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The Hearts of Stone expansion for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt introduces a large amount of new content for Geralt of Rivia to experience. At the center of this content is a new main storyline that finds Geralt in a battle of wits with the unassuming mirror merchant Gaunter O'Dimm. Like much of the content in The Witcher 3, this tale takes several twists and turns before arriving at its epic conclusion.
"Scenes From a Marriage" takes place in the latter section of the Hearts of Stone main story, revealing several key plot points for Geralt to take into account when he confronts O'Dimm in the final act. The witcher finds himself exploring the home of Olgierd Von Everic, another unfortunate soul in the grips of the man they call "Master Mirror."
Spoilers Ahead
Olgierd Von Everic's Final Wish
"Scenes From a Marriage" takes place after "Open Sesame!" and "Dead Man's Party," with all three making up a trifecta of quests based around fulfilling the wishes of Olgied Von Everic. This mission tasks Geralt with retrieving the violet rose Von Everic gave his wife Iris when he left their shared estate.
Unfortunately for the witcher, Iris is long dead, the rose turned to dust in the wind. Never one to let an impossible task slow him down, Geralt finds the remedy to his problem in the most unusual of places.
A Thief Enters The Von Everic Estate
After completing the previous quest, Geralt is free to initiate "Scenes From a Marriage" at any time. As the mission log states, all he must do is approach the exterior of the Von Everic estate in the northeastern section of the Velen/Novigrad map.
When Geralt arrives at the specified location, he will hear a man shouting, calling out in distress to an unseen individual. Upon approaching this person, Geralt discovers he is a thief standing guard for his partner who entered the estate and has not returned. The two men have a brief conversation and Geralt decides to enter the grounds and investigate.
Investigating The Grounds
Once Geralt enters the grounds, using his witcher senses will reveal several items he can interact with. Not every highlighted area is essential to progress the quest, but interacting with them does provide a greater understanding of the mission. The fastest way to get to the next section of the quest is as follows:
- Directly approach the front door of the manor.
- Examine the ground to reveal trail.
- Follow trail to the side gate.
- Following the brief cutscene with the cat, continue to follow the trail until Geralt discovers the graves in the garden - second cutscene will play.
A Fight With The Caretaker
Once Geralt finds the graves in the garden, he will immediately notice a figure in the fog who appears to be digging a fresh grave. Upon further examination, Geralt will see the body of the thief's partner waiting to be buried.
Geralt approaches the hooded figure only to discover it is some kind of unknown abomination. He immediately draws his sword to prepare for a fight.
Fighting The Caretaker:
- The Caretaker carries a special weapon that will heal him with every hit he lands on Geralt. Avoid taking damage at all costs!
- Geralt can use Quen to avoid taking damage. At higher levels the sign will absorb more damage before breaking.
- Using relict oil will increase all sword based damage on The Caretaker.
- Watch for large AOE attacks, indicated by a bright glow coming from the ground. Following the largest AOE attack, he will pause to catch his breath. Use this window to attack.
- He is capable of calling in specters that he can kill to gain health. Remove these dark figures as quickly as possible.
Do not forget to pick up The Caretaker's Spade! This unique weapon retains its healing properties and is a fun addition to Geralt's arsenal. It is found on the ground directly against the body of The Caretaker.
Friends Of The House
Following his fight with The Caretaker, Geralt will be introduced to two speaking animals. Taking the form of a cat and a dog, these two spirits act as Geralt's guides for the rest of the mission. At this point, they explain to the witcher that they are simply 'friends of the house.'
Speaking further with his new friends, Geralt learns that the Caretaker had been summoned from 'very far away' to protect Iris. At this time, they refuse to tell Geralt more of themselves. When Geralt asks after Iris, and the violet rose that he has been tasked with retrieving, they tell him both can be found within the manor.
Investigating The Von Everic Home
Heading directly back towards the house from The Caretaker's body, Geralt will find the rear entrance to the home. Walking through the door and into the main parlor will initiate a cutscene. In the scene, before the Wraith From The Painting reveals herself, the sparkle of an item is visible on a table. Interacting with this item will give Geralt Iris' Sketchbook, an important memento for later in the quest.
Head up the stairs, to the left, and into the room with fire damage to get to the next section of the quest.
The Wraith From The Painting:
- From the room with fire damage, exit onto the balcony and turn right. Continue through the next room until Geralt enters a corridor between rooms.
- The lights will go out, and the corridor will elongate. The wraith will reveal herself at this point.
- This wraith fight is essentially the same as any other. Using specter oil will increase Geralt's sword damage.
- Watch out for the paintings on the wall. The wraith can heal herself at various points throughout the fight by pulling energy from a painting. Attacking the appropriate painting will sever her connection.
Once Geralt brings the fight to a close, the room will return to its normal size and the paintings that line the corridor will burst into flame. Head straight into the next room to move the quest ahead.
Entering Iris' Bedchamber
The next room Geralt visits will be Iris' bedchamber. Lying on the bed in front of him is Iris' long-dead body. It is revealed that Geralt did not know Iris was dead when he set out to fulfill the final wish.
Approaching Iris' body will initiate another cutscene in which Geralt realizes he will have to speak to Iris' ghost to discover the way to fulfill the wish. To accomplish this, Geralt must first locate the best location to bury Iris' remains.
Before examining Iris' body, retrieve the portrait of Iris and Olgierd from the table near the fireplace. Geralt will have the opportunity to use this later in the quest.
