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It is well known that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features an incredibly deep narrative with tough choices that have lasting effects. Even the smallest side quests often present Geralt with two or more options that can hardly be called good. The notion the toughest choices are often morally ambiguous is deeply engrained in The Witcher 3, and can be felt from the moment Geralt set's out to find Ciri.
"Twised Firestarter" is an early side quest that presents Geralt with some not-so-great choices. While so many of the quests Geralt will come across later in the game have much higher stakes, this quest lets players know from the outset that every choice, even in the smallest quest, will have meaning.
How to Start the Twisted Firestarter Quest
This mission is available to Geralt as soon as he finishes speaking to the Innkeeper in White Orchard. If it is not finished before completing "Lilac and Gooseberries," the mission will automatically fail.
Look for an exclamation mark southwest of the tavern. As Geralt approaches, he will hear the banging of a hammer against an anvil. Here he will find Willis, and offer to solve the mystery of who set fire to his forge. There is a brief exchange with two dialogue options:
- 'Don't Insult Me'
- 'I'm Sorry'
In this instance, it does not matter which option Geralt chooses, he can begin the quest either way.
How Find the Arsonist in Twisted Firestarter
Willis explains to Geralt that he heard movement outside his hut sometime the previous night.
From the southeast corner of the burned hut, look south using Geralt's witcher senses. This will reveal the first clue: shavings from the criminal's tinderbox. Just past this lies a set of boot prints that Geralt must follow.
The next clue Geralt can examine is near a tree that 'stinks of piss and vodka'
The boot prints lead Point A on the map, the edge of the river near the Woesong Bridge. The arsonist thinks they are being clever, likely expecting that if anyone searched for them, it would be a common soldier, not a highly trained witcher.
Do not cross the river. Instead, stay on the western bank and head north, crossing the street where it meets the bridge.
Geralt will find the arsonist's boots, along with a large amount of footprints (Point B on the map above). Geralt discovers the criminal was attacked by drowners, though they managed to escape with their life. Following the footprints will lead back towards town.
Following the trail through town will lead Geralt to a small hut. Geralt will note that he will notice the perpetrator by their wounds. Upon entering the building, turn left behind the woman scrubbing the floor to find Napp, drunkenly holding himself up against a wall. Geralt notes the injury caused by drowner claws.
With Geralt's witcher senses active, it seems Napp has literally been caught red-handed.
If Geralt is having trouble locating highlighted clues with his witcher senses, turning on Witcher Senses on Minimap option could help. Simply go to the pause menu, select Options→Display→Hud Configuration. It is the 11th choice on the list.
Which Choice Is Best in Twisted Firestarter?
After confronting Napp, Geralt is basically faced with two decisions:
- Bring him to Willis to face justice.
- Allow him to go with a promise of no more arson.
Before Geralt makes a decision, it is important to not that, no matter what he decides, Willis will agree to craft armor. So with that aside, Geralt is free to choose based purely off the circumstances of the job.
Taking Napp to Willis:
If Geralt decides to ignore Napp's sob story and take him to face justice, it does not go over well. Geralt can either fight Napp or use Axii to convince him to go to the smith.
Once Geralt decides to turn Napp in, the outcome is the same: The Nilfgaardians hang him for sabotaging an important resource. There is no way to stop this from happening.
Accepting Napp's Bribe:
Napp lays out a whole litany of excuses for his situation, including the recent death of his mother. He offers Geralt gold in exchange for not turning him in. In this case, Geralt essentially accepts a bribe to turn his back on his employer, though he does it with assurances from Napp that it will not happen again.
It's important to note, however, that Napp shows a clear disdain for nonhumans that cannot be shrugged off as the ravings of a drunkard. He claims to have started the fire as an act of sabotage against Willis, who now plies his trade for the Nilfgaardians. But who knows what to believe from this guy.
The Best Choice?
It's no mistake that one of Geralt's first side-quests presents a situation that does not have a black and white solution. There's no doubt that what Napp did was stupid, but does the punishment fit the crime? It's hard to believe that Geralt would stand by and let a man be executed over a drunken mistake. Though it's equally hard to think he would accept a bribe of this nature.
Ultimately, the moral conundrum is the point. Every player might have a different reason for believing their choice is 'right.' The argument could be made that, in wartime or not, burning down a structure in the middle of a village could have resulted in countless deaths and the destruction of the entire town. Perhaps turning Napp in is the 'best' choice, but it doesn't quite feel right. That is The Witcher 3 in a nutshell.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.