Given its Eastern European roots, The Witcher was a surprise hit when it first hit U.S. PC markets. The same cannot be said for its sequel, which arrives with heightened expectations and a bevy of new features in tow. First and foremost of these is a brand-new game engine, which will enable Polish developers CD Projekt Red to achieve even more impressive levels of fidelity. The game also boasts a new combat system, customizable armor, and much more.
Among the aspects that return, however, are the game’s punishing difficulty and wide-ranging player-choice system. To master the huge gameworld of The Witcher 2, along with its many hard decisions, take advantage of our step-by-step walkthrough. We also have a cheats page, which will collect useful information about the game.
The Witcher 2 is an open-ended game, and the choices you make can affect missions available to you as well as other story points. Whenever possible, this walkthrough goes with the top-most choice whenever a dialogue decision is presented and tends to take the more peaceful options.
Prologue
The first time you’re set free, your mission is to go see King Foltest. Head down the hill and to the northwest to the area marked on the map.
Follow the king up the hill.
Aim the spyglass at the soldiers in the hazy distance. The ballista will hit or miss, and you’ll follow the king for plan B.
Protect the king during the short skirmish. Not much goes on, but it’s a good time to get a taste of combat.
Head back and down to work your way to the ballista in the courtyard.
Firing the ballista takes place in three phases: winding, aiming, firing. Between each phase some soldiers will attack. Deal with them quickly, then return to the ballista.
After firing, head back to the barracks wall an rejoin the forces there.
Defend the king and follow the group to the wooden doors.
Follow the king up the ladders.
Charge forward and clear the soldiers from below the tower. Head around the path and climb up until you reach Aryan La Valette.
Pummel Aryan and his soldiers with a constant barrage of attacks. He and his men will fall easily.
During the mid-day portion of the assault, follow and defend the king as the dragon attacks. Clear the guards from the gate and head towards the tower.
Entering the monastery in the afternoon. Head down the stairs and to the left side of the town, following the path as far as you can go.
A wagon will be pushed in your way. Circle back to the place where the peasants are being held by the guards.
Switch to your Aard ability and use it in the alleyway just to the side of the peasants. Blow the boards down and head back to the waypoint marked on your map.
Climb down the well.
Drink a Cat potion and run through the murky underground.
Use your silver sword against the drowners. Follow the sewers to the exit, using Aard to clear obstacles as necessary.
Head up the stairs and grab the weapons from the small armory. Keep going up through the gates.
Climb up the small vined area to the right at the end of the hallway.
Work your way through to the inner palace courtyard, defeating guards as you go.
Search the guard’s fallen goods for a key. Return to the previous room and unlock the grate to open the door, allowing the king to enter the temple.
Begin the hunt for Foltest’s children by following the map waypoint.
Start crossing the bridge with the king. When the dragon attacks, keep walking down to avoid the dragon’s swipes.
Head up the stairs to find the children.
After the cutscene, you’ll be caught up with the present. Choose the top dialogue choices and Geralt will end up back in chains hanging in the cell from before.
Provoke the guards. When they enter, you’ll automatically take care of the first one.
During the fistfight sequence, press the keys shown on the screen as soon as they appear.
Grab the items outside the cell and equip them before heading out.
Use stealth to sneak past the next few guards. When you approach the first torch, extinguish it with your magic. You can also fight your way through.
Kill the group of three guards by the tattletale prisoner and you’ll get a key.
Keep sneaking through the corridors. When you reach the upper area, kill the executioner for some basic armor.
Head to the waypoint in the northeast corner of the mini-map to find the baroness La Valette.
Follow Shilard Fitz-Oesterlen. Open the door and step outside.
Take a sharp left and head up the stairs. Head to the right to reach the riverboat.
Chapter 1
Head to the right side of the ship and jump over the edge.
Follow Roche along the riverbank until you encounter Iorveth. Feel free to collect some herbs from the bushes along the way.
Protect Roche and Triss from the elvish archers.
Head to the square for the execution. Approach the scaffold and get into a few fistfights.
Now you need to kill time before going to Loredo’s place. View your journal and choose the “By the gods – stringing up sods” mission. Head to the tavern and speak with your pals there.
After a brief conversation, head outside to see the tail end of a monster attack and meet Sile.
March to the eastern end of the city and head out a few doors. You’ll eventually trigger the next part of the kayran quest.
Climb the tower and speak to Cedric.
