Elven Ruins of Velen

The Elven Ruins lie in the wild southwest of Velen, a little northwest of Byways and west of Fyke Isle on Lake Wyndamer, and they are far bigger underground than they look from the surface. Past the entrance, stairways lead down into cold halls of carved stone: arched galleries, half-flooded tunnels, an octagonal pool and a huge cavern that was once an underground harbor. Clouds of poisonous gas drift up from mushrooms growing in the damp, swallows are painted on the walls, and flickering projections of an elven mage appear in the dark like ghosts who forgot to haunt anyone. Locals say the place is cursed by the elven gods, and the wraiths inside do nothing to change their minds.

In The Witcher 3

The ruins are the hideout of the mysterious elf who had been asking Keira Metz about Ciri, the mage later revealed to be Avallac’h. Keira offers to take Geralt there at the end of Hunting a Witch, and Wandering in the Dark plays out entirely below ground. Just past the second archway the pair spot Wild Hunt warriors across the cavern. Keira’s hasty portal misfires and splits them up, Geralt later finds her blasting away at rats (she is not a fan), and from then on they follow the elf’s swallow symbols, a nod to Ciri’s sword Zireael, through riddles, traps and illusions.

The ruins are anything but empty. Drowners and foglets lurk in the flooded passages, a water hag can turn up, wraiths drift through the gas-filled harbor, a golem guards the way beyond a hidden portal, and an optional gargoyle locks Geralt inside its chamber. Deeper in, the Hunt tears open portals to the White Frost, and Keira has to close them while Geralt keeps the hounds off her. The last guard is Nithral, a Wild Hunt warrior who heals himself while his hounds keep you busy.

Beyond Nithral lies the elf’s abandoned laboratory: herbs, burned notes, an empty potion bottle and a book called After the White Frost. One last projection warns Ciri to stay away from the witches of Crookback Bog, which points Geralt toward the Crones. Keira hands him the Eye of Nehaleni to see through illusions, then asks for one more favor: the magic lamp the elf promised her, sealed behind a riddle of four statues and their torches.

Quests in the Elven Ruins

Good to know

There is no safe fast travel point close by and the trip from Keira’s hut is long, so stock up before you set out.
Magic Lamp has to be finished before you leave the ruins, or it fails. It leads on to An Invitation from Keira Metz and Fyke Isle.
A Place of Power and a hidden treasure lie underground near the golem’s area, close to the Magic Lamp chamber.
Aard or Igni clears the toxic clouds. Igni makes them explode, so mind where you stand.
Several chests hold random diagrams, and one behind the illusion holds the sword Maugrim.