The Beast of White Orchard in The Witcher 3: Walkthrough, How to Beat the Griffin and Should You Take the Reward
Witcher 3 The Beast of White Orchard: find Mislav and the griffin's nest, get the buckthorn, beat the griffin, and whether to take the captain's 150 crowns.
In this article (0 sections)
Updated October 2026. The Beast of White Orchard is the griffin hunt the Nilfgaardian captain sends you on during Lilac and Gooseberries. It's the game's first real witcher contract: you find out why the griffin attacks people, prepare bait with Vesemir, and fight the beast in two phases. Here is the walkthrough, how to beat the griffin, and whether to take the captain's money.
Quick answer
Steps: find the hunter Mislav, then the griffin's nest, get buckthorn from Tomira's riverbed, and set the trap with Vesemir.
Griffin fight: shoot it down with the crossbow, use Aard when it lands, and don't stand in front of it. Halfway through, it flees to the windmill and you finish it there.
Reward choice: take the money for 300 XP and 150 crowns, or refuse it for 400 XP. Nothing else changes.
Don't skip Tomira: visiting her is the only way to start the side quest On Death's Bed.
The Beast of White Orchard Walkthrough
1. Find the Hunter Mislav
Mislav isn't at his hut. Use your Witcher Senses on the tracks by his door and follow them into the woods. When you find him, either say you're in a hurry, and he leads you straight to the attack site, or help him with a pack of wild dogs. If you help, he opens up about his past and the fall of the local lord's house. Either way you get 350 XP.
2. The Attack Site and the Griffin's Nest
Mislav takes you to where the Nilfgaardian patrol was killed. With Witcher Senses, check the bottles (they were celebrating), the campfire, the blood-soaked ground and the soldiers' tracks. Follow the tracks across the broken bridge and up the hill to the nest. Examine the body, the bones and the dead griffin (500 XP).
The twist: the patrol killed the female griffin while she slept on her nest. Griffins mate for life, so her mate has been taking it out on everyone since.
3. Buckthorn from Tomira
Talk to Tomira, the herbalist. She tells you buckthorn grows on the riverbed where the river is widest. Dive there and use your Witcher Senses to find it. While you're with her, ask about the sick girl, Lena, to start On Death's Bed (it needs a Swallow potion). The side quest A Frying Pan, Spick and Span is right by the river, too.
If you already have buckthorn when you talk to the captain, the game skips Tomira, and you can miss On Death's Bed entirely. Talk to her anyway. If you first meet her after the griffin is dead, Lena has already died.
4. Set the Trap with Vesemir
Find Vesemir outside the inn. He has already chosen a field for the ambush. Meet him there, and before the griffin arrives he hands you a crossbow.
How to Beat the Griffin
- Shoot it out of the air with the crossbow. A bolt brings it down to the ground.
- Don't fight it head-on. Its frontal attacks hit hard. Circle to the side or behind it and dodge rather than roll.
- Use Aard to knock it down, and Quen to absorb a hit.
- Prepare: Hybrid oil, Swallow, and Grapeshot bombs if you have them. The Viper School swords from the White Orchard treasure hunt make the fight much easier.
- Phase two: at half health, the griffin flies to a ridge by the windmill. Follow on foot or horseback (Vesemir may lag behind on horseback) and finish it the same way.
Afterwards, loot the corpse to take the griffin's head as a trophy.
Take the Captain's Money or Not
| Choice | Reward | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Accept the money | 300 XP + 150 crowns | None |
| Refuse the money | 400 XP | None |
Either way, the captain tells you Yennefer has gone to Vizima, and Lilac and Gooseberries continues. Early on, the 150 crowns are usually worth more than 100 extra XP.
Known Bug
- The griffin can get stuck inside the windmill during phase two. Reload a save.
Video: How to Fight the Griffin
Frequently Asked Questions
QShould I accept the reward for the griffin?
It's up to you: 300 XP and 150 crowns, or 400 XP. There's no other consequence. Most players take the crowns.
QHow do you beat the White Orchard griffin?
Ground it with the crossbow, avoid its front, use Aard and Quen, and bring Swallow. Apply Hybrid oil if you have it.
QWhere is the buckthorn in The Beast of White Orchard?
On the riverbed where the river is widest, marked after you talk to Tomira. Dive and use your Witcher Senses.
QCan I skip Mislav?
Yes. If you find the griffin's nest first, the Mislav part is skipped, but you lose his 350 XP.
More: all Witcher 3 quests, and the White Orchard treasures, including the Viper School gear.
Sources: in-game quest text and journal; rewards and steps checked against the Witcher Wiki page for The Beast of White Orchard. Screenshots: gameplay frames from YouTube walkthroughs.
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.