Wild at Heart Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Quest
Suggested level: 7
Group: Secondary Quests
Location: Velen
To start this quest you should read the Missing Wife notice, which you can find posted on several notice boards in Velen, e.g. on the Mulbrydale Notice Board.
While muddling around the well-shaded village of Blackbough, Geralt happened across a notice. It stated a hunter named Niellen was looking for any help he could get in finding his wife, who had disappeared in the nearby woods a few days earlier. Geralt, already deep in a search-and-rescue vein, decided to help find the woman.
Related points of interest
Mulbrydale Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Oreton Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Midcopse Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Inn at the Crossroads Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Crow's Perch Notice Board
Velen / Novigrad
Niellen
Velen / Novigrad
Isolated Shack
Velen / Novigrad
Werewolf's Lair
Velen / Novigrad
Werewolf
Velen / Novigrad
Quest stages of Wild at Heart
1. Talk to the hunter named Niellen.
Go to the Blackbough village. Niellen should be standing next to one of the houses. Ask him about the contract and he'll tell you about his wife Hanna, who disappeared in the woods a few days ago. Margrit, the sister of the missing woman, will also take part in the conversation and give you some information about her.
2. (Optional) Ask the neighbors about Hanna.
You can talk to the blacksmith and his children, and the butcher's wife.
3. Search for signs of Hanna in the woods using your Witcher Senses.
Go to a place in the forest marked on the map. You'll find a pack of wolves there that you'll have to kill.
When you kill the wolves, Margrit will appear and offer you not to continue searching for her sister and tell Niellen that his wife is dead. If you do that, she will pay you 55 coins.
3.1. (Optional) Tell Niellen Hanna is dead.
If you accepted Margrit's offer, go back to Niellen and tell him his wife's dead. He'll want to pay you (10 crowns). You can accept his offer or not. That will end this quest.
While Geralt was combing the woods for signs of the missing woman, he came across Margaret, Hanna's sister. The woman asked the witcher to abandon his search and tell Niellen his wife was dead. Margaret thought the sooner Niellen came to terms with his loss, the sooner he would be able to put it behind him and start living his life. Geralt decided this made sense and agreed.
If you have not accepted Margrit's offer and decided to continue searching for the hunter's wife, then examine the corpse of the animal lying where the wolves stood, claw marks and another nearby corpse that will turn out to be Hanna's corpse. The clues will suggest that you are dealing with a werewolf.
4. Find the werewolf's lair using your Witcher Senses.
Follow the trail of the werewolf to a scratched stone leaning against a tree. This is where the werewolf climbed a tree and you must find another trail.
Right behind the tree, you'll find a tuft of fur.
When you examine it, you will be able to follow the werewolf's scent.
The trail will lead you to an abandoned hunting lodge near the Isolated Shack signpost, where you can find another clue - torn men's clothing.
Traces of blood will lead you to the back of the house, where you will find the entrance to the werewolf's lair.
5. Search the werewolf's lair. / Wait for nightfall. / Defeat the werewolf.
You can destroy the wooden door with an aard sign. Get into the cave and walk down to the bottom of it. Wait (meditate) till nightfall and a werewolf should appear in the cave. Fight him. When you're about to kill him, Margaret will come to the cave and stop the fight. It will turn out that Niellen is a werewolf and Margaret is responsible for the death of his wife. Angry Niellen will decide to punish Margrit for what she did and kill her. It's up to you whether you let him do it or not.
If you don't let a werewolf kill Margaret, then you' ll have to finish him.
If you don't interfere and Niellen will bring Margrit justice, then when you leave the cave, Niellen will catch up with you one more time and ask you to end his miserable fate. Geralt will fulfill his request.
The story of Hanna's disappearance had a tragic end. It turned out she had been killed by her own husband. He did not do this on purpose, however. Afflicted with the curse of lycanthropy, he would hide in the forest during his transformations in order to protect his friends and loved ones.
Hanna's sister Margaret knew this secret, and had one of her own - she was in love with Niellen and fiercely jealous of Hanna's life with him. She decided to take Hanna into the woods to watch her husband's transformation, hoping she'd then abandon him in disgust. Sadly, Hanna was careless enough to draw the werewolf's attention. Margaret was able to escape, but her sister was not so lucky. Niellen, transformed into a bloodthirsty beast, slaughtered the love of his life with his own hands.
In both cases, in his corpse you will find the Niellen's key with which you can open a chest located in the house underneath which there is an entrance to the werewolf cave. In the chest you will find the Diagram: Shiadhal's armor.
