The Witcher 2 Walkthrough Part 39: Vergen Besieged Part 2

This portion of the quest concerns the scout that Saskia sent out to investigate the tunnels underneath of Vergen. It appears as if the scout has been either captured or killed, because he has not checked in since reporting to the tunnels. This would indicate that the Kaedwanis have found the tunnel and killed the scout. If this is the case, it would spell doom for the Vergen army, who would be defenseless against an attack from inside their own walls. Follow Saskia to investigate the entryway to the tunnels. Head down the steps and turn to the left. Follow this path up towards the intersection with the house, then turn to the right and head down towards the bridge. Take the right-hand path to go beneath the bridge and find the entrance to the tunnels against the eastern wall, right by the wooden structure.

Enter the tunnels. You will be met by four Kaedwani soldiers. Slay them quickly, using fast attacks and parries. The tunnels are a relatively small area, so it should be no trouble to find the sorcerer Dethmold in the corridors directly ahead. He will be accompanied by several soldiers. You will now have to battle both Dethmold and his deadly soldiers. This means that you will have to watch out for ranged magic attacks even as you dodge the deadly blades of the enemy swordsmen. Dethmold has several magical abilities that will prove to be a thorn in your side during this battle. The first of these is a shield that will absorb all damage dealt to him as long as it is active. He can also teleport around the arena, making him both difficult to hit and difficult to damage, even when you do hit him square on.

Dethmold will also boast several offensive-minded attacks, stemming from the different elements. The first of these is a fireball attack that will deal burning damage when it connects. Watch for this projectile, and dodge roll to the side right after Dethmold casts to avoid it. The sorcerer will also cast a lightning-based spell that will electrocute you if you are caught in its radius. Again, when you see Dethmold getting ready to cast this spell, be prepared to dodge out of the way.

Because Dethmold has so many offensive and defensive capabilities, it is best to simply not focus on him during this battle. Although the sorcerer is a major enemy in Act 2, this is not a boss fight, and it is not your goal to kill Dethmold. Rather, you can complete the battle much faster by focusing on his four soldier companions. Dodge the magic attacks that will be slung at you from across the level, and focus on rolling behind the soldiers and hitting them with heavy swings. Knock them about with Aard, or set traps for them, to stun them and kill them quickly. When all four of the enemy soldiers are dead, a cutscene will initiate.

Dethmold will hit you with a fireball as revenge for killing his companions. (Spoiler) As you burst into flames, it will seem as though Dethmold has won this battle. He is a better magician than you are, plain and simple, and with that one lucky hit he has gotten you burning. Luckily, Saskia will interfere in an unexpected way at the last second. She will transform into her true form, a magical dragon, and excise Dethmold from the premises. After he runs away, Saskia will explain to you her true form, and how she has been using magic to disguise herself as a person when in reality she is something much greater. Speak with her to find out more information on this startling revelation. (End Spoiler.) After your conversation with Saskia, you will earn 300 experience points for your work in investigating the tunnels.

Return to the tunnel entrance with Saskia. When you reach the other side, you will meet up with Zoltan. He will tell you that Henselt himself is leading the attack on Vergen as you speak. If you chose to help out the trolls in the continuation of the Where Is Triss Merigold quest earlier, they will come to your aid here and begin battling against Henselt’s army. If you didn’t choose to help them, nothing will happen here. Don’t worry about it too much, as you can still pull out a win in this quest.

Proceed from the tunnel entrance back up the path under the bridge, and up the stairs to the left. This will lead you back up to the wall where Saskia gave her speech. The soldiers manning the walls and defending the coutyards behind them will have taken a beating, and will be in need of a serious morale boost. This will trigger Saskia to give another speech atop the wall. This will reinvigorate the soldiers, and you will gain 400 experience points for having completed another significant leg of the quest.

This will trigger another attack from the enemy soldiers. Get ready to defend your position, and hit them from the side as they enter the area. They won’t be significant in number or strength, so you should be able to fell them all easily. After you have defeated the initial wave of enemies in this section, you will get to see a cutscene of Iorveth and his elves contributing to the battle. They will cut down numerous soldiers from the sides and from above with their skilled archers. Geralt will comment on the situation, and you will regain control of him. You will soon find that Dethmold unfortunately did heavy damage to the city’s gate during the early moments of the attack, so this is where your attention is currently needed the most. Luckily, Zoltan will claim to be able to help you out with the wall. If you are able to keep the enemies off of him, perhaps he can come up with a solution and save Vergen in the process. You will gain 200 experience points for agreeing to help.