The Beast of Toussaint in The Witcher 3: Bruxa, Shaelmaar and the Hare Hunt Riddle
Witcher 3 The Beast of Toussaint: kill Golyat fast, beat the bruxa and shaelmaar, find the golden fish, and the hare hunt riddle answer (greenhouse).
In this article (0 sections)
Updated October 2026. The Beast of Toussaint is the first big quest of Blood and Wine. Geralt arrives in Toussaint, kills a giant, investigates the Beast's latest victim, fights a bruxa in a cellar, saves a knight from a shaelmaar in the arena, and finally joins the duchess in a riddle hunt to find the Beast's next target. There are a few choices along the way that count later, and one riddle with a right answer.
Quick answer
Golyat: shoot him in the eye with your crossbow for an instant kill (and the David and Golyat achievement).
Bruxa: Superior Moon Dust stops her going invisible; Aard slowed down by Yrden can kill her in one hit.
Shaelmaar: it's blind. Use Aard near a wall and dodge so it crashes into the wall. Sparing it counts as proof of compassion for There Can Be Only One.
Riddle answer: "It's a greenhouse." It counts as proof of wisdom.
Reward: 2,550 XP, the Golyat trophy and Corvo Bianco.
The Beast of Toussaint Walkthrough
1. Golyat
As soon as you arrive after Envoys, Wineboys, the knight Guillaume de Launfal is fighting a giant called Golyat, and Geralt joins in. A crossbow bolt to the eye kills him instantly and earns the David and Golyat achievement. Otherwise, fight him normally (450 XP). Golyat sometimes leaves a second corpse with over 100 crowns, which may only appear when you come back later.
2. The Riverbank
Follow Milton to the shoreline below The Cockatrice Inn and investigate with your witcher senses. Before you dive, kill a group of scurvers, a tougher kind of rotfiend. Keep Quen up for their far-reaching death explosions. Underwater you find a handkerchief monogrammed "d.l.C.". Talk to Milton, then ask around at the inn, and head to Corvo Bianco.
3. The Bruxa at Corvo Bianco
You can walk there. Near the estate you hear fighting; investigate and Geralt works out that the culprit is a bruxa (checking the bestiary is an optional 150 XP). In the cellar she won't talk, so fight her:
| Her trick | Counter |
|---|---|
| Turns invisible | Throw Superior Moon Dust and she can't |
| Very fast | Slow her with Yrden; Aard while she's slowed can kill her in one hit (see our signs guide) |
After she dies (500 XP), examine the last victim's body: there's a coin pouch in its mouth and an Unusual severed hand that attracted the bruxa (150 XP). Then meet Palmerin at the arena.
4. The Arena and the Shaelmaar
At the arena you may overhear the knight Bors talking to Percival, which starts the side quest There Can Be Only One. Palmerin takes you to the stands, where Guillaume is fighting a handicapped shaelmaar. It soon breaks free and Geralt jumps in.
The shaelmaar is blind and hunts by sound. The easy method: stand near a wall, use Aard, and dodge away so it charges into the wall and tips over, then hit it while it's down (300 XP). Palmerin can get knocked around, but he won't die.
| Choice | Effect |
|---|---|
| Spare the shaelmaar when the duchess tells you to finish it | Counts as "Proof of compassion" for There Can Be Only One |
| Finish it | No proof of compassion |
5. The Duchess and Corvo Bianco
Anna Henrietta introduces Damien de la Tour and gives Geralt the deed and key to Corvo Bianco as part of his pay (100 XP), which starts the side quest No Place Like Home. It's the same vineyard where you fought the bruxa; see our Corvo Bianco guide. Geralt works out that the next victim will be Milton, and the victims once served together. But Milton is hiding somewhere in the annual hare hunt game.
The Hare Hunt: Finding Milton
Anna Henrietta decides to break the game's rules to save Milton. You need three clues: the key from the Golden Fish, the clue from the "unicorn's" horn, and the Phoenix egg (the duchess gets the egg).
| Clue | How to get it | XP |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Fish | Dive into the water. Only the golden fish has the key; the others hold sweets. It's at the southwest end of the search area, closest to the shore. Witcher senses make the colors harder to tell apart. | 150 on your first or second try; 50 if someone else gets it after two misses |
| "Unicorn" horn | The animal runs off. Win it over with treats from the picnic blankets south of the round stone veranda (it doesn't like cookies), or use Axii, which makes other guests accuse you of cheating. | 150 |
| Phoenix egg | Anna Henrietta takes care of it. | — |
Last chance: two optional interactions, the Lost ring and the Grain cup, are only available until this quest ends. Do them before you go back to the duchess with the clues.
With the clues, answer the riddle. The options are "In a cave", "In the palace pantry", "It's a greenhouse", "Someplace cramped" and "Got no idea where Milton's hiding". The right answer is "It's a greenhouse" (200 XP), and it counts as "Proof of wisdom" for There Can Be Only One. If you get it wrong, the duchess answers instead. The quest ends (1,000 XP) and Blood Run begins right away. If you already know the answer, you can go straight to Milton with just the key, but you miss the extra XP.
Video: How to Beat the Shaelmaar
Frequently Asked Questions
QWhat's the answer to the riddle in The Beast of Toussaint?
"It's a greenhouse." Milton is hiding in the greenhouse, and the right answer counts as proof of wisdom for There Can Be Only One.
QShould I spare the shaelmaar?
Sparing it counts as proof of compassion for the side quest There Can Be Only One. Otherwise nothing changes.
QHow do I beat the bruxa?
Use Superior Moon Dust so she can't turn invisible, and Yrden to slow her down. Aard while she's slowed can kill her in one hit.
QHow do I kill Golyat quickly?
Shoot him in the eye with your crossbow. It's an instant kill and gives the David and Golyat achievement.
QWhich fish has the key?
The golden one, at the southwest end of the search area, closest to the shore.
Before this: Envoys, Wineboys. More: Blood and Wine endings and all Witcher 3 quests.
Sources: in-game quest text and journal; steps, choices and rewards checked against the Witcher Wiki and Fextralife pages for The Beast of Toussaint. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs by misternoobie, Nikolaevna, Jason's Video Games Source and Guides Gamepressure.
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.