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TheBlood & Wineexpansion forThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntintroduces a brand-new story for Geralt of Rivia to make his way through. Just as in the base game, the narrative quality is exceptionally high. In fact, taken as a whole, many players consider the final DLC forThe Witcher 3: Wild Huntto be one of thegreatest expansions in gaming history.
The expansion’s main storyopens with “The Beast of Toussaint,” which begins as soon as Geralt enters the duchy of Toussaint with Palmerin de Launfal and Milton de Peyrac-Peyran. This quest serves as a basic introduction to the land of Toussaint, taking Geralt from the Gorgon Foothills to the gardens of Beauclair Palace.
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How to Start ‘The Beast of Toussaint’
To initiate this mission, Geralt must simply accept the contract when it is offered to him at the end of “Envoys, Wineboys.” That quest is found in Holloway, a small village in Velen. Both Milton and Palmerin can be found near the Stonecutter’s Settlement fast-travel marker, which sits directly east of Hanged Man’s Tree. Once Geralt accepts the contract, the three men set out for Toussaint, initiating “The Beast of Toussaint” andstartingBlood & Winein earnest.
Meeting Guillaume and Golyat
After a brief conversation and the expansion’s title card, the three traveling companions will come across a knight fighting a giant. Geralt, being the monster-slaying Chad that he is, hops into action before anyone can say ‘Guillaume and Golyat’ three times fast.
How to Defeat Golyat
Golyat is a pretty tough enemy, but it has one considerable weakness: a single well-placed crossbow shot to the eye-slit in his ‘helmet.’ Making this shot will kill it instantly, awarding the player the’David and Golyat’achievement. Thelightning reflexesandtrick shotskills can help with this feat, giving Geralt more time in slow motion while aiming and an extra shot before reloading.
Players who wish to take Golyat down using more traditional methods should do the following:
Investigating The Cockatrice Inn
Once the battle with Golyat concludes, Geralt is introduced to Guillaume de Launfal, the knight who was attempting to defeat the giant with Geralt arrived. He informs the trio that the Beast Geralt has been hired to track has struck again, pointing them to The Cockatrice Inn.
The Murder Scene
While Palmerin leaves to update the Duchess, Milton takes Geralt to the scene of the latest crime. Before heading into the tavern, they first examine the location of the murder.
As Geralt observes that the guardsmen who retrieved the body clearly trampled the scene, a group ofScurversarrive to give them trouble.These necrophages are a stronger variantof rotfiends, and like them, they explode upon death. Once they are dealt with, Geralt should continue examining the area.
Once Geralt realizes the body had been tangled in the fishing nets, he jumps in the river to investigate further. While there are several items he can examine, the one that pushes the story forward is a small handkerchief monogrammed ’d.l.C.' (very clever, CDPR). The key takeaways from the investigation of the site are:
Inside The Cockatrice Inn:
The tavern itself is located just above the site of the murder, sitting on the bridge that spans the river. Once inside, Milton will begin conversing with three of the inn’s patrons. The dialogue that follows is important, but there are no significant options that alter what Geralt can learn, though much of the back and forth between Milton and one particular patron is very amusing and worth exploring. The key takeaways from the Cockatrice are:
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The Cellar at Corvo Bianco
At this point, Milton tells Geralt that he must report to the Duchess, as he is to play the hare in the special festivitiestaking place at the Palace. Geralt heads to Corvo Bianco to examine the victim’s body.
As Geralt approaches the estate, which lies just north of The Cockatrice Inn, screaming and fighting can clearly be heard. As he gets closer, dead bodies can be seen littering the walkways, horses bolt past him, and dying men crawl from the cellar’s entrance.
Entering the Cellar at Corvo Bianco
As soon as Geralt enters the small cave that acts as the estate’s wine cellar, Geralt notices small footsteps on the floor that he can follow. Once Geralt arrives in the cellar’s main chamber, he finds the same hooded figure from the tavern, now fully naked and covered in blood.
She appears to be stealing a severed hand when Geralt interrupts her. Based on several factors, including her immense strength, Geralt surmisesthe woman is a vampire.
How to Defeat the Bruxa
Despite Geralt’s insistence that they need not fight each other, the bruxa disagrees, locking the gate before attacking him. Use the following tactics to defeat the vampire:
Investigating De La Croix’s Corpse
After defeating the bruxa, Geralt must return to his original purpose for visiting the cellar: examining the corpse. It can be found lying on a table in the general vicinity of where the fight ends.
What Geralt learns from the examination:
The Tourney Grounds and the Shaelmaar
Geralt finds Palmerin at the Tourney Grounds,located north of Corvo Bianco, just outside the city. He is found talking with a small group of children near the arena. The two have a brief discussion, with several different dialogue choices that have no effect on the quest, yet still provide important context. Geralt can choose from several different points of view regarding the forcing of monsters to fight in the arena. Then, when a shaelmaar goes berserk, Geralt and Palmerin are forced to step in and fight the beast.
How to Defeat the Shaelmaar
Use the following tacticsto defeat the shaelmaar:
Once Geralt defeats the creature, the Duchess gives him the choice of sparing or killing it. This leads to a longer discussion with Anna Henrietta about the entire contract.
Meeting with Anna Henrietta and Damien de la Tour
Geralt meets with the Duchessand Damien de la Tour, the Captain of her personal guard. This section essentially serves to supply exposition for the rest of the main adventure. The main points to remember are:
Working with Anna Henrietta to Find Milton
With Milton taking part in the Hare Hunt, the Duchess and Geralt have to participate in the events to find his location. Given that they are who they are, they don’t exactly play fair.
Completing the Three Events
To get theUnicorn’s Horn, Geraltneed only useAxiion the costumed horse. He will then be free to approach it and search the horn for clues. Once this is done, the other contestants will approach, unhappy that Geralt cheated. UsingAxii/Delusionon themis the quickest way to move to the next event.
To find the Golden Fish, dive in the water near the quest marker and begin checking each fish. Eventually Geralt will find the right one, initiating a cutscene that ends with Geralt taking the Golden Fish.
With both clues in hand, Geralt should make his way back to the Duchess. She will have the egg. The two will read the clues, which together form a riddle. The answer is:
Completing the riddle and learning Milton’s location brings “The Beast of Toussaint” to a close and immediately begins “Blood Run.”
The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
