Quick Links
"King's Gambit" is a mid-game quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt that finds Geralt of Rivia playing a major role in choosing the next leader of Skellige. Geralt arrives at a tense moment for the fiercely independent islanders, with multiple factions believing they deserve the right to bear the crown. Though he may not want the responsibility, Geralt must weight his options carefully. The fate of a nation may rest on the choice he makes.
Despite there being several claimants for the throne, Geralt will ultimately have only two choices: HjalmarandCerys an Craite. Hjalmar and Cerys are the children of Crach an Craite, the head of one of the most powerful clans in the isles. Each child has their merits, but Geralt can only choose one. While the "King's Gambit" quest line is not required to complete the game, finishing it will play a major role in deciding the fate of Skellige in The Witcher 3.
How to Start "King's Gambit"
Before players can begin "King's Gambit," they must first complete "The King is Dead - Long Live the King," "Possesion," and "The Lord of Undvik." Fulfilling Crach's request to help his children will give Geralt the chance to feel out which child he'll back as the next ruler of Skellige. "King's Gambit" will become available the moment Geralt completes all three quests.
Geralt must complete "King's Gambit" before "Isle of Mists." If he does not, the mission will automatically fail.
Additionally, two other quests will fail if Geralt does not complete them before "King's Gambit." They are: "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Cave of Dreams."
Return to Kaer Trolde to Meet Crach an Craite
The first task in "King's Gambit" is to simply return to Crach and receive the promised reward for helping his children. When arriving at the main gate, the game will automatically initiate a cutscene in which Arnvald meets with Geralt and the two have a brief talk.
The first dialogue choices during this scene will make no difference to the mission. Choose whichever best suits Geralt's style.
Joining the Feast
Arnvald will take Geralt into the main hall, where the feast is still in full swing. Cerys and Hjalmar will be arguing about who deserves to wear the crown. Hjalmar boasts about his new nickname, which, of course, Geralt knows is complete nonsense. However, it does seem that Hjalmar cares for his sister, and would likely get over it if he were passed over.
Fighting the Vildkaarls
At the end of their conversation, Hjalmar wonder if Geralt would be up for fighting the Vildkaarls, a rough-and-tumble group of islanders notorious for their fighting abilities. Geralt passes on the prospect at that moment, but when the player gains control, Geralt can make his way over to the circle and join in.
The Vildkaarls can be found directly behind Geralt once the player is given control. Approaching the circle will cause a brief cutscene to play out, in which Hjalmar bets his sword that Geralt cannot take down his opponent. The Vildkaarls are slightly tougher than most fighting opponents. They hit incredibly hard, doing more damage than most melee fighters. The best strategy is to hit in small bursts and back away. Their attacks will stun Geralt if he stays close for too long. The opponents can be countered by pressing L2 at the right moment, but they move fairly quickly.
Once the first match is finished, Geralt can speak to the leader and take on three more challengers. This has no narrative function and rewards only XP. Beating the first Vildkaarl will award Geralt with Hjalmar's Steel Sword.
Meeting With Crach an Craite
Geralt must head through the doors at the end of the hall to find Crach's chambers. As he approaches, Birna, the wife of the former king, is seen leaving. She mentions to Geralt that the search for a new king feels more like an auction. She clearly does not support the isle's tradition of letting the jarls choose their own ruler, and believes her son with King Bran should inherit the crown.
Crach and Geralt can have a long conversation about who he feels is right for the crown. He does seem torn between which child he should back, though some believe the game is inherently biased towards Cerys. As Crach hands Geralt the sword Fate as reward for helping, a ruckus can be heard coming from the main hall.
The Bear Attack at Kaer Trolde
Geralt and Crach burst into the hall to find three bears attacking the guests. There is blood and gore everywhere, resulting in several casualties. Once the bears have been dealt with, the survivors gather to discuss the nature of the attack.
Accusations fly, with most of the group believing that, at the very least, because it occurred under his roof, it is up to Crach and his family to figure out what happened. Here, the mission splits into two possible branches, based around which sibling Geralt chooses to help.
Geralt must make his choice within the quest, and it cannot be changed. Cerys seems to take the level-headed, methodical approach, while Hjalmar just wants to see heads roll.
Siding With Hjalmar
If Geralt decides to side with Hjalmar, they will ride immediately to Fornhala, the village of the Vildkaarls. Hjalmar claims he alone saw them turn into bears while everyone else was watching Lugos.
Hjalmar doesn't seem to be interested in nuance. He doesn't care about setups or conspiracies. He just wants to kill the Vildkaarls for breaking ancient customs.
Exploring the Vildkaarl's Village
At first glance, the village seems abandoned. But as Geralt and Hjalmar continue to investigate, they come across a few key discoveries. Several dead bodies are found that are not Vildkaarl. Hjalmar notices one on top of a structure that leads to a ritual fighting arena.
Several more dead bodies, along with piles of clothes, are found in the arena. The two men also find a shrine dedicated to Svalblod, a long-banned deity. Geralt notices the incense they burn at the shrine smells like his bear bait. He decides to follow the scent.
