For those dabbling with side quests, perhaps one of the most important side missions in the game is the Witcher 3’s Reason of State. This is one of those side missions which plays an exceedingly important role in determining the political reality of Redania and Temeria. if you’re in the market for being a king maker (once again), then follow our Reason of State walkthrough so you’re aware of the realities thats to come.
Here is a closer look at Witcher 3's Reason of State quest and its endings.
Witcher 3: How to start Reason of State Quest
To start the Reason of State quest, you need to have completed the A Deadly Plot from Act 2. This is a quest that unlocks through side quests such as now or never, which relates the the political collapse Novigrad. These are some of the more important side quests in Novigrad, and determine the fate of a ruler.
You also need to complete other side missions like An Eye For An Eye, and Redania’s Most Wanted. It’s also worth noting that you need to be on Dijkstra’s good side. So, naturally woo the man during dialogue options, as this also plays a role in him letting you know about the plot later on.
Once those metric are checked and you get the quest after completing Blindingly Obvious, head to a warehouse along the south-eastern end of the Novigrad dock district’s crescent and knock on the door to gain access. Go upstairs and the three primary conspirators - Vernon Roche, Thaler, and Dijkstra - will lay out their plan. Agree to play your part, then head outside, where another party interested in Radovid’s demise will show up and offer you aid in the form of both advice and an item that might just increase you chances of success.
Reason of State Walkthrough
Make your way to the docks along the south-eastern end of the central district, where, along the long pier, you’ll find Radovid’s absurd boat. Talk to a Redanian Soldier near the boat and he’ll let you on board, where Radovid will make a good case for why, exactly, he should be put down. Tell him what he wants to hear and give him the ring you were given earlier and he’ll bite. After Geralt leads him to the Phillipa’s supposed location, Radovid will spring a surprise of his own. Fortunately some well-timed intervention from your allies spares Geralt from Radovid’s designs… and gives him the means to fight back.
Assassin of Kings
Kill the Redanian Soldiers (level twenty-nine) nearby, after which you’ll have a short chat with Roche and will get your proper weapons back. Make your way north-west across St. Gregory’s Bridge, killing Redanian Soldiers (levels twenty-seven and twenty-nine) and Witch Hunters (levels twenty-nine and thirty-three) as you go. Kill all the Redanians that stand in your way and approach the barricade at the end of the road to witness a score being settled.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For assassinating a king | 25 XP |
The King of the North
Mission accomplished, although not as planned. Drink to Temeria (or not) and you’ll learn there were backstage politics at play you weren’t aware of. The party will be ruined when Dijkstra makes a theatrical entrance… and power play. You’ve got two options here, both of which affect the ending of the game and the future of the north. During a timed dialogue decision, either say “Do what you want.” to get out of politics and leave the Temerian patriots to their fate, or say “Won’t let you kill them.” to oppose Dijkstra. In the latter case you’ll have to help fight off him and his henchmen (level thirty). Either way, the quest “Reason of State” ends.
Reason of State Best Choices?
As you can tell, this is quite the quest and its involvement in the main story. What you’re essentially picking against here is one of three Major options
- Radovid remains in power - If you never get this quest, or chose to ignore it, then Radovid stays in power and the game moves on with no real change. But, if you want to kill Radovid, there’s a juicy trophy to get. It’s also slightly Geralt friendly too, considering Radovid is a crazed mage hater. Its worth pointing out that Geralt has a taste for mages, and you’ve had quite a few scraps with mage and witch hunters now. It’s not out of the realm of possibility Geralt may remove his Witcher neutrality for this once occasion
- You leave Roche and Redanian rebels to figure it out by betraying Dijkstra when he reveals he is betraying Roche and crew.
- You let Djik do his thing and he takes control, and Roche and crew get got. It also stops Nilfgard getting in power and ends the witch hunts.
For the most part, these decisions are largely just quest and somewhat cosmetic, and don’t affect the world state. However, it can have an impact on Ciri’s ending. We have spoiler warning the section as this can play a part in some of the various endings for Ciri.
Vernan Roche winning sets up the possibility of Ciri becoming Emperor, but is not guaranteed thanks to other Geralt and Ciri decisions.
Djik winning makes it harder for a Nilfgaard victory.
Radovid remaining in power means Nilfgaard lose the war through mastering his tactics later on.
If the outcome results in a better chance of a Nilfgaard victory, then it sets up a better possibility for Ciri to become Empress, as long as she goes down her Nilfgaard heritage route. Though, again, these are not guaranteed, as Geralt makes bad choices and good choices for Ciri, which could also lead her to other endings.
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