Walkthrough for the quest A Matter of Life and Death in the game Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. This page covers all main objectives, key steps, or helpful tips to guide you through the quest smoothly. Whenever possible, the guide points out locations for key items and details interactions with NPCs, among other tips. To ensure maximum clarity, in-game screenshots are included for easy-to-follow visual guidance.
Quest Group: Secondary Quests
Suggested level: 12
Location: Novigrad
Prerequisites: To play this quest, you must first complete the quest Count Reuven's Treasure.
You will receive this quest after escaping the witch hunters' outpost during the "Count Reuven's Treasure" quest. Triss will ask you to come to her hideout in The Bits to discuss something.
Of all the so-called "witches" they hunted, there was none the witch hunters wanted more than Triss Merigold, a sorceress of unequaled power. Even in hiding she had proven a thorn in their side, masterminding an underground net of hideouts and covers, keeping other mages out of the hunters' blood-stained hands. When Geralt entered the city, he met up with his dear friend and sometime love. And when the time came that she needed his help with her endeavor, she did not hesitate to ask.
Triss' Hideout
Velen / Novigrad
Elihal
Velen / Novigrad
Vegelbud Residence
Velen / Novigrad
Go to the house where Triss is staying. She'll tell you about the message she received from Lady Ingrid Vegelbud. In exchange for help, the lady promises Triss a high reward. For more details, Triss should meet her servant who will wait for her at the fish market. You should suggest Triss that you will go with her to the market.
Go to the market and find the man who looks like the one described in the letter. Look for a guy dressed in a blue tunic, who has keys strapped to his belt.
Follow the servant. At some point you will be ambushed by three bandits (12). Defeat them. When you do that, Triss will join you and the servant will give you the details of Lady Vegelbud's plan.
Their contact revealed that the son of Ingrid Vegelbud, scion of a wealthy Novigrad family, dabbled in alchemy. For that reason he had become a person of much interest to the witch hunters. When Ingrid learned of Triss' operations, she sent her servant to ask the sorceress to spirit her son somewhere far away from his persecutors. The hunters kept a close eye on her residence, so they would need a distraction - and her upcoming masquerade ball promised to provide just that.
Go to Elihal and buy a mask for Triss (Triss' fox mask) and another one (Wolf, Harlequin or Bird mask) for yourself. You can also buy, if you don't already have one, parts of an elegant outfit.
Dress elegantly, and Triss will compliment you when you meet.
Visit Triss in her hiding place and go with her to the Vegelbuds' estate. The guard at the gate will let you in. You'll just have to hand over your weapon.
Find lady Vegelbud at the party. You can ignore or beat a rich townsman who'll bother you on the way. Lady will tell you how you can recognize her son and suggest that you wait with the realization of the plan until the other guests get a little drunk.
Find Albert who wears a panther mask and entertains women in the nearby garden.
He will suggest that when the time is right, you meet him in the hedge maze situated at the property.
If you haven't done it yet, talk to the croupier and play gwent with the three guests of the party. If you win, then you will get Milva, Vampire: Bruxa, and the unique Dandelion card.
Warning: You must win these cards to be able to complete the "Collect 'Em All" quest.
When ready, sit on the bench in the garden and talk to Triss. Your friend will get a little drunk and at some point she'll run into a nearby maze.
Run after the sorceress. When you find her near the fountain, you can decide if you want to kiss her. Once the fireworks start, Albert will join you. Just in case, you and he will swap masks, and then Triss and he will go first to the stable and you will wait a while in the garden and then follow them.
Try to get out of the maze. Along the way, you'll come across three witch hunters who think you're Albert. You must beat them in a fistfight. You can also use signs.
When you get out of the maze, go to the stable where Triss, Albert and his mother will be waiting for you. Triss will give you your weapons she took from the guard in the meantime, you say goodbye and she'll leave with Albert. The quest will end and you'll get another one - Now or Never.
Young Albert's rescue did not prove to be Triss' slickest extraction ever. First she had trouble even finding the young alchemist amidst the throng of revelers, and then Geralt ran into trouble with a group of witch hunter infiltrators. Still, with a bit of luck and a bit of cunning our heroes managed to escape the residence and smuggle Vegelbud out without a scratch on him. Mission accomplished. Geralt and Triss had proven once again how well they work together as a team - but as a couple, well, events at the Vegelbuds' only complicated that matter...
After completing this quest, you will be able to play the quest Now or Never.