Dead Man's Party in The Witcher 3: Every Wedding Activity, Shani's Shoe and Rewards
Witcher 3 Dead Man's Party: summon Vlodimir, every wedding activity and reward, where Shani's shoe is, the pigs, and the King of Swineherds' crown.
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Updated October 2026. Dead Man's Party is Olgierd's first wish in Hearts of Stone: show his brother Vlodimir a good time. The catch is that Vlodimir is dead. With Shani's help, Geralt summons his ghost, lets it possess him, and takes him to a village wedding. It's one of the funniest quests in the game, and the wedding has optional activities, real rewards (including the best gold-bonus trophy in the game) and the start of the Shani romance.
Quick answer
Before the wedding: your inventory is locked during it. Apply beast oil to your steel sword first.
Four mandatory activities: herd the pigs, the fistfight with the maiden's brothers, the fire swallower and Shani's shoe. Gwent with the halflings is optional.
Shani's shoe: only her shoe gives the full reward. It's on a ledge in the left corner of the pond.
Pigs: herd the black pigs with yellow paint; don't use Axii or you lose the prize.
Don't leave: A Midnight Clear (the Shani romance) starts at the end and fails if you leave the wedding.
Reward: 1,050 XP, plus King of Swineherds' crown and Ass ears (optional).
Dead Man's Party Walkthrough
1. Shani's Clinic
After Evil's Soft First Touches, visit Shani at her clinic in Oxenfurt and ask for help finding Olgierd's brother. She has read about the von Everec family, knows where their crypt is, and agrees to meet you there with a censer (150 XP).
2. The von Everec Crypt
Shani stays outside, so Geralt goes in alone. In the main room four wraiths attack, no more than two at a time. You'll face more specters soon, so a Reliever's decoction is a good idea (see our potions guide). There's a breakable wall; leave it for later.
No going back: once you start the ritual, you're locked into the quest until it's done.
Use your witcher senses to find Vlodimir's grave (the one with a sabre in front). Use the censer at every marked spot, then light the central votive. The ghosts of the whole von Everec family attack. When they're gone, Vlodimir appears, hears Olgierd's wish, and possesses Geralt (100 XP). Shani wakes "Geralt" up and suggests the wedding she's going to.
Optional: behind the breakable wall, loot a graverobber for a crypt key that opens a locked door near the entrance. Watch out for arachnomorphs in there.
3. The Wedding at Brunwich
For the whole wedding your inventory is disabled and you wear an Ornate robe and boots. You can't fast travel to Brunwich, so call Roach outside the gate. Vlodimir "borrows" new clothes and somehow gets a haircut and a shave; that happens even if you come prepared, and a barber can change it back afterwards.
Meet the newlyweds, Aldona and Johnnus. Don't worry if Vlodimir insults the groom; nothing changes. Then take part in the activities. Each mandatory one moves time forward. After two of them, O'Dimm appears and dedicates a song to Vlodimir and Shani; go talk to him (150 XP).
Every Wedding Activity and Its Reward
| Activity | How to do it | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Pig herding | Herd the two black pigs with yellow paint into the pen, like sheep. No time limit. Don't use Axii. | 200 XP + King of Swineherds' crown (only 50 XP if you used Axii) |
| Woo the maiden (fistfight) | Her three brothers show up and you fight them. Choices don't matter. | 200 XP for winning, 50 for losing |
| Gwent with the halflings | They play Northern Realms with Foltest: The Steel-Forged, spies, weather and Scorch. | 200 XP for winning. Lose: 5% of your coin and the Ass ears |
| The fire swallower | Follow the tracks with witcher senses. Axii the dog (it only goes home if you do), then bring the fire swallower back and protect him from a boar. | 200 XP. If he leaves, 50 XP, plus 150 if you juggle apples yourself |
| Shani's shoe | Find her shoe in the pond: it's on a ledge in the left corner. The other two shoes don't count. | 200 XP for her shoe, 50 for the wrong one |
Optional activities count toward the Let the Good Times Roll! achievement: talk to the two "girls" (they turn out to be elderly women), have drinks at two tables, talk to Shani upstairs in the barn (the Cow Gwent card is up there too) and dance in front of the stage. To get the achievement easily, leave one mandatory activity, like the shoe, for last. See our Gwent cards guide for the Cow card.
4. Midnight
After all four mandatory activities and the talk with O'Dimm, go to the musicians' stage. Vlodimir wants to make a speech; let him if you don't mind looking silly. During the capping ceremony Vlodimir writes a letter in blood to his brother, then tries to break his promise and stay with Shani. O'Dimm reappears and banishes him (200 XP).
Do A Midnight Clear right away. It starts at the end of the wedding and fails if you leave. It's the Shani romance quest.
Finally, take Vlodimir's letter to Olgierd at the Alchemy inn in Oxenfurt (150 XP). Re-equip your armor after leaving the wedding.
King of Swineherds' Crown: Is It Worth It?
Yes. It looks like a joke trophy, but the Witcher Wiki says it gives the highest extra gold bonus in the game, so herd those pigs properly. Shani also gets a stuffed pig, which you can later see at her place.
Video: Dead Man's Party
Frequently Asked Questions
QWhere is Shani's shoe in Dead Man's Party?
In the pond, on a ledge in the left corner. There are two other shoes; only hers gives the full 200 XP.
QWhich pigs do I herd?
Only the black pigs with yellow paint on their backs. Herd two into the pen and don't use Axii.
QHow do I beat the halflings at Gwent?
Expect a strong Northern Realms deck with spies, weather and Scorch. Losing costs 5% of your coin and you wear the Ass ears.
QCan I miss the Shani romance?
Yes. A Midnight Clear starts at the end of the wedding and fails if you leave, so do it straight away.
QWhat should I prepare before the wedding?
Your inventory is locked during it, so put beast oil on your steel sword for the boar fight beforehand.
Before this: Evil's Soft First Touches. More: Olgierd explained, O'Dimm riddle and all Witcher 3 quests.
Sources: in-game quest text and journal; activities and rewards checked against the Witcher Wiki and Fextralife pages for Dead Man's Party. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs by Vanguard of Calamity, TrickyShip Gaming, GamingWithHarsha, Nak Games TV, Jason's Video Games Source and Funkshoon.
Kai Mercer covers game news, free games, release calendars and guides for xGamerss.
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