The Gangs of Novigrad in The Witcher 3: Should You Take Cleaver's Help, the Rewards and How Not to Fail It
Witcher 3 The Gangs of Novigrad: should you accept Cleaver's help, what he pays (up to 300 crowns), the casino trick that keeps the secret passage, and why it fails.
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Updated October 2026. The Gangs of Novigrad is the side quest Cleaver offers you during Get Junior: let his dwarves raid Whoreson Junior's casino and arena with you. It looks like free help, but it can cost you the quiet secret-passage route into Junior's estate, and it fails outright if you leave it too late. Here are the choices, what each pays, and how to get everything.
Quick answer
Is it worth it? Only for the crowns: 150 per location, 300 for both, plus 50 XP. It makes the casino and arena fights easier but skips the arena fights and the peaceful route.
The catch: taking Cleaver's help at the arena means you can't use the secret passage into Junior's estate later.
It fails once you meet Roche's Redanian contact (Radovid) in Get Junior, or if you clear both places alone before talking to Cleaver.
Cleaver's Help: Every Option Compared
| What you do | Reward | Downside |
|---|---|---|
| Raid both the casino and the arena with Cleaver's dwarves | 300 crowns + 50 XP | No secret passage later; you skip the arena fights |
| Raid only the casino with them (do the arena peacefully) | 150 crowns + 50 XP | Secret passage can still work (see the casino trick) |
| Raid only the arena with them | 150 crowns + 50 XP | No secret passage later |
| Refuse and do it all yourself | Nothing from this quest | Quest stays open, then fails when you meet Radovid |
Best option for most players: do the arena peacefully (fight in the ring, find the stash) and use Cleaver only at the casino with the trick below. You get the crowns, the full arena content and the secret passage.
How to Start The Gangs of Novigrad
At the start of Get Junior, the bathhouse meeting with Sigi Reuven (Dijkstra), the King of Beggars and Cleaver ends with Cleaver telling you to come and see him first if you want Junior. His headquarters is near Hierarch Square in Novigrad. When you arrive, he's "questioning" one of Junior's men. Agree to work together. If you say no, you just get an objective to think it over.
Talk to Cleaver before clearing both locations yourself. If you finish both alone first, he won't talk to you, and the quest gets stuck on "Think over Cleaver's offer" until it fails.
Walkthrough: Raiding the Casino and the Arena
After you accept, his dwarves wait in the alleys near each location. Talk to them to start the raid, and don't wander off once you have, or the quest fails. The fights themselves are part of Get Junior:
- Casino: the dwarves storm in and clear the ground floor and the first floor with you. You finish the top floor yourself. Free the tied-up halfling Rico afterwards; that starts Honor Among Thieves.
- Arena: the dwarves charge Igor's room, and it's a big brawl with a dozen enemies at once. Use Quen and Aard. Then loot Igor's key and find Junior's secret stash with the mysterious letter.
The Casino Trick (Crowns and the Secret Passage)
Enter the casino peacefully: bribe the guards (200 crowns) or use Axii. Then play Gwent and win your bets. When the fight breaks out, leave one of Junior's men alive, step outside and call in Cleaver's dwarves. The enemies respawn for a second clear, so you get double loot, your Gwent winnings and Cleaver's 150 crowns. Since you never asked about Junior, the secret passage stays available.
Reward from Cleaver
Return to Cleaver after the raids: 150 crowns per location you raided with his men, up to 300, plus 50 XP. If you clear both places alone but haven't finished searching them, you can still talk to him: the quest fails, but you get 200 XP.
How The Gangs of Novigrad Fails
- You meet Roche's Redanian contact at the Oxenfurt chess club in Get Junior before finishing it.
- You leave the area after talking to Cleaver's dwarves outside the casino or arena.
- You clear both locations completely on your own before ever talking to Cleaver.
More on the main quest: Get Junior: kill or spare Whoreson Junior.
Video: The Gangs of Novigrad Best Choices
Frequently Asked Questions
QShould I accept Cleaver's help in Witcher 3?
Yes at the casino, using the leave-one-alive trick, for the crowns. At the arena it's better to go in alone, so you keep the arena fights and the secret passage into Junior's estate.
QHow much does Cleaver pay?
150 crowns for each location you raid with his dwarves, so 300 for both, plus 50 XP.
QWhy did The Gangs of Novigrad fail?
You either met Radovid at the chess club first, walked away after calling the dwarves, or cleared both locations alone before talking to Cleaver.
QWhere is Cleaver in Novigrad?
At his headquarters near Hierarch Square in central Novigrad.
Sources: in-game quest text and journal; details checked against the Witcher Wiki pages for The Gangs of Novigrad and Get Junior. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs.
Kai Mercer covers game news, free games, release calendars and guides for xGamerss.
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