The Battle of Kaer Morhen Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 24
Group: Main Quests
Location: Kaer Morhen
This quest will start automatically when "The Isle of Mists" quest is completed. Who will be in the castle to participate in the battle will depend on who you managed to recruit to help.
Geralt and Ciri had no choice but to teleport away from the Isle of Mists when the Wild Hunt threatened to attack. Since Eredin could trace where Ciri traveled to with her abilities, the duo did not so much flee the Hunt as buy a few precious minutes of time. Ciri took Geralt home, to Kaer Morhen, where the group of friends the witcher had gathered waited to defend Ciri to their last breath. They spared a few seconds for a tearful reunion - then began preparations to repel the Hunt's attack.
Friends who will always take part in the battle are:
- Vesemir
- Yennefer
- Triss Merigold
- Lambert
- Eskel
In addition, if you managed to recruit them, they will also take part in the battle:
- Zoltan Chivay - All you have to do is ask him for help, which is part of the "Brothers In Arms: Novigrad" quest. If present, Zoltan can repair your gear.
- Keira Metz - In order for her to come to the castle, you must convince her to do so at the end of the "For the Advancement of Learning" quest. If present, you can trade with her - alchemy shop.
- Hjalmar an Craite - He will come to Kaer Morhen, if you've completed the "King's Gambit" / "Coronation" quests and asked him for help, which is part of the "Brothers In Arms: Skellige" quest. He can also be accompanied by Folan and Vigi the Loon - if you saved them during "The Lord of Undvik" quest.
- Ermion - All you have to do is ask him to help you while doing the "Brothers In Arms: Skellige" quest.
- Vernon Roche accompanied by Ves - You can ask him for help as long as you complete "An Eye for an Eye" quest and save Ves.
- Letho - You can suggest him to go to Kaer Morhen at the end of the "Ghosts of the Past" quest. This quest will only be available if Letho is alive, which you can decide during the "Imperial Audience" quest (or Witcher 2 save game).
Prior quests
To begin The Battle of Kaer Morhen you must first complete The Isle of Mists.
Quest stages of The Battle of Kaer Morhen
1. Enter Kaer Morhen keep and begin the council.
Go to the main hall of the castle, where everyone involved in the battle will gather to establish a plan of action. During the meeting you will have to make two choices regarding your limited resources:
- The first decision will be whether Vesemir should use the laboratory to complete the production of the potions (you'll get a thunderbolt potion, a superior swallow potion, and Lesser Perun runestone, +50 XP), or whether Eskel should use it to create traps (the traps will damage the Wild Hunt warriors during the battle).
- The second decision will be whether you should clear the armory (all witchers will do more damage, and you'll receive a relic silver sword - Rose of Shaerrawed) or patch a hole in the wall (less enemies).
The friends conferred and established a defense strategy. There was no time to lose. As soon as they finished, the weather changed and snow began to fall. The Wild Hunt appeared above Kaer Morhen and its spectral warriors galloped out of the sky towards the fortress.
2. Exit the keep and join Lambert when you're ready to face the Wild Hunt.
When you go outside, the weather will change after a while, announcing the arrival of the Wild Hunt. You, Lambert and Letho (if available) will get on your horses and go into the forest to close the portals through which the Wild Hunt warriors arrive.
3. Use dimeritium bombs or the Yrden Sign to close all the Hunt's portals in the woods around Kaer Morhen. 0/3 / Kill the Wild Hunt warriors near the (center / left / right) portal in the forest.
You must close three portals located in the forest south of the castle. You can use dimeritium bombs or the Yrden sign to close them. Each of the portals will be defended by the Wild Hunt warriors (24) and the hounds of the Wild Hunt (22).
After destroying the last of the portals, Imlerith will appear nearby. Geral will use the crossbow to send a signal for Triss to attack, but nothing will happen, which means that Triss is in trouble. The action will move to the castle and you will take control of Ciri for a while.
4. Run to Triss's aid on the battlements. / Defeat the warriors threatening Triss.
You'll be playing Ciri for a while now. Triss is in trouble and you have to help her. If Zoltan is available, he will kill the Wild Hunt warrior who walks towards you. The you should run across the battlements to Triss and kill all enemies that are around. You can use your new skills: Magic Amulet (It calls down a fireball to pulverize a given area. Once you use it, you should move aside, or a magic projectile will hit you!), and Charge (Very strong and fast attack that can knocks down foes).
5. Return to Kaer Morhen.
You'll be playing as Geralt again. You, Lambert and Letho will jump on the horses and head back to the castle. Gallop as fast as you can and avoid fireballs falling from the sky. When you reach the courtyard, Vesemir will tell you to close the main gate.
The defenders of Kaer Morhen did what they could to hold back their attackers, but the enemy's strength was overwhelming. The Wild Hunt had made it to the very walls of Kaer Morhen.
