Overview
Contract: The Creature from Oxenfurt Forest is a witcher contract in the countryside around Oxenfurt, recommended for level 35. A mercenary named Hans of Cidaris and his men tried to kill a beast in the local woods, lost two of their number and decided the job was better left to a professional. The beast is Opinicus, an archgriffin: a bigger, nastier relative of the royal griffin from The Beast of White Orchard, with acid spit thrown in.
Getting the contract
You can take the notice from Oxenfurt’s notice board, find Hans at his makeshift camp east-southeast of the Herbalist’s Hut, or run into the archgriffin’s nest by accident. Hans explains what happened to his men and is open to haggling. He then points you further east-southeast to where the attack took place.
The investigation
At the attack site you find a corpse and a lot of blood, but no sign of the second victim. Examine both, then head north to a severed arm and another blood trail, which is much easier to follow. Expect a pack of wolves along the way.
The blood ends where ravens are picking at the last scraps of a body. From there, follow the birds circling to the east. They lead to the rocky cliffs where the nest is. What happens next depends on the time of day:
- After about 7 p.m. Opinicus is home and the fight starts straight away.
- During the day you can examine large feathers near the nest, which tell Geralt he is dealing with an archgriffin. Climb up to the nest and search the remains of the second body. It carries a letter worth reading. Then meditate until evening and come back.
Either way you earn 25 XP for identifying the beast. If you fought it at night, you can still pick up the letter from the nest after the fight.
Fighting Opinicus
Opinicus spends a lot of time in the air, swoops down with dives and wing swipes, and has a leaping slam. The goal is to ground it and keep it there.
- Coat your silver sword with hybrid oil.
- Shoot it with the crossbow or throw Grapeshot when it takes off.
- Use Aard to knock it down when it lands near you.
- Roll away when it leaps for the slam, then punish the landing. Mind the cliff edge.
Full tactics are on our Creature from Oxenfurt Forest page.
Choices and outcomes
The letter reveals that Hans had already been paid, in advance and far more generously, to kill this very griffin. When you report back, you can bring it up and demand a bigger cut, or keep quiet. Bringing it up raises your pay, but Hans remembers. In Hearts of Stone, if you want Quinto as your safecracker in Open Sesame: The Safecracker, you have to deal with Hans again, and he will demand double if you squeezed him here.
Rewards
- 300 XP for the turn-in, plus 25 XP for identifying the archgriffin.
- 331 crowns if you use the letter, or 221 crowns if you don’t.
- Griffin trophy, archgriffin mutagen and the Zireael armor, all from the body.
If you enjoyed this hunt, Contract: The Griffin from the Highlands in Velen pits you against another archgriffin.
