The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes open world gaming to a new level, following its hero Geralt of Rivia across the Continent in search of his adopted daughter Ciri. Along the way are a multitude of distracting side-quests, some of which are so intriguing they absolutely should not be passed by. CD Projekt Red managed to incorporate a plethora of tasks for players to carry out, some dark, serious and rewarding and others so hilarious that the laughter is its own reward.
Geralt can pick up side-quests on his journey, stumbling into them without even realizing it often discovering them as related branches to the main quest. A good number can also be snagged from contract boards located in cities, villages and outside taverns. Just be sure to read the contract before embarking to get a fair idea of what the quest might entail. Here are five players should absolutely complete.
Paperchase
Added to the game with the Blood & Wine DLC, “Paperchase” reunites Geralt with an old acquaintance who meant to pay him for a job he did in a previous game. Geralt left town before the man could pay, so he opened up a bank account with the funds, and it’s been sitting there collecting interest for years. Unfortunately, there’s a problem: the bank received word that Geralt was dead, leading to a host of menial paperwork and tasks that a man with Geralt’s lack of patience may not endure pleasantly.
An absurdly hilarious side-quest, Geralt can either go through the bureaucracy of accessing his funds (which leads to some hilarious interactions and a week long wait) or he can forcibly take what’s his — without the interest of course. For 500 gold and decent sword, in this case, the paperwork and runaround is definitely worth it.
Lord of the Wood
Happening upon a contract on the board either outside Cunny’s Goose or Farcorners titled “Devil in the Woods,” the Witcher seeks out Brean Hotsch, who recently acquired a bit of land and started a lumberjack camp. After hiring a band of dwarves, they were mercilessly slaughtered in the woods. One survivor managed to escape, but all he heard was a horrifying wolf’s howl.
Heading to the camp, Geralt can investigate the wagon tracks and blood trails, leading to the conclusion that it’s a young leshen, and finding its totem to destroy it will bring it out of hiding and into the fight. It turns out to be a powerful old leshen named Kernun, who lures the Witcher into a perilous battle. After looting the body, Geralt discovers Black Unicorn, a rare steel sword that is absolutely worth the cuts and bruises encountered in the fight.
Without a Trace
Added during the Hearts of Stone DLC, “Without a Trace” can be launched after picking up the job from the notice board in the small village of Brunwich. The herbalist’s apprentice went missing near Deadwight Wood, and Geralt looks into what happened to him. While investigating, Geralt happens upon a lone cottage, and the old couple within says the apprentice was attacked by wolves, but they told him to go him home.
If Geralt further inspects the outside of the hut, his Witcher senses lead to more clues, including the apprentice’s body. Though the cause of death is difficult to discern, he returns to question the couple about it. Turns out they’re cannibals who have been eating the herbalist’s apprentice. Geralt faces the choice of eliminating them and the threat the pose or allowing them to live by making them promise to never eat people again.
The Last Wish
For hardcore Geralt and Yennefer shippers, “The Last Wish” quest is a must. The pair’s twisted relationship resulted when Geralt wished for their fates to be bound to trick a djinn who couldn’t kill its own master. This created a rift between the couple, but, as Witcher lore has proven time and again, fate is not so easy to divert.
Yennefer searches for another djinn in hopes of breaking the wish, for as long as it lasts, she can never know if what they feel for each other is real or simply part of the magic surrounding Geralt’s last wish. Following this quest through to its end is the only way to cement Geralt and Yennefer’s romance.
A Portrait of the Witcher as an Old Man
After completing the quest “The Warble of a Smitten Knight” in the Blood & Wine DLC, Geralt encounters a painter in the marketplace who wants the witcher to model for him. Geralt and the artist travel to the perfect spot, only to discover nekkers took off with his paints and supplies. Once they’ve been located and retrieved, Geralt chooses which pose to be painted in, and the artist starts to paint until mentioning it might be a good idea to paint a griffin.
As if summoned, a griffin then swoops in to attack. After defeating it, Geralt can decide whether or not to put it in the painting with him. Once finished, the artist tells him to check back in the market the next day, where Geralt discovers he took a few interesting liberties with the painting before deciding to buy it or not.
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