Where To Bury Iris
There are several possible areas that Geralt can investigate, but Iris can only be buried next to her easel. Located at the northern tip of the estate, the easel sits directly beneath a large tree. After picking the location, Geralt will choose to say a few words about Iris. It does not matter what he says, nor what he chooses to place in Iris' grave (Sketchbook, Portrait). Iris' ghost will come when she is summoned, leading Geralt into a painting of her memories.
Entering The Painted World
Geralt follows Iris' ghost into The Painted World. In this land of memories, Geralt will confront several tableaux. Each memory he faces will have multiple items that must be correctly placed in order to proceed to the next. There are eight memories in total, though only seven are required to complete this section of the mission.
Gazebo:
The first memory is also the only one that is optional. It acts as a tutorial for the mechanics involved in The Painted World. First, Geralt must examine the area and locate the available items. Not all of them will always be required to complete the memory. The items found at the Gazebo are:
- Book: "The Spirit From The Steppes" goes into Olgierd's hands.
- Painter's Palette: Belongs on the table near Iris
- Teapot: No use
Correctly placing the items will reveal each memory in a cutscene.
Fountain:
Geralt will be attacked by several arachnomorph specters on his way to the fountain. Skipping them entirely is both possible and advised as they do not provide any experience points. The items found at the fountain are:
- Cup: Place this wooden cup in Iris' hand to begin the cutscene.
- Wedding Veil: No use
- Bouquet of Flowers: No use
Following the cutscene, a much larger archnomorph specter will spawn and must be killed before the door to the home will open, leading Geralt to the next memory.
Dinner Table 1:
Though this memory does have items to examine, none of them are used in the memory. Geralt must examine the painting on the wall to determine how the table should appear. Interact with the following:
- Candleholder 1: Use Igni to light the candles near the family.
- Candleholder 2: Use Igni to light the candles in the center of the table.
- Fireplace: Use Igni to light the fireplace.
Following the cutscene, Geralt will encounter a specter of Olgierd himself. Defeat it and head up the stairs to the next memory.
Bedchamber:
Interact with the following items:
- Bloody Towel: Place near Olgierd to initiate cutscene.
- Nightgown: No Use
- Night Lamp: No Use
Painting Studio:
Examining Iris' painting will reveal the proper order to place the following physical items:
- Grapes: Place on the left.
- Apple: Place on the right.
- Goblet: Place in the middle.
Geralt will be attacked by several more specters as he's leaving the painting studio. They must be dealt with before moving on.
Olgierd's Study:
Olgierd's study is filled with items related to his interest in back magic and the arcane arts. Interact with the following items:
- Chalk: Pick up the chalk from the bookshelf near the door.
- Beeswax Candles: The candles are located near the window.
- Book 1: Outer Worlds has no uses.
- Book 2: Blood Pacts, Or On Foreign Presences contains instructions on how to complete the arcane circle. Pick up and locate in inventory.
Geralt must use the instructions to finish the circle on the ground. The correct option is: "Place candles around the circle." As a result of Olgierd's meddling in the dark arts, he accidentally sets fire to the room. Geralt can escape through the painting on the wall.
Cellar:
Geralt ends up back outside the house, in the middle of a massive snowstorm. He must run towards the home and into the open doors at the end of the path. Once inside, Geralt will see the next memory, which includes the following items:
- Mug: Place the mug into Olgierd's hands.
- Marriage Contract: Place the contract into Iris' father's hands.
- Knife: No Use
- Pipe: No Use
Following the cutscene, Geralt will be attacked by necrophage specters. Kill them to move to the final memory.
Dinner Table 2:
The final tableau finds Geralt and the whole family back at the dinner table. There are three items at this location and each must be used:
- Food Tray: Place in The Caretaker's arms.
- Large Bowl: Place in front of dog.
- Small Bowl: Place in front of cat.
Iris' Greatest Fear
Completing the final tableau will lead Geralt into a small chamber off the dining room. Here waits Oldierd's final note to Iris, attempting to put into words all the things he could not say aloud. It is here we discover Iris' biggest fear: the monster inside her husband. It may not have always been visible, it may not have been his true nature, but in the end, fear of it consumed Iris Von Everic.
Fighting Iris' Greatest Fear:
- This fight pits Geralt against six physical manifestations of the worst parts of Olgierd Von Everic.
- He is a master swordsman and will close the distance on Geralt incredibly quickly. Watch out for his long-distance jump attack. Constant motion, quick-hitting and dodging are key.
- At the beginning of the fight, several of the copies remain stationary. While all must be killed, there is no need to awaken all six at once.
- Use Quen regularly to limit the damage done to Geralt as much as possible.
Meet Iris And Acquire The Violet Rose
After conquering Iris' Greatest Fear, Geralt will meet with Iris in her bedchambers. Fully conversing with her will lead to a much better understanding of the story at the center of Hearts of Stone. However, the only real choice Geralt must make is whether to take the rose or not. If he decides to take the rose, Iris and her guardians will finally move on. If he leaves the rose with her, she will remain trapped in the world of her own pain and suffering. Should he choose the latter, Geralt will then be required to bring Olgierd a painting of Iris and the rose.
"Scenes From A Marriage" is a long and winding quest, though one that surely lives up to the best content in The Witcher 3. Once drawn to its conclusion, Geralt will be free to move into the final act of Hearts of Stone.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions launch on December 14.