The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone - Scenes from a Marriage - Iris’ Greatest Fear

Olgierd has sent Geralt off on yet another obscure mission. This time, you must track down a particular flower from Olgierd’s past. These tasks are never what they seem, so prepare to face some obstacles along the way.

Begin by going to the von Everec manor. You’ve been to its crypt, but now you must find a way into the manor itself. As you approach the manor, you’ll notice a stranger shouting from the broken wall. Turns out he’s just a lowly thief. Speak to him, and agree to search for the partner of the thief you met.

As you enter the fog covered yard, use your Witcher senses to search the grounds of the von Everec estate for a violet rose. You’ll encounter several clues to the nature of the estate, but the flower you’re seeking isn’t here.

Locate a busted lamp with your Witcher Senses near the front door of the estate. Follow the tracks on the ground and examine the back garden. Open the gate to the back yard, and search the estate’s back garden using your Witcher Senses.

Approach the far side of the garden where Geralt hears a digging sound. As you get near the strange figure, it reveals itself to be the estate’s Caretaker.

How to Defeat the Caretaker

This disturbing abomination has some interesting tricks up its tattered sleeves. The Caretaker’s main attacks will consist of several powerful swings with its shovel. When you see the shovel glow a teal color, the Caretaker will do a strong overhead swing. It will slam the shovel down, causing debris to fly up, and his shovel to get stuck in the ground. You will have a brief moment to slash away at the Caretaker while the shovel is stuck before he thrusts it out of the ground.

Try to avoid being anywhere near the Caretaker when the shovel and ground glow teal, because if you get hit by the debris or the thrust of the shovel, you’ll be stunned for a short time. The Caretaker will also pause before charging straight at you to impale you with the shovel. Try to anticipate these moves and dodge out of the way to avoid getting hit.

After a portion of its health is depleted, the Caretaker will retreat toward the back garden where the graves are located, and will summon several ghosts from the graves. The Caretaker is able to heal off of these ghosts, so destroy as many ghosts as you can before they can heal the creature.

Once you defeat the estate’s caretaker, prepare to enter the manor. Now is a good time to save, as well as meditate to replenish your potions.

Enter the manor and head through the eerily open door on the left to trigger a cut scene. Locate Iris’ sketchbook on a nearby desk, and try not to pee your pants. Continue through the double doors on the right into the main foyer, and watch your head. Proceed into the next room and examine the items on the dining table. This is really just to give you a feel for what went on in the house, as well as give you a layout of the place.

When you’re ready, head up the large staircase in the foyer to search for Iris von Everec on the upper floor of the manor. Move along the walkway to the left and pass through the burnt room to the outer balcony. As you enter the next bedroom, the double doors will slowly open. You should prepare yourself for the worst.

How to Defeat the Wraith

Upon entering the corridor through the double doors, the lights will shut off. When the candles are lit again, you will encounter a vicious Wraith donning all black, and charging straight toward you.

This Wraith is particularly aggressive. She will glide swiftly toward you, making several fast slashes with her long nails. She will also occasionally belt out a loud scream, stunning Geralt for a duration.

Equip your Quen sign as soon as the fight starts, and prepare to block her incoming attacks when she moves toward you. Typically, Yrden is used to combat wraiths, as it can turn them corporeal and allow for more effective attacks. However, this Wraith can be damaged without the use of Yrden. You can still use Yrden to slow her if you wish, but its effects seem somewhat less effective than other signs.

Once the Wraith receives a certain amount of damage, she will shriek and lift up. Then, one of three paintings along the walls will suddenly glow a bright green color, and the Wraith will suck life from the painting to heal herself. As soon as you see which painting turns green, run toward it to slash the painting and stop the healing process. You can also use Igni to hit the painting as well. If you allow the Wraith to fully heal, she will enter the painting and come out from a different one on the wall, and you’ll have to work to deplete her life all over again.

