The Hare Hunt¶

After Geralt accepts the vineyard, you’ll be free to question Damien about the first two murders, which quickly makes a pattern become clear. Seems the beast is making a statement about the degeneration of the five chivalric virtues in Toussaint’s knights, and it doesn’t take Geralt and Anna long to deduce who the fourth victim very well may be.

Anna shouts some orders and changes her attire to suit the urgency of the situation, after which you’ll find yourself on Roach, riding through Beauclair. Simply follow Anna through the city up to the palace and dismount when she does, then follow her south (on foot) while she explains the game that’s going on in the garden. The victim is currently dressed up as the hare, and is hiding somewhere. The gardens of Beauclair Palace are spacious, however, and time is of the essence, so instead of relying on Damien’s goons to search out the hare’s location, you’ll need to bend the rules of the hare hunt (into a pretzel, if need be) to find clues that’ll lead to the hare’s location.

Simply put, you’ll have to obtain a unicorn’s horn and a golden fish while Anna secures the phoenix egg. You’ll get a pointless timed decision to ask about your two objects (just pick one - she tells you about both, either way) after which you’ll be left to your own devices. This is a bit timed, but all that’s affected are the experience points you’ll earn for the task, and if you want to maximize your gains, go after the golden fish, first.

Make your way south down a ramp and head south through the garden to reach the pond, where nobles idle away their time on swan-boats fishing for fake fish, most of which contain sweet party favors. How pointlessly decadent. Wade into the water, endure their complaints of your bad form, and swim to the southwestern end of the search area and investigate a fish under a boat to obtain the Key from the Golden Fish . If you take too long, the prop will be fished away from you just before you can grab it, and Geralt will commit an even greater faux pas to retrieve the key. You brute, you. Either way, you have the key.

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Using Axii on the “unicorn” will provoke party-goers (left). Steal a basket of carrots and lure the horse over to you to avoid causing a scene (right).

Make your way back north through the garden to find the “unicorn”, which may not have a real horn, but is certainly skittish enough for the part. There are two ways to handle this beast: either use your Witcher Senses and head over to a picnic site northwest of the tree the unicorn was under (two nobles are sitting on a yellow blanket) to find a “Basket of Carrots”, which can be equipped via the radial menu (hold down [L1]/[LB]). With the vegetables in hand, just approach the unsuspecting horse, who sacrifices its horn for a snack. Alternatively, you can just hit the the unicorn with Axii, but this will anger some fellow gamers, who cry foul and demand satisfaction. Use Axii on them, too, to get them to go away peacefully, or indulge in some pugilism outnumbered 3:1. You gain nothing for winning, and lose nothing (save some pride) for losing, but using Axii on them will, as always, net you some experience.

When you have both the Key from the Golden Fish and the Clue from the Horn of a “Unicorn”, find Anna, who has successfully bullied her way to the phoenix egg. After reading the riddle inside, pick the answer “It’s a greenhouse!”. Not only is this the correct answer, but it’ll prove you possess the virtue of Wisdom - one of the five virtues required to claim the sword in the lake as part of the quest “There Can Be Only One”.

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Dive into the pond in the duchal garden and search for a fish under a boat (left). When you have both clues, solve the riddle by saying “It’s a greenhouse” to prove your WISDOM (right).

After guessing correctly Geralt will follow up on his hunch, which proved correct… if not timely. A heroic chase follows, where Geralt acquits himself rather well, considering his quarry. The chase ends in a warehouse, where Geralt confronts the beast. Respond as you wish, a peaceful resolution isn’t possible here.

Blood Run¶

A battle with a higher vampire isn’t something to take lightly, but this battle’s rather simple. Like with the Bruxa, you can expect the beast to dart about, attacking furiously with his claws. With the beast, however, it’s better to simply use Quen’s “Exploding Shield” to protect yourself and stagger the beast (his attacks can stagger Geralt through a parry), after which you can take advantage by performing two fast attacks. After hitting him twice, immediately dodge to the side, as he’ll respond by teleporting behind you and attacking. The beast also has a charge attack that can knock you down, but he’s got no real follow up, so it’s more of an inconvenience than a legitimate threat. He can also heal himself, but the healing isn’t great, and he won’t do it often… plus he’s vulnerable to abuse while he does it. Whittle him down, using Vampire Oil to speed things up, but avoid the Black Blood, as it’s not effective here.

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The Beast of Beauclair may take a breather from time to time and heal himself (left), but generally the healing is too weak to matter in light of a sustained offensive (right).

Deplete the Beast of Beauclair’s health bar and the fight will be stopped by an old friend - and apparently a mutual acquaintance. After the Beast of Beauclair runs off the old friends will reunite and you can ask about how Regis regenerated, and more importantly, about the beast - Dettlaf - and his motivations. Respond as you will, and Regis will make a case for Dettlaf insomuch as this case will probably require a bit more nuance than the usual monster hunt. At least, if motivations inform morality, and Geralt cares about such philosophical niceties. Your reunion will be broken up when some guards arrive, and Regis will mention a rendezvous spot, starting the quest “La Cage au Fou” .