The Witcher 3 Cabaret quest is a secondary quest that players may pick up around Novigrad. This is a quest that players can participate in after completing the Poet Under Pressure main story mission and is part of the general side stories relating to the capital before the storyline progresses. If you want to complete this side content, we advise following our Witcher 3 Cabaret walkthrough so you can pick up on the side content goodness before heading to Skelliga.

The Witcher 3 Cabaret Walkthrough¶

If you’ve been interacting with Dandelion in the city, it is now finally time to return to and help him out. When you enter the Rosemary and Thyme you’ll spot Dandelion arguing with Priscilla, and with all the courtesans standing about, it’s not hard to imagine what the issue is. After Priscilla storms off talk to Dandelion, who will resolve to make something out of this inn… but of course, he needs your help. He won’t take a loan from you, but he will take a loan from a jilted former lover. First, however, you need to retrieve some sword from Irina. You can also talk to Dudu before you leave, if you care to, and if you talk to Dandelion you can give him the painting of the Hierarch the nonhumans gave you at the end of “Poet Under Pressure”, the main story quest you’ll have completed before partaking in this story. Two birds; one stone.

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Just as Geralt is about to submit to a life of petty crime, the Crimson Avenger comes to set him straight (left) Another malcontent is thus thwarted by the might of the Crimson Avenger (right).

The Crimson Avenger!¶

Head over to Irina, who is with the rest of the actors in the quarters south of Hierarch Square. Simply talk to her to gain the “Blunt Sword” , then head to Sophronia’s house, which is north of Hierarch Square. Wait until night if you must, then approach the house to trigger Dandelion, who will waste little time in laying out his grand plan. Agree or not, and Dandelion will convince you to play along. How well you play the part is, ultimately, up to you. When the fighting starts, either let Dandelion thrash you a bit (three hits should do it) or… well, if you sneeze at him wrong, the poor bard will earn his coin through sympathy, not heroics.

Return to the Rosemary and Thyme and rest until daytime to find that, in spite of not quite having any coin, Dandelion has hired contractors to renovate the inn. Looks like the bard’s scheme worked… or more likely, he was confident enough in the hair-brained schemed to gamble on it. Make some decor decisions on behalf of Dandelion (Priscilla will pick randomly, but Dandelion prefers the theater decor over the boudoir), then Priscilla will send you out to find Dandelion. Seems like something you have to do rather frequently.

Acquiring a Choreographer¶

Head to a house north of Hattori’s shop (near the center of the docks district), where you’ll see him banging on a door. Seems he’s having trouble with his choreographer. Or rather, her husband. Activate your Witcher Senses and search a bucket to the east to find the “Key to Polly’s Home” , with which you can enter the house without breaking anything.

Head inside and confront the husband, where you’ll have to make a few timed decisions. Either pick a fight and beat the husband at fisticuffs, or keep the husband calm while Dandelion works his diplomatic magic. Either way, you’ll secure his wife’s services as a choreographer. Of course, that’s not the end of things. Oh no. He’s also go some placard problems he needs you to resolve. Agree to take care of this task and send him back to Priscilla. Hopefully she can keep him out of trouble for a change.

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Fight some thugs in the halfling’s house (left), then find the compulsive gambler at the race tracks, where you can try to win enough money to clear his debts (right).

A Halflings Hobby¶

Your next destination is along the western side of the central district, west of Hierarch Square, just north of the Golden Sturgeon. Head there and go inside the house to find that it’s… well, it’s never simple. Like too many halflings, Dandelion’s placard painter is in debt, and these fine folk have come to collect… and they don’t want competition in finding Rautlec, less the well dries up before they get what they’re owed. Beat them at fisticuffs and they’ll tell you that Rautlec is wasting more coin he doesn’t have at the horse races.

Head over to Hierarch Square, where you can kill two birds with one stone. In the middle of the square you’ll see somebody crying about some derby going on. Stop at the stall and pick up the note “An Invitation to the Memorial Derby” to start the equally long-winded quest named “Race: The Great Erasmus Vegelbud Memorial Derby”. Since you’re heading to the Vegelbud Estate anyways, it might be worth your while to cross this quest off your “to-do” list, too.

Fast-travel to the “Vegelbud Residence” signpost and head north to find your wayward halfling. He’ll tell you about a new bet he’s risking, after which you can either pay him 200 Crowns to get out of debt, offer to win the race for him, or decide that Dandelion doesn’t need any placards. The race is easy enough to win, it’s the same race you may have done at the behest of Morvran Voorhis.

Race: The Great Erasmus Vegelbud Memorial Derby¶

While you’re here there’s a bit of racing you can indulge in. It might be tedious, but there’s good Crowns and a few accessories for Roach you can win here. Head up onto the stands and talk to the Race Master. You know the drill; you’ll need to pay to start every race (this time a hefty 100 Crowns!), after which you’ll race successively more difficult tracks taking you along the roads around the Vegelbud Estate. Your first foe is Seamus Holt, followed by Viscount Rommer, and finally Luc Vegelbud.

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The GEVMD is a traditional series of races, each for relatively little reward (left). The Palio, however, is a high stakes race that takes place at night - and your cut of the winnings will be substantial (right).

The Palio¶

If you’ve done the race side quest or skipped them, you now need to sort some debt collectors out. Defeat them all to earn the rewards detailed above, then leave the stands. You’ll be greeted by a Dwarf who will handy you a rather nice - but vague - letter “inviting” you to meet with his boss, Varese… aka Cleaver.

Cleaver’s not the sort of person you ignore for long, so fast-travel back to Hierarch Square and make your way west to find his headquarters. Talk to him and he’ll explain that he’s got another race for you; seems the lowlifes of Novigrad have their own little race - The Palio - and since you beat Luc Vegelbud, he wants to enter you in this race, and make a fortune betting on you.

Agree to race and… well, do your best. This race has one obnoxious difference from other races, being that if you deviate from the course slightly, you’ll automatically lose the race. For being a bunch of criminals, they sure are stickler for the rules. Still, the Crowns you’ll win are worth the effort. After the race, win or lose, the criminals will have their fun spoiled by the Temple Guard, who shows up and engages in a mock battle with the rogues. Nobody dies, and they’re not hostile to you, so… just walk on off back to Dandelion’s?

Return to the Rosemary and Thyme, where the dwarves have been busy at work and the transformation is almost complete. Talk to Dandelion, who will fuss a bit if you didn’t pick the “theatrical” theme, but once you tell him about the placards (if you recovered them) he’ll focus on the good news. He also decides on a name change, after which he invites Geralt to drink. If you agree, he’ll ask you about what Priscilla said to you, then more chatter will commence. After a while, Geralt and Dandelion will get some bad news regarding Priscilla. This ends “Cabaret” and begins “Carnal Sins” .

Carnal Sins is another very long mission, so we advise reading our walkthrough on Carnal sins aswell. But with that done, you will have completed the Witcher 3’s Cabaret walkthrough. Hope you enjoyed your opportunity to grab some nice rewards, xp and fancy cosmetics along the way.