor Quinto, since he is very slippery. Bombs will be a great help in battle: throw one of them at enemies, then rush at someone (but not at Horst) and start shredding any enemy that is set on fire. One you 100% have to kill. Don’t forget about the Quen sign - as usual, you can’t live without it. Since there are no particular problems with Quint in battle, I consider him already a corpse. So kill the second mercenary and switch to the fat guy. When Horst is left alone, it will not be difficult for you to take him down. He is a full-fledged Boss. He is something like an ordinary city dweller, but with a sword and a large health bar like a Boss. If problems arise, they will help: bombs, potions, the Aard sign and the Igni sign. The Quen sign goes without saying.

After lowering Horst's health bar to zero, a cutscene begins. After the cutscene, Ewald says that he doesn’t want to give you the house, but you can either negotiate with him or kill him. I came to an agreement with him and did not kill him. Thus, having received the necessary box, Olgerd’s second task is completed, so all that remains is to get out of the treasury. By the way, don’t forget to search everything here. Follow Ewald. Soon you emerge from the treasury into fresh air.

→ Tip: You can also kill Ewald. As a result, you will have documents. Thus, you will not deceive Olgerd, and if you believe his words, all Borsodi’s property goes to orphans and beggars, but it’s up to you to decide whether to do it or not.

Now you have a new subtask, so it’s time to go back to Ataman and get the last - the third task. Look at the map and go to the checkpoint. Due to the fact that the box looks exactly like Maximilian Borsodi's, the task is considered completed.

And they lived happily ever after

After a long conversation with Olgerd, he finally tells you his last wish - to get a purple rose. How and where are your problems. In general, Ataman is in his repertoire as usual. Your first subtask in this task. Let's hit the road!

Arriving at the Everek Residence, you hear someone screaming. Follow these sounds. Having found a person and found out what he forgot here, you receive two subtasks: the first - , the second - . The first step is to find the missing thief. Go to the estate. Inspect the indicated place and then go to the entrance, where the cutscene will begin. You will have a new subtask after the splash screen, so don't hesitate. Activate your witcher senses and follow the trail. Having reached the grate, a cutscene will begin. Geralt hears very well strange sound. Quickly go to the backyard using your witcher senses. Soon another screensaver starts.

Boss - Key Holder

So, you come across a strange creature - the Estate Guardian or Keykeeper. He will have some strange weapon, like an ax with a log for a handle, but in reality it will just be a rusty and partially broken shovel. Well, why is the monster dangerous? Firstly, he swings his drum really well, so remember right away - you need to constantly dodge. Secondly, you can only approach and attack from behind and with the Quen sign applied, since it is very sharp and can crack you. Third, when his drin starts to glow blue, then you need to get away from him, or dodge to the side - he will do something like his power blow. Fourthly, when you hit him for too long, he creates a ball that quickly dissipates, but at the same time throws you to the side, and when you stand for too long, he can run at you and ram you, and if you decide to dodge, then jump only in side, not back.

And when you take away half of his health, he will begin to summon souls. You can understand the call for several reasons: firstly, black clots of smoke appear everywhere; secondly, black souls come out. He calls upon souls in order to replenish his health. Replenishing health is not easy either: souls come up, kneel and wait for the moment when the Keymaster kills them. After killing him, some of his health is restored. To prevent this from happening, these souls must be killed. Otherwise, everything is as usual: you drink elixirs like “Thunder”, use the Quen sign and do a lot of dodging.

After defeating the monster, animals will talk to you, although in fact they are not animals. After talking with strange creatures, you find out that the monster you killed has a key to the back door of the house - take it (the key turned out to be a rusty shovel). You now need to find Mrs. Iris von Everek, who lives on the second floor of the estate. So don't waste time and go inside the house.

Once in the mansion, take out a torch, since it is very dark inside, or accept the "Cat". Go forward and carefully inspect everything along the way. At some point you will enter a room where a cutscene will begin. Old Geralt will turn his attention to the picture in which he sees some kind of ghost.

After the cutscene, carefully examine the part of the mansion in which you find yourself. Continue moving forward, exploring this place. In general, the house will be very creepy, the chandelier will fall, books will fly to the floor, or some other strange phenomenon will occur. On the second floor, walking along the balcony, you get to the bedroom, where the door opens on its own. Having walked a little forward, you encounter a Ghost.

Boss - Ghost

Before the fight, I recommend taking the “Cat” elixir and lubricating your sword with the appropriate anti-ghost oil. From the very beginning of the battle, the Phantom will behave very aggressively, and will constantly force you to retreat or dodge. Don't forget about the Thunder elixir, which will improve your fighting qualities.

