While most of The Witcher 3’s early main questline focuses on Geralt’s pursuit of Ciri, Ciri is also on the move. As Geralt tracks down information on Ciri’s actions, the game will switch focus to Ciri, allowing you to play from her perspective. One of the first instances of this is when Geralt hears the Bloody Baron’s story about his encounter with Ciri, a tale which is recounted during the quest Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves.

Quest Objectives¶

Starting Ciri’s Story: The King of the Wolves¶

As mentioned earlier, this quest begins immediately after the quest Blood Baron ends, as the Velen despot recounts his encounter with Ciri. Nothing has to be done on the player’s part, the game will just shift from dialogue between Geralt and the Bloody Baron to the start of this quest, and you’ll gain control of Ciri after a short scene.

Ciri Gameplay¶

Before you run off, there are some gameplay differences to note between Ciri and Geralt. First, despite her training and eager wishes, Ciri’s not a Witcher. She doesn’t have Witcher senses or a silver sword, nor does she carry around bombs, potions, oils or other Witcher staples, not to mention she doesn’t have access to Geralt’s inventory items. On the other hand, she’s a sorceress, so instead of a dodge she has a quick teleport-dash. Fewer i-frames than Geralt’s dodge, but it’s much faster, and it’ll take some getting used to. Ciri also doesn’t have a dodge roll or a strong attack, so combat with her is generally greatly simplified. Ciri doesn’t have the Quen sign (or any other form of magic at this time), but she also regenerates health much faster than Geralt, both in and out of combat.

Save the Girl from the Wolves¶

From where you begin, make your way northwest - the high ground around you prevents you from wandering off, and there’s not much incentive to go exploring at this point in time anyways - then turn north until you hear shouting. After some further progress you’ll run afoul of a trio of Wolves (Lv5) malicing a young girl. Defeat the Wolves: Ciri only has access to fast attacks, dodge and block, and she can perform parries if you get the timing right. Dispose of the Wolves however you wish, then pick whatever dialogue options you prefer when talking to the little girl. If you get wounded in a fight, you can usually just spam dodge until you’re healed - as mentioned earlier, Ciri heals much, much faster than Geralt, and will almost certainly recover any lost health between battles.

Investigate the Wolf King’s Kill¶

After your chat with the girl you’ll be up on a ledge to the north. There’s little reason to go back and loot the Wolves you just slew, so follow the girl, Gretka, downhill to the northwest, whereupon you’ll find a second, larger pack of Wolves. Vanquish them and examine the bovine they were feasting on, then continue following the girl to find a mutilated corpse propped up at the bottom of a ship. Investigate the carrion by picking the dialogue options available and Ciri will do her best Witcher impersonation by deducing what killed the man.

Create the Blade Oil¶

Ciri unfortunately lacks a silver sword, but she does know how to make a blade coating that will simulate such a weapon, and this will be your goal going forward. You’ll need four ingredients to concoct this blade oil:

• Dog’s Tallow x1
• Wolf’s Liver x1
• Fool’s Parsley x2
• Wolfsbane x3

You’ll find these as you press on. Follow Gretka west into some flooded lowlands and dispatch a third pack of Wolves, then press on to the northwest as the girl explains some local… customs. Continue northwest, down a slope, then go north to reach a cave. You’ll find the Wolf King within, so if you haven’t created the blade oil you need, you’re advised to do so now. It can be a pain finding some of the plants without Witcher senses (Fool’s Parsley are tall plants with white flowers, Wolfsbane is shorter and purple) but the corpses of the Wolves you slew should still be where you left them, and they’ll certainly provide the Dog’s Tallow and Wolf’s Liver you need.

Crafting this potion is optional, but if you fail to do so your damage output against the King of Wolves will be less than it could be. It doesn’t make the fight unwinnable, or even all that difficult, but there’s also no good reason not to create the oil. Once you’ve found the last of the required ingredients, Ciri will set to work creating the oil without much interruption other than a cutscene providing cover for the oil’s concoction.

Defeat the King of the Wolves¶

When you’re ready to face the King of the Wolves - oil or not - head into the cave and follow the linear path ahead. Eventually it’ll open into a chamber and you’ll get a scene, after which Ciri will intervene. You’ll regain control with an angry Werewolf charging at you, albeit a Werewolf that doesn’t have all the tricks a normal one does - it won’t have the stupid fast regeneration, for starters, which already makes this fight much, much easier.

You can’t block the King of the Wolves’ attacks like you could with regular Wolves, but dodge spamming should keep you safe enough, if you find yourself on the losing end of things. The King of the Wolves only attacks with claw swipes and these are usually telegraphed enough to dodge, but it’s worth noting Ciri doesn’t have the invulnerability frames that Geralt does, so you’ll actually have to time things better with her. Fortunately the King of the Wolves doesn’t deal a ton of damage, but a few hits in quick succession can still be lethal. Your best bet is just to bait the lycanthrope’s attacks, dodge, then respond with two fast attacks. Repeat until victorious.

Once done you’ll chat with the man in the cave and he’ll take you back to his lord. After some more scenes this quest will end and the game’s focus will shift back to Geralt and the Bloody Baron, kicking off the quest Family Matters.