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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Velen - Earth Guardian, Guarded Treasure, & Rewards

By
Nathan Garvin
4 Comments

The South East corner of the Velen is filled with plenty of undiscovered locations filled with rewards for you to go and get. However, some of these are fairly high level, and so, require you to go against some tough elemental foes. However, the risk is worth the gain, as players can take down the likes of an earth elemental guarded treasure, while another grants and get some of the best diagrams in the game.

Important Items in this Area
Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Armor
Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Gauntlets
Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Trousers
Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Boots
Scratched Key
Diagram: Enhanced Wolven Boots

Earth Elemental Guarded Treasure (Level 20)

Fast travel back to the “Crossroads” signpost and follow a road north-west, back towards the Whispering Hillock Crookback Bog sub region of Velen. Ignore the first road to the north (which leads more directly to the “Ancient Oak” signpost) and keep going north-west. Pass a fork to the west and the road you’re on will merge with another and turn north. The road will eventually lead you to a circle of stones, within which an Earth Elemental (level twenty) prowls. Velen seems infested with these damn things, but at least this is the weakest of them you’ve fought here. Kill it, then loot a soldier propped up against one of the northern stone to complete the event.

Guarded Treasure (Level 19): Mastercrafted Ursine Diagram Locations

The other major area players should visit within this regions is the Destoryed Bastion Guarded Treasure. You need to visit the “Destroyed Bastion” signpost to the south of the region. This time a Cyclops (level nineteen) guards the loot, another foe you should have no trouble dispatching. Once it’s dead follow the trail up the ruins and search behind a wall to the east to find a chest and some sacks worth looting. Even more worth looting, however, is an ornate chest to the south, behind another section of all, in a cubby formed by the wall and some natural stone. There’s even a Grindstone adjacent to the chest, so you should have no trouble finding it. Inside you’ll find the “Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Armor” , the “Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Gauntlets” , the “Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Trousers” and the “Diagram: Mastercrafted Ursine Boots” .

Guarded Treasure (Level 20)

Backtrack to the “Crossroads” signpost and head east and slightly north into the hills to find some water-filled valleys. Unfortunately, the water here gives off toxic vapor, so don’t go splashing around. Also, there’s a Bilge Hag (level twenty). You should probably take care of that. Murder the beast, then carefully loot a corpse lying in the water. Doing so without poisoning yourself would be a plus.

Bandit Camp (Level 9)

Leave the toxic pools behind and head east until you hit a trail, which you should follow south until you hit a bridge. Some Deserters (level nine) have decided that this bridge now belongs to them, and have set up camp. Camping where you plan to rob people seems awfully lazy, so teach them a lesson, then head to the ground underneath the bridge to find some treasure under and west of the bridge.

Guarded Treasure (Level 14)

Get back on the bridge and cross it to the south-east until the road forks, at which continue south-east. The road will bend west and south-west and run in those directions for a distance before looping north then back south near a crumbling white stone wall. Search the western side of the structure to find a chest then follow the road uphill to the south until you spot a squat white tower. Near this tower lurks a Wyvern (level fourteen) which should be a paltry threat by now. Kill it, then search its tower to find two chests.

Hidden Treasure (Level 4)

The next event in Velen is less geographically consistent, so a little bit of fast-traveling is necessary. Speaking of which, use the convenient nearby signpost to fast-travel to the “Ferry Station” signpost south of Oxenfurt. Get on a ship that should be moored nearby and sail it south-east down the river, your goal being a small, wooded island. An island perpetually shrouded in unnaturally thick fog. You know what this means; expect to encounter Foglets (level four) on the island.

Land and make your way to the eastern end of the island, killing what necrophages present themselves until you find a search area. Make your way to the shore due north of the Hidden Treasure map marker to find a ruined boat. Loot the parcels lying around, then pop on your Witcher Senses to spot two sets of tracks; one running west and another south. Follow the western tracks, first, as they’ll terminate at a corpse propped up against a massive skeleton. Search the body to find a “Scratched Key” then backtrack to the shore and follow the other set of tracks to the south to find a dig site where a small, locked chest awaits.

Enhanced Wolven Boots Location

Only one more thing to grab in Velen; board you ship and sail it back north-west, but this time stick near the eastern coast of Velen (to your west) and when you pass the rocky hills across from the foggy island you were on abandon your ship and make your way onto the swampy shore. Head north along the swampy coastline and you should find the “Grotto” signpost, near which is a cave. How convenient.