In addition to the fact that it is very difficult to hit the enemy, since constant attacks and dodges do not provide the opportunity to counterattack, it will become more difficult when the Ghost begins to replenish lost health with the help of paintings. It happens as if it is sucking the life force out of them. To prevent this from happening, you need to hit the paintings during the process of restoring lives, then a small explosion occurs and the restoration is over.

Don't forget about the trap - the Yrden sign. With it, you can temporarily delay the Ghost and attack. Otherwise, everything is as usual: you hit, drink elixirs and try to dodge attacks. Once you kill this Boss, you will have a new bestiary entry about the Ghost in the Painting.

Having killed the spirit, the room changes its shape, and you find yourself in a completely different room. Going forward, you get a subtask. After talking with the animals, it turns out that Iris died a long time ago. You have to talk to her spirit. You now have a subtask. Leave the house. The nearby bench is not suitable, so move on. A place with flowers won't work either, so move on. The place where Iris drew is best suited (don’t forget to also put a book in the grave). Soon a cutscene begins in which Geralt calms the girl down.

You need to decide what to say at the end. Since Iris was afraid that she would not be buried with dignity and would not be told a kind word, you need to do this. Say something final and then try to call her. Soon Iris comes to you. During the story, you find yourself in the “Painted World”. Once you gain control, you get a new subtask. Go down the steps, kill the monsters and go to the frozen characters. After the cutscene, you need to inspect the area around these frozen memories, using your witcher senses. You can find a veil on the bench nearby. There is a cup on the fountain. Somewhere here on the ground there is still a bouquet of flowers. After this, you can “insert” any item into the character, so to speak. For example, you can insert a found cup into your hand.

During the conversation between Iris and Olgerda, it turns out that the spiders appeared in the garden for a reason. The girl was very afraid of them, and if you believe the memory, Olgerd collected them all in the house and threw them into the garden so that his wife would not be afraid to enter the mansion. After the cutscene, a huge spider appears and you are given a subtask. In combat, try to dodge as much as possible, as these spiders are constantly jumping, spitting and attacking. It's worth tackling the huge spider only after you've taken care of the smaller spiders. After the victory, you are told that soon you will have to fight a living fear.

Go inside the mansion and look around there using your witcher senses. Look at the picture and do everything exactly as it is painted on it: light the candles and the fireplace behind. After the cutscene, a shadow comes that you have to kill. Anti-ghost oil, the Aard and Quen sign will help you in battle. This is all.

After winning, go up to the second floor. Having reached the marital bedroom, again restore memories using your witcher's senses. Having found the mugs and a towel, go up to the frozen Olgerd and insert there the towel that you found earlier on the floor. The cutscene will begin. At the end of the cutscene, you need to follow Iris and Olgerd to the art workshop. Once again, recall the memory. Go to the table behind Iris and take the fruit there. There is a chair near the painting, and on the chair there is a glass - take it. The glass should be placed near Olgerd on the counter (and on the counter in the center). Once you have selected the grapes, place them on the left side. The apple should be placed on the right side.

As soon as the cutscene ends, you are given a subtask. You'll have to fight some spirits along the way, but nothing too difficult. In Olgerd's office, carefully examine everything. In the center, examine the pentagram, after which you will have a subtask. The chalk lies on the table near entrance doors. The candles are on the table, which is located near the windows. Once you have found everything you need, finish drawing the pentagram. Place the candles on the circle in which the pentagram is inscribed. The cutscene starts.

After the cutscene, a fire starts. Approach the painting and with its help you will find yourself in another place. You find yourself on the grounds of the same mansion, but in the middle of a snowstorm. You have a subtask. Quickly run to the marked place. You need to get to the basement. You will thus reach a new memory that you need to restore, so get to work. Take the knife on the table. On the floor near the columns you will find a marriage contract - take it. There will be a smoking pipe on the floor near Olgerd. You will find a mug for Everek near a pile of barrels. So, you insert the marriage contract to the father, and the mug to Olgerd. As a result, a memory is triggered.

The memory ends and you have to fight the ghosts. After killing everyone, go upstairs. There will be a table on the side with a small bowl in it - take it. There is also a large bowl on the floor nearby - take that too. Place a small bowl for the cat and a large bowl for the dog. The key holder needs to place the tray in his hands, which you will find at the table by the fireplace. A new memory will begin.

Now it's time to see Iris's biggest fear, so head to the living room. Here you have to fight the girl’s biggest fear, so before that it’s best to meditate and restore your supply of elixirs. Take the letter on the table.

Boss - Iris's Biggest Fear

Having received the subtask, get ready to fight with the terrible creature. When fighting this monster, try to attack from the rear. The nightmare's main ability is that it quickly runs towards you and attacks. He is also able to quickly teleport to you and, accordingly, attack in the same way. As always, dodge more often and do not forget about the Quen protective sign. Otherwise, everything is simple and there will be no surprises.

