The Witcher 2 Walkthrough Part 41: For A Higher Cause! Part 1

You are now playing in Act 3 alongside Iorveth. For details on this Act on Roche’s side, see a later series of guides that will walk you through the game with him as your companion. You will receive For A Higher Cause! as soon as you begin Act 3, and it should be the first quest that you complete. As Philippa said earlier, a new world power will be beginning to emerge. You and Iorveth will be just arriving at Loc Muinne when you begin to see evidence of this fact.

Just as in the other Acts, you will begin not in Loc Muinne but rather in the wilderness outside of the city. Iorveth will lead you through a series of winding ravines. Follow him and keep up, as you don’t want to get lost. You will be heading back out into these ravines later, but for now don’t bother straying too far off course. At the moment, you just want to reach Loc Muinne, so follow Iorveth up and around the branching path in the middle of the area. As you go forward, a group of feral Harpies will fly down from the ravines and attack you. Be wary of their mobility and strike back. With Iorveth by your side, you should be able to deal with these Harpies easily.

Head to the right, up the winding path and deeper into the ravines. You will be able to get a nice view of the city from a perch to the left, although the entrance to the city itself still lies on the other side of the wilderness to your right. Iorveth will begin to lead you onwards again. Follow him to reach the midpoint of the upper ravines to the right. When you reach this area, a cutscene will initiate and you will get some more information on t he lore of The Witcher 2. Iorveth will point out a group of soldiers called the Knights of the Flaming Rose. These Knights are loyal to the Redanian King Radovid. This will also mark another section in which your allegiances will determine the path that you have to take ahead. If you befriended the Order in Act 1, you will encounter Siegfried here and he will allow you into the city with no hassle. If you never affiliated yourself with the Order, you will have to sneak into the city, as Siegfried will not allow you entrance. When sneaking into the city, you will have to turn around and head into the upper ravine behind you to find the entrance to a system of caverns. Enter the caverns and proceed forward. The cave is basically a straight path, and Iorveth already knows the way, so follow him to reach the exit. Along the way, watch out for an Arachas and a group of Endregas. They shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to you at this point.

Either way, as you journey into the city Iorveth will tell you about the area’s history and its ancient inhabitants, called the Vrans. You will also have to contend with a group of Harpies and Erynias along the way into the city. When you reach a ledge that you can climb, hit the action button to haul yourself over and into the city. This will update you Quest Log, making your primary objective to find Philippa. As you enter the city, head around to the right to find some interesting ruins. Douse the ruins. You will use these in the quest The Gargoyle Contract. Loot the Ancient Manuscript item to advance another side quest, and search the area to find the Diagram: Elder Blood Boots item. The Elder Blood Boots are the best boots in the game, so you will definitely want to pick this up even if you skip the other trinkets over.

Keep moving along the right-hand perimeter of the circular city to find some information on Philippa. When you reach the far right side of the city, you and Iorveth will overhear a group of guards talking about her. Apparently, finding Philippa will be easier than you thought. The guards have already arrested her, and she is being held in the dungeons below the city. Apparently, there is a peace summit agreement that involves people not casting any spells whatsoever. Philippa cast a spell and violated the peace summit’s laws, and King Radocid sentenced her to jail as a result. You will need to get into the dungeons to find Philippa. In order to do this, you will have to choose one of two options. First, you can get yourself arrested. This will cause a ruckus in the city, but you will be able to get into the dungeons without exerting yourself too much. The other option is, you guessed it, to sneak in through a series of caves beneath the city. Iorveth will suggest that you take the system of caves to reach the dungeon, but getting arrested is certainly a more direct route. Just keep in mind that, once arrested, you will have to sneak out of prison.

Also keep in mind that Act 3 is by far the shortest of the Acts in the game. Once you get the ball rolling on the next few quests, stopping it may be a little difficult. For this reason, it may benefit you to head around the city and check out whatever side quests you can. You never know if you will be able to complete them later, and they make for a good source of experience and items that may prove invaluable during the final missions of the game. Because nothing will happen until you either get yourself arrested or decide to sneak into the prison through the caves, this part of the quest makes for a natural stopping point in the story. If you opt to check out the side quests, refer to the incoming guides that will cover all of the side quests in the game for more information.

If you are ready to go now, make your choice and refer to the corresponding guide in the list ahead.