The Hunting a Witch main story quest takes you to the small village of Midcopse in the west of Velen. Here you’re on the hunt for a lead regarding a witch that resides in the local area of the village so you can progress the Family Matters main storyline. Moreso, there’s a fair few side missions you can also partake in, so we will let you know about those too so you can grab everything while you’re here. With that said, lets continue through this Hunting a Witch walkthrough in Witcher 3.

Witcher 3: Hunting a Witch Walkthrough¶

In Midcopse, ask random peasants (who will get a quest marker when you approach them) where to find the witch. An Old Man sitting along the road leading out of town to the west should point you in the right direction. Well, that was simple. Alternatively, you can bother a peasant women west of the Blacksmith, who will complain about her lazy husband. After this, go speak to said lazy husband and he’ll tell you about the witch for a bribe (50 Crowns) or with the prodding of the Axii Sign.

You can also eavesdrop two women gossiping near an old man in the village as well. You’ll noice by this the sound of two women talking nearby. Simply stand nearby but not too close, and you’ll find the exact location of the witch without even having to think. But, getting too close will fail, and you’ll have to follow some other clues in the town instead.

Next, go visit a Merchant who also plays Gwent. He’s got an equally pathetic Monster deck - most of his “Muster” combos don’t have companion cards to make the ability useful. Thrash him and take a card, then peruse his wares to inflate your deck with another “Poor Fucking Infantry” Card, a “Crinfrid Reavers Dragon Hunter” card (you should throw this in your Northern Kingdom deck immediately!) and the “Morteisen” Card.

Now that the ever-important task of Gwent has been taken care of, it’s time to return to the mundane life of being a Witcher. Loot the town for various goodies (you can also find the note “Formula for a Pain-Relieving Heat Rub” - this witch has all kinds of remedies!), then hit the local notice board, where you can grab the “Contract: Jenny o’ the Woods” to start a quest of the same name. It’s a short enough diversion, so why not take care of it?

Contract: Jenny O the Woods (Level 10) in the Witcher 3¶

Talk to Ealdorman Balko and he’ll give you the details of the contract, directing you to speak to an eye-witness named Agneta. As is usual of “eye-witness” testimony, it leaves much to be desired, but she does give you a time and location, which is helpful enough. Head to the fields north-west of the village and use your Witcher Senses around the middle of the search area to pick up some tracks. Examine them, then examine a scrap of fabric near a bush. Follow some more tracks south, then west along a trail until you find a blood pool to search. Do so to discover an “Assassin’s Knife” , then follow the trail further to find the site of the grave, where you’ll find a “Letter Found in a Grave” . Read it to discover the names of involved persons, after which Geralt will guess their motives, but suggest checking up with the Ealdorman.

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Use your Witcher Senses to find a rough grave (left) the, after identifying the victim, combat Jenny o’ the Woods (right).

Return to the Ealdorman and ask him about the names mentioned in the letter. He, like Agneta, isn’t terribly helpful, but he will point you to a likely spot to search north-west of the village. Head to the new search area and near the center of the search area you’ll find a small camp. Interact with the campfire and if it’s not night already, rest until 10:00 (or later, but the Nightwraith will interrupt you at this time, anyways).

Fight her the same way you fought the Noonwraith you fought earlier in White Orchard; Yrden to allow your Silver Sword to damage her (otherwise she takes 10% of your normal damage), strong attack, and dodge. When she blinds you, dispatch her clones quickly with fast attacks, as they’ll absorb life from you and heal the Nightwraith, then repeat the above process. Specter Oil will help expedite the process. Loot her remains for a “Forgotten Vran Sword” , a “Nightwraith Trophy” , and other goodies. Her, or one of her clones, will have also certainly dropped at least one Nightwraith Mutagen, for what that’s worth. Return to the Ealdorman to collect your reward.

Continuing with the Hunting the Witch Walkthrough¶

Time to get back on track. You can follow the advice you got for reaching the witch, looking for this rock, that boulder, and so on… or you can take the road leading north from Midcopse (starting just east of the signpost) and taking the first right. Keep your Witcher Senses active and you should discover all the landmarks along the way. Near the wagon you’ll have to dispatch a group of Nekkers (level six). Continue east to reach the witch’s hut.

The witch will give the peasants some basic animal husbandry advice, after which they depart. Well, she might be somewhat terse, but as far as witches go, she seems alright. Head inside her hut and have a look around. Grab the letter “Recipe for Black Eyeliner” from a stool opposite the door (useful in case Geralt ever has to go goth), then investigate some pots on a table to the east. Seems we’ve come up with only the mundane, so far. Explore a room to the west where you can find a “Letter to Alexander” on the bed, some books on a table, a pentagram on the floor, a bauble on a desk… and of course you can loot the cellar.

When you’re ready to get on with things, however, investigate a skull on a shelf along the southern end of the western room, which opens up a portal. No mere peddler of ointments and salves, this witch. Head through the portal to find a subterranean garden at the other side. The Witch - a sorceress named Keira Metz - invites Geralt up to talk to her. Quit hassling Geralt, woman! First grab the book “Elven Sages” from a bench to the east, loot whatever plants you want in the unnatural garden, then head upstairs to meet with the witch.

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Mess around with the witch’s baubles (left) and you’ll stumble upon her secret lair (right).

Keira will greet you with a pleasant view, after which the two exchange in some playful banter. Ask her about her circumstances to find that she’s fairly unhappy with current events. Going from a palace to a hut and being beset on both sides by enemies can do that. When you’re done with the small talk ask about Ciri to find out what Keira knows about her, which, sadly, is precious little. She does know somebody who might know more, however, and offers to lead Geralt to him. Besides, she has a debt to collect.

Hunting a Witch / Family Matters questline¶

Its worth noting that in oder to progress with the Family Matters storyline, players will need to investigate other main quest in the same level range. Players may do the Hunting the Witch questline, which then leads to the Crookback Bog storyline, which is the main route to finishing the Family Matters storyline anyway. So, finishing this quest helps to lead the natural conclusion of the Bloody Baron questline anyway.