6. Close the main gate.
Climb a nearby ladder to the battlements or run to the opposite end of the courtyard, and get to the walls there.
Then use the lever that lowers the gate.
7. (Optional) Help Lambert defeat the Hunt's warriors.
This objective will only be available if you have failed to convince Keira to come to Kaer Morhen. Lambert will get into serious trouble and his life will be in danger. You will have to help him kill the Wild Hunt warriors before they kill him.
If Keira is in the castle, you'll only see the cutscene of how she uses magic and saves Lambert from oppression.
8. Retreat to the middle courtyard. / Defeat your opponents and retreat behind the main gate.
Yennefer's spell will begin to wane, so you'll have to retreat to the middle courtyard. When you do that, Vesemir will destroy and block the gate between the lower and middle courtyards.
You have to fight the Wild Hunt warriors who are in the middle courtyard until you hear Vesemir shouting that you should check the gate to the main courtyard, then run to that gate. Unfortunately the gate will be closed, which means that Eskel who was supposed to open it is in trouble. Vesemir will decide that Eskel will certainly manage on its own and that you should help Triss in the meantime.
9. Get to Triss. / Help Triss fight the Hunt's warriors.
Go help Triss. When you kill all enemies, Triss will thank you for your help and Ciri, who will appear on the walls of the upper castle, will inform you that Eskel is in trouble and that she is going to help him.
Then you'll see the scene of Eskel fighting Caranthir. After a while, when Caranthir starts using magic tricks, and thus tip the scales of victory in his favor, Ciri will join the fight and save Eskel. However, she won't defeat Caranthir because after a while, at the sound of the Wild Hunt horn, Caranthir will use the teleport and retreat, and only his warriors will remain on the battlefield.
10. Defeat Caranthir's warriors. / Open the gate to Kaer Morhen's inner courtyard.
You'll be playing Ciri again for a while. Together with Eskel, kill the Caranthir's warriors and then proceed towards the main gate. Eliminate any further opponents that stand in your way. When you reach the gate, use the large turning wheel to open it.
When the gate opens, Geralt and the others will retreat to the upper courtyard. You'll be controlling the witcher again and Vesemir will give you two dimeritium bombs to close the portals that opened.
Warrior after warrior fell to our heroes' blows, but others immediately took their place. The defenders fell back beyond the inner gates of the fortress - and so began the last phase of the battle.
11. Use dimeritium bombs or the Yrden Sign to close the Hunt's portals and stop their attack on Kaer Morhen. 0/2
You must close one portal on the right side of the castle and one on the left side. You can use dimeritium bombs or Yrden sign. When you do that, you'll hear Triss calling for help.
11.1. (Optional) Equip yourself with dimeritium bombs from Vesemir's supplies.
If you run out of bombs, you can replenish your inventory by taking more bombs from one of the several chests that are around. You can take two bombs at a time, but the supplies are unlimited.
12. Help Triss fight the Wild Hunt by the gate to the inner courtyard.
When you get to the gate, the Wild Hunt will destroy the gate and get inside freezing everyone except Vesemir and Ciri.
Vesemir will try to help Ciri escape but will be captured by Imlerith.To save her friend, Ciri will want to surrender to Eredin. Then Vesemir, trying to prevent it, will stab Imlerith with a dagger who will then break his neck for it.
Seeing a friend's death, Ciri will go frenzy and release her power in the form of a deadly scream that will force Eredin and his men to withdraw, but will be also very dangerous to others. Fortunately, Avallac'h will appear on the balcony of the castle and use his own power to calm Ciri down.
It was a dark hour for the defenders of Kaer Morhen. The generals of the Hunt had entered the fray personally. Vesemir had died by Imlerith's hand, and it seemed all of the witcher's friends would soon share his fate. The defenders' lives were hanging by a thread, when suddenly Ciri's magic talent revealed its full force. In an uncontrolled outburst of rage she pummeled both allies and enemies alike with a blast of pure Power. The Hunt's forces were nearly wiped out, leaving them no choice but to retreat. Only our valiant defenders, exhausted, wounded, but still alive, remained on the field of battle.
When the evening comes, Vesemir's funeral will take place, during which Ciri will say she's tired of running away and Avallac'h will ask you to talk, and then the quest will be over.
If only Vesemir died in the battle:
The Battle of Kaer Morhen was over. Those who survived buried Vesemir, but had little time for mourning. The danger had only been thwarted temporarily, and they needed to prepare a new plan for saving Ciri.
If in the battle, apart from Vesemir, Lambert was also killed:
The Battle of Kaer Morhen was over. Those who survived buried Vesemir and Lambert, but had little time for mourning. The danger had only been thwarted temporarily, and they needed to prepare a new plan for saving Ciri.
After completing The Battle of Kaer Morhen you will get or will be able to get Blood on the Battlefield.