The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – White Orchard Side Quests: On Deaths Bed, Twisted Firestarter

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Like many RPGs out there The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt features several side quests, which players can complete to earn additional experience and money in game. The kicker in Wild Hunt, is that many of these quests are connected to the main quest line of the game. This means it’s important that you complete these quests before you complete their associated main quest, as failure to do so means you’ll miss out on the opportunity to interact with the world, and earn more experience and crowns.

In this guide you’ll find complete walkthroughs for the three side quests in the White Orchard area. This is the early game area, and you’ll want to make sure you don’t miss out on the early chance to gain extra experience, and make Geralt a little extra cash along the way.

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Missing in Action

Main Quest Connection: Lilac and Gooseberries

Quest Start Location: Notice board in White Orchard

Quest Rewards: Experience Points

Find Dune Vildenvert

The first thing you need to do is travel down to the Ransacked Village, which happens to be the first waypoint on your World Map. Locate Dune, the man sitting in front of the house marked by your waypoint.

Meet Dune near the battlefield

After a bit of conversation, follow your map down to the highlighted area to find Dune near the battlefield. Speak with him again, and once the conversation has ended, you’ll have another highlighted area on your map.

Use Witcher Senses to search for Temerian shields with white flowers painted on them

Head to the newly highlighted area and search the soldier’s corpses. There is quite a bit of loot here, so grab what you can. The shields that Dune wants you to find will glow red under your Witcher Sense. Once you’ve found the shields, you’ll need to inspect each of them to find the correct one. After you identify the right shield, a group of dogs will attack Geralt.

Follow the dog’s trail

Kill the attack dogs, then follow the trail of Dune’s dog using your Witcher Sense. Following the trail will lead you to a house. Head inside the building to trigger a cut scene, and once it’s over the quest will be complete. Don’t forget to grab as much loot as you can before you head back out.

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Twisted Firestarter

Main Quest Connection: Lilac and Gooseberries

Quest Start Location: Blacksmith in White Orchard

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, 20 Crowns

Use Witcher Senses to look behind the forge for clues about the arsonist

Head behind the forge and activate your Witcher Senses to get started. Here you’ll find a pair of red footprints. Once you’ve spotted them, inspect them, and then follow them using your Senses. After a bit of following the investigation icon (a magnifying glass) will appear again. Inspect them a second time, then continue following the footprints until you reach the water, where you will need to inspect them one more time.

Now head to the northern side of the bridge, and use your Witcher Sense to find another set of footprints. Inspect them in several places to piece together the full story of the event. Once you’ve inspected all the marked areas, use your Sense to follow them to the next area, which just happens to be highlighted on your map. Here you’ll need to examine a pool of blood, then continue following the trail inside the building in front of you.

Look for someone with wounds dealt by drowners by using your Witcher Senses

Push forward into the next room, and turn to your left. Use your Witcher Sense here to find that Napp, the man before you, is the culprit you are looking for. Speak with him and he’ll offer you a deal. You can either accept his deal or turn him in. If you want the best reward, as well as the ability to use this particular forge later in the game, we suggest turning him in.

Escort the arsonist back to the blacksmith

If you choose to turn him in, simply head back to the blacksmith, as Napp will simply resort to the idea and follow you. Back at the blacksmith a cut scene will trigger and bring the quest to a close.

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Precious Cargo

Main Quest Connection: Lilac and Gooseberries

Quest Start Location: South of the Garrison in White Orchard

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, 50 Crowns, and 5 Celandine if you achieve the best reward outcome.

Find the little box the merchant mentioned using your Witcher Senses

Head to the swamp south of the garrison where the Nilfgaard soldiers are camped out. Here you’ll find a lone merchant, camping beside the road. Speak to him, then head down the road and use your Witcher Senses to find the cart tracks. Following them into the swamp, and search the cart and horse. You’ll find the box the merchant is looking for, just north of the cart.

Return the box to the merchant

Watch out for monsters, mostly Drowners, as you go, and when you have the box head back to the road and return to the merchant. Speak with him, and tell him that you’ve seen through his lies already. AT this point he’ll flee, hopping on a horse. Call Roach over, then mount and chase after the merchant.

Knock the merchant off his horse

All you need to do is swing at him when you’re close to knock him off. This will cause him to fall off the horse and into the dirt. Hop down from Roach and approach him to initiate a conversation. For the best reward tell him he’s free to go, but keep the medicine. Choosing any other option will only net you the reward of Crowns.

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Frying Pan, Spick and Span

Main Quest Connection: Lilac and Gooseberries

Quest Start Location: White Orchard

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, 5 Baked Apples, 5 Bread, and 5 Apple Juice

Near the main settlement area of White Orchard you’ll spot a small house along the riverbed. The most peculiar thing about this house, however, is the old woman peeping into the window. Approach and speak with her to pick up this quest.

Break into the locked hut

Once you have the quest, approach the door and use your Aard Sign to smash the door in. Now that you have a clear way into the building, head inside and use your Witcher Sense to search the rooms. In the room to your right you’ll find a lot of loot, as well as a dead body. Examine the body, the turn around and examine the small monocle on the ground in front of the body. Looks like whoever borrowed gran’s pan, wasn’t a very nice fellow.

Return the frying pan to the old woman

After examining the body and monocle, head forward and use your Witcher Sense to find the old lady’s frying pan sitting on the counter. You’ll also learn that it’s cleaner than it was before, and that the man, whoever he was, used it to make ink. Examine the burned papers beside the pan, then grab the pan and head back outside and return it to the woman.

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On Death’s Bed

Main Quest Connection: Lilac and Gooseberries

Quest Start Location: The Herbalist’s home in White Orchard

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, 50 Crowns, 3 Venom Extract, 2 Manuscript Pages, the book Of Sweat and Old Blood.

While completing the primary quest, the Beast of White Orchard, you have to locate a herbalist. You’ll find her in the house just east of the Sawmill in White Orchard. Speak with her about the main quest, then speak with her again and offer to help her sick patient.

Brew a dose of Swallow potion

Now it’s time to gather up the necessary ingredients. First you’re going to need one Dwarven Spitit, one Drowner Brain, and five Celandine. You can grab the spirit and Celandine from the herbalist, however, to find the final item you’ll need to kill a few Drowners. Head over to the swamp and fight any packs you come across until you find the brain on one of their bodies.

Take the potion to the herbalist

With all the items in tow, head back to the herbalist and craft the potion. Now speak with her again and offer up the potion for a cure to end this quest.

This is all the side quests featured within the prologue area of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. You can find more side quests in our complete guide to all the secondary quests in Velen.