Head inside the cave and follow the southern-most passage to reach a roundish chamber with a shallow pool at the south-western-most end of the cave. Three passages ultimately feed into the chamber, one to the north, one to the north-east, and another (the one you used to reach this chamber) to the east. More interestingly, in this chamber you’ll find two chests; one to the south west near some stalagmites and another to the north-east, at the beginning of the passage running north-east. The latter of these two chests contains the “Diagram: Enhanced Wolven Boots” . Grab it, then leave via the north-eastern tunnel, looting another, smaller chest as you go.

Read More: Wolven School Gear Part 4.

You’re now done with Velen for now. On the islands north-west of Oxenfurt (north of the “White Eagle Fort” signpost have some Hidden Treasure events on them, but one of them still requires you to face off against a foe over level thirty, so they’ll be saved for later. You can try to tackle quests like “Bitter Harvest” if you postponed them until you were a higher level, or you can just get on with exploring Novigrad.

4 Comments
117
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"You need to visit the “Destroyed Bastion” signpost to the south of the region."

This signpost is currently unexplored at this moment and I think it should be a quick guide to the place. upd: or it should be placed after "Guarded Treasure (Level 14)" because it's more logical.

4
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The guide is confusing in the section around the 'Crossroads' signpost as the writer uses 'east' when they mean 'west'- but thanks for the guide anyway!

4
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Thanks - yeh I know I am late to the party here but amazing how an old game like this can keep me hooked for so long! Thanks again for the really thorough guide!

21
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D'oh. Yeah, I'm notoriously bad at getting those mixed up. It's not like the game has a compass on screen or anything, right? I'll look around at this page and see if I can make sense of what I was saying all those years ago.

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117
User profile pic

"You need to visit the “Destroyed Bastion” signpost to the south of the region."

This signpost is currently unexplored at this moment and I think it should be a quick guide to the place. upd: or it should be placed after "Guarded Treasure (Level 14)" because it's more logical.

4
User profile pic

The guide is confusing in the section around the 'Crossroads' signpost as the writer uses 'east' when they mean 'west'- but thanks for the guide anyway!

4
User profile pic

Thanks - yeh I know I am late to the party here but amazing how an old game like this can keep me hooked for so long! Thanks again for the really thorough guide!

21
User profile pic

D'oh. Yeah, I'm notoriously bad at getting those mixed up. It's not like the game has a compass on screen or anything, right? I'll look around at this page and see if I can make sense of what I was saying all those years ago.

Back to top
Guide Information
  • Publisher
    CD Projekt
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, Switch, XB One
  • Genre
    RPG
  • Guide Release
    24 June 2015
  • Last Updated
    2 January 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author
    Nathan Garvin (Haeravon)

Share this free guide:

You are Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster-hunter known as a Witcher. You’ve fully regained your memories since your miraculous revival and escape from the Wild Hunt, and have cleared your name of the false accusations of regicide. In the wake of the assassination of Foltest, king of Temeria, the north have been rent by warfare as Nilfgaard launches its third major invasion, and the northlands have been united under the insane king Radovid. Overshadowing these petty politics is the mysterious return of Ciri - Geralt’s adopted daughter, who is now being pursued by the Wild Hunt.

The guide offers the following:

  • A full walkthrough that’s more than just a listing of quests-it’s an “ideal chronological order” that will get you through the whole game and allow you to see and do everything the game has to offer.

  • Side quests, including monster contracts and treasure hunts for obtaining powerful Witcher sets.

  • Descriptions of decisions, quests, and events that influence the various endings of the game.

  • Crafting and Alchemy information.

  • General strategies on how to take down foes large and small, monstrous and humanoid, boss or mundane.

  • Information on how to complete all the Gwent quests and obtain all the Gwent cards, including detailed Gwent strategies.

  • Trophy/Achievement information.

MASSIVE UPDATE: 7th September 2016 ongoing

  • Added DLC quests “Fool’s Gold” and “Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear”.
  • Organisational changes in the Velen section of the walkthrough to reflect the increased level of Griffin School Gear.
  • Organisational changes throughout the walkthrough to provide a “no skulls” path through the game.
  • Added Death March difficulty tips and commentary throughout the guide.
  • More XP reward numbers included.
  • Walkthrough now includes additional information based on patch changes.
  • Various typo and grammar fixes.
  • Added DLC pages for Blood & Wine, Heart of Stone
  • Lots more quality of life improvements

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