As soon as you win, a cutscene will begin, in which Iris will address you. After a long conversation, the girl gives you her precious rose, and you thereby free the animals that were under your control. The animals say that you need to beware of the Glass Man, and if you do contact him, then look for salvation in the mirror, which cannot be broken (try to remember this).

Who sows the wind

When you get out of the Iris painting, you will have a sub-task. Go to Oxenfurt and find the right place. At the tavern, Gunther O'Dimm meets you and makes sure everything freezes. During the conversation, you learn that the task is ALMOST completed, since there was a small clause in your agreement: now Olgerd must be brought to the Lilvani sanctuary.

In the end, you will also find out that Shani was looking for you. You get a subtask. Besides this, you have an additional subtask, so go to the girl first. Upon arrival to Shani, she says that she is leaving for the front. She also says some details about Olgerd.

So, from Shani you learn that some Professor knows a lot about what Olgerd was doing, so you need to somehow meet and talk with him. You have a subtask. Having reached the desired place, the cutscene begins. Since the guards only let one Shani in, you have to find another entrance. Open the map and go to the new key point. You may encounter drowners along the way, but nothing too difficult.

At a key point, Shani soon drops a rope for you. The witch hunters in the yard will have to be killed. Elixirs, bombs and signs will help you in battle. After killing them, go to the doors, which will be locked, so you will need to find another entrance. Climb the stairs that are located nearby. There will be another staircase at the top. Next, all you have to do is jump over to the balcony next door and that’s it, you consider yourself to be in the Professor’s house.

After knocking down the doors using the Aard sign, go inside and find Professor Shezlock. On the first floor you find the professor. So from him you will learn the terrible truth Olgierd and partly what the Glass Man is and how he can be outwitted, but it's not so easy because he needs to be challenged and defeated. At the end of the conversation, the professor dies in an accident, but we understand perfectly well that this is not so, since the fact is that he is under some kind of curse, and the runic circle protected him from this misfortune. Having crossed the line, the end came, however, the Professor had already wanted to end his life for a long time, after all, life Last year It wasn’t easy and my daughter also died...

In any case, the optional task is completed, so it's time to meet everyone near the Lilvani Shrine. After looking at the map, go to the indicated location. The desired location is in a cave, so go inside. By the way, in the cave you still have to run through a significant part, since the sanctuary is located near the shore and you can only get there through the cave. Having reached the right place, you finally meet the others.

Soon you meet both Olgerd and O'Dim. During the conversation, you have to choose: to stand up for Olgerd or not. Personally, I decided to stand up for him and Geralt stopped the Glass Man. Since Geralt will have to give up his soul for help in any case, it’s better to fight this two-legged tax man together. The Witcher will offer O'Dim a counter-agreement. So if Geralt wins, then the Glass Man falls behind. We manage to come to an agreement, but the task will be given out by O'Dim, so we'll have to tinker.

Mister Mirror will order you to solve the riddle, so if you don't, your souls will go to him. You have a subtask. At the top you will have time given to solve it. Run forward and turn right at the fork. Thus, you go out onto the bridge. There, run to the left and at the fork turn again left side. You will see a bridge ahead - go up to it and cross it to the other side. You'll see a glow on the other side, but there's a Shani trick there, so don't worry too much about it. It’s better to turn to the left, walk a little there and jump over the destroyed bridge to the opposite side. There will be another glow on the right side, but do not come close to it and turn left at the first opportunity. Move forward. Soon there will be statues on the right side - go past them. A mansion will be visible a little further - you need to get to it. Enter this house, go downstairs and go to the very end. Soon you fall down and find yourself in some strange place with a bunch of mirrors.

So, after going down the stairs in front, look to the right - there is a drained fountain. Go to this fountain and use your witcher senses to find traces. Having found them, Geralt says that you need to use the Aard sign to let water through the ruins. Having done this, a cutscene begins with the participation of Mr. Mirror. Here they remember the words that the little animals said in Iris’s mansion: “Seek salvation in a mirror that cannot be broken.” Water is that very mirror that cannot be broken.

You will soon wake up. Since I stood up for Olgerd, he stood nearby. A long conversation begins, in which he thanks Geralt for helping him and gives him his family saber as a reward. Olgierd von Everec didn't want it to turn out this way, but side effect his desires turned out to be a heart of stone. Now he is free and now he a common person, who will suffer all his life because of what he did and how he destroyed his beloved.... O'Dimm, in turn, unhooked himself from you, so the seal on his temple disappeared. This is where the walkthrough of the “” add-on for the original game ends. And by the way, don’t forget to finally look at Shani, because soon she will go to the front, who knows what she has prepared for you before leaving...