The smell leads to another dead body. A set of footprints lead from the pool to a hut near the top of the hill. Inside the hut, Geralt finds a trap door, along with several clues that could relate to the crime. Using the trap door reveals a ladder that takes the two men to an underground tunnel.
Fighting Hallgrim
After walking a brief distance in the tunnel, the men hear voices. This leads them to confront Hallgrim, a berserker who claims the Vildkaarls were not at the feast to kill, but they do not regret it. He says its only natural that the weakest are killed off to make way from the strong blood. This is what Geralt and Hjalmar saw in the arena. The Vildkaarls make six men fight to the death for three spaces.
Hallgrim is essentially a normal enemy. When his health reaches approximately half, he will turn into a bear. Once he is dead, continue down the tunnel. The player will then come across Artis, a druid participating in a ritual to Svalblod
'Talking' to Artis
Artis seems to hold a good deal of information, and believes that what the Vildkaarls did at the feast was for the good of Skellige. Unfortunately, he seems content to die before spilling what he knows, and Hjalmar is all too happy to oblige.
Artis is a Druid and will fight with magic. Be extremely careful as his attacks do a tremendous amount of damage. A bear will enter the fight, but Hjalmar will keep it occupied. Once Arits and the bear are dead, Geralt will discover a letter on his body explaining that the Vildkaarls had been used to help prop up an unnamed king. Artis was to be this new king's advisor, though the letter is unsigned.
Though the true culprit is never found, Hjalmar's actions lead to the cleansing of Clan an Craite's shame. The only thing left to do is pick a new ruler.
Hjalmar Becomes King
With Geralt's help, Hjalmar is named King of Skellige. His first action is to declare war on Nilfgaard, a decision which could bring dire consequences. Cerys is naturally bothered not to have been chosen, but she does seem to support her brother.
Siding With Cerys
It's immediately clear that Cerys' plan is likely the smarter way to approach things. Though, those who have taken Hjalmar's path know that his plan is truer to the Skelligan style of doing things.
Investigating the Main Hall
Geralt and Cerys will investigate the main hall for clues. The two important items to examine are:
- Bear: Investigating the bear's head will lead Geralt to realize the transforming agent was in the mead.
- Mead Bowl: Look at the mead bowl next to Hjalborn Blackhand. It will put off a scent that Geralt can follow with his Witcher senses.
This will lead Geralt to a mead horn sitting by the main entrance to the hall. Geralt and Cerys discover that beasts who attacked weren't just bears. They were berserkers, men transformed by spiked mead.
Speak With Hjort in the Outdoor Courtyard
Hjort informs Geralt and Cerys that the mushrooms used were known as mardrome. Cerys realizes the barrels of mead must have been spiked while still in the cellar, and implores Geralt to follow her.
Investigating the Cellar
As Geralt and Cerys make their way to the cellar, Geralt remembers Arnvald mentioning the fact that it was 'too calm,' and that blood should flow at any good feast. Can anybody say 'foreshadowing?'
Upon arriving in the cellar, it's clear that several barrels of flammable alcohol have been spilled on the ground. That's probably just some strange Skelligan custom, though, right? Nope — as Geralt tries to investigate the open barrels of mead, someone throws a torch into the room.
Follow Cerys to escape the flaming cellar, using Aard to blast a stack of barrels out of the way. As the two run through the underground tunnel, Geralt will find a Quen place of power. This will be his only opportunity to use this particular place of power, so make sure not to miss it.
After returning to the entrance of the cellar to look for clues, Geralt discovers clear footprints that he can follow with his Witcher sense. This will lead to another room where they discover a torn piece of Arnvald's tunic!
'Speak' to Arnvald
As Geralt and Cerys arrive to question Arnvald, he takes off on his horse to locations unknown. Geralt gets to chase him. Strangely, none of the 100 guards he passes seem to notice anything.
Arnvald, after being promised an honorable death, reveals he has letters from Birna instructing him on how to poison the mead, but they are unsigned. Geralt and Cerys are left to hope this is enough evidence as they reconvene with the jarls.
Convincing the Jarls
The jarls don't want to hear anything Geralt and Cerys have to say, especially without proof. If Birna does not confess, there isn't much they can do. But at the eleventh hour, just as all hope seems lost, Svanrige steps up and grows a spine. He confronts his mother, and it is his disappointment that ultimately drives her to confess. Birna is sentenced to a grisly fate, Svanrige is exiled, and Clan an Craite's honor is restored.
Cerys Becomes Queen
Though it is technically a separate quest titled "Coronation," the ending of "King's Gambit" gives Geralt the chance to ride with Crach to see the next ruler of Skellige crowned. If Geralt helped Cerys, she will become queen. Madman Lugos will be upset no matter which sibling is chosen. Hjalmar, too, is just as understanding as his sister is when he is chosen king. It does appear, though, that Cerys' plans will bring greater peace and prosperity to the isles.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.