Summary
- The Witcher 3 incorporates several interesting side quests in every major location in the game.
- The game's optional quests are not typical fetch quests, but rather in-depth and fulfilling experiences.
- Certain optional quests have significant consequences and impact the game's overall story, making them must-play experiences.
The Witcher 3 has been a staple in the world of video games for years now, but it experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to Netflix's television series. Old fans are finding it the perfect time to re-discover their love of the game, and new fans eagerly searching out another fix in between seasons are discovering The Witcher 3 for the first time.
The Witcher 3: The 10 Quests That Were Cut From The Game
The Witcher 3 is packed with tons of amazing content. But no one would expect that some of its most interesting quests never made it into the game.
Fans have had enough time to pick up CD Projekt Red's critically acclaimed game (whether it's for the first time or the fifth) and get immersed in the many adventures waiting on the Continent. But The Witcher 3, as all who have played it know, is huge—to the point where the number of optional quests growing on Geralt's to-do list can get positively dizzying. Thankfully, players who thoroughly explore each region will find some of The Witcher 3's best side quests to sink their teeth into in no time.
Updated on December 23, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: The Witcher 3 is hailed by many as one of the most jam-packed and engaging video games players can get their hands on. Geralt's final journey ends with a bang as he finds Ciri and ends the threat of the Wild Hunt once and for all. Along the way, he'll encounter several people and their problems, choosing to either help out of the goodness of his heart or demand payment for his services as a witcher. This applies to every region in the game, and Geralt will find some fairly entertaining Witcher 3 side quests to spend his time on during his epic adventure.
On Death's Bed
White Orchard
- Location: Herbalist's hut
- Quest Giver: Tomira
The griffin in White Orchard is a powerful monster terrorizing everyone around them. This includes a young, hapless girl who rests in the local herbalist's hut. Tomira is a skilled healer, but even her skills aren't enough to help this woman heal from these mortal wounds. At this point, Geralt can chime in and say that he can brew a Swallow potion to help the poor girl out, even if a witcher brew can have major side effects on anyone who hasn't undergone the mutations from the Trial of the Grasses.
If players choose to go down this path and use a Swallow potion to heal the poor girl, they'll learn later on that she made a physical recovery at the cost of her mind being addled by the potion. It's a crying shame that shows that maybe letting her die was the more humane potion, exemplifying how the best quests in The Witcher 3 show that there's no correct solution to any given problem.
Missing In Action
White Orchard
- Location: Battlefield
- Quest Giver: Dune Vildenvert, Bastien Vildenvert
War is a horrifying thing that tears families apart, and this can be seen firsthand when a man requests Geralt to help find his brother who was lost during a conflict that happened close by. Wading through the sea of bodies is a sobering moment that shows just how bloody the conflict between the Nilfgaardians and Temerians is. After fending off some ghouls, players enter a dilapidated shack where they find the aforementioned brother with some unexpected company.
It turns out that the missing brother was holed up with a Nilfgaardian deserter who had helped him out in his time of need. At this point, Geralt can either tell the opposing soldier to shove off or convince the brothers to house the Nilfgaardian. It's not the easiest choice in the world, making this one of the best Witcher 3 side quests that serves as a great introduction to the conflict tearing the Northern Realms apart.
Precious Cargo
White Orchard
- Location: Northwest side of White Orchard
- Quest Giver: John Geermer
Liars and opportunities run amok in The Witcher 3, and one such moment comes when a supposed merchant requests Geralt's aid to recover his wagon that was attacked by monsters. From the very moment players reach the scene of the crime, his witcher senses make it clear that there's more to this story than what was told early on. The arrows protruding from the wagon make it clear that no monster attacked this wagon. It's clear that humans assaulted the cart and had to run away after the cart veered into the swamp and was swarmed with drowners.
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Geralt can either acquire his reward or point out this discrepancy, prompting a horseback chase that ends with a fight before the so-called merchant reveals himself to be a Temerian guerrilla trying to raid Nilfgaardian supplies. After hearing this explanation, Geralt can either give the soldier what he needs, keep it for himself, or turn him into the Nilfgaardian guards. The strong writing in what seems like a simple task makes this one of the best Witcher 3 side quests that appears early on.
Ghosts Of The Past
Velen
- Location: Reardon Manor
- Quest Giver: Letho of Gulet
Not many video games get side-questing right. Most games use them as a way to help players raise their XP quickly, usually by performing minor fetch quests or something similar. And sure, they're also a great way to raise XP in The Witcher 3, but the depth of most side quests in this game makes them the furthest thing from fetch quests. One way to do that is by involving minor Witcher characters with whom Geralt has a history and making that the center of an otherwise simple series of tasks, and so it is with "Ghosts of the Past." For those who don't know the general history of The Witcher 2, this quest might not mean much, but those who are at least familiar with Letho of Gulet will find it plenty fulfilling.
In "Ghosts of the Past," Geralt can reconnect with an old friend (frenemy?), knock some heads together in style, potentially recruit a future ally, and enjoy a nice little twist at the quest's end all in one. Just make sure that Letho is alive so that the quest can happen at all; that means telling the court in Nilfgaard that Geralt spared him at the beginning of the game. It's worth the players' while to show a little mercy in this case.