Next on the list: get a sample of the kayran’s mucus. Follow the path leading out of the east side of town, then go north to the waypoint. Expect to meet a few bandits along the way.
Follow Triss down the pass to the water.
In the bog, a group of drowners attack. Clear them and head east to find the mucus.
Time to find the ostmurk! Head back and talk to Cedric. He’ll tell you to visit some caves to the south.
Follow the forest paths in a general southward direction. You’ll encounter plenty of nekkers and other enemies. Stay calm, keep your distance, and try to pick them off one by one. Groups of baddies are a very dangerous thing. If you stay on the path you’ll encounter fewer enemies and gather a few herbs along the way. Be sure to use your trap detecting technique to avoid danger spots.
Run through the marsh and enter the cave behind the falls.
Head through the caverns. Plenty of nekkers are around to put up a fight. Use the corridors to your advantage, funnelling them so you only have to fight a few at once.
Stick to the right hand path whenever possible and you’ll find a few bodies containing loot.
The ostmurk potion is encased in blue rocks at the end. Grab it and head out.
Once you’re in the forest, head up the path a bit and clear the area of enemies. Meditate and choose alchemy from the menu.
Craft the Mongoose potion.
Make your way back into town and find Sile at the waypoint.
Sile sends you to the merchant by the warehouse. Head to the covered building and talk to the man in purple.
Before facing kayran, be sure you complete the silver sword quest (if available/necessary). Simply head to the crafting shop in the south of Flotsam, buy two silver ore from the smithy, then have him craft the sword using the plans taken from the boat you landed on.
Head back and talk to Sile.
You’ll find yourself transported to the kayran’s bog. Drink the ostmurk potion as well as any vitality enhancing draughts you own. Head down to the lower area.
Boss fight: Kayran – The fight with kayran is relatively simple but notably frustrating. Fortunately, the massive boss has a simple attack pattern.
At the very beginning, immediately run to the side to avoid kayran’s initial tentacle attack. Use this moment to switch to yrden.
There are four tentacles with pulsing red areas. Stand midway between the wall and kayran near one of the innermost tentacles and cast yrden. The tentacle will rise, at which point you should roll out of the way.
When the tentacle gets stuck, attack the sore spot until Geralt chops the tentacle off.
After each tentacle is removed, kayran stamps and has a fit. Stay to the sides of the main tentacles to avoid their damaging swats, and wait for the final big swing before moving on to the next vulnerable tentacle.
The tentacles should be removed from the inside out. In other words, hit the two innermost tentacles first, then go for the outer ones.
After the third tentacle has been chopped off, kayran pitches a huge fit and knocks rocks down. A quicktime event occurs where you ride one of the darker center tentacles and deal some damage.
When the kayran drops you, he’ll smash part of the archway and begin to toss rocks. Wait behind the large chunk of debris and recover stamina if needed. Switch to the quen sign and cast it to reduce the amount of damage dealt by rocks.
When the coast is clear, head to the left side of kayran and run up the new stone platform. A quicktime event will start, allowing you to dispatch this annoying creature for good.
Loot the tentacles for a few kayran-related materials.
Head back to town and collect your reward from the warehouse.
Talk to the guards at the next waypoint to gain entrance into Loredo’s place. If the guard says to come back after dusk, simply meditate until midnight, then talk to him again.
You’ll appear outside the building after a brief conversation. Follow Roche for a few steps.
Time to disable a ballista! Talk to the woman leaning against the wall opposite the mechanism. She’ll offer to “distract” the guard, but you must either pay her or humiliate a few brutes via an arm wrestling mini-game. Choose the former (arm wrestling is a pain), offer around 50 orens, and she should accept.
Search the ballista while the guard is away, take the part, and return to Roche.
Sneak behind the house, keeping the boulder between you and the guard. Creep up behind the second guard and stun him, then climb the cliff to the right.
Cross the wall and sneak around the yard to do some eavesdropping. If you get caught, you’ll skip conversation bits but still end up seeing Loredo.
Exit Loredo’s estate and meet up with Triss outside.
Follow Triss to the prison barge.
Head below decks and talk to the wounded man.
Use axii to help Triss heal the man. He’ll start talking.
Get Triss to go with you to search for the rose of remembrance. She’ll lead the way to the falls where you found the ostmurk.
Climb the path to the ruins above. Search the statue for the rose.
Defeat the bandits that attack. Eventually, you’ll fall to an area below.
Get out of the baths and head back to Flotsam. Talk to Zoltan in the pub.
