The Phantom of Eldberg

The Phantom of Eldberg is a penitent, a rare and powerful kind of wraith bound to a place by a curse. This one haunts Eldberg Lighthouse in the Skellige Isles, surrounding the island in fog and darkness and keeping ships away from the port of Arinbjorn. It can vanish and reappear behind its target, and it calls lesser wraiths to fight for it.

The story behind the haunting is tied to the lighthouse keeper, Mikkjal, who does not tell Geralt the whole truth at first. A letter inside the lighthouse fills in what he left out.

In The Witcher 3 you face it during Contract: The Phantom of Eldberg, which you can start from Jorund in Arinbjorn’s tavern, from the notice board there, or by exploring Eldberg yourself. The easiest route is by boat to the harbor on the south tip of Eldberg, then up the path past the bodies and wraiths to Mikkjal’s hut. Markings on the tower reveal the curse. Only Mikkjal can light the lighthouse fire, and the penitent cannot truly die until he does. The contract is level 17, rewards a wraith trophy and the sword Ashrune, and starting it at the right time also opens Stranger in a Strange Land.

Combat strategy

This is a long fight because the penitent is effectively immortal until Mikkjal lights the fire. Treat the first part as survival: keep moving, deal with its summons, and wait for Geralt to remark that the fire is lit. After that, it can finally go down.

It summons up to four wraiths at a time, and these are tougher than the ones nightwraiths and noonwraiths bring along. Clear them when they appear so you are never surrounded, and keep an eye out for the penitent blinking in behind you.