The Fall Of The House Reardon
Velen
- Location: Reardon Manor
- Quest Giver: Dolores Reardon
Of all the optional side quests, this one offers one of the most interesting backstories. In the village of Lindenvale, Geralt comes across an elderly woman Dolores who hires him to hunt down the monsters in her old manor. Even if Geralt doesn’t come across his old friend Letho during the quest, there’s a lot to discover. After dealing with the wraiths who haunt the place, Geralt can find the treasure that Dolores promised to him as a reward. The treasure contains one hundred crowns which are nothing to scoff at, especially in the earlier stages of the game, which does include Velen.
However, the more interesting part that many players might have missed is the fate of Dolores’ brother who drove her away from the manor after she got married. If Geralt investigates outside the manor a little, he can come across a hidden door that will eventually lead him to the brother’s corpse which allows him to learn the truth about the man’s gruesome death. This unexpected outcome lends an even darker atmosphere to the quest, so it's a shame so many players don't discover it on their first playthrough.
A Towerful Of Mice
Velen
- Location: Fyke Isle
- Quest Giver: Keira Metz
"A Towerful of Mice" also involves a minor character in The Witcher universe, the sorceress Keira Metz, but it isn't played alongside her like the quest with Letho. Instead, Geralt will have to agree to do Keira a favor by investigating a strange tower on a lake in Velen. This side quest is notable amidst all the other "haunted house"-type quests in The Witcher 3 because it so excellently subverts the player's expectations, leading them to one conclusion until the end of the quest, when everything gets turned on its head. Consequentially, there are a few different ways for this quest to play out—and, in typical Witcher fashion, none of them are perfect, "clean" endings. For the most part, they range from creepy but satisfying to downright bone-chilling.
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At Keira's behest, Geralt travels to a tower, which turns out to be the site of a gruesome peasant revolt. A local lord and his family fled there, taking shelter with the mage who called the tower home, but the commoners followed them and, in anger, brutally murdered the entire family. The lord's daughter still haunts the tower, having suffered a particularly horrifying fate even compared to the rest of her family, and now waits for her lover, a peasant man who was present on the day of the revolt. In the end, it's up to Geralt to unravel the sickening series of events that took place.
Return To Crookback Bog
Velen
- Location: Crookback Bog
- Quest Giver: The Bloody Baron
"Return to Crookback Bog" doesn't even feel like a side quest sometimes, because it's the culmination of all Geralt's efforts in Velen, even though he's ultimately been doing everything to try and find clues about Ciri. However, Geralt's investigations will lead him to more than just Ciri, and the Bloody Baron questline sticks with players long after its completion.
To get full closure on the story, players will need to bring Geralt back into the heart of Crookback Bog one more time, to face down the Crones and depending on Geralt's choices, either recover the Baron's wife or recover her remains. As such, this is a side quest with effects that ripple out through the rest of the game, affecting the world of The Witcher 3 beyond just Geralt's search for his daughter, Ciri. Needless to say, a side quest with that much weight behind it shouldn't be missed.
In The Eternal Fire's Shadow
Velen
- Location: Devil's Pit
- Quest Giver: A young deacon of the Church of the Eternal Fire
While the visual changes of the Next-Gen edition of The Witcher 3 were a pleasant surprise, what the players were truly looking forward to were entirely new quests. And "In the Eternal Fire's Shadow" delivered. It utilized well the previously underdeveloped area of the Devil's Pit, a place whose obvious lack of content was a sore spot for the players since the game's release.
The Devil's Pit insides fit its name, and anybody less brave than Geralt would go running when witnessing it. Just like some of the best side quests in the game, this one is also more complicated than it might originally seem, and discovering all its details and secrets makes it even more worth playing.
An Invitation From Keira Metz
Velen
- Location: Keira Metz's hut
- Quest Giver: Keira Metz
This may seem like a relatively simple quest, but interacting with Keira Metz for her personal goals is something that most players will have a great time with. She's an intriguing example of how mages are being treated under Radovid's rule, losing a life of splendor and being forced to isolate herself in the middle of nowhere.
This invitation sets the stage for one of the best Witcher 3 side quests, A Towerful of Mice. It features an enlightening conversation and leaves Geralt with a Magic Lamp that can be used to communicate with spirits, which is required from time to time in other Witcher 3 side quests.
A Matter Of Life And Death
Novigrad
- Location: All over Novigrad
- Quest Giver: Triss Merigold
Here's another side quest that just feels like it has main quest levels of importance, probably because it involves the fate of Geralt's close friend (and something more than that) Triss Merigold. Not only is it the quest that allows players to help the sorceress secure freedom for herself and the many underground mages relying on her for protection, but it's also the quest that allows players to begin romancing Triss if they so choose. While technically Geralt can have many a "rendezvous" with different female NPCs in the game, there are only two true romances: Triss Merigold and Geralt's longtime love, Yennefer of Vengerberg.
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As some players find out the hard way, they can't have both (probably why the next quest after this one is called "Now or Never"). So "A Matter of Life and Death" allows players to get a feel for Geralt's romantic relationship with Triss, and decide if that's the one they'd like to pursue. It's also just an enjoyable quest setup, with a masquerade ball, undercover antics, dancing, drinking, high-stakes card games, and more.