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Contract: Strange Beast is a contract quest in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Contract: Monster on the High Road
I need a hero. A man favored by the gods. Or a witcher. Anyone, really, who's not afraid to stand up to the ghastly creature what's been attacking folk walking the main road to Larvik.
A reward's been set aside.
If you don't fear death and long for fame in ballads, come see the village elder.
-Thorleif, son of Bear Haugs
P.S. Sverre, you stay home. You've done enough as it is.

Walkthrough[]

This quest can be started three different ways:

If you picked up the notice or talked to Thorleif first, you'll be able to haggle over the reward if you wish before eventually getting pointed over to Sverre and the few other survivors of the attack. Talk to them, though they're not able to reveal much other than whatever attacked them was smart enough to set a trap and ambush the warriors.

Note: This contract pays a lot more than others allowing you to haggle an unusually high amount. It's possible to haggle up to 650 Oren3, which can make it the most well paying contract in the base game.

Head out to the ambush site along the road (about halfway to Lofoten). This is also where the quest starts if you found the site first. Here you'll find a cart on the side of the road and several bodies. Examine the body near the cart, then the handle of it to note it looks like blood but is actually red clay. Lastly, examine the body on the other side of the road and Geralt will conclude it's a sentient enough creature leading some nekkers in the area, earning 25 XP earned based on the Story and Swords! difficulty level.

After that, tracks will appear in the bushes next to the last body which you can then follow into the woods to a nearby cave. Head in where you'll run into toxic gas clouds that you can either use Aard or Igni to get rid of (the latter if you want an explosive effect). As you near the first turn a nekker will appear, so dispatch of it to continue on. Sometimes another will spawn shortly after so you may have to kill that one as well. Afterwards, continue along to find the nest and drop down to face off against several nekkers to draw out the leader. After these 3 are killed, Hagubman, a nekker warrior, will appear. Periodically he'll burrow away to safety, which will call forth 3-4 nekkers to fight you in the meantime, so it's best to finish him off quickly.

Once Hagubman is dead, loot him for Devine and the Nekker warrior trophy. If you've already talked to Thorleif, you'll be directed to go talk to him. If you haven't talked to him yet (by picking up the quest from the ambush site) you'll need to head into Larvik to find the notice board first. Talk to Thorleif and he'll be pleased, earning you 250 XP earned based on the Story and Swords! difficulty level and (by default) 390 Oren3, completing the quest.

Journal entry[]

If started from the notice board in Larvik:
Skellige warriors are the hearty, adventure-loving sort, so surely they handle their own monster problems? No, not as it turns out. Geralt found a notice in a village called Larvik requesting assistance with clearing the area of some troublesome beasts.
If started at the ambush site:
On the isle of Hindarsfjall, not far from the village known as Larvik, Geralt spied some monster tracks. Where there's a monster, there's work for a witcher. And where there's work for a witcher, there's coin to be made. Geralt decided to look into the matter.
Geralt discovered that the nekkers dwelling in the nearby wood were led by a particularly strong nekker warrior. Its presence had made the others more aggressive and daring. The only way to solve this problem was to enter the nekkers' lair and kill their leader.
In the end the alpha nekker fell to the witcher's blade. Geralt took its head as a trophy and went to Larvik to collect his reward.

Objectives[]

  • If Geralt talks to Thorleif before starting the quest:
    • Talk to the village elder in Larvik.
    • Talk to the warriors.
    • Find the ambush site.
  • Investigate the ambush site using your Witcher Senses. (25 XP earned based on the Story and Swords! difficulty level)
  • Follow the tracks using your Witcher Senses.
  • Explore the cave.
  • Kill the nekkers in the nest to provoke their pack leader.
  • Take a trophy from the nekker warrior.
  • If Hagubman is killed before talking to Thorleif:
    • Check the Larvik notice board.
  • Collect your reward. (250XP earned based on the Story and Swords! difficulty level)

Notes[]

  • Like most contracts, by haggling you'll tend to get more, even at the lowest point, than just accepting the quest.
  • Even when instantly killed after being knocked down (e.g. by Aard), Hagubman can still burrow for another stage, with low health.

Videos[]

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