Ladies of the Wood Witcher 3 | Walkthrough | All endings
"Ladies of the Wood" - the task of the main storyline in the game "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt", where the hero for the first time will have to choose the smaller of two evils. The consequences of the choice are not as obvious as in most other quests, but they affect the fate of key NPCs.
Where to find the quest "Ladies of the Wood" in "The Witcher 3"
The task is given automatically after the completion of the quest “Wandering in the Dark”, in which Geralt and the enchantress Keira Metz explore the abandoned elf lab. Here the heroes do not find either Alexander, who can shed light on the whereabouts of Cirilla, or a note about the research by this elf of the plague called Ekaterin. But Geralt comes across a message from Ciri, in which she advises to be careful with the witches on Crookback Bog. In response to Keira inquiries, the protagonist hands over the book “Ladies of the Wood”, after which the task is added to the journal.
Shelter on Krivoukhovyh swamps and playing hide and seek
The description of the task states “Follow deep into the marshes along the path of sweets”. Upon arrival, with the help of witch's instincts, gingerbread can be found hanging in the trees along a narrow path. In a few minutes Geralt will arrive at the shelter - several dilapidated buildings, among which children play.
The witcher will start asking them about a girl with gray hair, but the children do not know anything. Perhaps, Johnny knows, which will be mentioned by one of the boys, Arek, however, the elderly caretaker will not allow the completion of the dialogue. The woman will be unfriendly with Geralt, and the boy will be taken into the house, so it’s impossible to continue the conversation.
The rest of the children will agree to help the witcher distract her, but first he must play hide and seek with them. There is nothing complicated: you need to use the witch scent and look for traces of one of the children in the center of the site. Passing through them and finding a child, on the same site you can find traces of the following.
When the children distract the grandmother, Arek will tell you that Johnny can be found in a clearing on the edge of the swamps under a strange looking tree. On the way will have to kill a few utoptsev and water women.
Iwasik himself will be an adjustment that has lost his voice. Geralt will agree to help him by taking the vessel with the voice of the harpies sealed in it. In gratitude, Johnny will tell you that he saw Ciri, who was heading towards the orphanage, and also convinced her grandmother that she should help Geralt.
What kills peasants from Steigers in the task "Ladies of the Wood"
The Witches will be given the task of the protagonist - to help the residents of the village Downwarren. In return, they will promise to tell you what happened to Ciri in the shelter. Runs the parallel task "Whispering Hilock".
Residents Downwarren get sick and die for unknown reasons. According to the headman, the source of the strange contagion is located not far from the village - in the place indicated on the map as the Ancient Oak. As with any geotagging, fast moving works here after you find a road sign.
Regardless of whether you find the Whispering Hill on a quest or exploring the game world, on the first visit a creature that lives under the hill will enter into dialogue with the witches. This is Black Beauty, the mother of witches from Whispering Hillock, which her daughter had long ago killed and imprisoned in the roots of a tree.
"Whispering Hilock": the entrance to the cave and werewolf
The walkthrough under the hill is indicated on the mini-map as the usual entrance to the cave, not far from which is located the Place of Power. He is protected by a volkolak, which is extremely difficult to kill with the wrong tactics: if the character’s level is low and he does little damage, the monster regenerates health more quickly than it can be reduced with the help of a silver sword. It is recommended to use the Cursed oil, the Dimeritium bomb, the Moon Dust and the Igni sign (the last three block regeneration). How to defeat a werewolf, you can read in the bestiary in the appropriate article.
However, it is not necessary to kill a volkolak at all - you can lure him away from the entrance and freely go inside. Keeping to the right and sailing along an intricate corridor, Geralt will meet with Black Beauty.
The spirit of the tree in the task "Ladies of the Wood"
The creature will tell you that the children face trouble - the witches decided to eat them, and only one she can help. But for this the witcher must release her. If you agree, you will need to perform a ritual, after performing a search:
- Feather raven (already in inventory after searching the harpies nest);
- Black Beauty remains (dig up an abandoned grave in a swamp);
- Black Beauty (can be caught near the Whispering Hill).
