There are a lot of quests in The Witcher 3. Some of them have left their marks in the hearts of the fans for years, whether because of how upsetting they were, or how difficult, but mostly, because of how much they stepped into a morally grey area.
The magnificence of The Witcher 3 is that each quest follows all the great writing masters' advice when they talk about story development: they reveal something about the character and move the story forward. Whether these story morsels are bite-sized or bigger, there are some quests that clearly show Geralt’s character and reveal things he would never say out loud about himself.
5 A Towerful Of Mice: He Lets People Make Their Own Choices
Relatively early in the game (since the suggested level is 6), Geralt meets with the sorceress Keira Metz. Apart from being one of the best well-dressed characters in The Witcher 3, Keira also gives one of the most interesting and difficult side quests. Geralt goes to a secluded and abandoned tower that is haunted by ghosts and encounters a heartbroken plague maiden.
There are two ways to break this curse, and neither of them leads to a happy ending. Geralt can bring Anabelle’s bones to Graham, her lover, thus lifting the curse but leading to Graham’s death. Alternatively, Geralt will bring Graham to the tower, which also leads to his death but in a more…consensual way.
In this quest, no matter what the player decides to do, Geralt reveals how composed he can stay under the pressure of a morally difficult decision that directly affects people’s lives. Before Graham goes to kiss the plague maiden, all he says is “Graham, careful.” He chooses to turn his back and let the incident take place, since it’s what the unfortunate man has chosen.
4 Novigrad Dreaming: He Loves Ciri More Than Anything
This might be a small quest, but it reveals much about Geralt, no matter how the player chooses to play it out. Geralt meets with Corinne Tilly, an oneiromancer who he believes might help him locate Ciri, and might or might not be one of Condwiramurs Tilly’s ancestors. After Geralt helps her wake up from some horrible nightmares caused by Sarah, a godling, Corinne tells him to meet her at her place to see if she can help him.
Geralt is asked to tell his most intense memory with Ciri. The player can choose to answer only with one memory, which is what is needed for the quest to proceed, or tell Corinne all the available memories one by one. What is interesting here is not only what memories Geralt holds closer to his heart from his time with Ciri, but the way he tells those stories. His love and admiration for his adopted daughter are out there for everyone to see, and it is one of the few times that he tells an emotionally charged tale.
3 Beyond Hill And Dale: His Complicated Relationship With Women
This quirky quest has become a fan favorite, with very good reason. The player is transported to a fairytale world, with the very fitting name “The Land of a Thousand Fables,” and has to find Syanna. The first thing that Geralt has to do is follow the Yellow Brick Road, which leads to a fight with a witch. After she is defeated, Jack will ask Geralt to find his magic beans. The quest continues with its fairytale ways until the end, mixing more and more fables and superbly interesting characters.
What really stands out Geralt-wise, is that if the player chooses to romance Syanna, apart from the exciting love scene that plays out, a very revealing short conversation follows. Geralt asks Syanna if they’re just going to go their separate ways with no parting words, to which Syanna, clearly amused, comes to the conclusion that no other woman has ever treated him this way. Geralt keeps his cool, but to the loyal fan of the lore, it is interesting that he doesn’t admit that usually he is the one being usually “used.”
2 Whatsoever A Man Soweth: He Cares About Understanding People
Gaunter O'Dimm is a villain fans love to hate. He is one of the leads in the Hearts of Stone expansion, and he also appears for a bit in the Blood and Wine expansion. In the quest “Whatsoever A Man Soweth,” Geralt learns a lot about O’Dimm from professor Shakeslock in Oxenfurt Academy before heading to the Temple of Lilvani, where he will meet with both O’Dimm and Olgierd.
If Geralt chooses to save Olgierd, he will face O’Dimm’s challenge, which can prove to be quite difficult. It's interesting to note how involved Geralt has been in this quest, and how much he is willing to bet to explore why the characters involved acted the way they did. He cares as much for the villain as he does for the hero, and it is up to the player to choose which one he will side with. There are many who believe that O’Dimm is such an interesting character that he should have his own spinoff game. Geralt, apparently thinks so too.
1 Carnal Sins: He Is A Good Friend
There is a lot to be said about Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove (or as he is known in The Witcher 3, Dandelion) and Geralt, and their sweet bromance. One of the quests that show their bond very clearly is “Carnal Sins,” which is incidentally one of the most stressful quests in the whole franchise. It starts when Dandelion and Geralt learn that Priscilla is in the hospital and both rush to her.
Geralt then starts a long investigation to find out what exactly happened to Priscilla, which he doesn’t even consider as a favor to Dandelion, and makes sure to let him know he will get the criminal whatever it might need. He is completely focused, doesn’t care for jokes, and even punches a man when he dares to say that he doesn’t care about what happened to Priscilla. When he finally finds the criminal, he takes his time to learn his motives before killing him.