The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt created by CD Projekt Red.
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Part Ten: Bloody Baron

Main Walkthrough

- You'll trigger this quest immediately after completing both Bloody Baron and Ciri's Story: The King of Wolves. Family Matters kicks off the moment you're done talking, and you need to follow the Bloody Baron.

- The Baron will lead you into a bedchamber. Use your Witcher Senses to inspect the place. There's stuff to steal, if you're inclined, but you're mainly looking to investigate. Look at the right wall to find a bare patch, then check the nearby painting to find a small hole. Check the armoire on the other side of the hole for a quick cut scene. Finish up by checking the candlestick by the door.

- Check out the other bedroom down the hall. You'll find a Rusty Key and Incense in the cabinet by the door, and a Letter to Tamara on a nearby shelf. Once the scent trail appears, follow it out the door and down the stairs to find a conspicuous wooden board. Check it for a Talisman. Talk to the Baron again once you've found the Talisman and he'll direct you away from Crow's Perch.

- Your next destination is Blackbough. This small village is located a short, safe jaunt west of Crow's Perch, and shouldn't take long to reach - especially if you already have Fast Travel there, which is pretty likely. The hut of the Pellar you're seeking is just north of the main buildings of the village.

The Pellar of The Witcher 3.
Straaaange dude.
- You'll find the Baron's men by the hut. They want the Pellar, and aren't willing to leave. You have three ways out of this situation (and no, bribing isn't an option here):
  • Kill the men. Yep.
  • Offer to heal their friend. To get this option you'll need to ask why they're here in the first place.
  • Use Axii. You'll need enhanced powers to do this, but if you're successful you'll get some extra experience to boot.
- Once the men are gone and / or dead, knock on the door and talk to the Pellar. He's... a bit dotty. He also lost his goat, and you need to go find it. He'll give you a Pellar's Bell; equip it now.

- Head west into the forest behind the Pellar's hut, watching out for Wolves as you go. The goat is nearby, and you'll hear its cries if you bust out your Witcher Senses. If you check in the north of the area of interest you'll find a cave owned by a Bear; kill it, check inside for lootable items in crates, and then go west / south-west from the cave, Witcher Senses active. You'll find tracks that should lead you to the goat.

- Now for the annoying part: You need to lure 'Princess' back to her owner using the Bell. Start walking back towards the Pellar's hut, ringing the Bell every few steps so Princess will follow. If you don't ring the Bell Princess will bugger off, forcing you to give chase. This can be especially bad if you haven't killed the Wolves and Bear in the area. Speak to the Pellar once you get back to the hut. A cut scene follows.

A Botchling from The Witcher 3.
Weirdest quest ever.
- Now the quest gets disturbing. Return to Crow's Perch and speak to the Bloody Baron about his, er, 'Botchling'. When you arrive you'll find the stables of the inner keep on fire. If you choose you can rush into the stables via the upper floor window and make for the main doors. This will save the horses. Afterward you'll get into a fistfight with the Baron, though it's pretty easy.

- A long cut scene follows. Once you're ready you can tell the Baron to proceed with the quest. Upon finding the Botchling you'll be given a choice on how to proceed:
  • Kill the Botchling, either by choosing to do so or failing to pacify it. The Botchling acts similarly to a Ghoul, though it moves around a bit less and hits harder. Watch it carefully, wait for its lunges, and hop out of the way. Swipe a few times and back off to wait for another attack. The creature will regenerate its health about halfway down its health bar; use Axii to stop this effect and to stun it in general. Watch, too, for Wraiths appearing near the midway point. You'll get Botchling Blood for winning, and you'll have to take it back to the Pellar.
  • Turn the Botchling into a Lubberkin. In this case you need to escort the Baron back to the fortress, destroying any Wraiths that approach. Once the Wraiths are gone you need to use Axii to pacify the Botchling or it will change into the more hostile form, and destruction will be your only option. Once the Botchling is buried, hunker down and wait in front of the grave to bring the Lubberkin to, uh, 'life'.
- Regardless of your choice you'll have a path, and it will lead you to a small cabin just outside Crow's Perch. Use your Witcher Senses to find clothing, a bracelet, and tracks, then keep going to find a battle against Rotfiends and a horse carcass to inspect. Beyond is a cabin where you'll learn the rest of the story - and if you've completed the quest Ladies of the Wood, you'll know where to find Anna, the Baron's wife.

- Not done yet. You can now optionally go back to Crow's Perch and speak to the Baron (and, if you stopped the stable fire, the Stablemaster, who will give you 20 gold), and he'll give you a Doll. He'll also give you a Letter of Safe Conduct and 50 gold. The Doll changes your meeting with Tamara in Oxenfurt a little bit. The city's to the east of where you started in Mulbrydale. Return to the Baron after speaking to her to complete the quest.

Note: You can completely bypass speaking to Tamara by completing Ladies of the Woods before starting Bloody Baron and Family Matters. I did, anyway.

Ciri camps out with the Baron and his men in The Witcher 3.
She's single-handedly cooler than all of them combined.
Ciri's Story: The Race

 A lot of storytelling here, but not much playing. All you need to do is complete a horse race against the Baron. Win or lose it doesn't really matter, though you'll get a slightly different cut scene at the end depending on the outcome. If you're dead set on winning you can press your horse to its fastest speed for pretty much the entire race and not run out of stamina.

If you've already completed Ladies of the Wood you'll have to speak to the Baron again, this time about his wife. Doing so will trigger another flashback sequence with Ciri.

Ciri's Story: Out of the Shadows

 Kill a Basilisk. Pretty easy, honestly - just slash at it a bunch. Then approach the right side of the tower, climbing the blackened rocks, to trigger a cut scene. Don't bother trying to climb the tower manually, you can't get up there.

Assuming, again, that you've completed Ladies of the Wood, you'll finish up the main quests of Velen and get pointed to a new destination: Novigrad, to the north. The Baron will then set off to Downmorrow, and if you agree to help him you'll gain the quest Return to Crookback Bog, which will complete the story of his sorry little family.

Part Twelve: 

Main Walkthrough