In this section (and in the following) you’ll be working your way north-east across the map, exploring - and hopefully clearing -points of interest along the way. If any of the locations are too difficult, feel free to skip them and return later, but most of them should be well within your means, although the difficulty can vary a good bit. The benefits of doing this run should be obvious; not only it logical progression from Crow’s Peak to Oxenfurt, but you’ll amass a bit of XP and treasure along the way.
| Important Items in this Area |
|---|
| Adalbert Kermith’s First Map |
| Adalbert Kermith’s Second Map |
| Mysterious Notes |
| Niellen’s Key |
| Diagram: Shiadal’s Armor |
Spoils of War Walthrough (Level 4)
Backtrack north-west along the road, then take a road to the north-east that leads over a bridge to get back on the central island in Velen. While crossing said bridge, take a dive off it to the north-west and swim up the river in that direction to find a “Spoils of War” event. Dive near the marker, shoot two Drowners (level four) with your crossbow, loot a skeleton near a sunken boat for an “Aged Key” , then unlock the nearby chest, where you can find - among other things - a “Moonblade” , a relic-quality Silver Sword.
Person(s) in Distress (Level 16)
Cross the bridge and shortly you’ll find a road running more or less east-west across the southern end of the island. If you head west, you’ll find a very dangerous “Person(s) in Distress” encounter, where Slavers (level seven) are joined by Nilfgaardian Deserters (levels fourteen to sixteen). Simply put, if you’re too low of a level, this fight is going to be pretty wretched… and there’s no shame in coming back to it later, when it’s more worth your while. You’ll have to make great effort to kill the two archers (perhaps using Quen to protect yourself), after which the fight becomes manageable, as the melee attackers are easy to parry, then exploit with a few fast attacks. If you’ve leveled up your Axii sign you can also use that to pacify humanoid foes, who will them be susceptible to one-hit-kills… very hand in Death March difficulty.
Once they’re dead, loot one of them for the “Slaver’s Key”, then head to two houses near some docks. Enter the northern house and grab the “Unsent Note” off the floor, then unlock the cell, freeing a Swordsmith, who offers to reward you if you ever come around Mulbrydale. If you take him up on his offer you’ll find that… well, it apparently just consists of doing business with you, telling you about Fergus-the master armorer-and playing some Gwent, although in the latter case, he doesn’t seem to cough up a card.
Abandoned Site (Level 4)
Follow the road past the bridge to the east (after either completing, or more likely, avoiding the previous event) to find an Abandoned Site guarded by four Drowners (level four). Kill them and peasants will move in, as well as some Nilfgaardian Soldiers to protect them.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For liberating the abandoned site | 120 XP / 50 Crowns |
Hidden Treasure: An Unfortunate Turn of Events (Level 10)
Search along the waterline to the east to find a corpse near a ruined boat, which you can loot to find an “Unsent Letter”. Pick it up to start “An Unfortunate Turn of Events” , then read it. Swim south-east from the body to find, under the water, a chest guarded by two Drowners (level ten). Kill them and loot the chest to score “Harvall” , a relic-quality Steel Sword that was in the first Witcher game. Like Moonblade, it’s level scales with you.
Guarded Treasure (Level 13)
Leave the Abandoned Site and continue east until you find a fork, at which you should head north-east to find a burnt-down house, near which is an Alghoul (level thirteen). It might be a bother to fight, if it had friends. Alas, it does not, although it’ll put up quite a fight by itself in Death March mode - it’s not an insurmountable challenge. Use Axii on it to make its spines retract, after which the Silver Sword and Necrophage Oil should work well enough. Smite it and loot a chest and body near the house to complete this event.
Defeat an Alghoul guarding some treasure (left). Two merchants were betrayed by their guards - helping them out will earn you their forfeited pay (right).
Griswold and Anselms Bogus Bodyguards
Continue north-east past the burnt-down house until the trail ends at another road running north-south. Follow it south and when it forks again… eh, follow either one. Both trails lead to the same place, reconnecting to the east-west road you left earlier to explore the Guarded Treasure event. Where these paths reunite you’ll find some Bandits (level five) attacking two merchants, Griswold and Anselm. Kill the Bandits and you’ll be thanked by the merchants, who give you the pay set aside for their treacherous bodyguards. Twenty Crowns to split amongst them, for a dangerous trek through Velen? No wonder they mutinied?
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For rescuing the merchants | 25 XP / 20 Crowns |
Hidden Treasure: Tough Luck (Level 18)
Continue past the merchant’s wagon and follow the road beyond to the north-east, ignoring a road to the south along the way. When the path splits north-east/north-west, head north-west until you spot a wagon north of the road. Head over to it, where you’ll discover a “Hidden Treasure” event.
During the day you’ll find a Foglet (level four), while at night there will be a pair of Nekkers (level eighteen). Naturally, you want to meet the former here, not the latter. Foglets are probably new foes, if you’re following this guide, and they’re rather annoying. As their name implies, they like to use the fog to conceal themselves, and that’s really their whole gimmick. They’re not terribly fast or strong, but they will go invisible and summon doubles of themselves, becoming trackable only by the fog trails they leave. Protect yourself with Quen and slash aggressively at their apparently location.
Once the monster(s) are dead, search a body near the wagon to find a “Letter” to start the quest “Tough Luck” . Read the Letter, then search to the south-west to find another - this time a woman’s - body, where you can find a “Small Key” . Take it and open a chest that’s losing a battle with gravity.
Kill the Foglet near a wagon (left) then search the corpses near the wagon to find the key to a chest full of goodies (right).
Monster Nest (Level 9)
Backtrack to the east, then continue following the the road to the north-east, past a wagon north of the road (deja vu?), where you’ll find a Ghoul nest. Kill the Ghouls (level nine) and blow up their nest north of the road. Once done, search around a wagon to the south of the road to find a pair of chests, one inside the over-turned wagon and one on the grass nearby.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For destroying the Monster Nest | 20 XP |
Bandit Camp (Level 5)
Continue along the road to the north-east until you find a Bandit Camp south of the road, marked by abandoned wagons and ruined houses. Kill the Deserters (level five) nearby and loot a chest south of a destroyed building, near a campfire. There are also Ghouls (level two) prowling both north and south of the road.
Monster Nests (Level 9)
A short ways along the road to the north-east you’ll find a fork with new roads to the north (through an unmarked Nilfgaardian fort) and south-east. Standing in front of the fort, head due east into the wilderness, where you’ll find a pair of Ghoul Nests near a destroyed trebuchet. Kill the Ghouls (level nine), then bomb their nests.
Comments
"and playing some Gwent, although in the latter case, he doesn’t seem to cough up a card."
In my case it was Scoia'tael card. Random?
"loot a skeleton near a sunken boat"
I don’t know if this is random or not, but in my case it was necessary to loot the skeleton, which lay right in the boat, and not near it.
"and playing some Gwent, although in the latter case, he doesn’t seem to cough up a card."
In my case it was Scoia'tael card. Random?
"loot a skeleton near a sunken boat"
I don’t know if this is random or not, but in my case it was necessary to loot the skeleton, which lay right in the boat, and not near it.