Open Sesame! in The Witcher 3: Best Choices, the Van der Huy Painting, Quinto or Casimir, and Ewald or Horst

Updated October 2026. Open Sesame! is the heist quest of Hearts of Stone and the second of Olgierd's three wishes: bring him "Maximilian Borsodi's house", which turns out to be a golden casket locked in the Borsodi auction house vault in Oxenfurt. It has more choices than most main quests, and a few of them are one-time only. Below are the best choices first, then the full walkthrough. It starts after Evil's Soft First Touches, and the suggested level is 34.

Open Sesame Best Choices at a Glance

The Auction House and Vivaldi's Friends

The guards at the Borsodi auction house won't let you in without an invitation, but Vimme Vivaldi turns up and brings you in as his guest. Upstairs, he offers to introduce you to three acquaintances. Each conversation happens once, so don't wave anyone off.

Which Canvas Was Painted by Edward van der Huy

The art dealer (Yaromir) asks whether you know anything about art. Say you know a bit, and he'll test you: which canvas was painted by Edward van der Huy (the name is spelled van der Knoob in some versions). The answer is the Portrait of a Merchant. Get it right, and he tips you off that a painting by the little-known van Rogh will sell cheap here but fetch a good price from a collector in Novigrad. That is the only way to unlock the side quest Avid Collector. If you tell Vivaldi the truth about the tip, he bids against you and the painting costs 60 crowns instead of 20.

Countess Mignole

The Countess collects witcher gear. Keep talking until she offers to trade: she sells the Viper School armor diagrams, and this is the only chance to get all four. If you also help with her "lost earring" on the balcony, she'll ask about Vesemir. Her reaction depends on whether he survived the main story.

Robert Hilbert, the Gwent Player

Hilbert plays a Nilfgaard deck with Emhyr: Invader of the North as leader. Beat him for the unique Gaunter O'Dimm Gwent card. Vivaldi asks for a finder's fee, and you can refuse without any trouble.

What to Buy at the Auction

Buying all three unlocks the Shopaholic achievement. Short on money? Vivaldi will lend it. The achievement is known to fail now and then, so save before the auction starts.

At the break, Horst Borsodi throws you out no matter what you say, and two guards pick a fistfight outside. Win or lose, a hooded Stranger walks up and invites you to the herbalist's hut outside Oxenfurt. On the way, expect a wild boar and three Fallen Knights hammering on the herbalist's door. Give the herbalist the password, and he opens the cellar.

Building the Crew: Safecracker, Burglar and the Cook

The Stranger wants to rob the vault, where he swears the "house" is kept. You need a safecracker, a burglar, and a way to put half the garrison out of action. All three sub-quests must be done before the heist.

Open Sesame: The Safecracker (Quinto or Casimir)

Quinto is held in a cage by Hans of Cidaris, near the herbalist's hut. Talk to Quinto in the cage, not to Hans. Hans wants 200 crowns (400 if you squeezed him for more money in his contract), and you can haggle the price down. You can also beat him at Gwent or in a fistfight to free Quinto for nothing, but losing doubles the price. Afterwards, you can tell Quinto to wait at the Oxenfurt gate at midnight and go and see Casimir as well.

Casimir Bassi is on his roof in Alness, threatening to blow himself and his house up because his wife left him. Pick the wrong line, and he goes through with it; sympathizing is one of them. Mock him into a fistfight (win or lose, he joins you afterwards), or use Axii, which needs Delusion level 2. You must hire him on the spot. If you tell him to wait, he blows himself up.

Open Sesame: Breaking and Entering (Hugo or Eveline)

Knock on Hugo Hoff's door in Oxenfurt first. Use your Witcher Senses on the blood, follow the tracks to the river, kill three thugs and dive: Hugo is at the bottom with a stone tied to him. That's 150 XP for a dead end. Then head to the circus camp northwest of Carsten for Eveline Gallo. She'll join you if you either fill in at the show (shoot four apples off Meryn's body, and hitting Meryn is fine) or refund the tickets yourself: 400 crowns if you talk to her privately, 600 if her friend stays.

Open Sesame: Witcher Seasonings (the Cook)

Craft a Cleansing mixture from 1 Dwarven spirit, 2 Rotfiend blood and 2 Wolfsbane. Otto Bamber sells all three. Back at the auction house, eavesdrop on the guards with your Witcher Senses from a distance. The third pair has to be followed, and they give away where the cook is. Maarten fishes at the docks by the Western Gate, by day only. Bribe him with 500 crowns, or use Axii with Delusion level 2.

The Heist: Hostages, the Vault and the Trap

Meet the crew at the herbalist's hut and go at midnight. During the heist Geralt is locked into a New Moon armor set, and you can't change equipment until after the vault fight, though you can still apply oils. The building isn't empty after all. Everyone takes wooden swords and king masks, the Stranger kills the man who rings the alarm, and you end up surrounded, with Horst locked in his vault.

The Negotiation: How to Avoid the Fight

The Stranger grabs a hostage and leaves the talking to you, with timed answers. With Quinto, choose "Pull back...", "Bring us a wagon...", "Doesn't matter..." and finally "Release one...", and the guards never storm in. Asking for Radovid's carriage or anything else brings them in. With Casimir, his explosion goes off whatever you say, and you fight the guards anyway. Either way, Eveline slips out through the chimney.

Into the Vault

Ewald or Horst: Which Brother to Side With

At the vault door, the Stranger reveals he is Ewald Borsodi, Horst's younger brother, cheated out of his inheritance. Horst offers Geralt a better deal, and staying neutral isn't allowed. Whoever you side with, the other brother dies. Who you fight depends on your safecracker:

The fight ends when the losing brother is down to about a third of his health. Then comes the twist: the casket holds their father's will, and the survivor won't give it up. Make a deal and take only the casket. The survivor opens the secret exit for you, and Olgierd only cares about the box. Or demand the papers and fight the surviving brother (and the safecracker, if he lived). Both endings give the same reward. If both brothers die, Vivaldi's bank takes over the auction house.

Which brother is "better" is a story choice. Ewald is the wronged younger brother on a revenge mission, and Horst is a cheat. Nothing later in Hearts of Stone changes. Siding with Horst while using Quinto is the shortest fight.

Don't Leave the Vault Empty-Handed

You only get one visit. The two big chests next to the casket's pedestal hold the Diagram: Viper venomous steel sword and a relic Ofieri crossbow, and there's gold all over the floor. If you killed everyone, find the exit with your Witcher Senses: a pressure plate on the stone pillar near the pedestal. After the quest, check the chest under the stairs to the stage at Eveline's circus camp for the Diagram: Concealment kit.

Bring the casket to Olgierd at the Alchemy inn. If you've already done Dead Man's Party, he gives you the third wish and Scenes From a Marriage begins. More on him: Olgierd von Everec explained.

Rewards

The main quest gives 1,150 XP across its steps, and each sub-quest (Safecracker, Breaking and Entering, Witcher Seasonings) gives another 150 XP. Finding Hugo's body gives 150 XP more. Besides crowns from the vault, you can pick up the Gaunter O'Dimm Gwent card, the Viper School diagrams and the three auction items.

Known Bugs

• Shopaholic doesn't unlock after buying all three lots. Reload a save from before the auction and buy them again.
• Geralt stuck in place during the guard fight after the negotiation. The guards can't reach you. Reload the checkpoint, or keep jumping until you reach the vault cutscene.

Video: Open Sesame Best Choices

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: in-game quest text and journal; quest details checked against the Witcher Wiki pages for Open Sesame! and its three sub-quests. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs.