While exploring the continent as Geralt, players will come across some fantastic contracts in The Witcher 3. Some contracts require players to slay monsters, but a few are a bit more complex. The Witcher 3 has multiple complex contracts, one of which is the popular one referred to as In the Heart of the Woods.
In the Heart of the Woods is a contract that is available in Skellige. The contract can be acquired from the notice board in Fayrlund or by coming across a group arguing outside the village. To complete this quest, players must be level 22 or above.
In the Heart of the Woods – Complete Walkthrough
Once the contract has been initiated, talk to the people surrounding a dead body. One group is led by Sven, and the other by Harald. Harald does not want the Witcher to get involved, while Sven is willing to hire Geralt’s services. Instead of picking a side, the player should investigate the death and why the woodland creature has started killing villagers.
The player must follow the trail left by the monster using Witcher senses. Upon reaching a clearing, investigate the dead dog, and follow the monster trail further to a corpse nailed to a rock. Keeping following the trail further to a clearing with a ring of rocks. Examine the marks left by the monster. After examining all available clues, Geralt concludes the monster is an old Leshen. Players can learn more about the Leshen from the Bestiary.
From here on, the player has two choices as to how they will complete the quest.
Option 1: Pacify the monster
For this route, talk to Harald, and he will mention a ritual that can pacify the Leshen. Head over to the location that Harald specifies. The player must kill the five wolves at the altar near a large tree, gather the hearts of the wolves, and place them at the altar. The offering will be accepted, and Geralt can collect his reward from Harald.
Sven will not approve of this plan, and after the ritual approach Geralt to kill Harald. The player can let Sven kill the old man, or interfere.
Option 2: Tell Sven about the monster
If the player chooses to tell Sven about their findings, they will then need to use Witcher senses to find the person marked by the Leshen. Once the mark has been identified, tell Sven about the mark, Hilde, who spoke to him earlier. The player will then need to decide whether to kill or banish Hilde.
The player will then need to find the monster’s totems in the forest and destroy them using the Igni sign or a sword. While doing so, the player will need to dispose of the wolves.
Use Witcher senses and locate the Leshen. The player will now need to eliminate the Leshen and the group of wolves accompanying it. Returning to Sven, Geralt will find out that he and his men have massacred the elders. Regardless, the player can only take the reward and move forward.
In the Heart of the Woods – Choices and Rewards
Siding with Harald
Side with Harald to renew the village’s pact with the Leshen. The player will receive 50 XP and 60 Crowns as their reward.
Siding with Sven
Side with Sven to kill or banish Hilde and then fight the Leshen, eventually leading to the massacre of the elders by Sven and his men. The player will receive 50 XP, 60 Crowns, a Leshen trophy, and Assassin’s boots.
Siding with Sven and defeating the Leshen is the only way the player can achieve the Woodland Spirit trophy .
In the Heart of the Woods – Strategies and Tips
If the player chooses Sven's route, Geralt will need to fight the Leshen. This is a difficult fight, but players can prepare themselves with the following tips:
- Use Relict Oil on the sword for bonus damage against the Leshen.
- Stick as close as possible to the Leshen and use light attacks often.
- After 4 to 5 hits, the Leshen will turn to smoke, becoming invulnerable.
- If the Leshen is using ranged attacks, keep an eye on it when it puts its hands into the ground.
- When the Leshen uses its root attack, use Igni for burn damage.
The Witcher 3 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.