Follow Zoltan to meet with Iorveth. He’ll lead you into the forest.
When you reach the clearing, get ready to fight the arachas. It’s not much of a foe, and if you keep enough pressure on it, you can take care of the fiend in no time. Physical attacks work best.
When talking with Iorveth, don’t take an aggressive stance, else his archers will have their way with you. Choose the middle option in the first dialogue choice and go from there.
Take the bound Iorveth to meet Letho.
Lots of dialogue choices ahead, but eventually you’ll end up fighting Letho.
Boss fight – Letho: A witcher like yourself, this brute has access to the abilities and signs you have. Keep your distance and wait for him to attack, then run in swinging. Don’t back off with your sword attacks until you have to. If you can trap Letho against the wall, you can get in a great deal of damage.
Letho escapes and Roche appears. Follow him back to Flotsam.
Head into the pub and talk to Dandelion.
Leave the pub and go to Sile’s room on the top floor.
Investigate everything in Sile’s room, then head to the brothel next door.
Follow the blood trail outside of the inn to find Cedric in the forest near a waterfall.
Head back to town and talk to Vernon Roche.
Go to Loredo’s place and get ready for some stealth (or a bloodbath). Meditate until nightfall if necessary.
Meet up with Helen in the northeast courtyard, then hop in the window above and to the left.
Sneak in and down the stairs to the basement.
Get the key from Marietta, then head to the first floor via the steps outside.
Grab the tower key from the room behind the one with the sleeping guards.
Boss fight: Bernard Loredo – A pushover on most accounts, Loredo wields a big pike that does lots of damage but is slow to swing. Use quick blade attacks and keep the pressure on to finish him off quickly.
Free Ves and check the next room to find Moril.
Lead Moril down a flight of stairs, then clear the courtyard of guards.
Chapter 2
Head to the negotiations site marked on the map.
Fight Saskia. After a cinema or three, you’ll take control of Geralt.
Deal with the wraiths as quickly as you can, then get ready for the hulking Draugir. Use a combination of quick sword work and aard spells to deal with them.
Follow Dethmold, staying inside the protective bubble and dealing with wraiths as they appear. Hit the wraiths proper with strong attacks to dispatch them before they disappear.
Convince Zyvik to take you straight to the king. Once in the camp, head straight to the waypoint.
Enter Dethmold’s tent and have a talk with him as well.
Make sure the “Blood Curse” mission is selected, then head to Sabrina’s execution site.
Examine the items at the site and take the items you find. Talk to the nearby soldiers.
Escort the soldiers back to the camp.
Talk to Zyvik for your reward, assuming the soldiers survived.
Exit the camp and head to the northeast plains.
Speak to the visionary in his hut.
Head to Sabrina’s shrine further to the northeast. Meditate until dusk if necessary.
Defeat the arachas and drink the potion by the shrine.
Head back to the visionary. Tell him about the giant hen.
Go back to camp and talk to the relic vendor in the tent. Talk to him about the spear.
Talk to Dethmold in his tent, then get ready to cross the mist to look for the spearhead.
Follow the skull through the battlefield.
Talk to the dwarves ahead, then head to the southern waypoint.
Choose the Death Symbolized quest and head towards the waypoint up north.
Make your way through the catacombs, winding downward to the waypoint. Don’t let the wraiths gang up on you. Use aard to destroy the brick walls, but most of the tombs hold little more than trifles.
Eventually, you’ll meat the undead Ekhart. You can either fight or answer his questions. We chose the latter. Answer in this order: tell him he’s wrong; Menno Coehoorn; Vandergrift and Seltkirk; Bigerhorn was the kidnapper.
Choose the Hatred Symbolized quest and head south.
Enter the mines and drink a cat potion so you can see.
Keep an eye out for doors as you work your way through the labyrinthine passageways.
You’ll encounter the hefty Bullvore. A relatively easy fight if you keep your sword at the ready and pelt him with aard spells. Alternatively, cast yrden traps and stab him from behind.
Return to town and talk to the dwarf at the gate. Win a game of dice to get the spear head.
Head back through the mist to Henselt’s camp.
When the new mission takes hold, head to the waypoint up north. Afterwards, meet with the king in his tent.
Accompany the king up the hill by the execution site and instruct him on how to perform the ritual. Follow this order: petrified bread, black candles, goat skull, scorched tree, raven’s corpse, sour milk, pixie’s ring.
Head down and light the powder with igni.
