The dangers of side-quests *** Spoiler about the crones quest ***

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The dangers of side-quests *** Spoiler about the crones quest ***

I'm not sure if this is me complaining about something good being to good, or me needing a firmer guiding hand in a huge open world but here goes.

I'm around 40 hours inn at level 17 and my questlog is filled to the very brink.
Mind you, that I wouldn't mind having a large quest log, if that was something which happened over time, but in this case it went like this.

I found one noticeboard, picked up 3 quests and scurried along to start the first quest.
It took me through another little Village, which had another noticeboard, with another 4 quests.
I picked them up under the mindset, I might as well since I'm here in this Village, and might not come back in a little while.

I go do my original quest, and on my way back, I pass through another village, with another noticeboard, with another 3 quests.

So what do I do. Well I look through my now quite large quest list and find quests suitable for my level and my idea was to take them all in turn.
Unknown to my stupid ass, I had before my "little" sidequest de-tour started the Baron questline, and had visited the children in the bog, once.

In my side-quest - questline, I stumble upon a ancient oak with a spirit.
I knew nothing about it, other than a really annoying voice telling me not to come closer, and of course since it asked me to back off, I went in search of it.
30 minuttes later, the spirit was dead, and I was on my merry way to finish more side-quests.

The really ""/(#&/(%¤ part came when two of my friends who started the game at the same time as me, where talking together and they told me about two very different outcomes they had experienced in their Baron quests.

Me on the other hand, which roamed around doing side-quests had accidently killed of a major plot element with my tree spirit escapade and my Baron questline with the delights of a great quest in the bog, turned sour in a hurry, when I couldn't decide much of the outcome due to me exploring this vast open world.

Now I'm thinking, that I might have botched several other quests by exploring to much to soon, and if I perhaps should start the game over again.

Has anyone else had this issue ?
 
Honestly I don't see it as an issue. the game is open, and allows you influence things around you "even" if they are tied to the main quest in a natural way, which is great - in my opinion.
 
Since this is about spoilers, here's another one: The tree/crone choices are negative either way. The tree causes negatives, but the crones are also negative in their own way. You really just have to pick something you think is the lesser evil in the end of that set of quests. There is no "good" in it.
 
Since this is about spoilers, here's another one: The tree/crone choices are negative either way. The tree causes negatives, but the crones are also negative in their own way. You really just have to pick something you think is the lesser evil in the end of that set of quests. There is no "good" in it.

Indeed... the whole Baron quest line is designed to be the ultimate moral dilemma, and no matter what choice you make, the outcome will be sure to haunt you. The fact that you made one of the choices from a position of "ignorance" doesn't really break it, it just makes it even more tragic, in a way.
 
I really loved that. Even today I can't decide if it was good or bad of me to kill that spirit. But I love the fact, that had me decide it and it also adds greatly to replay value...
 
I looked at it this way. There are two great evils and you get to kill one of them. The other path leaves both evils alive int he world.

Now I'm not sure what specific baron quest outcomes they have vs. yours. But that whole quest line can turn out many way depending on your choices. So maybe their baron quest was different not because of the spirit int he tree but because of choices with the baron and the miscarried child.
 
Indeed... the whole Baron quest line is designed to be the ultimate moral dilemma, and no matter what choice you make, the outcome will be sure to haunt you.

Well, not really. One path is way better than the other. If you let tree spirit loose, many more people die (though children in the swamp survive, but, realistically, for how long, in the swamps and all?), and also Baron and his wife. If you kill it, only the children die (and they disappeared even before yon make this choice), but the rest are alive, and for the Baron and Anna we get the best ending possible - Anna survives, there is a hope that she will be cured, and their daughter pretty much forgives him. In the witcher world it is probably the most you can hope for.
My only regret is that I can't hunt down and kill those three cannibalistic ugly bitches.
 
I'm not sure you could defeat the three crones. In one conversation with Yennifer (I think it's her) you talk about them and that they are extremely powerful. In fact you say that they aren't actually witches but something ancient. I would love to kill them but I think they are too powerful for anyone to actually kill them.
 
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Well, not really. One path is way better than the other. If you let tree spirit loose, many more people die (though children in the swamp survive, but, realistically, for how long, in the swamps and all?), and also Baron and his wife. If you kill it, only the children die (and they disappeared even before yon make this choice), but the rest are alive, and for the Baron and Anna we get the best ending possible - Anna survives, there is a hope that she will be cured, and their daughter pretty much forgives him. In the witcher world it is probably the most you can hope for.
My only regret is that I can't hunt down and kill those three cannibalistic ugly bitches.

It depends... I actually freed the spirit, since the children are the only ones in this whole drama that are actually innocent. I was sorry for the baron and his wife, but they ultimately brought it upon them self. Ok, yea, the village was wiped out too, that's a bummer, but even they had mud on their hands, so to speak. All in all, I can life with my choice...

On the above: True, the crones are more like nature deities, like the crone that is venerated on the Skellige... I don't think they could be killed at all.
 
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Thanks for all the great respones.
After reading all the posts, I decided to continue with current game.

My main worry was that I would miss out on a good story if I had done more suchs side-quests, which resulted in killing something in another questline etc.

In my case the whole of the story went.
Talk to woman i the bog (Did my side-quests and killed the spirit)
Found the barons daughter
Went back to the barons wife
She was now the only one in the bog
Upon reaching the bog with the baron, meet his daughter.
The crones summoned some large beast, I killed it and the baron went home with his wife, while his daughter left with some person from the eternal flame.

EDIT: Is there a tag to add before and after spoilers, such as <spoiler> **** </spoiler> so that spoiler text is only shown for those who click or highlight the text ?
 
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It depends... I actually freed the spirit, since the children are the only ones in this whole drama that are actually innocent. I was sorry for the baron and his wife, but they ultimately brought it upon them self. Ok, yea, the village was wiped out too, that's a bummer, but even they had mud on their hands, so to speak. All in all, I can life with my choice...
I have similar feelings about that. What happened in the village was sad, but after all those villagers were serving crones and sending those innocent kids to them.
 
It depends... I actually freed the spirit, since the children are the only ones in this whole drama that are actually innocent. I was sorry for the baron and his wife, but they ultimately brought it upon them self. Ok, yea, the village was wiped out too, that's a bummer, but even they had mud on their hands, so to speak. All in all, I can life with my choice...

On the above: True, the crones are more like nature deities, like the crone that is venerated on the Skellige... I don't think they could be killed at all.

I, too, went with killing the spirit and I am still hoping to get to kill the crones. But anyhow, by saving the baron and his wife for a potential cure, his men are now on the loose, pillaging and raping the peasants... soooooo... you're right, there really is no perfect way...
 
I, too, went with killing the spirit and I am still hoping to get to kill the crones. But anyhow, by saving the baron and his wife for a potential cure, his men are now on the loose, pillaging and raping the peasants... soooooo... you're right, there really is no perfect way...

If the baron kills himself they do the same, so that cannot be really averted either way...
 
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