Now you’ve completed the previous quest, The Play’s the Thing, you now know more about what’s going on with Dandelion, and what you can do to save the strange man to learn more about Ciri. However, the man is only gagged up somewhere, so its rescue time. Here is a Poet Under Pressure walkthrough, along with the best choices to make, such as letting Priscilla stay.
Poet Under Pressure Walkthrough (Level 13)¶
Zoltan is off gathering his “crew” and Dudu is busy impersonating Menge, but there’s more aid you can go after, if you wish. If you got into a fight with Menge (instead of letting Triss kill him) and actually helped Dijkstra in a meaningful way, you can head to his bath house and call in the favor he owes you. If you haggle for more men, then tell Dijkstra what you’re up to, he’ll double the number of men he’ll send you. Nice.
Let Priscilla Stay?¶
Everything’s been set in place, it’s time to rescue Dandelion. Fast travel to a signpost close to the ambush site (the “Wheat Fields” and “Seven Cat’s Inn” signposts are both good choices) then head over to meet up with Zoltan Chivay. Answer a concern he has about the whole endeavor, then Priscilla will show up. It doesn’t matter what you say, you can’t get rid of her. You can, however, play Gwent with her, although you win nothing by doing so. It’s just a way to pass the time.
After your Gwent game (or after you decline to play) the caravan will show up. When the ambush begins one of the Witch Hunters escorting Dandelion will ride off with him. Your goal is to follow the rider and catch him… but there’s no penalty if you stay behind and kill the Witch Hunters, first.
Wait for Dandelion’s escort to arrive before launching your attack (left) then chase the Witch Hunter who makes off with Dandelion (right).
Hunting the Hunter¶
Mount Roach and follow the tracks north, past a lake with some Drowners (levels four and eighteen, talk about a level gap) near it, and past the “Honeyfill Meadworks” signpost. They’ll follow the road (more or less) north, then north-east. Dismount when you find a camp along the road and ask a smith about the riders, who he’ll say went left, but he’s either mistaken, or misleading. Go right at the fork beyond the camp and, when you spot a purple garment on the ground, dismount and investigate it to pick up a scent trail.
Continue following the road to the north-east, then east, until the scent trail veers of the road to the north-east. Eventually you’ll find the Witch Hunter’s horse-dead of exhaustion-near the “Isolated Hut” signpost. If you head east to the hut, you’ll hear Dandelion trying to reason - unsuccessfully - with his captor. Talk to some nonhumans to the west to get the key to a secret passage that leads to the house, then circle around to the hills east of the house to find the trap door you’re looking for.
Track the fugitive Witch Hunter down using your Witcher Senses (left) and dispatch him when you find him (right).
Open the trap door. climb down a ladder, and head west, looting as you go. Seems likes these nonhumans have a pretty robust “art” business going on down here. Climb another ladder to reach the house, wherein you’ll find the Witch Hunter (level thirteen). Cut him down and loot him to score the steel sword “Witch Slayer” , then loot the house. No need to be in a rush to ungag Dandelion, once he starts talking, he’s not going to shut up any time soon.
When you run out of options, ungag him, and you two will head outside to talk, where you’ll be reunited with Zoltan and Priscilla. Geralt will ask about Ciri which will trigger another Ciri sequence…
Rescue Dandelion (left) and he’ll tell you about his escapades with Ciri (right).
Ciri’s Story: Breakneck Speed (Level 11)¶
Kill (or dash past) the initial henchmen (levels eleven and twelve) nearby, then head south to find a road. The initial goons you fight won’t respawn, but that’s not the rule for this segment in general. Apparently Whoreson had a small army of goons under his command, and it’s your goal to run (or teleport) past them all to reach the Temple Isle, in what is by and large the most utterly pointless part of Ciri’s Story to date. Why couldn’t this be a cutscene? Oh well… when you reach the door leading to your destination you’ll find some opposition. Kill them (make use of Ciri’s new blink attack by holding down the L2 + R2 buttons if you must) then continue through the door to your destination, where you’ll witness a scene.
After the scene, Geralt will question Dandelion further, learning a bit about some curse. Ultimately, however, it seems like the trail in Novigrad is cold, leaving only Skellige left to search. Talk to the nonhumans nearby and they’ll offer you a painting in exchange for your silence about their little forgery scheme.
| Objective | Reward |
|---|---|
| For rescuing Dandelion | 1,000 XP |
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"lake with some Drowners (levels four and eighteen, talk about a level gap) near it, and past the “Honeyfill Meadworks” signpost."
near here is frozen bee hive, where you can activate Contract: The Apiarian Phantom.