The world in which the witcher moves is vast and fraught with danger. The vastness of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is also expressed through the numerous message boards scattered across the Continent, thanks to which Geralt can undertake extra missions that go beyond his main adventure. They are mostly calls for help from poor people who trust the local witch more than their absent king and often - in their own little cosmos - can be more meaningful than the main tasks.
In the last guide we focused on the story of the Griffin, one of the first creatures that Geralt is called to tear apart in exchange for information about Yennefer. Today is the turn of one specific secondary mission, called Wild at Heart, which features an important story and an equally dangerous beast: a werewolf, or the Enamored werewolf.
From the diary:
Werewolves are part human and part wolf creatures. When they take the form of a beast, they take on the worst characteristics of both species: the urge to kill and the greed for fresh meat of the wolf and the cruel and calculating intelligence of man.
The silver-haired witcher is found in Velen looking for Ciri; the region is renamed "no man's land" due to the aftermath of the ongoing war and rampant poverty in the various villages. One of them is Ramonero, and on the notice board of the village an announcement can only catch his attention:
Good people, have mercy and listen to me! My wife Hanna is missing. A few days ago she went into the woods and never came back. I am desperate and will pay any amount to the man who will bring her back to me or who will be able to tell me where to look for her.
- Niellen
Geralt, used to search and rescue missions, decides to help the local hunter, Niellen, find his beloved wife. The hunter shares his despair with her sister, Margaret, and the two talking to the witcher confirm that Hanna has been away in the woods for days, probably in search of mushrooms, and has never returned.
The husband has not noticed any strange behavior ("the smiling Hanna ever") and has in his heart the hope of finding her again. Margaret, on the other hand, has very few hopes and so does the butcher's wife, one of Hanna's few acquaintances, where she directs her: the belief is rooted that the neighboring woods are dangerous because of a pack of wolves and in fact only Niellen, as a hunter, usually ventures into the trees.
In short, all the clues lead to the woods and Geralt decides to go into it until he reaches a clearing where the above-mentioned pack of wolves surrounds a fallen companion. They attack by instinct, and after the last wolf's blood finishes coloring the witcher's silver sword, he is approached by a woman: Margaret, Hanna's sister.
Margaret is sure that her sister has come to a bad end and asks Geralt to suspend the search and tell Niellen that his wife is dead, to allow him to find peace. Our witcher obviously doesn't fit: the hunter's words overflow with love for his sweetheart and the witcher then continues in the search (not without having caught Margaret's classic "heartless beast").
Upon closer inspection, the witcher sees that the wolf at the foot of the tree did not die of natural causes but rather violently, with its innards torn by long claws. It is enough to take a few steps beyond the tree to guess that all this time he has been arguing with Margaret with a torn body nearby.
It is Hanna, who died in the clearing by the hand of the same creature that got rid of the wolf: a werewolf. As a creature symbol of ferality, his killer has scattered tracks to follow to an isolated hut. A sheet of paper and a quick investigation reveal who this cabin in the woods belongs to, but above all who killed poor Hanna.
From the diary:
I am who I am. I cannot change my nature. Parsley shirts and potions containing virgin tears only work in children's stories, not for me. It is time to realize this.
But Hanna's love and strict discipline have taught me to control myself, as long as she hides me in the woods during the full moon, away from everything and everyone. Especially away from Hanna.
Her killer is Niellen, her husband. In the veins of the hunter runs cursed blood that forces him to hide in the woods on full moon nights, nights in which emotional s give way to natural loneliness and an uncontrollable thirst for blood.. That morning Hanna disappeared Niellen woke up with great amnesia and the taste of blood in his mouth ("Mother Melitele, watch over anyone who gets too close to me ...").
Behind his shed there is one humid and dark cave, which has become the bed of his second personality. Geralt may return to the village and disillusion Niellen, but chooses to wait for him in his lair. Fortunately, there is no need for a full moon; meditating late into the night will serve the purpose and Niellen - or rather the werewolf - will arrive on time for his appointment with destiny.
