Evil's Soft First Touches: How to Start Hearts of Stone and Beat the Toad Prince
How to start Hearts of Stone in Witcher 3: Evil's Soft First Touches walkthrough, beating the Toad Prince, the Ofieri phrase and every reward.
In this article (0 sections)
Updated October 2026. Evil's Soft First Touches is the first quest of the Hearts of Stone expansion. It starts as an ordinary contract from Olgierd von Everec to kill a monster in the Oxenfurt sewers, and ends with Geralt carrying Gaunter O'Dimm's mark on his face. Along the way you get one of the hardest early bosses in the game, the Toad Prince, and a meeting with an old friend, Shani.
Quick answer
How to start Hearts of Stone: check the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn. The quest appears in your journal once the expansion is installed.
Suggested level: 32. The expansion is tough, so don't go in underleveled. New Game can also start Hearts of Stone directly with a pre-made level 32 Geralt (separate save).
Toad Prince: drink Golden Oriole against the poison and pin him down with Yrden.
Missable: loot Olgierd's manor when you first visit; you can't explore it later.
Reward: 1,450 XP and 450 crowns, plus XP for the optional fistfight, the Ofieri phrase and the mage.
Evil's Soft First Touches Walkthrough
1. The Notice Board at the Seven Cats Inn
Go to the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn (the quest marker leads you there). A man pins up a new contract: Olgierd von Everec wants a monster in the Oxenfurt sewers killed. Take it and ride to the Garin estate.
2. Olgierd's Manor
Olgierd's men mock Geralt when he arrives. Say you're there on business, or mock them back and start a fistfight; winning it gives 150 XP. Olgierd explains that his cook was killed by a monster in the sewers while looking for a prince turned into a toad. Haggle and he agrees to 450 crowns. On your way out, a woman offers you another job, which starts the side quest Rose on a Red Field.
Loot the manor now. After you take the contract, search the inside of Olgierd's manor. You won't be able to explore it when you come back.
3. The Oxenfurt Sewers
Enter the sewers through the well at the Oxenfurt market and follow the footprints with your witcher senses (most are male, one is female). After a few drowners you find Shani trying to save a soldier, and she joins you as a guide.
- At the locked grate, use Aard on the wall beside it to get through.
- Find the Key to sewer gates on a dead soldier. You can drop down a hole instead, but you'll miss Shani's dialogue and some items.
- Geralt works out that the monster likes alcohol. Fight through more drowners to its lair, where he uses alcohol on a corpse as bait.
How to Beat the Toad Prince
Your potions and bombs are refilled when the fight starts. Don't expect an easy first boss: he has a lot of health, hops around, knocks you back, whips with his tongue and spits venom that leaves poison clouds.
| Tool | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Golden Oriole | Protects you from his poison; the superior version even heals you from it |
| Yrden | Pins him down for short spells. Reliable and reusable (see our signs guide) |
| Northern Wind bombs | Effective, but limited charges for a long fight |
| Archgriffin decoction | Shortens the fight a lot because of his huge health pool |
| Cursed oil | Weak for damage on its own, but good for defense with Protective Coating (see our oils guide) |
The basic loop: pin him with Yrden, run in and land strong attacks or Whirl, then back off before he recovers. Keep your stamina up for Yrden; Quen's Active Shield and an Ancient Leshen decoction help with that.
At around 5% health, a cutscene plays: he really was a prince. The toxic gas knocks Geralt out, and Ofieri soldiers take him for killing their prince (600 XP).
4. The Ship and Gaunter O'Dimm
Geralt wakes up in a cell on the Albatross, bound for Ofir. Another prisoner, Phelippe Calagrande, teaches him the Ofieri phrase to ask for the captain. In the timed choice that follows, pick "...alle'khe uhl eghullath!" (the bottom option) for 200 XP. It doesn't get you to the captain either way. That night Gaunter O'Dimm appears and offers help in exchange for a favor. Geralt agrees and gets O'Dimm's mark on his face.
5. The Beach and the Ofieri Mage (Optional)
A storm wrecks the ship. On the beach you can fight the surviving soldiers and an Ofieri mage for 200 XP, or run. Your gear is in your inventory, so re-equip it first. The mage can't be hurt until the soldiers are dead. Dodge his sand twister (Aard interrupts it), and use bleeding, poison and Axii; dimeritium bombs barely affect him.
6. Meet O'Dimm, Then Olgierd
Meet Gaunter at the crossroads beneath the willows at midnight; he doesn't show up before about 11 PM, so meditate if needed. He reveals that Olgierd knew who the toad was and owes O'Dimm too. To pay his debt, Geralt must grant Olgierd three wishes. Then go back to the Garin estate.
7. The Burning Estate
The manor is on fire and two of Olgierd's men are about to execute one of their own. Only the second dialogue choice matters:
| Your answer | What happens |
|---|---|
| "Let him go or face my wrath." | Olgierd comes out and duels Geralt for the man's life. |
| Either other option | Olgierd distracts Geralt and the man is beheaded. |
If you fight Olgierd, Quen is your best friend: he hits very hard. Hit or parry him during his charge and he starts choking, which gives you three free hits before he throws sand. Aard, Igni and Yrden traps used during his charge also make him choke. Either way, the quest ends here, and Olgierd's three wishes come next. For the rest of his story, see our Olgierd guide and the O'Dimm riddle guide.
Rewards
| Reward | How |
|---|---|
| 1,450 XP | Main quest total |
| 450 crowns | Olgierd's contract fee (haggled) |
| 150 XP | Win the optional fistfight at the manor |
| 200 XP | Pick the correct Ofieri phrase |
| 200 XP | Defeat the Ofieri mage on the beach |
While Geralt has O'Dimm's mark, Ciri, Triss and Yennefer have an extra line about it, if you can still talk to them (see our romance guide).
Video: How to Beat the Toad Prince
Frequently Asked Questions
QHow do I start Hearts of Stone?
With the expansion installed, check the notice board outside the Seven Cats Inn. That starts Evil's Soft First Touches.
QWhat level do I need for Hearts of Stone?
The first quest's suggested level is 32. The expansion is hard, so being at or above that helps a lot.
QHow do I beat the Toad Prince?
Drink Golden Oriole against his poison, pin him down with Yrden and hit him while he's trapped. An Archgriffin decoction shortens the fight.
QWhat's the correct Ofieri phrase?
"Vhajlth alle'khe uhl eghullath." In the timed choice, pick the bottom option for 200 XP.
QShould I save the man at the burning estate?
It's your call. Threatening Olgierd's men leads to a hard optional duel with Olgierd; the other answers let the man die.
More: Olgierd von Everec explained, Gaunter O'Dimm riddle and all Witcher 3 quests.
Sources: in-game quest text and journal; steps, boss tips and rewards checked against the Witcher Wiki and Fextralife pages for Evil's Soft First Touches; the pre-made start option against KeenGamer. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs by TrickyShip Gaming, Alchemy Gaming, The Praetor, nathonas and MenWhoStareAtGames.
Kai Mercer covers game news, free games, release calendars and guides for xGamerss.
More from Kai Mercer →
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first!
Sign in or create an account to earn karma — or comment as a guest.