Witcher 3 In the heart of the Woods | How best to deal with the spirit of the forest
In the heart of the Woods is a side quest in The Witcher 3, the passage of which is optional. However, for the assignment you can get experience, as well as - depending on the result - a mutagen from the ancient wood Leszy, used to prepare an effective decoction, and magic boots. From this review, you will learn everything about the passage of the task, how best to proceed, and the consequences of the choice.
Walkthrough of quest "In the heart of the Woods" in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
There are two ways to get a witch's order for the spirit of the forest: to take a contract on the bulletin board in the port of Kaer Trolde or by entering into a dialogue with the locals in the village of Fayrlund.
This is where the drama unfolds: Harald and Sven argue about a corpse entangled in the roots of a tree. Harald asserts that the spirit of the forest killed the unfortunate because the villagers turned off the old path and no longer honor traditions. Sven is sure that the cause of death was the usual monster, who had already killed five hunters.
Naturally, Geralt will offer his services to the witcher, because the hunt for evil monsters is his craft. Pull more useful information from Harald with Sven will not work, so you have to carry out their own investigation.
Where to find traces of the spirit of the forest on the map in The Witcher 3
First you need to explore the forest using witch's flair. At the first point marked on the map, the dog’s carcass will be found with traces of sharp claws. Further along the route you can find a corpse with broken ribs. To kill a person in this way requires tremendous power.
At the last point the witcher will find a stone with scratches from sharp claws. Comparing the evidence, Geralt will come to the conclusion that the suspected monster is an Leszy who has lived for more than one hundred years. In order to learn more about him, you need to open the bestiary and find a note about the ancient wood Leszy.
From the note the witcher finds out that the monster chose one of the locals, marking him with his seal. As long as this person is alive, the devil will not die either, and after death he will be reborn. After talking with Sven and Harold again, Geralt will have a choice.
Apparently, the devil has already outlined the next token. Sven suggests first to find a person with a monster mark and only then act according to circumstances. Harold proposes to cajole the monster, proving that local hunters continue to honor the precepts of their ancestors and have not turned off the old trail. Agreeing to please everyone at once, will not work - you will have to take one of the possible solutions.
How to enter the quest "In the heart of the Woods" in The Witcher 3
It would seem that the right choice is to deal with the ancient welsh and put an end to a series of murders. However, everything is not so simple: Elder Harold assures that only due to the neighborhood with the spirit of the local forests are so rich in game that feeds the entire village, local women are very fertile and always give birth to healthy children, and hunters are considered the best in all Skellige.
It is not known what will happen to the residents when they lose such powerful support. Killing a devotee or passing a test is a difficult moral choice. However, the player will have to do it. Yes, there are no easy solutions in this game.
How to place an offering on the altar in the Witcher 3 task “In the heart of the Woods”
If you decide to follow the advice of Harold and cajole the ancient wood Leszy, you will have to pass the test of the hunt. Unlike the ancestors of the locals who hunted animals with a knife and spear, Geralt acts like a witcher, using a steel sword and witcher's signs.
To pass the test should kill five white wolves and put their hearts on the altar. Find a place on the map is easy, as there leads autopath. Although the monsters are strong, fighting them is not difficult - in fact, these are ordinary wolves, so you can use Quen in a fight to play it safe from a missed lunge, or Aard, stunning animals. Try to keep during the battle so that there is only one wolf in front of you - this will not allow other predators to come from the flanks.
After Geralt makes an offering on the altar, you can return to Harold for a reward. He will say that judging by the behavior of the ravens, the devil has accepted the gift, and now everything will be as before. During the dialogue, Sven appears unexpectedly, accompanied by several friends. They are sure that it is the headman who carries the seal of the devil, so they intend to deal with him.
The fate of the old man depends on Herald's remark: he may not intervene, allowing the men to kill Harold, or to stand up for him, but then he will have to fight with Sven and his associates. In the first case, Sven himself will become the village headman, in the second one will have to kill everyone.
Where to find the person marked by Spirit of the forest in The Witcher 3
If you decide to fight with the spirit of the forest, you first need to find a person marked by ourim. They will be a girl named Hilda, to whom Sven has tender feelings. You can find her with the help of a witch's instinct talking to other women near the forge. The consequences of the investigation will be fatal for Hilda - she will have to either be killed, what Sven’s people will do quickly, or to drive her out of the village, which also does not bode well.
Then it is necessary to destroy the totem of Lesha, which will protect wild animals and plant roots. You can quickly destroy each totem by hitting it or using the sign of Igni, causing a fire. When destroying the last totem, Geralt will hear the roar of a monster that is nearby, and will be able to fight him.
How to kill the ancient Leszy in the task In the heart of the Woods
In the battle will help oil against relics, which should be applied to the silver sword. As a safety net, you can use the Igni sign to burn the monster with fire, or alternatively use Quen to take less damage. Throughout the fight wolves will come to the aid of the monster. It is better to deal with them as soon as they appear and attack the devotee when he is left alone.
The monster has the ability to dissolve in the air and attack from afar, using the roots. During casting, use rollbacks to take less damage. If you succeed in defeating the monster, on its body you can find the hunting trophy The heart of the devil and mutagen of the devil, used in alchemy.
Returning to Sven, as a reward, in addition to money, you also get Killer Boots. As in the previous case, Sven decides to deal with Harold, and Geralt can stand up for the old man or not intervene.
How does the Ancient leshen decoction in The Witcher 3
This unique component can be used to make a powerful decoction. Such components will be required:
All herbs can be bought from Alchemists or collected during wandering - they often come across. Dwarven spirit is sold in any tavern.
When using a decoction, the use of witch marks in battle generates energy. Its use is effective in combat tactics, built on a combination of sword strikes and signs. As with any decoction, stocks are restored during meditation if Alkageste is in your inventory.
Bug in "The Witcher 3" in the task "In the heart of the Woods"
An interesting bug related to the passage of the task. Some players do not have a drop from his body when killing Sven. After wandering around the village for a while, you can discover Sven, who is doing his job unscathed. He will not enter into dialogue with Geralt, but behaves like a regular NPC added to the background.
Consequences of the choice in the task "In the heart of the Woods"
Each of the options has advantages and disadvantages. After killing a Leszy, you will get a unique decoction that can be a good help in battle, and especially effectively works in combination with medium armor. After a ritual, you guarantee the prosperity of the village in the near future.
In any case, Sven is better to kill. Although the victory over such an enemy is not a great achievement for a seasoned monster hunter who can single-handedly deal with the whole Keiran, it’s better for the whole village that Harold be the headman. Sven, despite some charisma, in most cases behaves like an obvious gangster, which sometimes befits a warrior, but never befits a power elder. And since the quest is a “double-edged sword”, a failed point is inevitable: it will not work to fulfill the conditions of all parties to the conflict.
Video of the quest "In the heart of the Woods" on Skellig in The Witcher 3
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