Blood on the Battlefield is a main quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
Note: The rewards in this quest will decrease after reaching level 34 (30 before Patch 4.0).
Walkthrough[]
The quest starts immediately after The Battle of Kaer Morhen, at the funeral. You can interact with anyone present, Vesemir's body included, and Lambert's too if he didn't survive the battle. There's nothing else to do except talk to the rest of your allies and you can say whatever you want.
Eskel will decide it's time to leave Kaer Morhen for good. Mousesack will be returning to Skellige soon, but will tend to the wounded and leave some medicine before he does. Zoltan Chivay will tell Geralt it's time to counter-attack. Vernon Roche and Ves will be in awe of what they just witnessed. Hjalmar will also be going back to Skellige, while Vigi the Loon and Folan unfortunately didn't survive (if they came) and don't have anything said or done about them except their journal entries. Letho will say it's time for him to go, though he accepts if you offer him to stay, but you won't see him again.
Keira Metz and Lambert are a bit more special here. Obviously because it's possible that Lambert dies if she's not around, but if she is they will leave together and later become a couple. If Keira didn't come, Lambert will simply be very upset.
Once you are done with the people around the pyre, go to the quest marker where Avallac'h will be arguing with Yennefer about teaching Ciri to control her powers, with Triss sitting next to them. Avallac'h will say that stronger forces are needed for the next encounter and Yennefer will propose seeking the Lodge of Sorceresses. Ciri will be angry that she is excluded from the plans as always and then leave when Avallac'h says that she must learn to control her powers. You have a couple of dialogue choices here, but they don't matter and you'll be stopped if you want to follow Ciri. The sorceresses will leave for Novigrad and the next scene is a few days later. (1,000)
Few days later[]
Ciri has problems mastering her powers and Avallac'h will look to Geralt to help resolve the matter. You will now have two dialogue options with Ciri in a timed reaction:
- Relax. You don't have to be good at everything. (you'll have a drink with her)
- Think I know what might lift your spirits. (starts a snowball fight)
Important: This is the first of several decisions that count towards deciding Ciri's fate at the end of the game. The first option contributes towards a negative ending, while the second contributes towards a positive ending. If you wish to have a positive ending, pick the option to lift her spirits.
The game will subsequently give a strong hint for the consequences. A snowball fight is naturally a jovial event, but if you have a drink, during the following conversation you can see a cat consuming a swallow. Note that this dialogue is only the first deciding factor of the game, and it is still possible to achieve any ending after this point. It only provides the first value for a sum of positive and negative scores.
Snowball Fight![]
If this was your choice, Geralt will now be "fighting" Ciri and you have to pick up snow and throw it at her. The first to score 8 hits wins. If you wish to win, remember that Ciri can blink around so it's best to dodge her snowballs and only throw them when she stops to make her own snowballs. It is very easy even if you just mostly stay in place, as she'll eventually stop somewhere with her back towards you, just waiting to be hit.
To Bald Mountain[]
Ciri will wake Geralt early to tell him they are leaving to attend the sabbath on Bald Mountain where Imlerith will be the guest of honor. Thus, you'll have a chance to avenge Vesemir. Before you go however, you can tell Ciri that she may first want to see her father or not. If you make the proposal Ciri will ask Geralt if he thinks she should see him. You can then tell her to decide herself, but ultimately it will be Geralt who has to decide.
Important: This is the second decision that can affect Ciri's fate. Seeing the Emperor is a requirement to unlock the "Empress" ending, though again it's not guaranteed.
Vizima (optional)[]
If you decided to see Emhyr, Ciri will remark they can pass Vizima along the way to Bald Mountain. When you arrive and meet the Emperor, he will offer you the rest of the promised reward for finding Ciri and you will have another timed choice:
- Thanks. Definitely need it more than you do. (4,000 and bill of exchange)
- Didn't do this for the coin. (you'll be given a new black stallion Roach)
The bill of exchange can supposedly be cashed in for 100,000 after the war ends, but you'll never get to do that.
Important: This is the next pivotal decision that can affect Ciri's fate. Accepting the Emperor's reward will cause Ciri to resent Geralt and will contribute to a negative ending, whereas rejecting the coin will cause Ciri to be happy over Geralt's choice and would contribute to a positive ending.
After visiting Vizima or not, you will reach the Road to Bald Mountain and the quest ends with a small conversation there.
Journal entry[]
- Ciri's explosion of power had frightened everyone, her most of all. Clearly these uncontrolled outbursts could not be allowed to happen again, and so when the sorceresses departed for Novigrad to gather the Lodge, Ciri, Geralt and Avallac'h remained at Kaer Morhen for a few more days. The Sage hoped to teach Ciri a few tricks for controlling her power.
- Sad to say, in the beginning her training was not progressing as hoped. Ciri had trouble focusing - rage and resignation would overwhelm her in turns.
- If Geralt chooses drinking:
- Though he desperately wanted to, Geralt did not know how to help her. The only idea that came to mind was to offer her some honest conversation over a few hearty glasses of something strong.
- If Geralt chooses to have a snowball fight:
- Geralt, the wily old wolf, knew how to deal with this. Instead of hitting her over the head with some dry motivational lecture, he decided to resort to less conventional measures and... started a snowball fight. pure genius! And what fun! Ah, how I would have loved to have been there... But no matter, the important thing is this moment of carefree respite worked wonders on Ciri - her discouragement slackened and she returned to her training with newfound verve.
- The next morning Ciri woke Geralt before dawn. She was wide-awake, a look of intense excitement on her face and urgency in her voice. What had brought her to this state? The prospect of revenge - she knew Imlerith would soon be attending a witches' sabbath on Bald Mountain. That would be their chance.
- If Geralt chooses to take Ciri to Emhyr:
- Yet Geralt felt they needed to take care of other matters first. He had promised the emperor he would bring Ciri to see him, and intended to keep his word. Ciri and Geralt thus made a detour to Vizima.
- We had all long known Emhyr was an ingeniously ice-blooded negotiator, but this time his cold cunning plumbed new depths. While Ciri watched in horror, he offered to pay Geralt a reward for finding her, as though she were a lost goat or a runaway slave.
- If Geralt refuses the coin:
- Luckily Geralt, his hair bristling and with a low but thundering growl, told the emperor exactly where he could stick his filthy lucre.
- If Geralt accepts the coin:
- Making matters worse, Geralt displayed a complete lack of empathy and accepted the emperor's gold. Rage and a profound disappointment filled Ciri's breast - and, indeed, who could blame her?
- Leaving the safety of protective walls behind them, Geralt and Ciri ventured to Bald Mountain to exact their revenge on Imlerith.
Objectives[]
- Talk to Avallac'h about what to do next. (1,000 )
- If Geralt chooses snowball fight:
- Don't let the snowballs hit you. (0/8)
- Defeat Ciri in a snowball fight. (0/8)
- Make more snowballs.
- Return to Ciri when you're ready to hit the road.
Notes[]
- After this quest, Keira Metz will stay at the funeral site indefinitely. Her alchemist icon will be visible on the map and she can be interacted with. All regular conversation options from Velen before that will be available, buying goods included. However, because the door on the inside of the fortress is locked, reaching her is tricky and returning safely is even tricker due to the steep cliffs around, but both are possible. To reach her, you can drop down from the pendulum where you can chat with Ciri prior to the battle, then near the same spot there are patches of land, which can be used as an escape path towards the road south of the fortress.
- An additional conversation option about her relationship with Lambert will also be available, even if you haven't yet learned that they've become a couple. This dialogue is not accessible prior to completing Bald Mountain, indicating possible cut content where the new couple is still around at least for a short spell.
- Prior to Patch 4.0, the amount of crowns given was 2,000 if Emhyr's coin was accepted.