Here's a hilarious secondary quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that is known as "Of Dairy and Darkness", which is worth doing as much for the rewards and XP as it is for Geralt's comical monologuing about his detest of portals and the various odd observations one can make while exploring areas full of literal cheese.
Updated on September 25, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman:As is true for all of a witcher's ventures, it's important to gauge the possible pay for the work involved in any task, even random and quirky side quests. At the end of this one, there will be some decent XP and a unique weapon, as well as some comedy gold.
Of Dairy and Darkness leads players into the mage Aeramas' dungeon of pungent Tyromancy (cheese magic) for a Witcher 3 adventure unlike any other, and one that also helped spawn a meme borne from Geralt's above-mentioned detest of portals and their effects on his stomach.
This quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt can be picked up from doing 2 separate things: finding the abandoned manor of the mage Aeramas east of Oxenfurt (east and a bit south of the Herbalist's Hut fast travel sign) and purchasing the Lizard Figurine quest item from the useful yet unnamed shop in Novigrad's Gildorf district (north of the city). After meeting these two criteria, return to Aeramas' Abandoned Manor to begin the quest in earnest. Before going into detail about each step of this cheesy adventure in Aeramas' dungeon, here's a quick rundown of the main objectives:
Main Objectives
- Find Aeramas' Abandoned Manor
- Purchase the Lizard Figurine quest item
- Head back to Aeramas' manor (there's a fast travel sign for it)
- Find and read the dead mage's note on the 2nd floor
- Open the 1st portal & enter it to find Aeramas' maze
- Navigate the cheese maze
- Explore beyond the maze & activate the 2nd portal before entering it
- In the new area, jump into the water and swim through the north passage
- Follow until the end & climb out before crossing over a broken bridge
- Fight the foglet
- Explore, read the note on the desk, & pick up the Bull Figurine
- Activate the 3rd portal & traverse it
- Hit the small pyramid on the right with Igni to drop the magical barrier
- Loot the chest for the Snake Figurine and the statue for the steel sword 'The Emmentaler'
- Exit through the 4th portal to complete the quest
Explore The Cheese Mage's Home & Open The 1st Portal
The first thing that the player will want to do when reaching Aeramas' ravaged manor is pick up and read the note on the 2nd floor, which tells of the mage's connection to Tyromancy (the art of divining the future from cheese) and that they were being hunted. Obviously, things did not turn out well for Aeramas as one can glean from the state of his manor, however, there is quite a bit of loot to be found.
Also on the 2nd floor, there is a chest with a diagram for Enhanced Feline Armor, which one might as well grab while here. After grabbing all the desired loot, take note of the intricate circle on the main floor and activate it by using the Lizard Figurine to open a portal. Hop through to be taken to the next area: Aeramas' expansive dungeon.
Traverse The Cheese Maze & Find The 2nd Portal
No one would guess that the portal in the ruined manor would lead to such a huge area, however, when Geralt exits the 1st portal, he finds a massive expanse of cheese-related statues that form a simplistic maze filled with clouds of stench issuing from the rotten cheese pedestals.
To progress, one must pass through the maze, however, due to the visibility being quite high, players should not have any problems traversing it. Unfortunately, the disgusting green clouds cannot be dissipated with Aard or Igni, but they don't really pose much of a threat as long as one does not linger within them for too long. Explore the area beyond the maze and activate the 2nd portal to progress to the next area of the quest.
Travel Underwater, Cross The Broken Bridge, & Open The 3rd Portal
After exiting the 2nd portal, players will find themselves in a dark and dank cavern. From the area one spawns in, head down until one finds a body of water and jump in. Head through the northern passage and emerge when it ends. Scale the mossy ledges and one will find a laboratory.
Explore and gather any loot and intel before proceeding to the area where one might be able to spot a foglet lurking until it hides in the vapors of the cave. There is a broken bridge, which is the marker one should take note of to find the direction to head next. However, traversing this portion may aggro the foglet, which one will then need to dispatch. As with other such monsters, Necrophage Oil upon one's silver blade and liberal use of Igni should end the foglet quickly enough.
Just beyond the area with the foglet, Geralt will encounter another note left behind by Aeramas as well as a Bull Figurine to collect. Be sure to explore this area carefully, as there is some hidden loot behind a fake wall that one will need The Eye of Nehaleni to uncover. When the player is done looting, head to the archway nearby to a brazier and open the 3rd portal to move on to the final area of this quest.
Dispell The Magic Barrier, Collect The Rewards, & Exit The Area Through The 4th Portal
The most notable feature of this final area will be the big, red barrier blocking the way to a conspicuous statue. Thankfully, despite its appearance, it is remarkably easy to drop the barrier. Simply head to the right of the area and locate a small pyramid before blasting it with Igni. This will cause the red shield of energy to disappear, granting access to the quest rewards at the base of the statue.
Here, in lootable containers, players will find some treasure along with a Snake Figurine. However, the best item found here is a unique cheese-themed steel sword called "The Emmentaler". This blade grants bonus fire damage as well as increased sign intensity for Igni. Gather up all of the goods before moving on.
The Emmentaler's Stats & Description
Rarity Tier | Relic |
Type of Sword | Steel Sword |
Level Requirement | 11 |
Weight | 3.61 |
Value | 451 Orens |
Effects |
|
Free Slots | 3 |
Components Gained from Dismantling |
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By taking a look at its effects, most players will likely be able to determine The Emmentaler as being an excellent steel sword for witchers who wish to make use of fire to scorch foes with burning slashes as well as blast them asunder with especially intense casts of the Igni sign. Given that it also has 3 free slots, players can enhance the literal firepower of this blade with the appropriate runestones.
Nearby to where one finds The Emmentaler, one will also find an archway similar to many found before in this quest. Interact with it and allow the Snake Figurine to open the 4th and final portal so that the witcher can exit the cavern. When done, the player will find themselves back at Aeramas' Abandoned Manor and the quest completed.
Quest Rewards For Of Dairy And Darkness
- 75 XP
- A new appreciation for cheese
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch.