Redania's Most Wanted Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 12
Group: Secondary Quests
Location: Novigrad
You will receive this secondary quest when you talk to Radovid on his ship in Oxenfurt during "A Favor for Radovid" quest. The King will request you to find and bring Philippa Eilhart to him.
They say chess is the game of kings, and Radovid proved this point twice over during his meeting with Geralt. First, by playing the royal game at the Oxenfurt Chess Club while they met, and then by treating Geralt like a pawn he could send out to do his bidding. His requested move? Witcher takes sorceress: his spies had reported finding signs of Philippa Eilhart's presence in the elven ruins outside of Novigrad. Geralt was to go there and retrieve her. Normally Geralt resisted attempts to command him around the board, but he owed Radovid a favor - and had his own reasons for wanting to find Philippa...
Related points of interest
Est Tayiar
Velen / Novigrad
Philippa Eilhart's Hideout
Velen / Novigrad
Prior quests
To begin Redania's Most Wanted you must first complete A Favor for Radovid.
Quest stages of Redania's Most Wanted
1. Talk to the witch hunters in front of Philippa's hideout.
Head to the Est Tayiar ruins and talk to the witch hunters you find there. They will give you Key to Philippa Eilhart's hideout.
2. Open Philippa's hideout.
Go down, approach the magic barrier and find the mechanism to open the entrance. The item received from the witch hunters will allow you to open the passage.
3. Search Philippa's hideout.
Go ahead, when you get to the active portal, use it. Go ahead all the time, kill three Nekkers (9) you meet on the way and you should reach the inactive portal soon.
3.1. Use Aard to activate the crystal.
Approach the crystal and use Aard sign to activate it.
On the other side of the portal you will meet another witch hunter. In order to go further you have to convince him to give you the Power cell. You can use Delusion (2) or beat him in a fistfight.
3.2. Place the crystal in the right spot. / Use Aard to activate the crystal.
Approach the next inactive portal, place the crystal and use the Aard sign to activate it.
On the other side of the portal you'll have to kill three more Nekkers (9).
3.3. Find the missing crystal. / Place the crystal in the right spot. / Use Aard to activate the crystal.
Through the gap jump into the tunnel below, kill three more Nekkers (9) and take the Power cell lying on the ground. Then approach another inactive portal, place the power cell and activate it with the Aard sign.
When you use the portal, you will be teleported to the large cave. At the other end of the cave you will meet a guardian, a fire elemental - Ifrit. You have to kill him to move on.
Following the corridor from which the elemental came out, you will finally reach Philippa's quarters.
4. Search Philippa's quarters using your Witcher Senses.
There are many different clues in the room indicating that Philippa is trying to regain her eyesight, but all you have to do is find the Polished crystal from the megascope.
Geralt found and searched Philippa's hideout. Though there were signs of her presence everywhere, the sorceress herself was long gone.
She had, however, left one thing behind that could prove of great value - a damaged crystal from her megascope. The witcher knew such a gem could, if properly probed, reveal priceless information about her doings. He thus was faced with a choice - should he give the crystal to Radovid, or take it to one of his sorceress allies?
Then get back to the surface. When you get out of the Philippa's hideout, you'll encounter witch hunters who'll ask you if you found anything.
You can tell them that you found the crystal and give it to them or not. In the latter case, you'll have to kill them.
If you gave the crystal to the witch hunters:
Geralt encountered Radovid's men at the entrance to Philippa's hideout. They demanded the witcher give them the magic crystal, with assurances they would deliver it to the king personally. Geralt reluctantly accepted their offer.
If you hand over the crystal then once you return to the king, you'll find out that the witch hunters told him that they found the crystal themselves and you won't get a reward from him.
5. (Optional) Talk to Triss about the crystal from Philippa's megascope.
Go to Triss. She will read the contents of the crystal and you will learn that Philippa is trying to regain her eyesight and reactivate the Lodge of Sorceresses.
Geralt took the crystal to Triss. A bit of magic and she got it to play back a fragment from the last conversation Philippa had with Margarita Laux-Antille. From it they learned the sorceress, whom Radovid had blinded, was trying to restore her vision, and that both were planning to bring the Lodge of Sorceresses back to life.
You can decide whether to keep the crystal or give it to Triss.
The witcher decided it would be best if such information never made it to Radovid's ears. He thus decided to leave the crystal with Triss.
6. (Optional) Talk to Yennefer about the crystal from Philippa's megascope.
You can talk to Yennefer about the crystal after completing "The Last Wish" quest. Just like Triss, she will read it.
Geralt took the crystal to Yennefer. A bit of magic and she got it to play back a fragment from the last conversation Philippa had with Margarita Laux-Antille. From it they learned the sorceress, whom Radovid had blinded, was trying to restore her vision, and that both were planning to bring the Lodge of Sorceresses back to life.
You can decide whether to keep the crystal or give it to Yennefer.
The witcher decided it would be best if such information never made it to Radovid's ears. He thus decided to leave the crystal with Yennefer.
7. Tell Radovid what you learned about Philippa.
If you return to Radovid and don't have the crystal because you gave it to the hunters or you hide from him that you have it, the king will be dissatisfied and you will get nothing from him.
Out of a sense of duty, or perhaps a desire to receive at least part of the promised reward, Geralt returned to Radovid to tell him what he had found in Philippa's hideout. The king was clearly not pleased with the outcome of the investigation and dismissed the witcher. As for compensation for his trouble, sadly, the witcher had to go without...
If you return to Radovid and give him the crystal then you will receive 135 crowns from him.
As agreed, Geralt returned to Radovid and gave him the crystal from Philippa's megascope. Though the king was hoping to be handed a sorceress, not a cold, damaged lump of minerals, in the end he appreciated Geralt's effort and paid him his reward.
After completing Redania's Most Wanted you will get or will be able to get Reason of State (1 of 4).