Velen is the first large region the players get to explore in The Witcher 3, and it serves as a perfect setup for the game’s dark and grim tone. Velen is a swampy region that serves as the No Man’s Land between Redanian and Nilfgaardian forces, housing marshes and plains full of dangerous creatures, including some sapient ones, like the three Crones that watch over the place and have villagers under their thumb.

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This region houses numerous quests and enticing storylines. Gerald’s reason for visiting the place is to find Ciri, but this journey quickly takes him to many different destinations, leading to other discoveries. As always, Geralt plays a vital part in conflicts unfolding within the region, and their outcome depends on his decisions, both in side quests and the main storyline of the game.

1 Where The Cat And Wolf Play...

An Engaging Moral Dilemma Between Witchers

• Quest Rewards: 250 XP, Teigr (Kill Gaetan)

This quest begins as a simple contract: Geralt gets hired to kill a leshen that has been terrorizing the nearby village. However, when Geralt arrives, he sees that all the villagers have already been slaughtered, and necrophages have already come to feast on their corpses. This turns it from a contract into an investigation.

Eventually, Geralt discovers that the man who murdered the villagers was another Witcher named Gaetan. However, Gaetan reveals that the villagers tried to kill him first after he asked for higher pay for his service, and so he erupted in a frenzy in retaliation. It’s up to Geralt whether to give Gaetan another chance.

2 Ghosts Of The Past

A Reunion Of Old Foes

• Quest Rewards: 75 XP

This side quest is only available for those who have Letho of Gulet from the previous game alive, whether by importing a save or by choosing the appropriate response during questioning in Vizima. It sheds light on what the famous Assassin of Kings has been up to, mostly hiding from bounty hunters.

Geralt can help Letho get rid of his pursuers, which will have two former enemies fighting side by side, developing their relationship from the previous game. It also shows the duplicitous nature of Emhyr var Emreis, as he did not fulfill the promise he gave to Letho and didn’t rebuild the School of the Viper. Letho can be recruited later to defend Kaer Morhen.

3 The Whispering Hillock

One Of The Most Difficult Choices In The Game

• Quest Rewards: N/A

This quest is a necessary part of the main storyline, but it can be completed much earlier if the player discovers the hillock independently. Geralt meets a spirit entrapped in the dark heart that has been troubling the nearby village, and if he has reached a certain point in the main quest, he is asked to destroy this threat.

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Geralt can easily take on this spirit and destroy it, but it reveals valuable information. It claims that the children Geralt met earlier are taken in by the crones and are about to get eaten. It promises to save them if Geralt releases it, presenting a difficult choice. Both outcomes lead to a sacrifice, and the gray morality of this decision makes the quest stand out.

4 Wandering In The Dark

Following A Mysterious Mage In An Elaborate Dungeon

• Quest Rewards: 1,000 XP

This is a story quest in which Geralt and his old acquaintance, Keira Metz, travel through the hideout of a mysterious elven sorcerer who is helping out Ciri. It is the first dungeon-styled quest and introduces the player to Avallac’h, an important character who gets more development later. The quest also introduces some puzzles.

Character interactions include Geralt and Keira’s teamwork, which leads to some entertaining moments like Keira displaying her fear of mice and getting annoyed by Geralt’s demeanor. The quest also has an encounter with the leaders of the Wild Hunt and clashes with one of its warriors, Nithral. Completing this quest gives player the access to the "Lady of the Woods" book.

5 A Towerful Of Mice

Continuing The Partnership With Geralt's Old Friend

• Quest Rewards: 500 XP (Reject Anabelle) or 300 XP (Help Anabelle)

This is a side quest, but it develops Geralt’s friendship with Keira. After encountering the Hunt, the sorceress asks Geralt to help her lift a curse from the nearby ghost-filled tower. Geralt uses a magical lamp that can track ghosts and specters, as well as hear their voices when he approaches. The player can keep the lamp as a reward later.

As Geralt looks through the tower, he discovers the ghost of a woman who seems to be able to communicate with the living. The mage who lived in this tower experimented on her, and now her spirit must be freed. There are different ways to do it, utilizing a man she loved in different ways, allowing for variety and replayability.

6 Ladies Of The Wood

Face-To-Face With Major Antagonists

• Quest Rewards: 750 XP

A story quest that takes Geralt deep into Velen’s swamps as he searches for the witches who had contact with Ciri. The Witcher visits an eerie orphanage that is removed from civilization and led by an elderly caretaker. He also helps the Godling Johnny reclaim his voice and helps a nearby village deal with a malicious spirit.

The most memorable part of the quest is meeting the crones themselves. Their appearance is kept mysterious for a while as Geralt talks to them through paintings. This makes the eventual reveal impactful, as Geralt sees three grotesque malformed creatures, which are a far cry from the three beautiful women in the painting.

7 Family Matters

A Heartbreaking Tale Of Trauma

• Quest Rewards: 1,000 XP

This is the longest quest in Velen and the one on which much of its storyline is focused. Geralt needs the Bloody Baron to tell him what he knows about Ciri, but the latter gets him to find his wife and daughter in exchange. What begins as a straightforward investigation becomes a complex tale of a broken family in which Geralt partakes and ends with him discovering the truth about Ciri in Velen.

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There are many twists to this story. First, Geralt discovers that the Baron used to hit his wife, later that she cheated on him and at times would deliberately provoke him, as well as a miscarriage that was a final nail in the coffin of their relationship. The Baron and his wife are deeply flawed people, which makes their conflict and personas enticing and interesting to explore.

8 Return To The Crookbag Bog

A Family Reunion And A Payoff To The Bloody Baron's Story

• Quest Rewards: 500 XP & 100 Crowns

This quest serves as a culmination of everything that occurred in Velen before. After Geralt receives all the Baron knows about Ciri, he gets an opportunity to help him rescue his wife from the crones. Geralt walks to the orphanage with him and witnesses a reunion between the Baron and his daughter, Tamara, who came to save her mother, too.

Geralt helps his allies fight the monsters that the crones send after them, including a powerful fiend. The outcome depends on what Geralt did with the Hillock spirit. Anna can either be alive but mentally damaged or cursed to die by the Crones, which leads to the Baron committing suicide later. Either way, it offers a dramatic conclusion.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Platform(s)

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Switch , PC

Released

May 19, 2015

Developer(s)

CD Projekt Red

Genre(s)

RPG , Action , Adventure