Wraiths attack in small groups while the king tries to perform the ritual. Play a defensive game, drawing wraiths away from the pack so you can take a few swipes at them one by one. Don’t let them gang up on you. A defensive sign like quen is very useful here.
Head back to the king’s tent. He’ll only see you at night, so meditate until then, then speak with him.
Protect the king from the assassins.
Talk to Dethmold and offer to help with the ritual. You’ll need a gadwall potion to begin. If you don’t have the ingredients, talk to the apothecary outside the tend.
Brew gadwall, drink it, and talk to Dethmold again.
Follow the assassin through the dream world. When he asks you to follow his footsteps, follow him precisely, else you’ll spring a trap and have to start all over.
In the next part of the vision, sneak through the camp and take out the guards all stealthily-like.
Back in the real world, head south to the kingslayer’s hideout.
Fell the golem and talk to Serrit. Take his loot, including his silver sword, and head back to camp and speak with Dethmold.
Before continuing, you must find the last battle artifact. Complete the Butcher of Cidaris quest in the camp, win in the arena, and get a square coin as a reward.
Take the square coin to the brothel outside of camp and talk to the mistress. Tell her you want a romp with one of the girls, choose Whistling Wendy, and choose the bottom option with her. She’ll lead you underground where Vinson Trout awaits.
Kill Trout and his cronies, then take the armor. Head back to talk with Dandelion, then Dethmold.
Enter the mist to take part in the epic battle. Possess the first soldier and eliminate the enemies just ahead.
Head forward in the narrow corridor, taking cover behind the wood when the arrows fly.
Fight your way forward to the standard bearer ahead.
Boss battle: Draug – A big hulking beast, Draug will go down just like every other big enemy you’ve faced. Keep quen spells defending you as you play a defensive game, rolling around and whacking him from behind with sword strikes. When he raises his shield to the air, get some distance and watch for arrows from the sky. When he splits into a tornado, keep on the move to avoid getting hit. Taunt him into attacking, then roll to the side to get in a few good strikes. Eventually, his tough exterior will crumble.
You’ll gain control of another soldier’s body. Lead your unit to the waypoint, avoiding flaming balls from the sky along the way.
Head to the waypoint to meet with the conspirators.
Go back to camp and defeat the men there.
Head to the camp, defeat the men just inside, then go to the canteen.
Make your way to Vergas through the mountain passes. The waypoints will change each time you meet them. Be nice to the trolls you meet and get rid of the soldiers and harpies you encounter.
Drink a cat potion in the caves and head through the corridors. If you’re not up for fighting, you can mostly ignore the skirmishes going on.
Fight Dethmold and his men. Don’t let them gang up on you.
Make your way through the houses and up toward Philippa’s place.
Defeat the golem, then step inside. Defeat Henselt and his men.
Chapter 3
Follow Roche to the city walls and within the city itself.
Pick your way through the alleyways to your audience with king Radovid.
Follow Roche back to the entrance. Now you have a choice: save Triss, or save Temeria. Choose the former.
Head to the northern waypoint. Defeat the guards, take the loot, and exit to the ladder to the west.
Run around the catwalks defeating guards until you get to the waypoint.
The last battle with the guards can be tough, so down a rook potion before climbing out of the bog.
Exit via the gate below to find Triss, then lead her out.
Head towards the amphitheater and talk to Triss.
Climb the tower towards Sile.
Final battle: Dragon – The showdown begins! Outfit yourself with the quen sign for protection, and keep your distance from the dragon. Quen will block most of his physical attacks as well as the fire, so time your rolls to get in and hit his face with strong attacks. Two or three, don’t risk more or you’ll get swatted.
After you take about a third of the dragon’s life down, climb to the top of the tower for round two.
Your strategy is about the same at the top, only now the dragon can move around a lot more. Stay near the center of the arena and keep quen active at all times. Play a more defensive game here, as the dragon can do some real damage with his swipes. When he starts to hop around the edge, wait for the right moment and leap in for a quick (not strong) attack or two. Then, roll out of the way!
When the dragon is almost finished, a quick time event will end the battle. Kill the dragon or spare it at the end, it’s your choice.
Epilogue
Meet up with Triss and battle your way to Letho.
Probe Letho for information, then choose to fight him or let him go. If you choose the former, he fights just as before, so a combination of strong sword attacks and defensive posturing will get you through just fine.
Geralt and Triss leave Temeria quietly. Sit back and enjoy the ending credits. Depending on how you played the game and the choices you made, your ending will vary.
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