Where to find the necessary components for the ritual is marked on the map, so there will be no problems. You can fool the spirit by bringing it all to the cave, but then say that you change your mind. Mara from such a surprise quietly emit the spirit.
You can also enter into open combat, saying that you do not believe the spirit. Since the roots themselves can not fight, endriagi will occasionally crawl to the rescue. After they kill, you can cause damage to the roots.
Which doll to choose in the quest "Ladies of the Wood"
Passing this task is closely related to another quest from the main storyline - “Family matters”. The old woman from the orphanage is none other than Anna, the fleeing wife of the Bloody Baron. If you release Maru, she will keep her word and save the children by looking in on the Steigers. The ghost in the village will make a real debacle: kill several residents and burn almost all the buildings.
Angry witches turn Anna into a water woman. This will be found out by the Baron, who visits here during the “ Return to Crookback Bog” mission. Since this is a common curse, albeit a strong one, the Baron will ask the witcher for help.
To disenchant a woman, on a tip from Johnny, go down to the basement in the building where the tapestry with the image of the Hostesses of the Woods hangs. So there is another altar on which four dolls lie. If you choose the wrong doll, Anna will simply burn. Keep in mind that you can select it only once, so it does not hurt to save. To spell a woman, choose a doll with a flower in her hair.
However, the enchanted Anna, to whom the former appearance would return, would almost immediately die, before he could really say goodbye to Baron and daughter Tamara. Not a good ending. Geralt, returning to the Crow's Perch for the award, learns that the Bloody Baron hanged himself from grief.
A good ending in the quest "Ladies of the Wood"
If you kill Maru, the witches will eat the children, and Anna will finally break away with her mind. Baron will take her to the hermit who knows how to heal any ailments. With any succession of events, Tamara will remain in the unit of the Hunters of the Sorceress, as she already at that time has certain obligations to the Holy Fire. The hunters, by the way, will cut out almost all the inhabitants of the Steiger village.
How to save everyone in the task "Ladies of the Wood"
In the old versions of the game there was a bug that allowed Anna and the children, the Baron, to be saved, but not the residents of the Steigers - in any case, they will face an unenviable fate. In versions 1.12 and above, this bug has been fixed, so, alas, it won't work to save everyone.
If you are playing a streaming version so that option 3 is available, all the related quests should be completed using a specific algorithm:
- Find the Whispering Hill and talk to Mara before visiting the orphanage on Krivoukhovy bogs. In response to the request to release her promise to think.
- Going back here on the instructions of the headman Steiger, agree to release the spirit, find all the components and conduct the ritual.
- Return to the witches and find out what ended Cyril's visit to the shelter.
- Go to the baron and tell about the whereabouts of Anna and Tamara.
Agree to accompany him during his visit to the Krivoukhovy bogs.
Important! Finding Tamara and convincing her that her father regrets about his actions, you need to start the quest "Restoration on Krivoukhovy Topi". During family clashes, one should support the side of the baron, otherwise the family will not reconcile.
In versions of The Witcher 3, beginning with patch 1.12, during the dialogue Mara will tell you that death threatens orphans in the area of Ard Cerbin, and not in the shelter on Crookback Bog. A wise decision by the developers: the ability to save everyone is too vanilla ending for such a dark storyline.
The best ending of the task "Ladies of the Wood"
Rescued children can be met in Oxenfurt in one of the shelters. Anna and Baron, after they go to Zerkaniyu, like Tamara, we will not meet again. Regardless of whether you decide to kill the Black Maru or not, the consequences will not be the best for the Residents of the Steigers - either all of them will perish at once, or only some of them, being turned up by Hunters. Deal with the Ladies of the Wood will not succeed.
What to choose and how to proceed is up to the player to decide. A good ending is still not the most correct, although it is the lesser of the evils: it will not be possible to save everyone at once. For the survivors, things are going in the most favorable way: the baron is alive, Anna and the children too, the spirit in the cave is free, Tamara has found her calling, and the Mistresses of the forest continue to patronize Velen, as they have done for hundreds of years. Geralt also receives experience and thanks to key characters as a reward. However, as usual: everyone is happy, and the witch has to rake the shit.
Quest video
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