[SPOILERS] Save the Orphans and Anna

[Dorzalty]

[SPOILERS] Save the Orphans and Anna

Hello,

Can someone please help me with this quest? I want to save the children and Anna, but no matter what I try, the children are never at the orphanage and no one ever mentions if they are alright. I have tried freeing the Spirit before I start the Family quest or before I even go into the Woods and meet Anna, I tried freeing the spirit when I'm helping Johnny find his voice, I tried freeing the spirit when the Crones send me on the quest, but it all ends up the same.

Does anyone know the correct method? The exact steps, rather? I've restarted my game a thousand times over so help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[cyberpunkforever]

save them from what?
there is nothing you can do to change anything related to the orphans
you can only decide what to do with anna, tamara, the bloody baron, etc
but there is "outcome" for the orphans

 

[Dorzalty]

save them from what?
there is nothing you can do to change anything related to the orphans
you can only decide what to do with anna, tamara, the bloody baron, etc
but there is "outcome" for the orphans

Well, I mean save the kids from the Crones, so they arrive at the orphanage/school in Novigrad and save Anna so she isn't murdered for the "betrayal" from Geralt.

EDIT

I just tried this method and it didn't work either:

Before meeting the Baron and starting any of the quests leading to the Crones, I went to the spirit and freed it. And then I progressed through the quests normally and although the Crones do not get angry that I "handled" the spirit before hand and spare Anna, the kids are taken (and not in Novigrad). Many players say there is a way to save them all, but I can't seem to figure it out.

 

[Thomas999]

There's no way to save both. Anna is punished specifically because the children got away. Saving her means leaving them where they are, most likely to have been eaten by the time Geralt returns with the Baron for Anna. Personally, causing her punishment and the Baron's fatal depression doesn't seem too big a price to pay for getting the kids out of that place, so I was satisfied with that result. It's a harsh world, people die all the time and those two weren't saints to begin with. Geralt has more important things to worry about, so it's better to just move on.

One thing I really like about the Witcher games is that they don't prize life too highly. There are always casualties, often long before Geralt even comes along. Men, women and children are starving and getting sick and killing each other and sometimes just being plain stupid, and if you play it like a typical fantasy RPG by trying to make good changes in the world and saving everybody possible, well, then you're just going to be disappointed and drive yourself nuts with what-ifs, because that isn't how the world works. Best to focus on the things immediately important to Geralt - his friends and loved ones - and not be too surprised or feel too guilty when a roof caves in over some poor schmuck. Because it happens every day.

 

[Dorzalty]

There's no way to save both. Anna is punished specifically because the children got away. Saving her means leaving them where they are, most likely to have been eaten by the time Geralt returns with the Baron for Anna. Personally, causing her punishment and the Baron's fatal depression doesn't seem too big a price to pay for getting the kids out of that place, so I was satisfied with that result. It's a harsh world, people die all the time and those two weren't saints to begin with. Geralt has more important things to worry about, so it's better to just move on.

One thing I really like about the Witcher games is that they don't prize life too highly. There are always casualties, often long before Geralt even comes along. Men, women and children are starving and getting sick and killing each other and sometimes just being plain stupid, and if you play it like a typical fantasy RPG by trying to make good changes in the world and saving everybody possible, well, then you're just going to be disappointed and drive yourself nuts with what-ifs, because that isn't how the world works. Best to focus on the things immediately important to Geralt - his friends and loved ones - and not be too surprised or feel too guilty when a roof caves in over some poor schmuck. Because it happens every day.

It is because of those casualties that I'd like to spare as many lives as I can. Poor Geralt.

UPDATE:

I actually did sort of manage it today. After giving Johnny his voice but before heading to the Bog with him I went to the spirit and freed her. She didn't make an offer to save the children (and then lied to the elderman that I killed the spirit), but upon talking to the Crones, after they mention that the kinds are plump and ready to be eaten, I said "You used me!" and told them that I freed the spirit, they freaked out and said the spirit had taken the children away and that I was a traitor. Anna was perfectly okay after this and so was the Baron, however despite the cutscenes and reactions, the school is still empty.

If this is a bug, very weird it works like this and is actually voiced still. Or maybe this "third" option is that the spirit takes the children for herself if you don't make a deal with her first?

