It has been nearly six years since The Witcher 3 came out. Yet, it still remains CD Projekt RED's finest game to date. It's a true testament to their craft and potential. Anyone who has played a few of the quests The Witcher 3 will surely know and appreciate how much value they hold compared to other RPGs.
Each and every quest in The Witcher 3 appears handcrafted and unique. It would be a waste to miss some of them. It just so happens that some of them are indeed, quite easy to miss. Such is the case for the side quests in the game that don't appear on Notice Board or as exclamations on the map. With that in mind, here are the best of them that you don't want to miss.
10 Protect A Helpless Monster In "Harassing A Troll"
The quest isn't what it sounds like the title is implying. It's actually a troll himself getting harassed by a gang of Nekkers. The troll is more placid or timid than usual, leading players to believe that it's more intelligent than others. So it's up to them as Geralt to swoop in and save the monster, as blasphemous as that sounds.
Turns out the Troll was getting bullied within monsterdom for his weird and more "civilized" culinary taste. If players want a sophisticated palate discussion with this special troll, they'll need to save him first by heading far northwest from the Inn at the Crossroads.
9 Engage In An Epic Standoff With "Deadly Crossing"
"Deadly Crossing" is a multi-part, hidden, encounter-triggered side quest that lets Geralt flex those Witcher skills. It's also rather simple. Some bandits thought they could play troll and own a bridge just because they felt like it. Too bad—Geralt really needs to cross, so it's up to the players to either go Clint Eastwood on them or pay up.
The first location is at Troll Bridge near the signpost. The second one is at the long wooden bridge north of Lindenvale. The last and final location of these brigands is west-southwest of the Dragonslayer's Grotto signpost. The quest doesn't have much story in it but it's the perfect backdrop for standoff reminiscent of Spaghetti Western films.
8 Express Distaste For Fanatics In "The Flame Of Hatred"
For players who really hate the Eternal Fire cult, here's an encounter that provides an opportunity to spite them. Head on over to Hierarch Square, then head east from the signpost, following the street. An encounter and quest called "The Flame of Hatred" will be triggered afterward.
If you pass slowly by walking, the quest is harder to miss. The priest of the Eternal Fire will make sure to attract Geralt's attention by slinging some insults along his way. Good thing Geralt is just as fluent in trash talk as he is in violence.
7 Experience A Funny Twist With "Strumpet In Distress"
Think of this quest as a lesson in being judgmental or meddling too much. Strumpet in Distress initially starts out as a typical occupational hazard for sex workers, where a customer appears to be harassing one such woman.
However, the transaction was actually more than meets the eye. Sadly, Geralt might be too quick in his actions to properly handle the situation. To find this hilarious and unfortunate event side quest, head directly south of the Novigrad Docks signpost and look for a man seemingly threatening a strumpet.
6 Teach Infection Control In "Hazardous Goods"
Speaking of occupational hazards, another person named Gert Borel is taking on an odd dirty job. He's disposing of rotting, plague-ridden corpses, because he thinks he's immune to diseases. Unfortunately, things have gone south with this particular trip. It's up to Geralt to help him and seek him out in a follow-up hidden event.
To find the quest, players need to head northwest of Lurtch and look for a cart full of corpses. To find out whether Gert Borel is actually immune to the plague, look for him afterward west of the Benek signpost.
5 Make a Tough Choice In "Strangers In The Night"
For a quest that features a nice context before heads start rolling, Strangers in the Night is an interesting side quest. It starts off like a scene in a sitcom where three men who are distrustful of one another are sitting around a campfire. Turns out they do have the right to suspect one another, as two of them are up to no good.
It's up to Geralt to pick whom to support. However, one of them will die regardless of Geralt's choice. Players can find this clever little encounter east of the Eternal Fire Chapel signpost after crossing a bridge and turning a bit northward.
4 Play Judge and Jury In "Karmic Justice"
If players are looking to channel their inner arbiter of justice as Geralt, then the side quest called Karmic Justice ought to offer a quick fix. It's an encounter involving a human merchant and some elven thugs. Apparently, the merchant sold them poisoned fisstech to the elves and they're after revenge.
The merchant has a different take, and says the elves only want to rob him. The quest doesn't really give Geralt a chance to gather evidence to be objective enough so it's up to them to judge who's going down. Look for this test of arbitration between the Tretogor Gate signpost and Southern Gate signpost.
3 Stand Up To Bullies In "Racists Of Novigrad"
Seemingly a nod to Humans of New York but less humanizing and less New York, Racists of Novigrad is a two-part unmarked side quest involving, well, racists. It's the elves that take the brunt of the racism this time, as there are too many of them in Novigrad.
Novigrad is a big place, so this racial altercation might be hard to spot or differentiate from all the other casual hate crimes around. To look for it, go to either the halfway point between Novigrad Docks and Gate of the Hierarch or the halfway point between Southern Gate and Tretogor Gate.
2 Complete The Satisfying Saga Of "Looters"
"Looters" is one of the extensive random encounter side quests in The Witcher 3 that's easy to miss, as it requires player boldness and inquisitiveness. It's a three-part quest that involves hungry peasants looting some corpses and being territorial with them.
Players can find the first part far east of Heatherton near a crossroad. The second part is located a little south of Codger's Quarry. The third and final part can be found in the village of Toderas; it's full of uppity peasants aching for a slaughter. Oblige them.
1 Crush This Man's Bloated Ego In "Face Me If You Dare!"
"Face Me If You Dare!" is by far the most entertaining encounter or event side quest in The Witcher 3. A lovelorn knight wants to prove his capability to a maiden by defeating 100 other knights. Unfortunately for Geralt, he does qualify as a knight, so the duel is very much legal. Too bad the challenger doesn't accept defeat.
He'll continue hounding Geralt up until Toussaint. Meet and fight him first a bit southeast of Crow's Perch. Set up a follow-up beating east-southeast of Tretogor Gate. Finally, murder the bastard in Novigrad's Silverton district, across the small market. That ought to teach him that Witchers are also technically not knights.