A Dangerous Game Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 12
Group: Secondary Quests
Location: Novigrad
You can start this quest after saving Dandelion, that is after completing "A Poet Under Pressure" quest. To do this, go to the Rosemary and Thyme inn where you will meet Zoltan arguing with Duke, Earl, and a few others in front of the inn.
Zoltan Chivay has never had much luck in business. No exception to this rule was the time he tried to acquire and sell three valuable gwent cards. At this time gwent was reaching the peak of its popularity and collectors were paying a fool's fortune for rare cards.
Zoltan was not alone in sticking his pan into this raging torrent and hoping to strike gold. Yet there was another player in Novigrad, one wanting to grow his already-sizeable fortune, interested in flipping rare cards. Duke was his name, but many felt he would soon be known as Whoreson the Third - for he was even more ruthless than Whoreson Junior. This Duke stood in Zoltan's path to riches. Luckily, Zoltan had a friend named Geralt of Rivia who decided to step in and get him the cards he so desperately desired.
Warning: Complete this quest before you ask Zoltan to help you in Kaer Morhen while doing the "Brothers In Arms: Novigrad" quest, otherwise it will end up in the failed quests.
Related points of interest
Zoltan Chivay
Velen / Novigrad
Zed's House
Velen / Novigrad
Prior quests
To begin A Dangerous Game you must first complete A Poet Under Pressure.
Quest stages of A Dangerous Game
1. Get the Fringilla Vigo, Isengrim and Natalis cards for Zoltan.
Go to Zed's House and knock on the locked door. Nobody opens the door, and the sounds coming from inside indicate that Zed is in trouble. So you'll decide to find another way to get inside.
2. Find a way into Zed's home.
Go down the stairs and climb two consecutive ladders to the top of the nearby scaffolding. Jump over the gap to the other side and enter through the door on the other side to Zed's house.
3. Search Zed's home using your Witcher Senses.
Go downstairs and you'll find a corpse that after examination will turn out to be Zed's corpse. On the lowest floor you'll come across two bandits who managed to find one of the cards you're looking for too, and who are now trying to find Zed's ledger. When they see you, they'll attack you at once. Kill them.
4. Find the Isengrim card.
You will find the card and the key to the front door in the corpse of one of the defeated bandits.
5. Find Zed's ledger using your Witcher Senses.
Examine the traces on the floor and use your weapon or the Aard sign to destroy the planks blocking access to the hidden chest. Inside you will find the Ledger of Income and Outlays.
6. Bring the card and Zed's ledger to Zoltan.
Go back to the Rosemary and Thyme inn. Zoltan will check the records for whom Zed sold the other two cards he needs. Offer your help in getting the two missing cards. The order in which you visit the new cardholders, Ravik and Caesar Bilzen, doesn't matter.
The cards were in the possession of Zed - a Novigrad fence. Geralt went to the dealer's house to buy them, but it turned out Duke had made it there before him. A brief exchange quickly turned to blows, and ended with the thugs pushing daisies. Among the splayed-out corpses was that of Zed, whom the murderers had killed earlier.
Geralt searched the body and discovered his victory was not complete - he only found the Isengrim card. Zed had sold the two remaining ones to Caesar Bilzen and a man named Ravvy. There was nothing left but to visit both purchasers and get Zoltan his cards.
7. Get the John Natalis card from Ravik. / (Optional) Search the body for the John Natalis card.
Go to the Golden Sturgeon inn. There you'll find Ravik who's being harassed by Earl (14) and another bandit (11) who want his card.
Earl will offer you to play gwent for Ravik's life and the card. You can agree or refuse. If you play and win, Ravik will survive, and if you don't play or lose, Ravik will be killed.
Whether you win or lose, Earl won't want the card to go to you and you'll have to kill him and his helper. Only then will you get the card you came here for. If Ravik survived, he'll give it to you, or you'll find it in his corpse.
8. Meet Zoltan in front of Caesar Bilzen's house.
You will visit Caesar Bilzen with Zoltan. Your friend will be waiting for you near his house. When you meet there, Zoltan will tell you about the mysterious collection that Caesar has somewhere in his house, part of which is the card.
Caesar, who is a good friend of Zoltan's, will greet you and together you will sit at the table in his house to eat, drink and talk about the fish. No matter what you say, at some point you will be asked to bring more booze.
9. Search upstairs in Caesar Bilzen's home using your Witcher Senses.
Go up to the upper floor and find a knife attached to the tabletop. When you examine it and turn it, a drawer will open where you will find a triangular key.
Find the triangular hole hidden in the bookcase and use the key you found in the drawer. Behind the shelf next to it, a hidden passageway will open, leading to the next floor.
Enter the hidden room and you will find Caesar's collection there, including the card you came here for.
You should also find and take the Jade figurine from one of the cupboards, which will start "The Soldier Statuette" quest.
10. Let Zoltan know you've found the card.
Go back downstairs to inform Zoltan that you got what you came here for. When you are going to leave Caesar's house, two Cleaver's Henchdwarfs (8) will show up. Ceasar is in trouble. You can take Caesar's side and kill the attackers or leave. If you help Caesar, he will thank you and decide to leave Novigrad.
11. Bring the cards to Zoltan. / Go to the meeting with Zoltan's buyer.
Once you have all three cards go with Zoltan to the place where the transaction with the buyer will take place. On the spot, you will find Duke who killed your client and took his money. Duke will order a few bandits to take care of you and he will run to a nearby tower. Zoltan will tell you he'll take care of the bandits and that you should chase Duke and get the money back.
12. Chase Duke.
Although this is a chase, you don't have to hurry. You can help Zoltan kill the bandits and then run into the tower, climb up the ladders, run over the walls to the next tower and go down to the sewers. In the sewers you will have to deal with a few drowners and destroy one of the walls to be able to move on, but eventually you will reach the place where you will find a seriously wounded Duke. You'll talk to him for a while and get the money back, and then you'll have a choice whether to kill him or let him go.
Since you don't have to hurry, before you approach Duke and start talking to him, you can turn to one of the nearby tunnels and find another wall to destroy. On the other side you will find Professor Vairmont, and you will be able to complete a short secondary quest - A Tome Entombed.
13. Return to Zoltan.
Then you will automatically return to Zoltan. Before you part, Zoltan will give you a choice, you can keep the cards or take money (150 crowns).
John Natalis Gwent Card
Isengrim Faoiltiarna Gwent Card
Fringilla Vigo Gwent Card