 

[-Hisoka]

Thomas999
dont forget that Baron is the one who took Ciri and Gretka in and treated them like daughter to him
he actually really sry about the things he done
lost his unborn child,wife and daughter can destroy any man.

 

[almahnsor]

You just can't save everyone... Releasing the spirit is the bad ending (you get many clues that the spirit is just as evil as the crones) - she's the mother of the crones (who was asking for sacrifices just like them) and was killed by them, she wasn't a druid like she pretends (you discover her bones are not even human). If you help her you will release just another evil spirit - you save the orphans but the entire village is slaughtered (innocent kids included).

 

[Dorzalty]

I know this is late but...yes, the spirit is evil too and the choice is difficult. However, it seems like she's the lesser evil and kept the Crones in some sort of order.

 

[xkcmsp]

Thought exactly same thing but sadly no way for it.

 

[NeonKnight5150]

Something interesting i found out today after like my third gameplay. Basically I freed the spirit before starting ladies of the woods and found the "demon horse" literally standing next to it's grave. Edit: EVERYONE in downwarren is still alive(eolderman of course too),will update after i finnish the ladies of the woods,but keep in mind the spirit has been freed already and after returning from the village to it's grave the horse is still there after meditating for two full days. Link to the screenshot: http://imgur.com/a/TGZSg

 

[sv3672]

Yes, other people have also reported that they were able to "trick" the quest by doing it in this order. Not sure if this was intended by the developers or if it is a bug, though.

 

[NeonKnight5150]

well here's a big update: downwarren does get destroyed but only when arriving there with the barron. In a dialogue with the witches children were indeed saved by "her" but i still have to chech if they are in the orphanage(both anna and baron are alive and go to the blue mountains.i didn't give the details to the eolderman and then told the crones i freed it via the grey dialogue). What's weird is the fact that even after the village had been destroyed the horse("she") is still like 5m away from the place crones burried it(the place where you get the bones to free the spirit). That might've been caused due to the fact that i followed the spirit with me horse after it left the cave but i doubt it since i lost track of it after like 50m of following it. Anyways it's really weird and might actually have some meaning behind it other then just being a bug,i mean it's too much a concidence to just appear next to the place it's been burried. Also i've read somewhere that it's actually intended ending but don't know if it's a valid source.

 

[IIHectorII]

well here's a big update: downwarren does get destroyed but only when arriving there with the barron. In a dialogue with the witches children were indeed saved by "her" but i still have to chech if they are in the orphanage(both anna and baron are alive and go to the blue mountains.i didn't give the details to the eolderman and then told the crones i freed it via the grey dialogue). What's weird is the fact that even after the village had been destroyed the horse("she") is still like 5m away from the place crones burried it(the place where you get the bones to free the spirit). That might've been caused due to the fact that i followed the spirit with me horse after it left the cave but i doubt it since i lost track of it after like 50m of following it. Anyways it's really weird and might actually have some meaning behind it other then just being a bug,i mean it's too much a concidence to just appear next to the place it's been burried. Also i've read somewhere that it's actually intended ending but don't know if it's a valid source.

If you freed the spirit before even talking to Anna and the children, the children would die because you wouldn't even know they are in danger. CD project red like confirmed this too: https://forums.cdprojektred.com/for...7-bloody-baron-different-outcome-possibly-bug

Now if you free the spirit while on holding the Jonny quest that would be a different story. I think(!) I did it this way and the kids appeared in the school some days/weeks later. Don't take my words for granted though, could have wrong memorized it or it's patched different in the gold version. (Testing it right now)

 

[NeonKnight5150]

Tnx for reply i just got to novigrad and will be going to the orphanage a bit later but considering your info there ain't much hope for me . I was actually considering reloading the save and do it the way with johnny you mentioned after going to the orphanage but decided not to due to the thing that happened with the "black beauty" horse.

 

[IIHectorII]

Ok, I tested it with the latest GOG gold version.

- The children will only appear at the school if you let the spirit free after the Crones told you to kill it, the Baron and Anna will die.
- If you try to free the spirit during the Jonny quest (before you go back to the orphanage), Baron and Anna will live but the children (and the note) will not appear at the school in Novigrad. Also the dialog for the crones will make no sense. (It's an outcome CDprojectred have no real solution for, as the consequences for the children are the same as if you killed the spirit. (They are the Crone's lunch.)
- If you free the spirit without even knowing of the children they will die too.