Know your enemy
In the world of The Witcher 3 the best way to know the enemy is to read his characteristics (and his weaknesses) in the bestiary. The book In the Shoes of the Beast provides useful information to take down a werewolf, certainly among the most difficult creatures that Geralt has to face. Werewolves don't have many attacks, but their most dangerous trait is the ability to regenerate their life once it is reduced to 50%. Regeneration is infinite and at a fast pace, which is why it is essential to be prepared for the fight. Werewolves have several weaknesses, including of course silver. In particular:
- Silver sword (being a creature no longer human)
- Lunar dust (bomb): fundamental, it blocks regeneration for a certain period. It is prepared with x1 saltpetre and x2 solutions of mercury (but unfortunately it is difficult to have it at this point in the game)
- Anti-cursed (and not anti-beast, as lycanthropy is a curse) ointment
- Sign: Igni
Also effective are Yrden to slow his fury, Axii to stun him for a few seconds or Quen, a shield that totally “subscribes” an opponent's blow. The recommended battle level is 7-8.
The fight
If you don't have access to the Moon Dust bomb, the key to the fight will be damage the werewolf enough to offset his regeneration. Basically, you will have to take a very aggressive approach even to the detriment of your health. An anti-cursed ointment, the Thunder potion and Igni should be enough.
The werewolf always arrives accompanied by a couple of low-level wolves: you have to deal with them before paying your attention to the man who was once Niellen.
The Quen sign is very useful for familiarizing yourself with the creature, which as we have mentioned can count on few (effective) attacks such as its claws or a jump. The real problem arises when the werewolf reaches the second phase, in which he cloaks himself in red: that is the signal that the regeneration has started. Another annoyance is that the werewolf tends to run away and then return, so you have to be relentless and gulp down potions and oils like there's no tomorrow.. Light hits tend to recover almost immediately from cursed regeneration, while heavy hits digest them a little less.
Note: When checked, Geralt's “Gourmet” ability extends the regeneration of any food (even a piece of bread) up to 20 minutes instead of the canonical 10 seconds. It's a bit too strong a skill that can take a toll on the gameplay experience, but for a long battle like this it's ideal.
Arriving at 1/3 of the life bar, the werewolf will collapse to the ground and Margaret, Hanna's sister, will arrive. Margaret knew that Niellen was a werewolf, as he also knew he had feelings of jealousy towards his sister.
From the diary:
Hanna's sister Margaret knew her secret and had another: she was in love with Niellen and terribly jealous of Hanna. So, he decided to take Hanna into the woods to show her her husband's transformation, hoping that this would leave her in disgust. Unfortunately, Hanna caught the werewolf's attention… Margaret managed to escape, but her sister wasn't quite as lucky. Niellen, transformed into a bloodthirsty beast, slaughtered the love of his life with his own hands.
Margaret loves him despite his condition and wanted Hanna to see him and run away in fear so that she could be with Niellen without hindrance. At this point two paths open up:
- Geralt will let the werewolf and Margaret deal with it for themselves. Niellen will kill Margaret and shortly after (in the open) she will ask Geralt to end her suffering.
- The witcher orders the girl to leave and prepares to kill the Werewolf. In this case he will get up for one last battle (1/3 life and without regeneration). Eventually Margaret will stay in the shed to feel sorry for herself, leaving behind the village of Ramonero and the gossip of the people.
The choice is yours / Geralt.
Epilogue
Lycanthropy is the result of a curse, and the transformation occurs without any conscious control. When he returns to human form, the werewolf does not remember what he did, otherwise he would surely go mad or take his own life.
Sometimes a werewolf's curse can be broken, but there is no universal and sure way to do it. Accepting Margaret's payment in the middle of the clearing would have meant not letting Niellen know that she had killed the love of her life, but it would also have meant an uncontrollable werewolf roaming the forests. Too cowardly to hang himself, as he himself claims after trying, when conscious the hunter wants nothing more than to end his existence to reunite with his Hanna. A wild heart, which in the last moments of his life was more human than werewolf.
The Witcher 3, with Geralt of Rivia and his entire bestiary, also arrives on Nintendo Switch later this year. Are we ready to go back to being hunters of the best (or worst) species? Maybe we never will be.
► The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an RPG-Action-Adventure game developed by CD Projekt RED and published by Bandai Namco for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 19/05/2015
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is not a game worth buying: we decided to rate it with a %, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Review of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