If your character is near the recommended quest level and you are playing on one of the hard modes, you will likely find this fight to be a bit challenging. Check your list of decoctions to see if you have any that can aid you during the fight. We found that the Ekhidna decoction works well if you wish to heal from stamina use. Add some Spectre oil to your sword for good measure, and make sure you have some potions ready as well.

Once you successfully defeat the Wraith, head forward into the bedchamber at the end of the corridor. Use your Witcher Senses to locate and loot a portrait of Iris and Olgierd on a table near the fireplace on the far right. Then, examine the remains on the bed.

After the cut scene, head out the front door and find a fitting spot to bury Iris. Once you are able to summon her, she will take you to a new location. This area is rife with danger, so be prepared to fight.

Look for Iris von Everec’s memories and find a way to restore them. Move to each lit area and use your Witcher Senses to find a way to restore the memory. Each memory is a unique puzzle. You must place items you find nearby in the correct spots to complete each memory, which adds a bit of variety to this quest.

As you complete each memory, watch the cut scenes to learn more about the couple. This journey of memories continues into the manor. Keep an eye out for the shadowy figure if you need guidance on where to go next.

When you go to the painting studio, you must complete another puzzle. It’s the same general idea. Arrange the elements of the tableau vivant as they are in Olgierd’s portrait. Afterward, go to Olgierd’s study and use your Witcher Senses to find a way to restore the memory there. Look around for candles and chalk to complete the partially erased pentagram on the floor. If you need help with the candle arrangement, check around the room for a book that can give you clues about the placement.

Once you place the candles, a brief cut scene will occur. Then, you must quickly find a way to escape the fire. Luckily there is a frosty looking painting on one of the walls. In the next area, escape from the blizzard and find a way back into the house. Remember the shadowy figure we mentioned before? Look around for this figure, and you should find a hatch into the manor.

Once you’re back in the manor, you’ll have to face another set of memories, this time on the lower level. Continue to restore them using the items you find nearby. After the scene in the dining area, go to the parlor and read the note on the center table. After Geralt reads the note, prepare to face Iris von Everec’s greatest fear.

How to Defeat Iris’ Greatest Fear

This enemy can be particularly challenging on the harder modes. After the cut scene, you will be locked in a room with several disturbing Olgierd replicas, called Ethereals. The battle starts off with one of these zombie-like enemies marching straight toward you, while the others remain standing still around the room. Run toward the back of the room, away from the approaching enemy and prepare to fight.

Like Olgierd, these replicas are swift with their swords. They will lunge at you, making several quick and powerful attacks. Try to anticipate their moves, dodging or rolling out of the way before getting hit. After you land a couple strikes, the enemy will spew a nasty black substance from its mouth, which also stuns you for a duration. Dodge after every few swings to avoid getting hit.

When you see their sabre glow red, they will dart to your location with several quick swings, and a final crushing blow. This last attack will pretty much kill you instantly, so avoid getting hit by the red attacks at all costs. If you are agile enough, you can interrupt these red attacks by parrying or casting Igni at just the right moment. Successfully interrupting the attack will cause the Olgierd replica to cough and stumble, giving you a chance to get in some strong attacks.

The death of one Ethereal will awaken the next, each more powerful than the previous one. Try your best not to attack any of these other motionless figures while fighting the first one. Hitting any of these still-standing enemies will cause them to start attacking you as well. You definitely don’t want to be dealing with more than one Ethereal at a time, so stay near the back of the room to avoid any accidental contact.

Use Specter Oil on your silver sword to increase your damage output, as well as the Blizzard potion if you have it. As far as signs go, Quen is your best friend for this fight, so be ready to equip it often. Drop a Yrden trap near the back of the room to help slow down the enemy, allowing you to get in a few attacks. Igni can also help as well, just be sure not to accidentally hit and waken the other enemies.

Once you defeat Iris von Everec’s nightmares, a cut scene will occur. Choose whichever dialogue options you wish. When the conversation ends, the quest will conclude.

Return to USgamer’s The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone Walkthrough and Guide.